JP2005202982A - Electronic apparatus and information processing system incorporating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reliable electronic apparatus for the electronic apparatus such as a personal digital assistant equipped with a detachable external information storage medium and information processing system incorporating the electronic apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The information processing system, comprising a controller 68 for controlling the electronic apparatus 1, a terminal 37 for communicating a variety of signals to and from a terminal 32 of the information storage medium 3 detachably loaded on the electronic apparatus 1 under control of the controller 68, and a detector for detecting finish of inserting and start of discharging the information storage medium 3, characterized in that the controller 68 executes power off sequence by the time the communication between the electronic apparatus 1 and information storage medium 3 becomes impossible after the detector 27 detects the start of discharging the information storage medium 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device having an external information storage medium detachably attached thereto, such as an electronic notebook, and an information processing system using the same.

  When an electronic device using a memory card or an IC card uses a small manual card ejection mechanism to realize portability, the card may be ejected during power feeding to the card. In this case, the power-off sequence may not be performed correctly because the power line to the card is disconnected while a voltage is applied to the signal line, which may lead to physical destruction of the card.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an electronic notebook equipped with a memory card, a card ejection lock mechanism is provided to prevent such card destruction, and when the lock mechanism is released during power supply to the card, a power-off sequence is immediately executed. It was like that.

Regarding this power-off sequence, for example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 can be cited.
JP-A-1-233680 (page 2-3) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-025505 (page 5-7)

  However, this conventional method prevents physical destruction of the card, but if the lock is accidentally released, the card terminal will resume execution because the power-off sequence has already been executed. Had to eject the card once and then insert it again into the card terminal, which had a problem with operability.

  There is also a problem in that if the lock is accidentally released while the file or data is being rewritten in the memory in the card and the card is ejected, the file or data becomes abnormal and the subsequent operation is hindered.

  In addition, a simple card terminal usually does not have a card locking mechanism, and in this case, as described above, the card may be ejected during power supply of the card, resulting in destruction of the IC chip inside the card. There was a problem.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable electronic apparatus and an information processing system using the same, which solve such problems of the prior art.

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention provides various signals between a control unit that controls an electronic device and a terminal of an information storage medium that is detachably attached to the electronic device under the control of the control unit. A terminal for performing communication, and a detecting means for detecting completion of insertion and start of ejection of the information storage medium,
The control means executes a power-on sequence for the information storage medium in a state where the detection means detects the completion of insertion of the information storage medium,
While the power supply to the information storage medium is being applied, after the detection means detects the start of the discharge of the information storage medium, the control is performed until communication is disabled between the terminal of the information storage medium and the terminal of the electronic device. The means executes a power-off sequence for the information storage medium.

In order to achieve the above object, the second aspect of the present invention provides an information storage medium that is detachably attached to an electronic device and has a terminal for communicating with the electronic device;
Control means for controlling the electronic device, a terminal for supplying power to the information storage means and exchanging signals under the control of the control means, and detection for detecting completion of insertion and start of ejection of the information storage medium An information processing system including an electronic device having means,
In a state where the detection means detects the completion of insertion of the information storage medium, the control means executes a power-on sequence for the information storage medium,
The control means until the terminal of the information storage medium and the terminal of the electronic device are disabled from communication after the detection means detects the discharge start of the information storage medium during application of power to the information storage medium. Executes a power-off sequence.

  The present invention has the above-described configuration, and since the power-off sequence is executed after the actual discharge start of the information storage medium is directly detected by the detection means, the electronic apparatus having excellent reliability and the use thereof are used. An information processing system can be provided.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are views showing an external view of a portable IC card terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in the middle of inserting an IC card into the card terminal. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which mounted | wore the IC card. FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing an internal state of the card terminal, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged side view showing a connection state between the card terminal and the IC card.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a card insertion slot 2 is formed on the front side surface of a card terminal 1 made of, for example, an electronic notebook, etc., and a discharge lever 4 and an unlock button 5 are close to each other on the right side surface. Is provided. A liquid crystal display unit 6 and a number of operation keys 7 are arranged on the upper surface of the card terminal 1. Although not shown, a buzzer (alarm) is installed inside the card terminal 1.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the card terminal 1. The card terminal 1 is connected via a clock terminal 61, a reset terminal 62 on the IC card 3, an I / O terminal 63 for inputting / outputting data, a power terminal 64 for receiving power from the card terminal 1, a ground terminal 65, and the like. Has been.

