Patent Publication Number: US-2019168682-A1

Title: In-vehicle fixing structure

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-232023 filed on Dec. 1, 2017 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle fixing structure for fixing a small information terminal in a vehicle. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A small information terminal such as a stick type personal computer (PC) or a card type personal computer (PC) attracts attention. Various uses are considered for the small information terminal, for example, it is conceivable to enjoy a high resolution movie, music, a video game, and the like by connecting the small information terminal to a car navigation device or the like. 
     However, in order to install the small information terminal in a vehicle, a countermeasure against vibration or the like is needed. In particular, it is needed to prevent poor contact, dropping, or the like due to vibration in a connector part or the like that connects the small information terminal and an electronic device in the vehicle (such as the car navigation device) to each other. 
     In order to reduce the vibration in the vehicle, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-314613 (JP 2003-314613 A) discloses a vibration-proof structure having an improved margin of vibration resistance, in which a hard disk drive (HDD) unit vulnerable to the vibration is detachably attached inside a casing of an in-vehicle electronic device (such as a navigation device) used under a harsh environment. In the vibration-proof structure as described above, vibration damping means (a vibration-proof rubber or the like) for damping the vibration is provided in a part where the HDD unit vulnerable to the vibration is mounted on a holder of the electronic device, the holder is guided to a storage position in the casing using a guide member, and an electrical connection is made to electrically operate the HDD unit as an internal component of the electronic device. 
     SUMMARY 
     However, in the configuration of JP 2003-314613 A, a user himself has to attach and detach the HDD unit to and from the holder of the electronic device, resulting in a problem that complicated work is imposed. There is also a problem that the vibration resistance is not sufficient by providing the vibration damping means alone between the HDD unit and the electronic device. There is also a need for the small information terminal such as the stick type PC or the card type PC to be accommodated as compactly as possible in a limited space inside the vehicle. 
     The present disclosure provides an in-vehicle fixing structure capable of accommodating a small information terminal in a limited space inside a vehicle, while having sufficient vibration resistance. 
     An aspect of the present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle fixing structure for a small information terminal. The in-vehicle fixing structure includes an insertion portion including an insertion slot into which the small information terminal is inserted, a housing that accommodates the small information terminal inserted from the insertion slot, and a controller. The insertion portion includes a shutter configured to selectively close and open the insertion slot. The housing includes a guide rail, a stopper, a conveying roller, a sensor, and a connector connection device inside the housing. The guide rail is configured to guide the small information terminal. The stopper is configured to regulate manual pushing of the small information terminal. The conveying roller is configured to automatically convey the small information terminal to a predetermined normal position. The sensor is configured to detect whether the small information terminal has been automatically conveyed to the normal position. The connector connection device is configured to move a connector of an external device to a connector of the small information terminal, selectively fit the connector of the external device to the connector of the small information terminal, and separate the connector of the external device from the connector of the small information terminal. The controller is configured to control the conveying roller to automatically convey the small information terminal to the normal position in a case where the small information terminal abuts the stopper. The controller is configured to control the shutter to close the insertion slot in a case where the sensor detects that the small information terminal has been automatically conveyed to the normal position after the automatic conveyance of the small information terminal by the conveying roller is started. The controller is configured to control the connector connection device to connect the small information terminal and the external device to each other by moving the connector of the external device toward the connector of the small information terminal and fitting the connector of the external device to the connector of the small information terminal after the shutter closes the insertion slot. 
     In the in-vehicle fixing structure according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the controller may be configured to control the connector connection device to separate the connector of the external device from the small information terminal in a case where an instruction to release the connection between the small information terminal and the external device is received. The controller may be configured to control the shutter to open the insertion slot in a case where the connector of the external device is separated from the small information terminal. The controller may be configured to control the conveying roller to eject the small information terminal from the insertion slot after the insertion slot is opened. 
