Adjustable and interchangeable modular control panel

Abstract

To provide an adjustable changeable modular control panel capable of improving flexibility of adjustment and replacement of the control panel through an improvement in structural design.SOLUTION: An adjustable changeable modular control panel includes a carrying base and at least one control unit. The carrying base has a main connecting member and a plurality of receiving areas. Each receiving area has a first connector and a plurality of first positioning units, and the first connector of each receiving area is electrically connected to the main connecting portions. The at least one control unit is mated with one of the plurality of receiving areas. A top surface of each control unit has a control switch, and a bottom surface of each control unit has a second connector and a plurality of second positioning portions. The control switch is electrically connected to the second connector. The second connector can be selectively mated with the first connector. The plurality of second positioning portions can be correspondingly positioned on the plurality of first positioning portions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an adjustable and interchangeable modular control panel, and more particularly to a modular control panel having multiple adjustable and interchangeable control units for flexibly adjusting different control functions. [Background technology]

[0002] For convenience of control, various states of the same situation, such as the microphone pickup state, the audio volume, or the display screen, are usually integrated into one central control panel. Various control units, such as buttons, knobs, lamps, or sliders, on the current central control panel are usually fixed.

[0003] When additional control items are required in the same scene, such as adding light sources, adding speakers, or adjusting other different control items, the traditional central control panel lacks the flexibility of adjustment. Usually, different control units are added, which causes clutter on the control desk. Replacing the entire central control panel is not environmentally friendly and also costs a lot.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the flexibility of adjusting and replacing the control panel by improving the structural design, thereby overcoming the above-mentioned shortcomings and allowing users to customize the central control panel, is an important problem to be solved in the relevant technical field. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE The technical problem that the present invention seeks to solve is to address the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an adjustable, interchangeable, modular control panel that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One technical solution of the present invention for solving the above technical problem is to provide an adjustable exchange modular control panel, the adjustable exchange modular control panel includes a carrying base and at least one control unit, the carrying base has a main connection part and a plurality of receiving areas, each receiving area has a first connector and a plurality of first positioning parts, the first connector of each receiving area is electrically connected to the main connection part, the at least one control unit is connected to one of the receiving areas, each control unit has a control switch on a top surface thereof, each control unit has a second connector and a plurality of second positioning parts on a bottom surface thereof, the control switch is electrically connected to the second connector, the second connector can be selectively connected to the first connector, and the plurality of second positioning parts are positioned on the plurality of first positioning parts.

[0007] One beneficial effect of the present invention is that in the adjustable and replaceable modular control panel provided by the present invention, through a technical solution in which the second connector of the control unit can be selectively and correspondingly connected to any first connector of the carrier base, the control unit can be adjusted or replaced by rotating the angle of the control unit, thereby improving the adjustability and expandability of the modular control panel of the present invention.

[0008] In order to make the features and technical contents of the present invention more readily apparent, reference is made to the following detailed description of the present invention and the accompanying drawings, which are provided for reference and explanation only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional assembly view of the adjustable and interchangeable modular control panel of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the adjustable interchangeable modular control panel of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional assembly view of an alternative arrangement of the modular control panel of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional assembly view of yet another arrangement of the modular control panel of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] 1 to 5, an embodiment of the present invention provides an adjustable and replaceable modular control panel, which includes a carry base 10 and multiple control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d. In this embodiment, the carry base 10 functions as a USB hub and can connect multiple control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d to a USB host (not shown). The control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d are small, operable control units that have the same connector as a USB interface and are connected to the carry base 10, respectively.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the carry base 10 includes a main connection part 16 and a plurality of storage areas 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. The main connection part 16 is for connecting to a USB master control unit (not shown), such as a USB controller of a computer or an electric device. In this embodiment, the main connection part 16 is a cable for connecting to the outside. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, it can be connected to the master control unit (not shown) by a cable through an external connector, such as a USB connector. The upper surface of the carry base 10 is inclined, and a retaining protruding wall 14 is provided around the periphery of the carry base 10, and the retaining protruding wall 14 surrounds the plurality of storage areas 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. In this embodiment, the arrangement of each storage area 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d is the same, and taking the storage area 10a as an example, the storage area 10a has a first connector 11 and a plurality of first positioning parts 13. The first connectors 11 of the respective receiving areas 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are electrically connected to the main connection portion 16. The details of the first connectors 11 will be described later. The first positioning portion 13 of this embodiment exists as a circular recess and is used as a positioning hole.

