JPH01195590A - Storage device for ic memory card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To supply electric power at the time of storage as a substitute for a backup battery, to prolong the life of the backup battery, and to reduce the trouble of management such as a battery check by providing a power source, a battery checking circuit, etc. CONSTITUTION:When the IC memory card 8 is connected to a connection terminal 3 for electricity feeding, the electric power which is stabilized by a power source part 1 is supplied to a memory part 8a through a power source control circuit 8e. Consequently, no electric power is supplied from the backup battery 8d, so the life of the battery 8d can be prolonged. Further, when the battery check is made, the card 8 is connected to the connection terminal 4 for the battery check and a switch 7 is pressed to supply the electric power from the power source part 1, thereby putting the battery checking circuit 5 and a display circuit in operation. Then the circuit 5 detects the voltage across the battery 8d through the terminal 4 and the connection terminal 8b of the card 8 and decides the end of the life and sends a signal to the circuit 6, which drives a pilot lamp, but if the lamp does not illuminate, the battery is replaced. Further, dust protection effect is improved by a dust cover, etc., and the trouble of the management is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an IC memory card storage device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, IC memory cards have attracted social attention as high-speed, hand-held recording media, and are expected to become even more popular in the future. With the spread of memory, memory capacity has increased, especially memory ICs that require battery backup, such as static RAM and dynamic RAM.
In IC memory cards with a built-in battery, the backup current increases as the capacity increases, shortening the life of the built-in backup battery. To this end, battery-replaceable IC memory cards, rechargeable IC memory cards, and solar battery-equipped IC memory cards have been devised.

Memory backup of the conventional IC memory card as described above will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of a conventional battery-replaceable IC memory card, and FIG. 4 is an external view thereof. In Figure 3,
31 is a memory section that is a static RAM or a self-refresh type dynamic RAM with a built-in refresh circuit.
In AM, 032, which consists of one or more terminals depending on the capacity of the IC memory card, is a connection terminal that connects the IC memory card and the IC memory card.
Devices that use C memory cards (hereinafter referred to as devices used)
Connect electrically. A control circuit 33 controls chip selection and control signals of the memory section 31. 3
Reference numeral 4 denotes a backup battery that supplies power to the memory section 31 for backup when the IC memory card is disconnected from the device in use. Reference numeral 036 indicates a power control circuit that switches the power supply to the memory section 31. A battery check circuit 36 detects the voltage of the backup battery 34 and performs a battery check.

A display circuit 37 displays the result of the battery check using a signal from the battery check circuit 36. 38 is a switch for operating the battery check circuit 36 and the display circuit 37. In FIG. 4, 37a is a display LED, which is controlled by the display circuit 37 to turn on. 38 is a switch, and 39 is a battery cover, which is screwed on and can be removed to replace the backup battery.

The operation of the memory backup of the battery replaceable memory card configured as described above will be explained below.

First, when the IC memory card is connected to the device in use via the connection terminal 32, power is supplied from the device to the memory section 31 via the power control circuit 36. Next, at the moment when the device is disconnected from the device being used, the power supply control circuit 35 switches the power supplied to the memory section 31 to the backup battery 34, and the stored contents of the memory section 31 are retained without being destroyed. Next, when the device is disconnected from the device in use, power is supplied from the backup battery 34, and the memory section 31
The memory contents of are retained. Next, the battery check will be explained. First, the battery check circuit 3 is turned on by the switch 38.
5 and the display circuit 37 are activated, and the battery check circuit 36 is activated.
detects the voltage of the back amplifier battery 34, determines the end of its life, and transmits a signal to the display circuit 37. The display circuit 37 drives the display LED 37a based on the signal. If the display LED 37a lights up at this time, there is no need to replace the backup battery 34, and if it stops lighting, it indicates that the battery is at the end of its life and must be replaced with a new battery.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above configuration, as the memory capacity increases, the number of built-in memory ICs increases and the backup current also increases. However, since the capacity of the battery cannot be increased in the limited space of the credit card size, the battery life inevitably becomes short. Furthermore, when checking the battery, the LED
In order to turn on the battery, it consumes a much larger current than the backup current, which poses the problem of shortening the battery life when checking the battery. In addition, rechargeable and solar battery-equipped IC memory cards have been devised to eliminate the need for battery replacement, but they require periodic charging and the illuminance must be adjusted to ensure sufficient output from the solar battery. Since IC memory cards need to be stored in a specific location, there is a problem in that as IC memory cards become more widespread and the number of cards owned increases, management becomes extremely complicated.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an IC memory card storage device that supplies power instead of a backup battery during storage, extends the life of the backup battery, and has a battery check function. be.

Means for Solving the Problem To achieve this object, the IC memory card storage device of the present invention includes a power supply, a control circuit for stabilizing the power supply, and a power supply for supplying power to the IC memory card from the power supply. a battery check circuit that connects to the power source and electrically checks the battery built into the IC memory card; and a display circuit that displays the battery check result based on a signal from the battery check circuit; It is comprised of a battery check connection part that electrically connects the battery check circuit and the IC memory card, a case that houses each of the components, and a cover.

Function: This configuration supplies power in place of the backup battery when the card is stored, extending the life of the backup battery. It also has a battery check function, so you can check the battery.