     In the in-vehicle fixing structure according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the controller may be configured to output an error message in a case where the connection between the small information terminal and the external device fails. The controller may be configured to control the shutter to open the insertion slot in a case where the connector of the external device is separated from the small information terminal. The controller may be configured to control the conveying roller to eject the small information terminal from the insertion slot after the insertion slot is opened. 
     In the in-vehicle fixing structure according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the guide rail may be configured to selectively hold both side surfaces and an upper surface of the small information terminal toward the center of the housing. The controller may be configured to control the guide rail to hold the both side surfaces and the upper surface of the small information terminal toward the center of the housing in a case where the small information terminal abuts the stopper. 
     In the in-vehicle fixing structure according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the guide rail may include a pair of guides having an inverted L-shape in a sectional view. 
     With the in-vehicle fixing structure according to the aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide the in-vehicle fixing structure capable of accommodating the small information terminal in a limited space inside the vehicle, while having sufficient vibration resistance. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a view illustrating an installation example of an in-vehicle fixing structure according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram schematically illustrating a main part of the in-vehicle fixing structure; 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the main part of the in-vehicle fixing structure; 
         FIG. 3B  is a view of the in-vehicle fixing structure illustrated in  FIG. 3A  as viewed in a direction α; 
         FIG. 3C  is a view of the in-vehicle fixing structure illustrated in  FIG. 3A  as viewed in a direction β; 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the main part of the in-vehicle fixing structure; 
         FIG. 4B  is a view of the in-vehicle fixing structure illustrated in  FIG. 4A  as viewed in the direction α; 
         FIG. 4C  is a view of the in-vehicle fixing structure illustrated in  FIG. 4A  as viewed in the direction β; 
         FIG. 5A  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the main part of the in-vehicle fixing structure; 
         FIG. 5B  is a view of the in-vehicle fixing structure illustrated in  FIG. 5A  as viewed in the direction α; 
         FIG. 5C  is a view of the in-vehicle fixing structure illustrated in  FIG. 5A  as viewed in the direction β; 
         FIG. 6A  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the main part of the in-vehicle fixing structure; 
         FIG. 6B  is a view of the in-vehicle fixing structure illustrated in  FIG. 6A  as viewed in the direction α; 
         FIG. 6C  is a view of the in-vehicle fixing structure illustrated in  FIG. 6A  as viewed in the direction β; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a fixing processing flow; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a release processing flow; 
         FIG. 9  is an explanatory diagram for describing an operation of a guide rail according to a modification example; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a fixing processing flow according to the modification example; and 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram illustrating a stick type PC. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. 
     A. Embodiment 
       FIG. 1  is a view illustrating an installation example of an in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  according to the embodiment, and  FIG. 2  is a diagram schematically illustrating a main part of the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000 . The in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  according to the embodiment employs a slot-in system in which a small information terminal  200  is inserted into an insertion slot  110  without a tray (a drawer part). In the following description, a card type PC is assumed as an example of the small information terminal  200 ; however, the in-vehicle fixing structure is applicable to various electronic devices that can be brought into a vehicle, such as a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, or an ultra small PC as well as a stick type PC (to be described later). 
     The in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  is provided in an instrument panel IP as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . In the embodiment, an entire dashboard including a glove compartment or an airbag module is referred to as an instrument panel. 
     The in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  is provided with a housing  105  that accommodates a card type PC  200  (see the first in  FIG. 2 ). For example, the card type PC  200  is designed to have a body size of W; 945 mm, D; 55 mm, H; 5 mm, and is configured to include a processor including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like, various memories and storages, and various wireless communication devices (such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (registered trademark)). 
     A shutter  120  that regulates insertion and removal of the card type PC  200  into the housing  105  is provided in the insertion slot  110  of the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  (see the second in  FIG. 2 ). When the card type PC  200  is accommodated in the housing  105  (see the third in  FIG. 2 ), the shutter  120  is closed and the card type PC  200  is locked in the housing  105  (see the fourth in  FIG. 2 ). 
