KR200488023Y1 - Plug Module of External-Device for Mobile Terminal and the External-Device - Google Patents

Abstract

A plug module of an external device for a portable terminal and an external device for a portable terminal equipped with the plug module are disclosed. The plug module of the present invention is provided in an external device that is installed in an external device that is wrapped around a portable terminal and is coupled to a socket provided in the portable terminal. In particular, when the position of the socket is different for each manufacturer, It can be inserted into the socket of the terminal. The plug module includes a vertically provided shaft, a plug terminal portion which is inserted into a through hole formed in one side of the shaft and is supported by the shaft, and a plug terminal portion provided at least one of upper and lower portions of the plug terminal portion, And includes an elastic member. The plug terminal portion vertically heightens the socket while vertically moving along the shaft when the external force acts in the vertical direction. The first elastic member restores the restoring force to return the plug terminal portion to the reference position when the external force is removed to provide.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plug module of an external device for a portable terminal and an external device for a portable terminal having the plug module,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an external device mounted on a portable terminal by inserting a plug into a socket provided in a portable terminal, and more particularly to a plug module provided in the external device and an external device including the plug module.

A portable terminal, such as a smart phone, couples or directly couples to various external devices. The most common external devices include a charger that connects with a cable, and a USB memory that connects directly to a USB plug. However, any type of external device is not electrically connected until a plug is inserted into a socket provided in the portable terminal. The same is true of cable.

Many conventional external devices use a cable-based approach. As the size of the external device increases, there is a part where the direct connection is structurally insecure, and the portability of the portable terminal is also significantly restricted. However, since the external device and the portable terminal are separated from each other through a cable, the portability of the portable terminal is maintained as it is, and the structural coupling The stability of the

However, in recent years, there have been many cases of direct coupling type external devices. For example, Korean Patent Registration No. 1493332 (entitled: fingerprint input device using a portable terminal equipped with a camera and its external optical device for fingerprint input) is an external device of a type directly attached to a camera of a portable terminal It shows an example.

1 is a view schematically showing the shape of the enclosure 20 in concept. The enclosure 20 of FIG. 1 has the morphological features of the enclosure of this patent. In other words, when the enclosure 20 is mounted on the portable terminals 10a and 10b, the enclosure 20 is placed on the upper portion (or lower portion) of the portable terminals 10a and 10b, Is also held in contact with the front surface 13a and / or the back surface 13b of the portable terminals 10a and 10b. This combination of structures may be because the enclosure 20 has to functionally or structurally combine with other components (e.g., a camera) of the portable terminals 10a and 10b and the volume of the enclosure 20 itself There may also be an object to obtain the structural stability of the cursor coupling.

The problem is that the enclosure 20 of Fig. 1 is electrically coupled to the portable terminals 10a and 10b. Sockets 11a and 11b for electrical coupling of the portable terminals 10a and 10b are usually provided on a side face, a top face, or a bottom face that connects the front face 13a and the back face 13b. However, since the thicknesses of the portable terminals 10a and 10b are different for each manufacturer, the positions of the sockets 11a and 11b, particularly the distances from the front face 13a or the back face 13b, are different. 1, the widths of the portable terminals 10a and 10b are different from each other, and therefore, the positions of the sockets 11a and 11b are different.

Therefore, in a state where the plug 21 of the external device 20 is fixed in position, the position of the plug 21 is matched with the position of the socket 11a of the portable terminal 10a of (a) none. However, the position of the socket 11b of the portable terminal 10b of Fig. 3 (b) can not be inserted because it does not match the position of the plug 21. In some cases, since the external device 20 and the portable devices 10a and 10b are coupled with each other even when they are inserted and coupled, the external device 20 can not be stably supported in the portable device. In other words, in a state where the position of the plug 21 is fixed, the position of the socket can not correspond to other portable terminals for each manufacturer. Maybe this problem is blocking the development of various external devices.

[Related Prior Art]

1. Korean Registered Patent No. 1493332 (name of design: fingerprint input device using a portable terminal equipped with a camera and external optical device for fingerprint input)

An object of the present invention is to provide a plug module capable of adjusting its position so as to be able to be coupled to a portable terminal having different socket positions and an external device having the plug module.

