Patent Publication Number: US-7717735-B2

Title: Electronic apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-221546, filed Aug. 28, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
   BACKGROUND 
   1. Field 
   An aspect of the present invention relates to an electronic apparatus including a connector provided with an LED. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   As a modular jack connector of a notebook PC for connecting an LAN cable, the connector with a built-in LED for visualizing an LAN connecting situation has widely spread. 
   In general, a heat resistant temperature of an LED portion of the modular jack connector is lower than that in other portions. For this reason, for example, the LED provided in the modular jack connector may not be turned on when the modular jack connector is subjected to reflow mounting. In order to prevent the failure, it is necessary to perform the reflow mounting and to then solder the modular jack connector to a substrate individually. In the case in which the LED cannot be turned on, moreover, it is necessary to remove the whole modular jack connector from the substrate and to solder a new modular jack connector. This causes a great deal of time and labor for a repair. 
   JP-2000-30811-A discloses a connector assembly in which an LED housing is provided and attached to a circuit board separately from the modular jack housing. There is employed a structure in which an LED module is attached to the modular jack housing and the LED module has LED housings for mounting respective LEDs. 
   In the system, however, a leg of a conductor of the LED housing is attached to a printed circuit board. For this reason, there is a problem in that the LED housing can be attached and removed in only a manufacture of a connector and the LED housing can be neither attached nor removed after a connector is mounted on the printed circuit board. Therefore, it is impossible to replace only the LED when the LED cannot be turned on and it is necessary to remove the whole connector from the substrate in order to perform a repair. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A general architecture that implements the various feature of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  is an exemplary perspective view showing an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment; 
       FIG. 2  is an exemplary sectional view showing the vicinity of a connector of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment; 
       FIG. 3  is an exemplary perspective view showing a front of the connector of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment; 
       FIG. 4  is an exemplary perspective view showing a back of the connector of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment; 
       FIG. 5  is an exemplary view showing a state in which the connector and a holding member according to the embodiment are detached; 
       FIG. 6  is an exemplary view showing a state in which the connector and the holding member according to the embodiment are attached; 
       FIG. 7  is an exemplary view showing a state in which a connector and a holding member according to another embodiment are detached; and 
       FIG. 8  is an exemplary view showing a state in which the connector and the holding member according to another embodiment are attached. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Various embodiments according to the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, according to one embodiment of the invention, an electronic apparatus includes: a housing; a circuit board that is housed in the housing; a connector that is mounted on the circuit board and has a jack opening disposed to be exposed from the housing; and an LED unit that is detachably installed on the connector. 
   An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an electronic apparatus according to the embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a sectional view showing the vicinity of a connector of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment. 
   An electronic apparatus  1  includes a body unit  2  and a display unit  3 . The body unit  2  is formed by a synthetic resin and has an internal face plated to have an electrical conductivity. Alternatively, the body unit  2  may be formed of a metal, such as magnesium. The body unit  2  takes a shape of a flat box which has a bottom wall  2   a , an upper wall  2   b , left and right side walls  2   c  and a rear wall  2   d . The upper wall  2   b  supports a keyboard  5 . 
   The body unit  2  has a base  6  having the bottom wall  2   a  and a top cover  7  having the upper wall  2   b . The top cover  7  covers the base  6  from above and is detachably supported on the base  6 . An upward bulged portion  9  is formed on a rear end of the upper wall  2   b  of the top cover  7 . The bulged portion  9  is extended in a transverse direction of the body unit  2  behind the keyboard  5 . The bulged portion  9  has an upper end wall  10 . The upper end wall  10  is linked to an upper end of the rear wall  2   d  of the body unit  2  and is inclined slightly downward in a rearward direction of the body unit  2 . A corner portion  11  defined by the upper end wall  10  and the rear wall  2   d  is curved like an arc. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the body unit  2  accommodates a printed circuit board  13 . The printed circuit board  13  is supported on the bottom wall  2   a  of the base  6 . A rear end of the printed circuit board  13  being positioned below the bulged portion  9 . 
   A plurality of connectors, for example, an LAN connector  20 , a USB connector  40  and an RGB connector  50  are mounted on the rear end of the printed circuit board  13 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the connectors are arranged at an interval in the transverse direction of the body unit  2 . The respective connectors are positioned below the bulged portion  9  and are exposed in a rearward part of the body unit  2  through a plurality of opening portions  14  which is formed on the rear wall  2   d.    
   The LAN connector  20  has an outer peripheral face covered with a metallic case  21 . The case  21  has a flat upper face  21   a . The upper face  21   a  of the case  21  is almost horizontal and is opposed to the upper end wall  10  of the bulged portion  9 . 
   As shown  FIG. 1 , the display unit  3  takes a shape of a flat box which has an almost equal size to that of the body unit  2 , and accommodates a liquid crystal display panel which is not shown. The display unit  3  has a pair of leg portions  15   a  and  15   b . The leg portions  15   a  and  15   b  are supported on a rear end of the body unit  2  through a hinge which is not shown. The display unit  3  is rotatable between a closing position in which it is laid over the body unit  2  to cover the keyboard  5  and an opening position in which it is raised from the body unit  2  to expose the keyboard  5 . 
   The connector of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 6 .  FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a front of the connector of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment.  FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a back of the connector of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment.  FIG. 5  is a view showing a state in which the connector and a holding member according to the embodiment are detached.  FIG. 6  is a view showing a state in which the connector and the holding member according to the embodiment are attached. 
