JP3796178B2 - Mounter for portable information terminal - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile information terminal mounting device that mounts a mobile information terminal such as a barcode handy terminal (hereinafter referred to as BHT) and performs optical communication.
[0002]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
FIG. 8 shows an example of this type of portable information terminal mounting device. On the mounting device body 2 which is the main body of the mobile information terminal mounting device 1, mounting portions 4a and 4b on which the BHT 3 is mounted are formed. The placement portions 4a and 4b are formed in a concave shape. The mounting置器1 is adapted to perform transmission of data by optical communication and BHT3, its configuration is shown in Figure 9. An electrical component accommodating portion 5 is formed on the side portion of the mounting portion 4a, and a transmission window 6 is formed on the side wall portion 5a. An optical communication device 7 having a light emitting element 7 a and a light receiving element (not shown) is provided inside the electrical component housing 5.
[0003]
The light emitting element 7 a and the light receiving element are configured to optically communicate with the optical communication unit 3 a on the BHT 3 side through the transmission window 6.
However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the communication light of the optical communication device 7 (the output light from the light emitting element 7a and the input light to the light receiving element) is simply transmitted to the BHT 3 side through the transmission window 6, so the communication light 8 ( A range indicated by alternate long and short dash lines 8a and 8a) is a relatively wide area. A relatively wide communication light 8 region is generally an advantage, but is often a drawback in a portable information terminal mounting device that optically communicates with a portable information terminal. That is, when data communication is performed between the portable information terminal such as the BHT 3 and the mounting device 1, a plurality of mounting devices 1 and a plurality of BHT 3 may be arranged side by side. In such a case, data may be erroneously transmitted between the mounting device 1 and the BHT 3 (BHT not mounted on the mounting device 1) that is not in a data communication relationship with the mounting device 1. .
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile information terminal mounting device that can reliably optically communicate with only the mobile information terminal mounted on the mounting portion.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the invention of claim 1 employed to achieve the above object, the optical communication device includes a reflection unit that folds communication light from the optical communication device to the optical communication unit of the portable information terminal, and a transmission window that transmits the communication light. Since the range through which communication light passes is limited by at least one of the reflection part and the transmission part, it is possible to reduce the width of the communication light, and reliably perform optical communication only with the portable information terminal placed on the placement part. it can. In other words, if the optical communication device is configured to simply perform optical communication through the transmission window (conventional configuration), the spread of the optical path, that is, the spread of the communication light, cannot be limited unless the distance between the optical communication device and the transmission window is significantly separated. However, according to the first aspect of the invention, as described above, the width of the communication light can be reduced. In particular, since the configuration uses a reflecting section, the degree of freedom in setting the optical path of communication light is increased.
[0006]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a transmission window is provided on the side wall provided on the mounting portion so as to be substantially perpendicular to the mounting portion, and the reflection portion reflects the communication light substantially at a right angle. Thus, the optical communication device can be arranged at a position substantially perpendicular to the transmission window. Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 1, the reflecting portion is provided in a cap which is a separate member from the mounting device main body, the filter portion is provided in addition to the reflecting portion on the cap, and the filter portion is transmitted through the cap. Since it was set as the structure provided in a mounting body main body with the form arrange | positioned at a window, the closure of a transmissive window, light shielding other than communication light, and attachment of a reflection part can be performed at once.
[0007]
In this case, you may make it restrict | limit the range through which communication light passes by a permeation | transmission part (invention of Claim 2).
Further, an electrical component housing portion is formed on the mounting portion side portion of the mounting body, and a side wall portion facing the optical communication unit of the portable information terminal in the electrical component housing portion is defined as a mounting surface of the mounting portion. formed to be substantially perpendicular, the transmission window, the formed so as to open laterally on the side wall portion, in this electrical component housing portion, is disposed a circuit board substantially parallel with said side wall, the circuit An optical communication device may be installed on the substrate so as to form an optical axis parallel to the surface of the circuit board (invention of claim 3 ). In this way, in the configuration in which the electrical component storage unit for optical communication is provided on the side of the placement unit, the electrical component storage unit can be thinned.
[0008]
The reflecting portion may be constituted by a reflecting mirror or a prism (invention of claim 4 ). The optical axis may be perpendicular to the placement surface (invention of claim 5 ).
Further, an optical display unit may be provided on the upper wall portion of the electrical component housing unit, and an optical display element that emits light from the optical display unit may be mounted on the circuit board (invention of claim 6 ). Then, various kinds of optical display can be performed using the electrical component housing portion and the circuit board for optical communication.