[0012] In addition, at least one serial connector 17, such as a standard USB connector, can be provided around the carrying base 10, so that other carrying bases 10 and control units can be further connected in series, providing expandability to the adjustable and replaceable modular control panel of the present invention. In addition, the shape surrounded by the retaining protrusion 14 of the carrying base 10 is not limited to a square, but can also be, for example, a rectangle, so that the control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d can be arranged in parallel.

[0013] These control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d are connected to the receiving areas 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d in a one-to-one correspondence. In this embodiment, the control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d are rectangular, preferably square, and the four sides can be adjacent. Examples of the control units include a button panel, a push button panel, a rotary knob panel, a small display panel, a touch panel, and a joystick panel. However, the present invention is not limited to the above examples.

[0014] The top surface of each of the control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d has a control switch 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d, which may be, for example, a button, a small rotary knob, a linear push button, or a large rotary knob, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The bottom surface of each of the control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d has the same structure. Take the control unit 20c as an example, the control unit 20c has a second connector 21 and a plurality of second positioning parts 23. The control switch 22c of the control unit 20c is electrically connected to the second connector 21. By correspondingly connecting to the first connector 11 through the second connector 21, the control signal of the control switch 22c is output to the outside through the main connection part 16 of the carrier base 10. In this embodiment, the plurality of second positioning parts 23 have a circular protruding shape, which can be positioned corresponding to the plurality of first positioning parts 13. As a result, the control units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d are positioned in the accommodation areas 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, respectively.

[0015] One feature of the present invention is that any control unit (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) can be rotated in different directions and adjusted to be placed in any accommodation area (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d). In accordance with this feature, specifically, the second connector 21 is located at the center of the bottom surface of the control unit (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d). In this embodiment, the bottom surface of each control unit (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) is approximately square, and the second connector 21 is located at the geometric center of the bottom surface of the control unit. In other words, it is located at the intersection of two diagonals. The multiple first positioning parts 13 of each accommodation area (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) are recessed, which are located at the four corners of the bottom surface of the control unit (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d). The second positioning portion 23 protrudes, and the shape of the second positioning portion 23 corresponds to the shape of the first positioning portion 13. It should be noted that the above example is merely an embodiment, and does not limit the present invention. The bottom surface of the control unit is not limited to a square. For example, the control unit is circular, and the second connector 21 is located at the center of the circle. In addition, the control unit is a block of different shapes, such as a rectangle containing two squares, a rhombus, an L-shape, a T-shape, etc., which can be combined with each other. The bottom surface of the control unit is not limited to one second connector, and the number can be one or more.

[0016] More specifically, the first connector 11 has a plurality of elastic terminals 111 arranged along a straight line. For example, the elastic terminals 111 are, for example, pogo pins. The second connector 21 is circular and has a plurality of conductive contact rings 211. The contact rings 211 are annular and arranged in a concentric pattern, and the elastic terminals 111 are arranged along a straight line and correspondingly contact the contact rings 211, so that the control units (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) can be correspondingly connected to the receiving areas (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) in different orientations.

[0017] In this embodiment, there are a total of four elastic terminals 111, each of which functions as a power terminal for power supply, a signal terminal for a pair of differential signals, and a ground terminal for grounding, which corresponds to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface.

[0018] Correspondingly, the second connector 21 in this embodiment includes a central circular ring and three annular contact rings 211 of different diameters, each serving as a power ring for power supply, a signal ring for a pair of differential signals, and a ground ring for ground.

[0019] In this embodiment, the first connector 11 further includes a first magnetic ring 112. The first magnetic ring 112 surrounds the multiple elastic terminals 111. The second connector 21 also includes a second magnetic ring 212. The second magnetic ring 212 surrounds the multiple contact rings 211. The first magnetic ring 112 can attract the second magnetic ring 212. The magnetic ring is made of a magnetic material or a material that exhibits magnetic attraction. The two magnetic rings mentioned above can provide an attractive force to the control unit (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) and fix it in the accommodation area (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d).

