JP2001195813A - Card type hard disk device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve problems with a card type hard disk device used in personal computers or recent navigation devices, etc., that, the many chances of dropping of the device from an elevated place during carrying and the expansion of the damage caused by the impact of this time in subsequent use, the eventual need for repair costs or unusability. SOLUTION: The card type hard disk is internally provided with an impact sensor 7 so that a signal is outputted to a drive mechanism action prohibition processing section 13 for a hard disk drive mechanism 3 to prohibit the subsequent drive of the hard disk when the prescribed or higher impact is detected by an impact degree detecting section 9. The impact degree is memorized in an impact detection memory section 12 disposed in the device and the reading out of the data in a repair department is made possible. When the hard disk receiving this impact is attempted to be used, the display to that the hard disk is subjected to the impact and is subjected to the drive prohibition processing in an unsability display forming section 14 is executed. When the repair ends and a reset signal is inputted, the action prohibition processing, memory, unsability display formation, etc., described above are reset.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card used for various information devices such as a personal computer, such as a PCMCIA card, and more particularly to a card-type hard disk device containing a hard disk therein.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of small portable personal computers such as notebook personal computers, in order to supplement the functions of the personal computer of the main body, a SCSI card, a video capture card, an LA card, etc.
It is used to insert cards that perform various functions, such as N cards, to compensate for the lack of memory functions of the PC itself, to back up the memory inside the PC, and to exchange data with other PCs. For this reason, card-type hard disks incorporating a small hard disk have been widely used.

On the other hand, in recent years, on-vehicle navigation devices have become widespread, and the current position is detected from the vehicle speed and traveling direction by using GPS, map data near the current position is read from a data recording medium, and an image is displayed on a liquid crystal display or the like. By displaying a map centered on the current location on the display device,
You can easily find out which point you are currently driving. Further, by setting a destination or a waypoint, an optimal guidance route from the current location is searched, and the guidance route is displayed on the map in a superimposed manner, and a right-left intersection is enlarged and displayed. It also provides driving guidance. Further, if necessary, facility information of various facilities such as an amusement park, a park, a museum, a restaurant, a hotel, a convenience store, and the like can be recorded on a recording medium, and can be searched for and used.

[0004] Such a navigation device is not limited to the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted device, but is also used in the above-mentioned ordinary personal computer by installing navigation software on a hard disk using map data recorded on a CD-ROM. It can perform the same functions as an in-vehicle navigation device, and is especially easy to carry on small handheld PCs. , And can perform almost the same function as the on-vehicle navigation device, except that it does not have an independent position detection function.

[0005] Further, at present, various information centers are enriched in both quality and quantity, for example, providing the latest map data, the latest facility information, event information, etc. to an unspecified number of people or members via the Internet. These data and information can be imported and used on ordinary personal computers. Such data and the like can be easily taken in the personal computer by the telephone line wired for general home use, while the in-vehicle navigation device has its own communication equipment, or It is inconvenient to connect and use a mobile phone.
Therefore, such information is transferred to PCMCIA (Personal
(Puter Memory Card International Association) type memory card, while a similar PCMCIA type slot is provided in the navigation device, and the PCMCIA type memory card recording various data and information as described above is inserted into the slot. It is also done to connect and use the data in the card.

[0006] In particular, when taking in the latest map data,
Since a large amount of memory is required to capture map data over a wide area, the use of a hard disk as a recording medium is being considered. And information can be recorded on a PCMCIA hard disk. In addition, PCMCIA cards of a relatively thick TYPE III type to a thin TYPE II type have been used, and the slots of a personal computer have been effectively used, and the PCMCIA card has been made more compact and more easily usable. . FIG. 4 shows such a PCM
1 shows an external view of a CIA type hard disk.

Therefore, in the future such PCMCIA
Various types of data, including the latest facility information and various image data, for example, are recorded on a personal computer on a portable hard disk, and this card is inserted into a slot provided in a navigation device for use. Can be considered. Note that when connecting a card-type hard disk, an ATPI (Attachment Packet Interface)
Although there are used ones, a PCMCIA hard disk which is most commonly used will be described here as an example.

