U.S. patent application number 13/292230 was filed with the patent office on 2013-02-28 for portable electronic device having a cam mechanism for plug extension and retraction.
The applicant listed for this patent is Tien-Chi MA. Invention is credited to Tien-Chi MA.
Application Number | 20130052845 13/292230 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47721118 |
Filed Date | 2013-02-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130052845 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MA; Tien-Chi |
February 28, 2013 |
PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING A CAM MECHANISM FOR PLUG
EXTENSION AND RETRACTION
Abstract
The present invention relates to a portable electronic device,
which includes a housing having a receiving space therein, a core
element received in the receiving space and having a plug at a
front end thereof and a track adjacent to a rear end thereof, and a
cam pivotally connected to the housing at a position adjacent to a
first end thereof. When the first end of the cam is turned (e.g.,
by the user) in a certain direction, a second end of the cam is
moved toward a plug opening of the housing. As a result, a pin at a
second end of the cam presses against the track and thereby pushes
the core element and extends the plug out of the housing through
the plug opening. Due to the simple structure, the portable
electronic device can be rapidly produced by an automated assembly
process.
Inventors: |
MA; Tien-Chi; (New Taipei
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MA; Tien-Chi |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
47721118 |
Appl. No.: |
13/292230 |
Filed: |
November 9, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/131 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K 19/07732 20130101;
H01R 13/62905 20130101; H01R 13/4538 20130101; H01R 13/60
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
439/131 |
International
Class: |
H01R 13/44 20060101
H01R013/44 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 31, 2011 |
TW |
100131302 |
Claims
1. A portable electronic device having a cam mechanism for plug
extension and retraction, comprising: a housing laterally formed
with a plug opening and having a receiving space extending inward
from the plug opening; a core element received in the receiving
space, comprising a circuit board, and having a front end provided
with a plug, wherein the plug is connected to the circuit board and
corresponds in position to the plug opening, the core element
further having a track adjacent to a rear end of the core element;
and a cam pivotally connected to the housing, wherein an actuation
portion is shaped at a first end of the cam and extends out of the
housing, and a pin is positioned adjacent to a second end of the
cam and slidably coupled with the track on the core element,
wherein: the pin is positioned at a first end of the track when the
plug is retracted in the receiving space; and, when the cam is
rotated in one direction, the cam pin slides toward a second end of
the track and pushes the core element toward the plug opening and
thereby moving the plug out of the housing to an extended position;
when the cam is rotated in an opposite direction, the pin slides
toward the first end of the track and pulls the core element into
to the receiving space and thereby moving the plug into the housing
to a retracted position.
2. The portable electronic device of claim I, wherein the cam has a
first part of a pivot portion adjacent to the first end of the cam,
and the housing has a second part of a pivot portion corresponding
in position to the first part of the pivot portion, and the first
part of pivot portion is pivotally connected to the second part of
the pivot portion such that the can is pivotally connected to the
housing.
3. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the first
part of the pivot portion and the pin are respectively adjacent to
two opposite sides of the housing when the pin is located at the
first end of the track and the plug is received in the housing.
4. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein a line
connecting the first and the second ends of the track forms a first
angle with a longitudinal axis of the portable electronic device,
and the first angle is greater than or equal to 45 degrees and less
than 90 degrees.
5. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein when the pin
is positioned at the second end of the track and the plug is
extended out of the housing, a line connecting the pin and the
pivot portion forms a second angle with the longitudinal axis of
the portable electronic device, and the second angle is less than
45 degrees.
6. The portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the core
element comprises a tray for supporting the circuit board, and the
track is provided on the tray and adjacent to a rear end
thereof.
7. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the cam has a
first part of a rotation-limiting portion adjacent to the pivot
portion, the housing has a second part of the rotation-limiting
portion corresponding in position to the first part of the
rotation-limiting portion, and the first and the second parts of
the rotation-limiting portion are slidably connected to each
other.
8. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the track is
provided therein with a first position-limiting portion adjacent to
the first end of the track, and the pin is secured at the first end
of the track by the first position-limiting portion to maintain the
plug at the retracted position.
9. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the track is
provided therein with a second position-limiting portion adjacent
to the second end of the track, and the pin is secured at the
second end of the track by the second position-limiting portion to
maintain the plug at the extended position.
10. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the plug
conforms to Universal Serial Bus (USB) specifications.
11. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the circuit
board comprises a memory module.
12. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the circuit
board comprises a communication module.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a portable electronic
device having a cam mechanism for plug extension and retraction,
which includes a housing, a core element received in the housing
and having a plug at it front end and a track adjacent to its rear
end of the core element, and a cam pivotally connected to the
housing, such that rotating the cam in one direction pushes the
core element and extends a plug , and rotating the cam in an
opposite direction pulls the core element and retracts the plug
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Current consumer electronics market is supplied with a
variety of useful and small portable electronic devices that have
become everyday carry items. Some notable examples of such devices
are Bluetooth adapters, Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drives,
card readers, and WiFi adapters. These portable electronic devices
typically include a core element provided in a housing, wherein the
term "core element" as used herein refers mainly to a circuit board
with a plug. The circuit board can be a flash memory module or a
wireless communication module, but is not limited to the foregoing.
The plug, on the other hand, can be a FireWire plug, an External
Serial ATA (eSATA) plug, or a USB plug, to name only a few common
plug standards. The plug is to be connected to a connector of an
electronic apparatus, such as a laptop computer or a digital
picture frame, so as to enable electrical connection and data
transfer between the portable electronic device and the electronic
apparatus.
[0003] A common mean of protecting the plug on the electronic
device from damages when the device is not in use is to retract the
plug into the housing. The mechanism disclosed in the prior art
comprises a core element that can be moved to a retracted or
extended position with a spring supported slide button. A main
drawback of such mechanism is that the spring tends to fail due to
material fatigue after repeated use. Another drawback of the
mechanism is a strong friction between the housing and the carrier
tray induced by the spring loaded slide button, which makes
extension and retraction of the plug awkward, thus an exotic and
more costly material, such as polyoxygenmethylene (POM) is
preferably used to make the carrier tray. An improvement, as taught
in the other prior art, uses a scotch yoke mechanism for retraction
and extension of the plug. Please refer to FIG. 1 for a portable
electronic device 1 having a rotary mechanism for plug extension
and retraction. The core element 10 of the portable electronic
device 1 is located in a housing 11, has a front end provided with
a plug 100, and, as shown more clearly in FIG. 2, includes a
circuit board 101. The portable electronic device 1 further
includes a rail element 12, a sliding block 13, a crank 14, and a
knob 15. The rail element 12 is connected to the core element 10.
The sliding block 13 is engaged with the crank 14. The sliding
block 13 is slidable in the slide rail of the rail element 12. The
turning block 15 is inserted through the housing 11 and connected
to the crank 14.
[0004] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plug 100 is extended from the
housing 11 by rotating the knob 15, which in turn rotates the crank
14 about an axis defined by the knob 15 and drives the sliding
block 13 to slide in the slide rail of the rail element 12.
Consequently, the rail element 12 pushes the core element 10, and
the plug 100 is moved out of the housing 11. When the knob 15 is
turned in the opposite direction, the crank 14 is rotated therewith
to drive the sliding block 13 and hence the rail element 12,
thereby pulling the core element 10 inward; as a result, the plug
100 is moved into the housing 11. The mechanism effectively
resolves the problems of a slide button type extension/retraction
mechanism, but a major drawback of the portable electronic device 1
is that the knob 15 has to be rotated 180 degrees in order to fully
extend the plug 100, which is rather burdensome to the users.
Another drawback of the portable electronic device 1 is its complex
structure and great number of components. Assembling these
components requires a meticulous effort, and has to be done
manually; using a lower cost automated process is not technically
feasible. A further drawback caused by the large number of
components is a greater susceptibility to errors or damage during
assembly and consequently leads to a low yield rate. More
importantly, the complicated structure prevents the conventional
portable electronic device 1 from miniaturization, the volume of
the device seldom meets user needs or design requirements.
[0005] Therefore, the present invention addresses the need for a
plug extension/retraction mechanism that overcomes the various
drawbacks of the prior arts, a mechanism that is user friendly,
robust, easy to manufacture and cost effective.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In consideration of the aforementioned drawbacks of the
prior art portable electronic devices, the inventor discloses
herein a portable electronic device having a cam mechanism for plug
extension and retraction. The present invention allows easy
extension and retraction of the plug of the portable electronic
devices and further substantially simplifies the structural design,
with a view to enhance product robustness, improve production
efficiency and quality yield, and use low cost materials,.
[0007] The portable electronic device disclosed herein has a
housing, a core element, and a cam. The housing has a lateral plug
opening and a receiving space extending from the plug opening
inward. The core element is received in the receiving space and
includes a circuit board, a plug connected to the circuit board and
corresponding in position to the plug opening, and a track
positioned adjacent to the rear end of the core element. The cam is
pivotally connected to the housing and has a first end, which is an
actuation portion that extends outward of the housing so as to be
turned by the user. The cam further has a pin, which is adjacent to
a second end of the cam and slidably coupled with the track on the
core element. The pin is located at a first end of the track while
the plug is received in the receiving space. When rotating the
actuation portion of the cam in a first direction, the pin slides
toward the second end of the track and thereby push the core
element to extend the plug out of the housing. When rotating the
actuation portion of the cam opposite to the first direction, the
pin slides toward the first end of the track and pulls the core
element and retracts plug back into the housing. The minimal number
of components and the simple structure of portable electronic
device according to the present invention provides feasibility for
an automated assembly process, thus enhancing production
efficiency, economy and quality.