To achieve the above object, a plug module according to the present invention is provided in an external device that is external to a portable terminal, and is electrically coupled to a socket provided on one of a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface of the portable terminal. The plug module includes a vertically provided shaft, a plug terminal portion which is inserted into a through hole formed in one side of the shaft and is supported by the shaft, and a plug terminal portion provided at least one of upper and lower portions of the plug terminal portion, By including the elastic member, the plug of the plug terminal portion can be inserted into the socket of the portable terminal even if the vertical height of the socket is different for each manufacturer. The plug terminal portion vertically moves along the shaft when the external force acts in the vertical direction to align the height with the socket. The first elastic member is configured to move the plug terminal portion backward . Meanwhile, when the external device is mounted on the portable terminal, the first surface included in the case of the external device faces the front or back surface of the portable terminal.

According to the first embodiment, when the first elastic member is located farther from the first surface than the upper and lower portions of the plug terminal portion and pushes the plug terminal toward the first surface, To push the plug terminal portion in a direction away from the first surface. Furthermore, the plug module may further include a second elastic member provided between the plug terminal and the button and restoring the button to its original state when the external force is removed.

The second embodiment may be realized in such a manner that the first elastic member is located on the side closer to the first surface than the upper and lower portions of the plug terminal portion and pushes the plug terminal from the first surface.

According to the embodiment, the first elastic member can be fitted to the shaft together with the plug terminal portion. The plug module may include a bracket that receives the shaft, the plug terminal portion, and the first elastic member, and limits the vertical transfer range of the plug terminal portion.

The present invention extends to an external device having the above plug module. The external device is mounted on the portable terminal while the plug of the plug terminal is inserted into the socket of the portable terminal and is electrically connected to the portable terminal so that the external force is provided even if the vertical height of the socket is changed according to the width of the portable terminal. So that it can be electrically connected to the socket.

The plug module of the present invention has a plug and is provided in an external device that is wrapped around the portable terminal so that the plug is inserted into the socket provided in the portable terminal and electrically coupled. In particular, although the position of the socket of the portable terminal varies depending on the manufacturer, the plug module of the present invention can insert the plug into the socket of the portable terminal by adjusting the position of the plug.

1 is a view showing a coupling structure of a conventional external device and a portable terminal,
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external device having a plug module according to the present invention, FIG.
3 is a perspective view and an exploded perspective view of the plug module according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a sectional view of the plug module according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a perspective view of a plug module according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and
6 is a cross-sectional view provided in the operation description of the plug module of Fig.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 illustrates an enclosure 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The plug module 210 of the present invention is incorporated therein. The plug module 210 may be implemented as a single device itself, but may be embedded in the enclosure 200 performing another separate function as shown in FIG. The substantial function of the external device 200 is not limited and various functions can be performed by incorporating input means such as a battery, a microphone, various sensors, a camera, an optical lens, a key button, or a network means.

First, the portable terminal 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and may be provided with an electric socket capable of providing electrical connection with the plug module 210 or the enclosure 200. Any electrical or mechanical specification (or standard) applied between the plug 211 of the enclosure 200 and the socket 11 of the portable terminal 10 may be used. A smartphone is the most representative of the portable terminal 10, but a personal digital assistant (PDA), an MP 3 player, or a battery pack may all correspond to the portable terminal 10.

When the plug module 210 is not built in the enclosure 200 but is implemented independently, the plug module 210 does not perform a function other than the electrical connection with the socket 11 of the portable terminal 10, . ≪ / RTI > For example, the plug module 210 may be provided at an end of a cable (not shown) extending from a certain device.

Typically, the plug module 210 will be in the form embedded in the enclosure 200. The socket 11 of the portable terminal 10 coupled to the plug 211 of the plug module 210 is not installed on the front surface 13a or the back surface 13b of the portable terminal 10 but is formed on the bottom surface 13c, And it is installed on the side. Here, the front surface 13a may be, for example, a surface of the portable terminal 10 or a surface on which the operation portion is installed. 2 is an example in which the socket 11 is installed on the bottom surface 13c of the portable terminal 10. [ When the external device 200 is mounted on the portable terminal 10, the plug module 210 is mounted on the socket 11 in a direction perpendicular to the socket 11, that is, on the outside of the upper surface of the portable terminal 10, And is located outside the side surface. In addition, the external features of the enclosure 200 extend from the plug module 210 in the shape of a letter. When the portable device 10 is mounted on the portable device 10, one side of the device 200 is arranged along the front surface 13a or the back side 13b of the portable device 10, The face 251 faces the front face 13a or the back face 13b of the portable terminal 10. [ As a result, when the enclosure 200 is mounted on the portable terminal 10, it is mutually supported by the first surface 251.