[0009]
Furthermore, an electrical component housing portion is formed in which the side wall portion facing the communication portion of the portable information terminal is substantially perpendicular to the placement surface of the placement portion from the placement portion side portion to the lower portion of the placement device body, and the transmission window parallel, open laterally into the side wall portion, the portion of the portion below the placing in electrical component housing portion, is disposed to the circuit board substantially parallel state with the placement surface, with the circuit board surface on the circuit board It is also possible to install an optical communication device so that the optical axis is the same, and to include a second reflecting portion on the optical path close to the optical communication device (invention of claim 7 ).
[0010]
With this configuration, in the configuration in which the substantially L-shaped electrical component accommodating portion is provided from the placement portion side to the lower portion, the optical path of the communication light can be formed in accordance with the L-shaped shape of the electrical component accommodating portion. In this case, the reflecting portion and the second reflecting portion may be formed as an integral light guide (invention of claim 8 ).
[0011]
Further, the cap may be formed integrally with the reflecting portion (invention of claim 9 ).
Also, a mounting portion is formed in the mounting body, a fitting portion is formed in the cap, and the cap is fitted into the mounting portion and fixed to the mounting body by the spring force of the cap. It is good also as a structure to do (invention of Claim 10 ). If it does in this way, attachment of a cap will become easy .
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a mounting device 11 that is a mounting device for a portable information terminal is a device that mounts a portable information terminal, for example, a BHT 12 to perform optical communication, and the mounting device 11 includes a BHT 12. It also has a function for charging the internal battery. The BHT 12 is provided with an optical communication unit 12a, a barcode reading unit 12b, a display unit 12c, an input unit 12d, and the like.
[0013]
The placement device main body 13 of the placement device 11 is formed in a housing shape from an upper case 14a and a lower case 14b fitted and fixed thereto.
The placement device main body 13 is formed with placement portions 15a and 15b on which the BHT 12 is placed. One mounting portion 15a receives one end portion (left portion in FIG. 2) of the BHT 12, and the other mounting portion 15b receives the other end portion (right portion in FIG. 2) of the BHT 12. The mounting portions 15a and 15b are formed in a concave shape by raising the side end portions of the upper case 14a (the raised portions 14c and 14d).
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 1, an electrical component accommodating portion 16 is formed inside a side portion of, for example, the raised portion 14c, which is a side portion of one placement portion 15a of the placement device body 13, for example. In the electrical component housing 16, the side wall 16a facing the optical communication unit 12a (see FIG. 3) of the BHT 12 is substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface 15c of the mounting unit 15a. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a transmission window 17 is formed in the side wall portion 16a so as to open sideways. A mounting portion 18 having a substantially quadrangular prism shape is formed on the upper edge of the transmission window 17 as shown in FIG. An insertion hole 19 is formed in the upper wall portion 16 b of the electrical component housing portion 16 adjacent to the mounting portion 18. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example, four display holes 20 a to 20 d serving as light display portions are formed in the upper wall portion 16 b.
[0015]
A circuit board 21 is disposed in the electrical component housing portion 16 in a substantially parallel state with the side wall portion 16a. The optical communication device 22 has an optical axis (indicated by reference numeral 22a for convenience) on the circuit board 21. The circuit board 21 is mounted so as to be substantially parallel.
[0016]
The optical communication device 22 includes a light emitting element 23 made of, for example, an infrared light emitting element, and a light receiving element 24 made of, for example, a phototransistor (see FIG. 2).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cap 25 is a separate member from the mounting body 13, and is made of a synthetic resin made of a material (infrared filter material) that well shields light other than infrared light. Yes. The cap 25 is formed with a fitting portion 26 composed of a horizontal piece portion 26a, a vertical piece portion 26b, and 26c, and the lower end portion of one vertical piece portion 26b of the fitting portion 26 has an angle of about 45 °. A bent piece portion 27 is formed in a form that bends at an angle, and the downward surface of the bent piece portion 27 bends (reflects) communication light made of a metal plate (for example, an aluminum plate) with high reflection efficiency. The reflection part 28 is attached. On the other hand, the lower end portion of the other vertical piece portion 26 c of the fitting portion 26 extends further downward, and this extended piece portion is used as a filter portion 29.
[0017]
The cap 25 described above is attached to the mounting body 13 by inserting the bent piece portion 27 from the insertion hole 19 and fitting the fitting portion 26 into the attachment portion 27. In this case, the filter unit 29 is arranged so as to block the transmission window 17. Further, the cap 25 is stopped by the fitting, and the angle of the reflecting portion 28 is appropriately regulated. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the vertical dimension Ha of the reflecting portion 28 with respect to the optical communication device 22 and the vertical width Hb of the transmission window 17 are set to width dimensions effective for communication light limitation.