In particular, it is important to make a drive plan, such as a drive plan for a family trip, a drive plan for a group, a drive plan for a date, etc., which are important elements in a navigation device. It's an important task, an important element to deepen communication with everyone, and it's also fun. Such a drive plan is narrow in the car where the navigation device is installed, the air conditioner is not perfect, it is difficult to make a plan by looking at a small screen for a long time, so using a personal computer in the house Using the latest map data, the latest facility information data, etc., make various plans using the screen of a personal computer or the large screen of a TV, and work to select the best one from among them. To do
In particular, the number is expected to increase further due to the rapid spread of personal computers and digitalization of televisions.

In such a case, the data used by the personal computer and the data used by the navigation device are required to be the same, and therefore, the map data and the facility information data used at the time of the drive planning are recorded as described above. A card-type hard disk such as a PCMCIA hard disk in which data of a destination, a waypoint, and a selected route set based on the data is recorded is inserted into a slot of the navigation device, and the drive is inserted. It is hoped that it can sometimes be used. This means that it is particularly important to have data at the time of creating a plan when changing the route due to a change in conditions such as traffic congestion in an actual drive.

Further, the current navigation system is important as various information sources in a private room space in a car, and private plans such as a user's future action plan, information of persons to be visited in the future, and various personal memos. It is expected that the usage form of displaying information on a screen whenever necessary will increase. Therefore, it is necessary to always take these latest information into the navigation device. For that purpose, it is conceivable to connect to a portable personal computer and take in information, but it is necessary to purchase a small portable personal computer. On the other hand, as described above, recent PCM
Due to the development of CIA type hard disk, it is convenient to record a lot of information here and carry it at all times, and insert and use this card in personal computers such as homes and offices. It is becoming.
Therefore, it is expected that the navigation device is provided with the slot so that the private information or the like can be displayed.

[0011] As described above, in the future navigation devices, PCMC will be used in the same manner as general portable personal computers.
A slot for inserting an IA type card is provided.
IA-type hard disks can be used, data can be shared with ordinary personal computers, and a large amount of data that supplements the existing functions of the navigation device can be recorded. It is expected that it will be widely used for various purposes, such as for data use at the time and for displaying private information.

On the other hand, a PCMCIA hard disk is
Due to the increase in memory capacity and the rapid decrease in price per unit memory capacity, besides data exchange between personal computers,
It is expected to be widely used for various devices including the navigation device as described above. Such a card-type hard disk is a PC hard disk as described above.
In addition to the MCIA type, smaller hard disks are also being supplied, and various hard disks may be used in the future.

[0013]

The card-type hard disk such as the PCMCIA-type hard disk is easily and widely used in various fields including not only a general portable personal computer but also a vehicle-mounted navigation system. However, these hard disks are provided with a disk provided rotatably at a high speed inside thereof, and a head facing the disk close to the disk, and have a very precise device structure. Therefore, care must be taken in its handling.

On the other hand, as described above, the card-type hard disk is used for a wide range of applications, so that the card-type hard disk is frequently carried and the danger of being accidentally dropped from a high place is also increased. When the card-type hard disk is dropped from a high place in this way, the impact damages the hard disk, and not only destroys the data in that part, but also the damage of the hard disk spreads further and destroys a lot of data. There is a risk of further worsening. Therefore, even if the scratch is slightly light at first, there is a danger that the hard disk will eventually be damaged to an unusable state. In addition to the data recording surface of the hard disk, moving parts such as the drive unit and the head of the hard disk may be damaged by dropping, and at this time, minor damage was initially There is a risk that the damage will spread.