It is no longer necessary to incorporate the circuit into the IC memory card.
Battery checks no longer have a negative effect on backup batteries. In addition, the dust cover provides a dustproof effect, and since the IC memory card is stored in the case, it can be prevented from being accidentally dropped or damaged due to abnormal loads, and even if the number of cards owned increases, the complexity of management will be reduced. This can be reduced.

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a circuit block diagram of an IC memory card storage device according to an example of the present invention, and Figure 2 is an external view. be. In Figure 1, 1 is a power supply unit that drives each circuit and IC.
Full power is supplied to the memory card 8. 2 is a control circuit that stabilizes the power supply section 1;

Reference numeral 3 denotes a power supply connection terminal which is electrically connected to the IC memory card 8, and a plurality of terminals are connected in parallel depending on the number of card holders. Reference numeral 4 denotes a battery check connection terminal, which is electrically connected to the IC memory card 8 on which the battery check is to be performed.06 is a battery check circuit, which connects the backup battery 8 in the IC memory card 8 to the battery check connection terminal.
Detect the voltage at d and check the battery. Reference numeral 6 denotes a display circuit that displays the result of the battery check using a signal from the battery check circuit 6. A switch 7 operates the battery check circuit 5 and the display circuit 6. To explain the configuration of the IC memory card 8, 8& is a memory section, 8b is a connection terminal, and 8 is a memory section.
c is the control circuit, 8d is the backup acid oil, 8e
is a power supply control circuit, which is the same as the conventional one, but is designed so that the voltage of the backup battery 8d can be detected via the connection terminal 8b. In FIG. 2, 6a displays the battery check result in a display rung. 7 is a switch, and 09 is a power supply insertion slot, which is structured so that when an IC memory card 8 is inserted, it is connected to the power supply connection terminal 3. Reference numeral 1o denotes a battery check insertion slot, which has a structure in which when an IC memory card 8 is inserted when performing a battery check, it is connected to the battery check connection terminal 4. 11 is a case. 12 is a dust cover that has a dustproof effect.

The operation of the IC memory card storage device configured as described above will be described below.

First, when the IC memory card 8 is connected to the power supply connection terminal 3, the stabilized power source from the power supply section 1 is supplied to the power supply control circuit 8.
Since the power is supplied to the memory unit 8a via the power source 8a, power is not supplied from the backup battery 8d. Power is supplied from the backup battery 8d to the memory section 8a until the IC memory card 8 is disconnected from the device used and connected to the power supply connection terminal 3 and stored. Therefore, the supply frequency decreases and the average amount of electricity discharged per hour decreases, so the life of the backup battery 8d is extended. Next, for the battery check, when the IC memory card 8 is connected to the battery check connection terminal 4 and the switch 7 is pressed, power is supplied from the power supply unit 1 and the battery check circuit 6 and display circuit 6 are activated. The battery check circuit 6 detects the voltage of the backup battery 8d via the battery check connection terminal 4 and the connection terminal 8b of the IC memory card 8, determines the end of its life, and transmits a signal to the display circuit 6. The display circuit 6 drives the display lamp 6a based on the signal. If the indicator lamp 6a lights up at this time, there is no need to replace the backup battery 8d, and if it stops lighting, it indicates that the battery is at the end of its life and must be replaced with a new battery.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the stabilized power supply and
By providing a connection terminal for electrically connecting an IC memory card, a battery check circuit, and a display circuit, it supplies power instead of a backup battery when the card is stored.
This reduces the frequency of use of the backup battery, extends the life of the backup battery, and eliminates the need for a built-in battery check circuit within the card.

In the embodiment, the battery check was performed by detecting the battery voltage and determining the end of its life, but other methods may be used.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, a power supply, a control circuit for stabilizing the power supply, a power supply connection section for supplying power from the power supply to an IC memory card, and a a battery check circuit that electrically checks a battery built into an IC memory card; a display circuit that displays a battery check result using a signal from the battery check circuit;
By providing a battery check connection part that electrically connects the battery check circuit and the IC memory card,
Since power is supplied in place of the backup battery during storage, the life of the backup battery can be extended, and since it has a battery check function, there is no need to incorporate a battery check function into the IC memory card. In addition, the dust cover has a dust-proof effect, and since the IC memory card is stored in the case, it can be prevented from being accidentally dropped or destroyed or lost due to abnormal loads, making it easy to manage even if the number of cards owned increases. It has the effect of reducing complexity0

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a circuit block diagram of an IC memory card storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an external view thereof, Fig. 3 is a circuit block diagram of a conventional battery replaceable memory card, and Fig. 4 is a circuit block diagram of an IC memory card storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1...Power supply unit, 2...Control circuit, 3.
... Connection terminal for power supply, 4 ... Connection terminal for battery check, 6 ... Battery check circuit, 6.
... Display circuit, 11 ... Case, 12.
...Dust cover, 8...IC memory card. Agent's name: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 16 others (k)a) $Red - Display lamp 7- Switch 9-1 Sound/Electronic inlet / 2 - Dust power bar 3 - 1 display LED, 3B ---Switch Fig. 4 39- Peeking flood addition, -, 39

Claims (1)

[Claims] a power supply, a control circuit for stabilizing the power supply, a power supply connection unit for supplying power to the IC memory card from the power supply, and a power supply connection unit connected to the power supply to electrically check a battery built in the IC memory card. a display circuit that displays a battery check result based on a signal from the battery check circuit; a battery check connection section that electrically connects the battery check circuit and the IC memory card; and each of the above components. An IC memory card storage device equipped with a case for storing elements and a dust cover.