[0018]
A panel sheet 30 is affixed to the upper wall portion 16b of the electrical component housing 16 and the top surface of the cap 25, and a portion corresponding to the display holes 20a to 20d in the panel sheet 30 is configured to be translucent. It has become. Here, on the circuit board 21, as shown in FIG. 2, LEDs 31a to 31d, which are optical display elements, are mounted so as to face the display holes 20a to 20d. These LEDs 31a to 31d perform, for example, a display indicating that power is being supplied, a display indicating that communication is being performed, a display indicating that charging is being performed, and other displays.
[0019]
As can be seen from FIG. 1, communication light 32 (range indicated by alternate long and short dash lines 32 a and 32 b) from the optical communication device 22 to the optical communication unit 12 a of the BHT 12 is reflected by the reflection unit 28 and limited by the transmission window 17. Yes. The communication light 32 may be limited by the reflection unit 28.
[0020]
According to such a present Example, since the communication light 32 is reflected in the reflection part 28, and the communication light reflected in this reflection part 28 is restrict | limited by the transmission window 17, the width | variety of the communication light 32 is reduced. Can be small. In particular, since the reflection unit 28 is used, the degree of freedom for setting the path of the communication light 32 is increased.
[0021]
Further, since the reflection unit 28 is provided so as to reflect the communication light 32 at a substantially right angle, the optical communication device 22 can be disposed at a position substantially perpendicular to the transmission window 17.
Further, the transmission window 17 is formed so as to open sideways in the side wall portion 16a of the electrical component housing portion 16, and the circuit board 21 is disposed in the electrical component housing portion 16 in a state substantially parallel to the side wall portion 16a. Since the optical communication device 22 is installed on the circuit board 16 a so that the optical axis 22 a is substantially parallel to the circuit board 21, the circuit board 21 and the optical communication device 22 are accommodated in the electrical component housing portion 16. However, the electrical component housing portion 16 can be thinned in the width direction (thinning in the left-right direction in FIG. 1).
[0022]
That is, in the case where the circuit board 21 and the optical communication device 22 are provided without providing the reflection unit 28 in the electrical component housing unit 16, in order to narrow the communication light, as shown in FIG. The container 22 and the transmission window 17 need to be considerably separated from each other, and the width dimension of the electrical component housing 16 is increased. However, in the present embodiment configured as described above, the electrical component housing 16 can be made thinner as described above.
[0023]
In this case, the light display portions 20a to 20d are provided on the upper wall portion 16b of the electrical component housing portion 16, and the LEDs 31a to 31d that emit light from the light display portions 20a to 20d are mounted on the circuit board 21. Various optical displays can be performed using the electrical component housing 16 and the circuit board 21 for optical communication.
[0024]
Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the reflecting portion 28 is provided on the cap 25 which is a separate member from the mounting body 11, the filter portion 29 is provided on the cap 25 in addition to the reflecting portion 28, and the cap 25 is Since the filter unit 29 is provided on the mounting body 11 in a form in which the filter unit 29 is disposed on the transmission window 17, the transmission window 17 can be closed, the light other than communication light can be blocked, and the reflection unit 28 can be attached at a time. it can.
[0025]
In this case, the mounting portion 17 is formed on the mounting body 12, the fitting portion 26 is formed on the cap 25, and the cap 25 is fitted on the mounting portion 17 and placed by the spring force. Since it is configured to be fixed to the vessel body 12, the cap 25 can be easily attached. The cap 25 may be formed integrally with the reflecting portion 28.
[0026]
As can be seen from FIGS . 8 and 9 , the electrical component housing chamber 5 emits communication light 8 having an optical axis parallel to the placement surface of the placement portion 4a (substantially perpendicular to the side wall portion 2a). Because it was wide. However, the width of the communication device 22 can be reduced by providing the communication device 22 so that the optical axis of the communication device 22 is substantially parallel to the side wall portion 16a and allowing the reflection portion 28 to reach the transmission window 28. This can contribute to the downsizing of the mounting device 11. In order to reduce the size, there is no need to limit the communication light .
[0027]
FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and this second embodiment is characterized by the following points. That is, a portion from the side of the mounting portion 15 a to the lower portion in the mounting body 13 is used as the electrical component housing portion 40. And the circuit board 21 is arrange | positioned in the part below the mounting part 15a in the electrical component accommodating part 40 in the substantially parallel state with the mounting surface 15c mentioned above. An optical communication device 22 is mounted on the circuit board 21 so that the optical axis 22 a is substantially parallel to the circuit board 21. In addition, the reflection part 43 (this is attached to the reflection plate 44) as the second reflection part is provided on the optical path close to the optical communication device 22. The reflecting portion 43 may be formed as a light guide integrated with the reflecting portion 28.