In the case where the card-type hard disk is accidentally dropped from a high place as described above, even if the user knows this, the operation is temporarily confirmed using his / her own personal computer or the like, and appropriate data is checked. Is not output or does not work at all, etc., a request for repair is made, but at this time, the user requesting repair does not necessarily declare that this hard disk was accidentally dropped from a high place and damaged. In some cases, there may only be a declaration that the service has stopped working. In such a case, the repair department, such as the manufacturer requested to repair or the affiliated company, will perform a check in consideration of all possibilities, but the repair department will drop the damage status of the hard disk at that time. If it is different from the state immediately after the test, is it dropped from a high place and the hard disk surface is scratched, the drive is damaged, or is the product not operating properly due to partial defect or wear? It is difficult to make a distinction. In addition, because the number of scratches and damaged parts is increasing, the number of parts to be replaced increases and repair costs increase.In addition, all parts that can be dealt with simply by replacing parts must be replaced. Sometimes it is.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when a card-type hard disk is dropped from a high place and receives a shock exceeding a predetermined value, the shock is detected, and the operation of the drive mechanism of the hard disk thereafter is prohibited, so that damage is prevented. The main purpose is to prevent expansion and prevent an increase in repair costs. Also, by storing the shock and its state in the memory, the hard disk cannot be driven when the hard disk is subsequently used, and it is possible to display that the hard disk is in the use prohibited state, It is still another object of the present invention to provide a card-type hard disk drive which can read the state of impact recorded in the memory at the time of repair and can refer to the repair.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to an impact sensor, and a signal from the impact sensor is input, and an impact detection signal is output when an impact is greater than a predetermined value. A card-type hard disk device comprising: a shock degree detecting section for outputting; and a drive mechanism operation prohibition processing section for prohibiting operation of the hard disk drive mechanism when the shock detection signal is output.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the card type hard disk drive according to the first aspect, further comprising an impact detection memory for storing the output of the impact detection signal.

The card according to claim 1, further comprising an unusable display output means for outputting an unusable display signal when the card-type hard disk is driven after the shock detection signal is output. Type hard disk drive.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the drive mechanism operation prohibition processing, the shock detection memory, or the unusable display output function is reset when a reset signal is input from the outside. A card-type hard disk device according to any one of the above.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the card-type hard disk device is a card-type hard disk device for a navigation device according to the first aspect, which is used for a navigation device.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a card-type hard disk drive according to the present invention. A hard disk drive 4 driven and rotated by a hard disk drive mechanism 3 whose drive is controlled by a drive mechanism control section 2 includes a data input / output section by a head 5. Data is written in from outside via the line 6, and read out and output to the outside. In such a hard disk drive, a mechanism for rotating the hard disk, a mechanism for moving the header, and the like constitute the hard disk drive mechanism 3.

This card-type hard disk device 1 includes:
An impact sensor 7 is provided, and a detected signal is processed by a detection signal processing unit 8 and output to an impact degree detection unit 9. As shown in an enlarged view of FIG. 3, the impact sensor 7 is molded by a semiconductor chip processing technique, and has a silicon oxide film 27 on the surface of a silicon substrate 21 similarly to a substrate on which a normal semiconductor is formed. As shown in the figure, an impact detecting section provided with a thick weight 23 at the tip of a thin cantilever 22 as shown in the figure is formed.

The periphery of the cantilever portion 22 and the weight portion 23 is removed by etching and is protected by the surrounding substrate, and the silicon oxide film on the upper surface of the cantilever portion 22 is subject to distortion. A strain detecting element 24 having electrostrictive characteristics using PZT (lead zirconate titanate), zinc oxide, or the like, whose resistance changes due to the above, is provided by directly forming or attaching it to the surface. Further, the lead wire portion of the distortion detecting element 24 is connected to the signal processing circuit portion 2 formed close to the lead wire portion.
5 and a terminal unit 26 for outputting a signal from the signal processing circuit unit 25 to each unit. Such an ultra-small impact sensor is well known, and in the present invention, another impact sensor may be used as long as it can be stored in a card-type hard disk and does not affect the internal mechanism. Can also.

When the card-type hard disk 1 provided with the shock sensor 7 receives a shock due to dropping from a high place or the like, the weight 23 of the shock detecting unit is moved in the direction of the arrow in the figure. It vibrates greatly, and the strain detecting element 24 provided on the cantilever 22 that supports it greatly deforms,
A signal corresponding to the distortion is generated. The electrostriction signal is amplified to a voltage signal of a predetermined level by the detection signal processing unit 8 in FIG. 1, and an appropriate detection signal process such as a filter process is performed.
The signal is compared with a predetermined threshold value in the impact degree detecting section 9 in FIG. 1. When the signal exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that an impact greater than a predetermined value has occurred, and an impact detection signal is output.