     A connector (for example, a universal serial bus (USB) type-C connector) C 1  for connection with an external device  600  is provided on a rear surface portion of the card type PC  200  accommodated in the housing  105 . The external device  600  is provided with a connector C 2  for connection with the connector C 1  of the card type PC  200 . The external device  600  connected to the card type PC  200  is, for example, an electronic device such as a car navigation device, a liquid crystal panel, or a mobile terminal. 
     A controller  140  includes a micro control unit (MCU) or the like having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like as main components, and integrally controls each portion of the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  by executing various programs and the like stored in the ROM and the RAM. In addition to control of an opening and closing operation of the shutter  120 , the controller  140  takes a role of controlling a physical connection between the card type PC  200  and the external device  600  by moving the connector C 2  of the external device  600  toward the connector C 1  of the card type PC  200  (see the fourth in  FIG. 2 ; details will be described later). 
       FIG. 3A  to  FIG. 6C  are diagrams illustrating a configuration of the main part of the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000 .  FIGS. 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A  are perspective views of the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000 ,  FIGS. 3B, 4B, 5B, and 6B  are views of the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  illustrated in each of  FIGS. 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A  as viewed in a direction α, and  FIGS. 3C, 4C, 5C, and 6C  are views of the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  illustrated in each of  FIGS. 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A  as viewed in a direction β. The guide rail  150  is provided to cover side surfaces and a part of an upper surface of the card type PC  200  accommodated in the housing  105 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3B , the guide rail  150  is constituted by a pair of metal guides (a metal guide on a right side and a metal guide on a left side) having an inverted L-shape in a sectional view (in this specification, the meaning of the “inverted L-shape” includes “substantially inverted L-shape”). 
     Under the control of the controller  140 , the guide rail  150  guides the card type PC  200  into the housing  105  through the insertion slot  110 . More specifically, the guide rail  150  regulates both side surfaces Ss of the inserted card type PC  200  and regulates an upper surface Us of the card type PC  200  (see  FIG. 4B ). 
     Here, not only the side surface Ss of the card type PC  200  but also the upper surface Us is regulated for the following reason. In other words, regulating the side surface Ss of the card type PC  200  using the guide rail  150  alone causes a vulnerability to vibration or the like in a vertical direction. Therefore, in the guide rail  150  according to the embodiment, not only the side surface Ss of the card type PC but also the upper surface Us is regulated by providing each of the metal guides with a roof portion Rf. A length L 1  of the metal guide and a protruding length L 2  of the roof portion Rf may be selected to be the optimum length for fixing the card type PC  200  (see  FIG. 4C ). A cushioning material (having heat resistance) or the like may be provided inside the guide rail  150  (that is, a part where the card type PC  200  abuts the guide rail  150 ). 
     Conveying rollers  170  are provided at the approximate center of the both side surfaces Ss of the guide rail  150 , respectively. Under the control of the controller  140 , the conveying roller  170  takes a role of further pushing (automatically conveying) the manually pushed card type PC  200  to a position where the card type PC  200  can be connected to the external device  600  (hereinafter also referred to as “normal position Pc”) (see  FIG. 5C ). More specifically, detection stoppers Sd for detecting the card type PC  200  are provided inside the both side surfaces Ss of the guide rail  150  in the housing  105 . When detection is made that the card type PC  200  has been pushed to a position where the card type PC  200  abuts the detection stopper Sd (see  FIGS. 4A to 4C ), the controller  140  starts rotation of the conveying roller  170  and starts automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  (see  FIGS. 5A to 5C ). The embodiment exemplifies a case where a pair of the detection stoppers Sd is provided closer to the external device  600  than the approximate center of the guide rail  150 ; however, the detection stopper Sd may be provided at any position. A conveyance amount, a conveyance speed, and the like of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  may be determined depending on a distance from an installation position of the detection stopper Sd to the normal position Pc or the like. 