[0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide the
foregoing portable electronic device, wherein the core element
further includes a tray for supporting the circuit board, and the
track is formed adjacent to the rear end of the tray. The tray
slides forward and backward in the housing in connection to
rotation of the cam, thus retracts and extends the plug in and out
of the housing.
[0009] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide
the foregoing portable electronic device, wherein an axis of the
track (defined as the line connecting the first and the second ends
of the track) forms a first angle with a longitudinal axis of the
portable electronic device, and the first angle is greater than or
equal to 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees, in order to fully
extend the plug by turning the cam less then 90 degrees.
[0010] Still another object of the present invention is to provide
the foregoing portable electronic device, wherein the line
connecting the pin and the pivotally connecting portion of the cam
forms a second angle with the longitudinal axis of the portable
electronic device, and the second angle is less than 45 degrees.
This prevents the plug from being pushed back into the housing
during the insertion of the portable electronic device into a
socket on a host electronic apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The structure as well as a preferred mode of use, further
objects, and advantages of the present invention will be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a conventional
portable electronic device;
[0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the conventional
portable electronic device depicted in FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the first
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the first
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the first preferred embodiment
of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 6 is another schematic view of the first preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 7 is yet another schematic view of the first preferred
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the second preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The inventor of the present invention has long been engaged
in the research and development of portable electronic devices and
thus found the shortcomings of the prior art. As previously
mentioned, the portable electronic devices existing in the prior
art use a rotating mechanism to extend and retract the plug are
typically disadvantaged by an overly complex structure, an
excessively large number of components, and a complicated assembly
procedure that hinders automated production and lowers
manufacturing efficiency. In addition, the prior art devices are
inconvenient to use, for the turning knob must be rotated 180
degrees in order to fully extend the plug. In view of these
drawbacks, the inventor of the present invention invented a
portable electronic device having a cam mechanism along with a core
element formed with a plug at it front end and a track adjacent to
its rear end, and a cam pivotally connected to the housing, thus
the core element is moved linearly along the longitudinal axis of
the housing by rotating the cam, thereby achieving extension or
retraction of the plug.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a portable electronic device 3
according to the first preferred embodiment of the present
invention includes a housing 30, a core element 31, and a cam 32.
The housing 30 is made of metal or plastic and includes an upper
housing member 301 and a lower housing member 302. The housing 30
has a plug opening 303 on one lateral side and a receiving space
304 that extends inward from the plug opening 303. The core element
31 is received in the receiving space 304 and, as in the first
preferred embodiment, includes a tray 310, a circuit board 311, and
a plug 312. The circuit board 311, which is supported in the tray
310, includes a memory module or a communication module (e.g., a
Bluetooth module, a WiFi module, etc.). The plug 312 is provided at
the front end of the circuit board 311, and located at a position
corresponding to the plug opening 303. The plug 312 in this
embodiment conforms to the USB specifications, but the present
invention imposes no limitations in this regard. The portable
electronic device 3 can be designed and manufactured according to
practical needs and adopt other plug specifications as well. For
instance, the plug 312 can be an External Serial ATA (eSATA) or
FireWire plug. All variations and combinations easily conceivable
by a person skilled in the art should be viewed as equivalent
changes made to the present invention and fall within the scope of
the appended claims. As shown in FIG. 5, a track R is formed on the
tray 310 adjacent to the rear end thereof. An axis which connects
the first end and the second end of the track R forms a first angle
Al with a longitudinal axis X of the portable electronic device 3,
wherein the first angle Al is greater than or equal to 45 degrees
and less than 90 degrees. The axis a refers to the straight line
connecting the two ends of the track R.