An impact detection signal having detected the impact equal to or greater than a predetermined value is output from the impact degree detecting section 9 to the signal output section 10,
The signal is output from the signal output unit 10 to the following three output units. That is, first, an impact detection memory unit 12 of a memory 11 such as an SRAM provided in a card type hard disk device.
To record that there was an impact greater than a predetermined value. Second, output to the drive mechanism operation prohibition processing unit 13 in the drive mechanism control unit 2 that controls the hard disk drive mechanism,
An operation prohibition process such as shutting off the supply of power to each drive unit or stopping the supply of an operation control signal is performed. When the operation prohibition process is performed, the operation prohibition state is maintained until a reset signal described later is input.

Third, the signal is output to the unusable display signal forming unit 14, and when a shock exceeding a predetermined level is received as described above,
When the card-type hard disk device is inserted into a slot of a personal computer or a navigation device afterwards, the card-type hard disk does not operate due to the drive mechanism operation prohibition process as described above. In the display of the display, for example, the display signal such as "This hard disk has been subjected to a great shock and may be damaged, so please contact the repair shop described in the attached manual and have it inspected." And prepares to output the signal.

The display sentence obtained by the unusable display signal forming unit 14 is preferentially output from the unusable display signal output unit 15 to a display of a device such as a personal computer or a navigation device. Is available. When the display signal is formed in the unusable display signal forming unit 14, display sentence data is stored in the memory in advance, and the hard disk is used by a personal computer or the like after the card-type hard disk device is shocked. At this time, the display signal may be taken from the memory 11. At this time, the unusable display forming unit 1
Reference numeral 4 denotes a signal forming unit which enables output of data from the memory.

The card type hard disk drive further includes:
The card type hard disk drive brought into the repair department is repaired by performing a predetermined repair, for example, because the hard disk drive is not driven by receiving a reset signal input unit 16 and receiving a shock exceeding a predetermined amount. If it is determined that the card-type hard disk device has not been damaged despite being subjected to a large shock, a reset signal is input to the card type hard disk device in the repair department.
The signal is input to a reset signal input unit 16, from which a reset signal is output to the first to third output units via a signal output unit 10.

That is, first, the data is output to the shock detection memory unit 12, and the record of the shock that is equal to or more than a predetermined value recorded in this memory is erased. At this time, the previous impact data can be transferred to another memory unit. Second, the output is output to the hard disk drive mechanism operation prohibition processing unit 13 to enable the normal operation of the hard disk drive mechanism. Thirdly, the signal is output to the unusable display signal forming unit 14, so that when the card-type hard disk is used thereafter, the unusable display as described above is not performed.

The card-type hard disk drive composed of the above-described functional blocks can perform processing when an impact is detected, according to an operation flow as shown in FIG. This will be described in the order of operation with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. First, it is determined whether or not any impact is detected by the impact sensor 7 of FIG. 1 (step S1). If detected, the detection signal is processed by the detection signal processing unit 8 (step S2), and based on the signal, It is determined whether or not the impact value is equal to or more than a predetermined value (Step S)
3). If no impact is detected in step S1, and if the impact value is less than the predetermined value in step S3, the process returns to step 1 and waits for the impact detection again. It is preferable that the detection of the impact in the step 1 is performed by removing a small signal, and it is preferable to determine that the impact has been detected when the signal is a certain level or more.

When it is determined in step S3 that the impact detected is a large impact equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a signal of the impact value is sent from the signal output unit 10 to the impact detection memory unit 12 in FIG. The received information and the shock value at that time are stored (step S4). The output is also output to the drive mechanism operation prohibition processing unit 13 in FIG. 1 to perform the operation prohibition process of the drive mechanism (step S5).

Next, in order to use this card type hard disk drive, when the hard disk drive operation is performed, the unusable display signal forming section 14 of FIG. And
Please contact the repair shop described in the attached manual for inspection because it may be damaged. Is formed, and the display signal is displayed on the display or the like from the unusable display signal output unit 15 (step S6).