     A card detection sensor  160  is a sensor for detecting whether or not the card type PC  200  has reached the normal position Pc and can use a camera (such as a CMOS camera) or an infrared sensor, for example. When detection is made that the card type PC  200  has reached the normal position Pc (see  FIGS. 6A to 6C ), the card detection sensor  160  transmits a signal indicating that detection has been made (hereinafter also referred to as a “detection signal”) to the controller  140 . When the detection signal from the card detection sensor  160  is received, the controller  140  stops the rotation of the conveying roller  170 , ends the automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170 , and closes the shutter  120  provided in the insertion slot  110 , and thus a front end portion Pf of the card type PC  200  is fixed from a rear so as not to pop out of the insertion slot  110  (see  FIGS. 6A to 6C ). In the embodiment, a fixing material (such as the cushioning material) M is provided on a back surface of the shutter  120 ; however, the fixing material may not be provided. 
     When the shutter  120  is closed and the card type PC  200  accommodated in the housing  105  is fixed, the controller  140  automatically connects the card type PC  200  and the external device  600  to each other by moving the connector C 2  of the external device  600  toward the connector C 1  provided on the rear surface portion of the card type PC  200 . 
     Hereinafter, a flow until the card type PC  200  brought into the vehicle by the user or the like is connected to the external device  600  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 4A to 7 .  FIG. 7  illustrates a fixing processing flow executed by the controller  140 . It is assumed that the shutter  120  is open in an initial state before the card type PC  200  is inserted into the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000 . 
     The user or the like manually inserts the card type PC  200  into the insertion slot  110  (see  FIGS. 4A to 4C ). When detection is made that the inserted card type PC  200  has been pushed to the position where the card type PC  200  abuts the detection stopper Sd (step S 1 : see  FIGS. 5A to 5C ), the controller  140  starts the rotation of the conveying roller  170  and starts the automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  (step S 2 : see  FIGS. 6A to 6C ), while the card detection sensor  160  starts detection as to whether or not the card type PC  200  has reached the normal position Pc (that is, the position where the card type PC  200  can be connected to the external device  600 ) (step S 3 ). In a case where the detection signal indicating that the card type PC  200  has reached the normal position Pc is not received from the card detection sensor  160  (step S 3 : NO), the controller  140  repeatedly executes the processing of step S 3 . 
     Thereafter, when the detection signal indicating that the card type PC  200  has reached the normal position Pc is received from the card detection sensor  160  (step S 3 : YES), the controller  140  stops the rotation of the conveying roller  170  and ends the automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  (step S 4 ). Then, the controller  140  closes the shutter  120  provided in the insertion slot  110  (step S 5 ) to fix the front end portion Pf of the card type PC  200  from the rear so as not to pop out of the insertion slot  110  (see  FIGS. 6A to 6C ). 
     When the card type PC  200  accommodated in the housing  105  is fixed, the controller  140  fits the card type PC  200  to the external device  600  by moving the connector C 2  of the external device  600  toward the connector C 1  provided on the rear surface portion of the card type PC  200 , and attempts to provide the connection between the connectors (step S 6 ). When the connectors of the card type PC  200  and the external device  600  are successfully connected to each other (step S 6 : YES), the controller  140  ends the above-described processing. 
     Meanwhile, when the connection between the connectors of the card type PC  200  and the external device  600  fails due to some factors (for example, an orientation of the card type PC  200  is incorrect, front and back sides thereof are reversed, the type of the card is different, or the like) (step S 6 : NO), an error lamp is blinked, or an error message by a voice is output by the controller  140  (step S 7 ). Then, after the shutter  120  is opened, the controller  140  ejects the card type PC  200  from the insertion slot  110  by reversely rotating the conveying roller  170  to return the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  to the initial state (step S 8 ) and then the processing returns to step S 1 . According to the error message or the like, the user removes the ejected card type PC  200  to correct the orientation of the card type PC  200 , and then reinserts the card type PC  200  into the insertion slot  110 . When detection is made that the inserted card type PC  200  has been pushed to the position where the card type PC  200  abuts the detection stopper Sd (step S 1 ), the controller  140  starts the rotation of the conveying roller  170  and starts the automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  (step S 2 ). The subsequent operation can be described in the same manner as the above-described series of the processing, so the description thereof will be omitted. 