2 includes an upper body 230 having a plug module 210 to be positioned on the socket 11 of the portable terminal 10 and a lower body 230 And an extension 250 extending from the upper body 230 to face the front face 13a or the back face 13b. The first surface 251 of the extension 250 faces the portable terminal 10. Although the plug module 210 is fixed in the enclosure 200, the plug 211 of the plug module 210 can be moved up and down within a certain range (x1a-x1b) by an external force, The distance between the first surface 251 and the plug 211 of the plug module 210 can be adjusted within a certain range. Hereinafter, the 'up and down' direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the first surface, with reference to FIG. The external force may be the force provided by the user in the vertical direction or the weight of the mobile terminal 10 acting in the vertical direction. The x1a position is referred to as a 'reference position', and the x1b position is referred to as an 'extended position'.

First Embodiment of Plug Module

3, the plug module 210 includes a plug terminal portion 310 having a plug 211, shafts 331a and 331b for vertically transporting the plug terminal portion 310, Elastic members 351a and 351b and a button 371 and second elastic members 373a and 373b and a bracket 390. [ The bracket 390 accommodates the plug terminal portion 310, the shafts 331a and 331b and the first elastic members 351a and 351b. The shafts 331a and 331b and the first elastic members 351a and 351b may be provided with at least one of them. Hereinafter, the shafts 331a and 331b and the first elastic members 351a and 351b, .

The electrical connection of the plug 211 in the enclosure 200 is preferably soldered using a cable of a soft material such as a flexible PCB because the plug terminal portion 310 moves up and down, (310) protects the solder connection with the plug (211).

On both sides of the plug terminal portion 310, two through holes 313a and 313b are formed in which the shafts 331a and 331b are inserted. The shafts 331a and 331b support the plug terminal portion 310 in a state of being fitted in the through holes 313a and 313b of the plug terminal portion 310 and guide the up and down movement. The vertical movement range x1a to x1b of the plug terminal portion 310 is firstly limited by the shafts 331a and 331b or the bracket 390 and is limited by the first elastic members 351a and 351b again.

3, since the first elastic members 351a and 351b are located on the upper portion of the plug terminal portion 310 and push the plug terminal portion 310 toward the reference position, (211) is pushed to the maximum by the first elastic members (351a, 351b). Therefore, it is preferable that the first elastic members 351a and 351b are long enough to fix the plug terminal portion 310 to the reference position in a state where the first elastic members 351a and 351b are not pressed by external force. It is preferable that the first elastic members 351a and 351b are fitted in the shafts 331a and 331b together with the plug terminal unit 310 as in the embodiment of FIG. The plug terminal portion 310 pushes the first elastic members 351a and 351b from the reference position to the extended position x1b while applying an external force to the plug terminal portion 310 in the direction of the arrow.

4, the button 371 is provided in a lower portion of the plug terminal portion 310 and is fitted in a guide hole 231 formed in the case of the enclosure 200. The button 371 is provided between the plug terminal portion 310 and the button 371 The second elastic members 373a and 373b are provided. The button 371 provides an external force in the direction of the extended position x1b to the plug terminal portion 310 when the user depresses the button 371. When the operation of the user is removed, the button 371 is pressed by the second elastic members 373a and 373b, The external force acting on the plug terminal 310 is also removed.

Hereinafter, the operation of the plug module 210 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 4. FIG.

≪ No external force and the plug is aligned at the reference position: Fig. 4 (a)

The plug module 210 is positioned at the reference position x1a by the first elastic members 351a and 351b in the state where no external force is applied. The plug 211 of the enclosure 200 is inserted into the portable terminal 10 in such a manner that the first surface 251 of the enclosure 200 faces the front surface 13a or the rear surface 13b of the portable terminal 10. [ To the socket 11 of the socket. 4 (a), if the plug 211 of the reference position and the socket 11 are fastenable, it is possible to connect the plug 211 and the socket 11 of the portable terminal 10 in the state of being in contact with the first surface 251 If the height of the socket 11 is higher than the reference position of the plug 211, the position of the plug terminal portion 310 should be adjusted.

<Moving the plug to the extended position by button operation: (b) of FIG. 4>

When the user presses the button 371 to raise the position of the plug terminal unit 310, the button 371 presses the second elastic members 373a and 373b and the plug terminal unit 310 toward the extended position x1b. The plug terminal portion 310 pressed by the button 371 is conveyed toward the extended position x1b while pressing the first elastic members 351a and 351b. The plug 211 can be inserted into the socket 11 if the height from the first surface 251 to the extended position x1b is equal to or higher than the height of the socket 11 of the portable terminal 10. If the height of the socket 11 is higher than the height of the plug 211 at the extended position x1b as shown in FIG. 4B, the first surface 251 of the enclosure 200 is separated from the portable terminal 10 It is separated.