Further, when a hard disk in which the drive mechanism operation prohibition process is performed so that the hard disk does not operate due to the impact of the predetermined magnitude or more is repaired by a repair department or the like, the read output unit 17 in FIG. When a data reading device provided in the repair department is connected and a memory read instruction is given, a shock equal to or more than a predetermined value recorded in the shock detection memory unit 12 is applied to the card-type hard disk device, and The degree of impact is read and displayed (step S7). It should be noted that since the data brought into the repair shop without receiving the shock as described above does not exist, it can be understood that the data is not broken due to the shock.

Thereafter, when the repair at the repair shop is completed, or when it is determined that there has been no particular damage after receiving a shock exceeding a predetermined level, the repair department inputs the reset signal input section 16 of FIG. As described above, the reset signal is output to the signal output unit 10 to erase the memory of the shock detection memory unit 12, release the operation prohibition by the drive mechanism operation prohibition processing unit 13, and release the unusable display function by the unusable display signal forming unit 14. Are performed (step S8). Thereafter, the card-type hard disk drive enters a normal usable state, and returns to the initial state of step S1 again.

Although the embodiment of the present invention is constituted by the above-described functional blocks and operates as described above, it can be implemented in various other modes.
In addition to a card-type hard disk device used for a navigation device, it can be used for a widely used card-type hard disk device in various fields.
In addition to the CIA type hard disk, it can be used for various card type hard disk devices such as the ATPI type.

[0037]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the card type hard disk device is dropped from a high place, for example, an impact sensor provided inside the case detects a predetermined impact or more, and a hard disk drive mechanism is provided. Since the operation is prohibited, when the hard disk is damaged or the drive mechanism is damaged, it is possible to prevent the damage or the damage from expanding when the hard disk is subsequently driven. Expenses can be prevented from increasing. Further, in the repair department or the like, it is possible to prevent the damage or damage from being changed from the state at the time of dropping, thereby making it difficult to determine the cause of the damage.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the card-type hard disk device receives a shock of a predetermined magnitude or more, the shock detection signal is recorded in the memory. By reading the shock detection signal in the memory, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the memory card has been brought in by receiving a shock equal to or more than a predetermined amount, thereby facilitating repair.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, an unusable display signal is output at the time of driving operation of the card type hard disk device after the output of the shock detection signal. When inserting a card-type hard disk into the slot of the device and trying to operate it, the user may question that it will not work at all, but it is said that the device has been disabled due to impact. Since an appropriate unusable display such as a display is performed, the user can immediately grasp the situation, and it is easy to take measures such as sending out for repair.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the drive mechanism operation prohibition processing, the shock detection memory, or the unusable display output function is reset when a reset signal is input from the outside. Thereafter, the original state can be restored and used again.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the card-type hard disk device is used for the navigation device. Therefore, the card-type hard disk device can be used for sharing data between a personal computer in a house and a navigation device in a car. As a result, it is often carried outside and frequently, and the chance of accidental dropping from high places increases, but the damage to the card-type hard disk that occurs at that time will be further expanded by subsequent use Can be prevented beforehand.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part showing an embodiment of an impact sensor applied to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a PCMCIA type hard disk as an example of a card type hard disk device to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Card-type hard disk drive 3 Hard disk drive mechanism 7 Impact sensor 8 Detection signal processing section 9 Impact degree detection section 12 Impact detection memory section 13 Drive mechanism operation prohibition processing section 14 Unusable display forming section 16 Reset signal input section 17 Readout output section

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An impact sensor, an impact degree detection unit which receives a signal from the impact sensor and outputs an impact detection signal when the impact is equal to or more than a predetermined impact, and a drive which inhibits operation of a hard disk drive mechanism when the impact detection signal is output A card-type hard disk device comprising a mechanism operation prohibition processing unit. 2. The card type hard disk drive according to claim 1, further comprising an impact detection memory for storing an output of the impact detection signal. 3. The card-type hard disk drive according to claim 1, further comprising an unusable display output means for outputting an unusable display signal when driving the card-type hard disk after the output of the shock detection signal. 4. The card according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism operation prohibition processing, the shock detection memory, or the unusable display output function is reset when a reset signal is input from outside. Type hard disk drive. 5. The card-type hard disk device for a navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the card-type hard disk device is used for a navigation device.