     As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible to accommodate the card type PC  200  in a limited space inside the vehicle by employing the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  for the small information terminal. In the card type PC  200  accommodated in the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000 , since the side surfaces and upper surface of the card type PC  200  are regulated by the guide rail  150  provided with the roof portion Rf and having the substantially inverted L-shape in the sectional view, the vibration can be suppressed. The card type PC  200  and the external device  600  are reliably connected to each other by moving the connector C 2  of the external device  600  toward the connector C 1  of the card type PC  200 . For this reason, it is possible to prevent in advance the problem such as connectors separating from each other from occurring due to incomplete connection between the connectors. 
     In the above embodiment, the case where the card type PC  200  and the external device  600  are connected to each other has been described; however, the operation in a case of releasing the connection between the card type PC  200  and the external device  600  can also be similarly described. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a release processing flow executed by the controller  140 . When a command to release the connection between the card type PC  200  and the external device  600  is received (step S 11 ), the controller  140  separates the connector C 2  of the external device  600  from the card type PC  200  (step S 12 ). 
     Then, after the shutter  120  is opened, the controller  140  ejects the card type PC  200  from the insertion slot  110  by reversely rotating the conveying roller  170  to return the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  to the initial state (step S 13 ), and then ends the processing. A configuration may be employed for the command to release the connection between the card type PC  200  and the external device  600  to be output to the controller  140 , for example, in a case where an accessory (ACC) power supply is turned off or a case where the user performs a predetermined manipulation. 
     In the above embodiment, the metal guides having the roof portion Rf covering a part of the upper surface Us of the card type PC  200  have been exemplified; however, for example, the metal guides having the roof portion Rf that covers an entire upper surface Us of the card type PC  200  may be provided. 
     A first guide that regulates the both side surfaces Ss of the card type PC  200  and a second guide that regulates the upper surface Us of the card type PC  200  may be configured to be independently provided. 
     Since it is possible to reduce the vibration with the first guide that regulates the both side surfaces Ss of the card type PC  200 , the second guide that regulates the upper surface Us of the card type PC  200  may be omitted. For example, instead of providing the metal guides having the substantially inverted L-shape in the sectional view, the metal guides having a substantially I-shape in the sectional view may be provided. 
     In a case where the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  for the small information terminal is employed, there may occur a situation where the card type PC  200  accommodated in the housing  105  cannot be normally removed for some reason (for example, a contamination by a foreign matter). In order to cope with such the situation, an emergency removal function of the card type PC  200  may be employed in the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000 . Specifically, a manipulation mechanism capable of manually rotating the conveying roller  170  is provided in the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000 . In a case where the situation that the card type PC  200  accommodated in the housing  105  cannot be normally removed occurs, it is possible to forcibly eject the card type PC  200  accommodated in the housing  105  by reversely rotating the conveying roller  170  using the manipulation mechanism. 
     In the above embodiment, the configuration is employed, in which the automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  is started in a case where the detection is made that the card type PC  200  has been pushed to the position where the card type PC  200  abuts the detection stopper Sd; however, a configuration may be employed, in which the automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  is started, the detection stopper Sd not being provided. For example, in a case where a sensor that detects the card type PC  200  having been pushed to a predetermined position is provided, and the sensor detects that the card type PC  200  has been pushed to the predetermined position, the automatic conveyance by the conveying roller  170  may be started. 
     B. Modification Example 
       FIG. 9  is an explanatory diagram for describing an operation of a guide rail  150   a  according to a modification example. Under the control of the controller  140 , the guide rail  150   a  holds the both side surfaces Ss of the card type PC  200  inserted in the insertion slot  110  toward the center in a right-left direction, and holds the upper surface Us of the card type PC  200  toward the center (hereinafter, referred to as a “holding operation”), and thus suppressing the vibration of the card type PC  200 . The guide rail  150   a  starts the holding operation of the card type PC  200  by moving toward the center from an initial position Ps illustrated in the first of  FIG. 9  in a case where the card type PC  200  abuts the detection stopper Sd (to be described later). 