<Completion of plug connection by removing external force: Fig. 4 (c)>

When the user does not press the button 371 again, the second elastic members 373a and 373b are restored to the original state to restore the position of the button 371 to the original position, The first elastic members 351a and 351b restore the plug terminal portion 310 to the reference position xla.

4B shows a state in which the socket 11 has a height between the reference position xla and the extended position x1b and the plug 211 is inserted into the socket 11, Is fixed to the position (xlc) at which it has not been restored to the reference position (xla). However, since the first surface 251 of the external device 200 is closely attached to the portable terminal 10, the structural stability of the external device 200 and the portable terminal 10 is improved.

As described above, when the plug module 210 is used, the portable terminal 10 having the socket height corresponding to the height between the reference position x1a and the extended position x1b of the plug terminal portion 310 is provided with The enclosure 200 can be stably coupled.

Second Embodiment of Plug Module

Referring to FIG. 5, in the plug module 500 according to the second embodiment, the first elastic members 501a and 501b are positioned below the plug terminal portion 310. FIG. The first elastic members 501a and 501b may be fitted to the shafts 501a and 501b.

The plug module 500 includes a plug terminal portion 310 having a plug 211, shafts 331a and 331b for vertically transportably supporting the plug terminal portion 310 and first and second elastic members 501a and 501b And a bracket 390. The position of the first elastic members 501a and 501b is changed below the plug terminal portion 310 and does not include the button 371 and the second elastic members 373a and 373b.

Since the first elastic members 501a and 501b are positioned below the plug terminal portion 310, the reference position x2a is higher than the extended position x2b as in the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. The plug terminal portion 310 is conveyed from the reference position x2a to the extended position x2b by an external force and the conveying direction is the direction toward the first surface 251. [

The plug 211 of the plug terminal portion 310 is located at a maximum spaced distance from the first surface 251 in the absence of an external force as shown in Figure 6A, The socket 11 can be coupled to the socket 11 without any other operation. When the enclosure 200 is coupled to the portable terminal 10 having the socket 11 having the maximum height allowed by the design of the enclosure 200, the first surface of the portable terminal 10 and the enclosure 200 251, and the coupling maintains a structurally stable state.

6 (b), when the height of the socket 11 of the portable terminal 10 is lower than the reference position x2a, the first surface 251 of the enclosure 200 is connected to the portable terminal 10 It is in a state of being separated from contact. However, if the extended portion 250 of the external device 200 is carried under the portable terminal 10, the weight of the portable terminal 10 itself is increased by an external force directed toward the extended position x2b in the plug terminal portion 310 And pushes the plug terminal portion 310 to the extended position x2b. Therefore, the first surface 251 of the enclosure 200 comes into contact with the portable terminal 10, and the connection is structurally stable.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, It will be understood that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

10; Mobile terminal
11: Socket
200; External device
210: Plug module
211: Plug
230: upper body
250: Extension
251; The first side
310: plug terminal
313a, 313b: through hole
315; Flexible PCB
331a, 331b: shaft
351a, 351b: a first elastic member
371: Button
373a, 373b: a second elastic member
390; Brackets
500: Plug module
501a, 501b: a first elastic member

Claims (7)

1. A plug module provided in an external device external to a portable terminal and coupled to a socket provided in the portable terminal,
A vertically arranged shaft;
A plug terminal portion which is inserted into the through hole provided at one side and is supported by the shaft and is transported in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction with the socket;
A button that operates according to an external force to transfer the plug terminal portion to fit the height of the plug terminal portion to the socket of the portable terminal; And
And a first elastic member for supporting the plug terminal portion in a direction to resist the transfer of the plug terminal portion, thereby providing a restoring force for returning the plug terminal portion to its original position when the external force is removed,
Wherein a plug of the plug terminal unit can be inserted into a socket of the portable terminal even when the vertical height of the socket is different for each manufacturer.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a first surface included in a case of the external device faces the front or back surface of the portable terminal when the external device is mounted on the portable terminal.
delete The method according to claim 1,
And a second elastic member provided between the plug terminal and the button for restoring the button to its original state when the external force is removed.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first elastic member is fitted to the shaft together with the plug terminal portion.
The method according to claim 1,
And a bracket accommodating the shaft, the plug terminal portion, and the first elastic member, the plug terminal portion limiting a vertical transfer range of the plug terminal portion.
A plug connector according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 4 to 6, wherein the plug of the plug terminal portion is inserted into a socket of the portable terminal and is electrically connected to the portable terminal,
Wherein the external force is applied to the socket, even if the vertical height of the socket varies according to the width of the portable terminal.

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