   Various electronic components and the connectors are mounted on the printed circuit board  13 , and  FIGS. 3 and 4  mainly show the LAN connector  20  and the other electronic components are not shown. In  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the printed circuit board  13  is not shown and only the LAN connector and the LED unit are shown. 
   A body  22  of the LAN connector  20  has a front face  22   a , an upper face  22   b , a side face  22   c , a back face  22   d , and a bottom face  22   e . The LAN connector  20  further has an internal side face  22   f  and an internal upper face  22   g , and the internal side face  22   f  and the internal upper face  22   g  are defined to form an opening portion  23  which is adapted to a shape of the LAN cable. The opening portion  23  of the LAN connector  20  is provided in such a manner that the LAN cable can be inserted from an outside through the opening portion  14  of the body unit  2 . A plurality of terminals  24  is arranged on the bottom face  22   e  of the LAN connector  20  so as to come in contact with a terminal of the LAN cable when the LAN connector  20  is inserted. 
   The LAN connector  20  has a cavity portion  22   h , and an LED  26  of an LED unit  25  is inserted into the cavity portion  22   h . The cavity portion  22   h  is provided corresponding to the number of the LEDs  26  provided in the LED unit  25 . In the embodiment, the LED unit  25  has two LEDs  26  and a holding member  27  for holding the LED  26 . The holding member  27  can be molded by plastic, for example. The LED unit  25  can be attached/detached to/from the LAN connector  20  and the LED unit  25  can be inserted through an inserting port  22   i  provided on the back  22   d  of the LED connector  20 . 
   When the LED unit  25  is inserted into the LAN connector  20 , at least a front face  26   a  of the LED  26  is exposed from the front face  22   a  side with the opening portion  23  of the LED connector  20 . By checking a lighting state of the LED  26  exposed from the front face  22   a  of the LED connector  20 , a user can also recognize a communicating situation of the electronic apparatus  1 . The back face  22   d  of the LED connector  20  is provided with a socket  28  for conducting the LED unit  25  to the LED connector  20 . When a pin  29  of the LED unit  25  is pressed into the socket  28  so that the pin  29  is fitted in the socket  28 , an electrical connection to the LED unit  25  can be maintained so that the LED  26  can be turned on. The pin  29  to be fitted in the socket  28  is provided in the holding member  27  of the LED unit  25 . The pin  29  has an end  29   a , and the end  29   a  protrudes from a front face  27   a  of the holding member  27  of the LED unit  25 . 
   A support portion  22   j  having a size adapted to the holding member  27  is provided on the back face  22   d  of the LAN connector  20  in such a manner that the LED unit  25  is fixed to the LAN connector  20  when the LED unit  25  is inserted into the LAN connector  20 . 
   In the embodiment, in the connector provided with the LED, the LED unit  25  is provided as a separate component. Consequently, it is possible to easily repair the LED connector by detaching and replacing the LED unit  25 , when the LED can not be turned on, for example. By individually attaching the LED which is less resistant to heat later also in a manufacture, moreover, it is possible to mount the connector through reflow mounting. Furthermore, it is possible to considerably shorten a time required for a manual soldering step by an operator and a repair. As a result, it is possible to enhance a productivity. According to the embodiment, it is possible to provide an electronic apparatus including a connector which can prevent such a failure that the LED cannot be turned on, and can be repaired more easily even after mounting on a printed circuit board. 
     FIG. 7  is a view showing a state in which a connector and a holding member according to another embodiment are detached.  FIG. 8  is a view showing a state in which the connector and the holding member according to another embodiment are attached. In comparison between the connector and the holding member shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  and the connector and the holding member shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the shapes of pins of LED units and the shapes of sockets of LAN connectors are different from each other. For this reason, the other components have the same reference numerals and repetitive description will be omitted. 
   A socket  32  for conducting the LED unit  25  to the LED connector  20  is provided on the back face  22   d  of the LED connector  20 , and a pin  31  of the LED unit  25  and the socket  32  come in contact with each other so that an electrical connection to the LED unit  25  can be maintained and the LED  26  can be turned on. The pin  31  has an end  31   a  bent to take a dog-leg shape, and the end  31   a  comes in contact with the socket  32 . The pin  31  is provided in such a manner that the end  31   a  is exposed from the front face  27   a  of the holding member  27  in the LED unit  25 . To prevent the pins  31  from coming in contact with one another, for example, a position in the vertical direction of each of the pin  31  is adjusted. 
   Even if the pin and the socket in the LED unit take the shapes shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , it is possible to easily repair the LED connector by detaching and replacing the LED unit  25  when a failure is caused, for example, the LED cannot be turned on in the same manner as in the case. By individually attaching the LED which is less resistant to heat later also in a manufacture, moreover, it is possible to mount the connector through reflow mounting. 
   In any of the embodiments described above, it is possible to attach the LED after mounting the connector through the reflow mounting. Consequently, it is possible to increase the number of components which can be subjected to the reflow mounting and to decrease the number of steps, and to improve a cost and a yield. In any case, it is not necessary to solder a contact of the LED and the connector. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the repair more greatly. 
   According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus including a connector which can prevent such a failure that an LED cannot be turned on, and can be repaired more easily even after mounting on a printed circuit board. 
   The invention is not restricted to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention and various changes can be made.