     Hereinafter, a flow until the card type PC  200  brought into the vehicle by the user or the like is connected to the external device  600  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 9 and 10 .  FIG. 10  illustrates a fixing processing flow executed by the controller  140  according to the modification example. Of the steps illustrated in  FIG. 10 , those corresponding to the steps illustrated in  FIG. 7  are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     The user or the like manually inserts the card type PC  200  into the insertion slot  110 . When the detection is made that the inserted card type PC  200  has been pushed to the position where the card type PC  200  abuts the detection stopper Sd (step S 1 ), the controller  140  first starts the holding operation of the card type PC  200  by the guide rail  150   a  (step S 1   a ). More specifically, the controller  140  controls the guide rail  150   a  to hold both side surfaces Ss of the card type PC  200  toward the center in the right-left direction, and to hold the upper surface Us of the card type PC  200  toward the center. Thereafter, the controller  140  starts the rotation of the conveying roller  170 , and starts the automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  (step S 2 ). Since the operation after automatic conveyance of the card type PC  200  by the conveying roller  170  is started can be described in the same manner as in the embodiment, further description thereof will be omitted. 
     As described above, according to the modification example, in addition to the configuration of the above embodiment, by employing the configuration in which the card type PC  200  is held from right and left and from above by the guide rail  150   a,  it is possible to reliably fix the card type PC  200  at the normal position while the vibration is suppressed. 
     In the modification example, the holding operation of the card type PC  200  by the guide rail  150   a  is started in a case where the inserted card type PC  200  abuts the detection stopper Sd; however, before the card type PC  200  abuts the detection stopper Sd, the holding operation of the card type PC  200  by the guide rail  150   a  may be started. For example, the holding operation of the card type PC  200  by the guide rail  150   a  may be started in a case where the card detection sensor detects the insertion of the card type PC  200 . Any card detection sensor may be used as long as the card detection sensor can detect the insertion of the card type PC  200  into the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000 . Indeed, in a case where the camera is used as the card detection sensor, not only the insertion of the card type PC  200  but also whether the card type PC  200  is inserted in the correct orientation (that is, whether the rear surface portion of the card type PC  200  is placed so as to face the connector C 2  of the external device), whether the front and back sides of the card type PC  200  are correctly mounted, and furthermore, whether the type of the card type PC  200  is correct or the like, can be detected. In a case where the card detection sensor detects the errors, the controller  140  may provide an alarm of an error message (for example, the output of the voice message, or the blinking of the error lamp). 
     C. Others 
     An applicable embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment and modification example, and may be implemented in various other forms within the scope without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. 
     In the embodiment and modification example, the case where the card type PC  200  as illustrated in  FIG. 2  is fixed has been described; however, similar description is possible also for a case of fixing the stick type PC  200  as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . For example, the connector C 1  conforming to high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI: registered trademark) is provided in the rear surface portion of the stick type PC  200 . The connector C 2  conforming to the HDMI is provided in the external device  600 . The stick type PC  200  and the external device  600  can be reliably connected to each other by moving the connector C 2  of the external device  600  toward the connector C 1  of the stick type PC  200  and fitting the stick type PC  200  to the external device  600 . In the above example, the aspect in which the connector C 1  is provided in each rear surface portion of the card type PC  200  and the stick type PC  200  has been exemplified; however, an aspect that the connector C 1  is provided in a portion except the rear surface portion may be employed. 
     Order of the steps in each processing described above in the specification can be optionally changed or executed in parallel as long as there is no inconsistency in the processing contents. 
     A program implementing each processing described in the specification may be stored in a recording medium. The program can be installed in a computer constituting the in-vehicle fixing structure  1000  by using the recording medium. Here, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium is not particularly limited, and it may be a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.