[0020] As a supplement, each receiving area (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) of the carrier base 10 may include at least one Hall sensor H1. At least one positioning magnet M1 may be installed on the bottom surface of the control unit (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d). The Hall sensor H1 may monitor the change in the magnetic field of the positioning magnet M1 using the Hall effect. In a practical embodiment, each receiving area has two Hall sensors H1, H2 arranged at 90 degrees each at the center of the first connector 11 and located on the same circumference. The control unit has two positioning magnets M1, M2 arranged at 90 degrees each at the center of the second connector 21 and located on the same circumference. In this way, when the control units (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) are rotated to different angles, the two Hall sensors H1, H2 and the two positioning magnets M1, M2 can sense four states, respectively. For example, sensing two positioning magnets M1, M2, or sensing one positioning magnet M1 or M2, or sensing no positioning magnet at all, respectively indicate that the control units (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) are located at four different angles. In other words, the carrying base 10 can identify at which angle (or orientation) the control units (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) are located.

[0021] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, compared with Figure 1, the control units (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) in Figure 4 are placed at different positions on the carrying base 10, and the control units (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) in Figure 5 are adjustably placed at different positions on the carrying base 10.

[0022] [Advantageous Effects of the Embodiments] One of the advantageous effects of the present invention is that in the adjustable and replaceable modular control panel provided by the present invention, the second connector of the control unit is selectively connected to any first connector of the carrier base, where the control unit can be rotated at any angle, thereby allowing the control unit to be adjusted or replaced, and improving the adjustability and expandability of the modular control panel of the present invention.

[0023] More specifically, different users can choose and purchase different control units according to their own requirements, and can replace or expand the control units, such as controlling the volume, lighting, microphone, etc. Furthermore, they can create their own customized modular control panels according to their needs.

[0024] The above disclosure is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical modifications made based on the contents of the specification and accompanying drawings of the present invention shall be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 10 Carry Base Containment areas 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d 11 First Connector 111 Elastic terminal 112 First Magnetic Ring 13 First positioning part 14 Retaining wall 16 Main Connection 17 Series Connector 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d Control unit 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d Control switches 21 Second Connector 211 Contact Ring 212 Second Magnetic Ring 23 Second positioning part H1, H2 Hall sensors M1, M2 Positioning magnets

Claims

1. a carry base including a main connection portion and a plurality of receiving areas, each of the receiving areas having a first connector electrically connected to the main connection portion and a plurality of first positioning portions; At least one control unit correspondingly connected to any one of said storage areas; Equipped with Each of the control units has a control switch on a top surface thereof, and a second connector and a plurality of second positioning portions on a bottom surface thereof, the control switch being electrically connected to the second connector, the second connector being selectively connected to the first connector, and the plurality of second positioning portions being positioned on the plurality of first positioning portions; the first connector has a plurality of elastic terminals arranged along a straight line, the second connector is circular and has a plurality of contact rings, the plurality of contact rings are arranged in an annular concentric pattern, and the plurality of elastic terminals are in contact with the plurality of contact rings respectively, so that the control unit can be correspondingly connected to the receiving area in different orientations; An adjustable, interchangeable modular control panel.

2. 2. The adjustable, interchangeable modular control panel of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the carry base is sloped and the periphery of the carry base has a retaining ledge.

3. 2. The adjustable, replaceable modular control panel of claim 1, wherein the second connector is centrally located on the bottom surface of the control unit.

4. 4. The adjustable replaceable modular control panel of claim 3, wherein the plurality of first positioning portions of the storage area are recessed and arranged at corners of the bottom surface of the control unit, and the second positioning portions are protruding, and the shape of the second positioning portions corresponds to the shape of the first positioning portions.

5. 2. The adjustable replaceable modular control panel of claim 1, wherein said elastic terminals are four in total, one each for a power supply, a pair of differential signals, and a ground.

6. 2. The adjustable replaceable modular control panel of claim 1, wherein the first connector further includes a first magnetic ring, the first magnetic ring being arranged to surround the plurality of elastic terminals, the second connector further includes a second magnetic ring, the second magnetic ring being arranged to surround the plurality of contact rings, and the first magnetic ring can attract the second magnetic ring.

7. 2. The adjustable replaceable modular control panel of claim 1, wherein each of the storage areas of the carrying base further includes at least one Hall sensor, and at least one positioning magnet is installed on a bottom surface of the control unit, and the at least one Hall sensor is for monitoring changes in a magnetic field of the at least one positioning magnet.

8. 2. The adjustable replaceable modular control panel of claim 1, wherein each of the receiving areas has two Hall sensors arranged at 90 degree angles to each other along a center of the first connector and located on the same circumference, and the control unit has two positioning magnets arranged at 90 degree angles to each other along a center of the second connector and located on the same circumference, whereby the two Hall sensors and the two positioning magnets can sense different conditions when the control unit is rotated to different angles.

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