[0028]
According to the second embodiment, in the configuration in which the L-shaped electrical component storage unit 40 is provided, the communication light 45 can be formed in accordance with the L-shaped shape of the electrical component storage unit 40. And the electrical equipment accommodating part 40 of the mounting part 15a side part can be further reduced in thickness. Further, since the reflection unit 43 is provided, the degree of freedom for setting the path of the communication light 45 is further increased .
[0029]
The present invention may be implemented as follows. The reflection part may be any member having a high reflection efficiency. In addition to a metal plate and a prism, for example, a reflection mirror, a metal vacuum deposition layer, a plating layer, glass, a high reflectance paint, or other high reflectance. You may comprise by a member etc. Further, the portable information terminal is not limited to the BHT, and may be a cellular phone, a personal information device (PDA), or the like.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a vertical section of an electrical equipment housing portion according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the whole with a BHT placed. FIG. FIG. 4 is a vertical side view of the electrical component housing portion at the LED portion. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the cap and the transmission window portion. FIG. 6 is a second embodiment of the present invention. a vertical side view and FIG. 7] FIG. 1 corresponds diagram showing a reference example 8 3 corresponds diagram showing a conventional example [9] Figure 1 corresponds diagram of electrical component housing portions shown eXPLANATION oF rEFERENCE nUMERALS
11 is a portable information terminal mounting device, 12 is a BHT (portable information terminal), 13 is a mounting device body, 15a and 15b are mounting portions, 16 is an electrical component housing portion, 16a is a side wall portion, and 17 is a transmission window. , 18 is a mounting portion, 19 is a fitting hole, 20a to 20d are display holes (light display portions), 21 is a circuit board, 22 is an optical communication device, 23 is a light emitting element, 24 is a light receiving element, 25 is a cap, 26 Is a fitting part, 28 is a reflection part, 29 is a filter part, 31a-31d is LED (light display element), 32 communication light, 40 is an electrical equipment accommodating part, 43 is a reflection part, 45 shows communication light .

Claims (10)

A mounting unit provided on the mounting unit body for mounting the portable information terminal;
A side wall provided on the mounting portion so as to be substantially perpendicular thereto;
Provided in the prior described置器body, the optical communication device having a light emitting element and a light receiving element communicates by optical communication unit and light placed on said portable information terminal,
A reflector that folds communication light from the optical communication device to the optical communication unit of the portable information terminal at a substantially right angle ;
A transmission window provided on the side wall and transmitting communication light;
A cap that is a separate member from the above-mentioned table body,
The reflective portion is provided in the cap, and the cap is provided with a filter portion in addition to the reflective portion,
The cap is provided on the main body of the placement device in a form in which the filter portion is disposed on the transmission window,
The portable information terminal mounting device, wherein a range through which the communication light passes is limited by at least one of the reflection portion and the transmission window . 2. The portable information terminal mounting device according to claim 1, wherein a range through which the communication light passes is limited by the transmission window . An electrical component housing portion is formed on the placement portion side portion of the placement device main body,
In the electrical component housing portion, the side wall portion facing the optical communication portion of the portable information terminal is substantially perpendicular to the placement surface of the placement portion,
The transmission window is opened sideways in the side wall portion of the electrical component housing portion,
A circuit board is disposed in the electrical component housing part in a state substantially parallel to the side wall part, and the optical communication device is installed on the circuit board so as to form an optical axis parallel to the circuit board surface. The mounting device for portable information terminals according to claim 1 or 2 . The portable information terminal mounting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reflecting section is configured by a reflecting mirror or a prism . 5. The mobile information terminal mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis is perpendicular to the mounting surface. A light display portion is provided on the upper wall portion of the electrical component housing portion,
4. The portable information terminal mounting device according to claim 3, wherein an optical display element that emits light from the optical display unit is mounted on the circuit board . The electrical component housing portion is formed from the placement portion side portion to the lower portion in the mounting device main body, and the side wall portion facing the optical communication portion of the portable information terminal in the electrical component housing portion is configured as described above. Almost perpendicular to the mounting surface of the part,
The transmission window is opened sideways in the side wall,
A circuit board is disposed substantially in parallel with the mounting surface in a portion below the mounting part in the electrical component housing part, and the light is arranged so that the circuit board has an optical axis parallel to the circuit board surface. The portable information terminal mounting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a communication device is installed, and a second reflecting portion is provided on an optical path close to the optical communication device . 8. The portable information terminal mounting device according to claim 7, wherein the reflecting portion and the second reflecting portion are formed as an integral light guide . 9. The portable information terminal mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the cap is formed integrally with the reflecting portion . A mounting part is formed on the above-mentioned table body, a fitting part is formed on the cap,
The portable device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cap has the fitting portion fitted into the mounting portion, and is fixed to the mounting body by the spring force of the cap. Placement device for information terminals.

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