[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cam 32 has a first part of a
pivot portion 320, which is adjacent to a first end of the cam 32
and formed as a pivot hole. The housing 30 (or more particularly,
the upper housing member 301) has a second part of the pivot
portion 305 corresponding in position to the first part of the
pivot portion 320 and formed as a pivot axis. The first part of the
pivot portion 320 is pivotally connected to the second part of the
pivot portion 305 such that the cam 32 is pivotally connected to
the housing 30. The first end of the cam 32 is an actuation portion
323, which extends out of the housing 30 so as to be turned by the
user or driven by another element. The cam 32 further has a first
part of a rotation-limiting portion 322 adjacent to the first part
of the pivot portion 320, and the housing 30 further has a second
part of the rotation-limiting portion 306 corresponding in position
to the first part of the rotation-limiting portion 322. The first
and the second parts of the rotation-limiting portions 322, 306 are
slidably connected to each other and are configured for limiting
the rotation angle of the cam 32. In addition, the cam 32 has a pin
321, which is adjacent to a second end of the cam 32 and slidably
provided in the track R. As shown in FIG. 5, the track R has a
first position-limiting portion R1 and a second position-limiting
portion R2, which are adjacent to a first end and a second end of
the track R respectively. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, when the plug
312 is received in the receiving space 304, the pin 321 is secured
in position at the first end of the track R by the first
position-limiting portion R1, In FIG. 5, the first part of the
pivot portion 320 is adjacent to one side (e.g., the upper side as
shown in the drawing) of the housing 30, while the pin 321 is
adjacent to the other side (e.g., the lower side) of the housing
30. This arrangement allows the cam 32 to be increased in length in
the limited space (width) of the housing 30.
[0023] Reference is now made to FIG. 6. When the first end of the
cam 32 is turned in a certain direction (e.g., clockwise as shown
in FIG. 6), the second end of the cam 32 is moved toward the plug
opening 303 of the housing 30. As a result, the pin 321 is
disengaged from the first position-limiting portion R1 and moves in
the track R. Meanwhile, the pin 321 presses against the track R and
thereby pushes the core element 31 so that the plug 312 is driven
out of the housing 30. The pin 321 will move along the track R
until it reaches the second end of the track R (see FIG. 7). As the
axis a of the track R and the longitudinal axis X of the portable
electronic device 3 form the first angle A1, and the first angle A1
is greater than or equal to 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees,
the cam 32 only has to be turned by an angle less then 90 degrees
to fully extend the plug 312 out of the housing. In FIG. 7, when
the plug 312 has been moved out of the housing 30, and the pin 321
is located at the second end of the track R and secured in position
by the second position-limiting portion R2. In this state, the line
b connecting the pin 321 and the first part of the pivot portion
320 forms a second angle A2 with the longitudinal axis X of the
portable electronic device 3.
[0024] In the first preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the second angle A2 is less than 45 degrees. With this feature,
referring to FIG. 7, the core element 31 will apply a rightward
force to the pin 321 when the plug 312 is inserted into a connector
of an electronic apparatus, and a component of this rightward force
generates a torque and rotates the cam 32 clockwise. As the pin 321
is pressed against the second end of the track R, the cam 32 is
securely fixed in place, pressed against the track R, and prevented
from further movement or rotation. In other words, the present
invention is so designed to prevent the plug 312 from pushed back
into the housing due to the reaction force generated by insertion
of the plug 312. Referring to FIG. 7, when the first end of the cam
32 is turned in an opposite direction (e.g., counterclockwise as
shown in the drawing) after the plug 312 is extended out of the
housing 30, the pin 321 disengages from the second
position-limiting portion R2 and slides toward the first end of the
track R and consequently pulls the plug 312 into the housing 30
(see FIG. 5).
[0025] The structural features of the present invention allow the
user to extend the plug 312 out of the housing 30 by rotating the
cam 32 by an angle less than 90 degrees, thus significantly
enhancing the convenience of using the portable electronic device.
Furthermore, the simple construction of the present
invention--particularly the reduced number of components and
simplified configuration as compared with the prior arts--allows
the core element 31 and the cam 32 to be easily installed in the
housing 30 by an automated assembly process; hence, the portable
electronic device 3 can be manufactured at high efficiency and low
production costs. In addition, the structural simplicity of the
present invention makes it possible to downsize or even miniaturize
the portable electronic device 3, so as to better suit user needs
and design requirements. A further advantage of the present
invention is that all components can be produced from acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene (ABS), an economical and readily available
engineering plastic.
[0026] Apart from the technical contents of the foregoing first
preferred embodiment, the inventor discloses a second embodiment
that implements the concept of the present invention. Please refer
to FIG. 8 for the second preferred embodiment of the present
invention. The portable electronic device 7 in FIG. 8 is based on
the same principle and has the same hardware structure as the first
preferred embodiment, except that the core element 71 of the
portable electronic device 7 dispenses with the tray 310 of FIG. 3
and only includes the circuit board 711 and the plug 712. The plug
712 is connected to the circuit board 711. The core element 71 is
received in the receiving space 704 of the housing 70. The circuit
board 711 is formed with a track R', which is adjacent to the rear
end of the circuit board 711. The principle by which the portable
electronic device 7 operates is identical to that disclosed in the
first embodiment (see FIGS. 5 to 7) and therefore is not described
repeatedly. The structural features of the second preferred
embodiment are that, even in the absence of the aforesaid tray, the
intended functions and effects of the present invention can be
equally attained by forming the track R' directly on the circuit
board 711.
* * * * *