  The card terminal 1 includes a ROM 66 storing a program for controlling its operation, a RAM 67 storing various data and files, an MPU 68 for controlling the operation of the card terminal 1 based on the control program, an IC card 3, An IC card interface 69 for electrical connection, an LCD control unit 70 for controlling the liquid crystal display unit 6, a keyboard control unit 71 for controlling the operation keys 7, and a power switch 72 for connecting the power switch 72 to control the power supplied to each unit A control unit 73, a card detection switch 27 for detecting the completion of mounting of the IC card 3 and the start of ejection, a lock release detection switch 28 for detecting the unlocking of the IC card 3, and the like are provided via a bus line 74. It is connected. The card terminal 1 also has a discharge lever 4 and a lock release button 5.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a guide wall 9 extends in parallel with the side wall 8 of the card terminal 1 at a distance of the width of the IC card 3, and the side wall 8 and the guide wall 9 are inserted into the IC card 3. It functions as a guide when discharging.

  In the vicinity of the mounting completion position of the IC card 3, the discharge lever 4 and the lock release button 5 are provided so that the discharge lever 4 is on the near side as viewed from the terminal operator.

  The discharge lever 4 can reciprocate in the X direction corresponding to the insertion and discharge directions of the IC card 3, and the lock release button 5 can reciprocate in the Y direction orthogonal to the movement direction (X direction) of the discharge lever 4. Yes.

  An engagement recess 11 is formed on the side surface of the finger pad 10 protruding slightly outward from the side wall 8 of the discharge lever 4 as shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, an inclined surface 12 is provided at the front end side corner of the engagement recess 11, and a spring hooking protrusion 13 is formed on a part of the discharge lever 4, and the pin 14 in the card terminal 1 The discharge lever 4 is elastically biased toward the stopper 16 provided at the standby position by a spring 15 stretched between the spring hooking protrusion 13.

  A slide guide piece 17 is integrally provided at a position corresponding to the side wall 8 of the discharge lever 4 and is slidably inserted into a guide groove 18 formed in a part of the side wall 8.

  The lock release button 5 is disposed next to the discharge lever 4 via a stopper 16 and slides in the Y direction along the stopper 16. The pressing portion 19 protruding slightly outward from the side wall 8 of the unlocking button 5 is, for example, between the finger rest portion 10 of the discharge lever 4 and the pressing preventing projection 20 provided on the side wall 8 as shown in FIG. It is arranged in the formed narrow recess 21 and designed to have a smaller amount of protrusion than the finger rest 10 and the pressing prevention protrusion 20.

  By doing so, for example, when the card terminal 1 is held, it is possible to prevent the lock of the discharge lever 4 from being unexpectedly pressed with the finger to release the lock of the discharge lever 4.

  The lock release button 5 is provided with a claw portion 22 that engages with the engagement recess 11 of the discharge lever 4, and an inclined surface 23 is formed on the front side of the claw portion 22.

  A bar 24 protrudes on the side opposite to the pressing portion 19, and a coil spring 25 is loosely fitted on the bar 24, and the coil spring 25 is accommodated in a spring receiving portion 26 having a U-shaped planar shape. . Since the spring receiving portion 26 is fixed in the card terminal 1, the lock release button 5 is elastically biased by the coil spring 25 in the direction in which the pressing portion 19 protrudes.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a card detection switch 27 is installed near the insertion completion position of the IC card 3, and an unlock detection switch 28 is installed near the unlock button 5. These detection switches 27 and 28 are constituted by, for example, a micro switch or a photo sensor.

  Next, a contact structure between the contact spring group 29 of the card terminal 1 and the terminal portion 32 of the IC card 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The elastic contact spring group 29 is supported by the contact spring frame 40. The contact spring frame 40 is supported by the arm 42 so as to be rotatable about the pin 41. The arm 42 is fixed to the bottom plate 43 and also serves as a stopper for the IC card 3. The contact spring group 29 is drawn with a flexible printed board, but is not shown here.

  In the state before the IC card 3 is inserted as shown in FIG. 4A, the end portion 44 of the contact spring frame 40 is elastically attached to the bottom plate 43 by a torsion spring (not shown) attached to the pin 41. The contact spring group 29 is in a position away from the bottom plate 43.

Next, operations for inserting and discharging the IC card 3 will be described. ◎
As shown in FIG. 5, the state before the IC card 3 is inserted is retracted to the position where the discharge lever 4 comes into contact with the stopper 16 by the spring 15, and the lock release button 5 is engaged with the discharge lever 4 by the coil spring 25. The movement of the discharge lever 4 in the X direction is stopped.

  When the IC card 3 is inserted in the arrow Z direction as shown in FIG. 1, the end 44 of the contact spring frame 40 is moved from the state of FIG. 4A by the tip of the IC card 3 as shown in FIG. The contact spring group 29 is brought into contact with the terminal portion 32 of the IC card 3, and the card terminal 1 and the IC card 3 become communicable.

  When the IC card 3 is further inserted, the end portion 44 rides on the surface of the IC card 3 as shown in FIG. In this state, the contact spring group 29 is pressed against the terminal portion 32 of the IC card 3 with the designed appropriate load (50 g in this embodiment).

  When the IC card 3 is inserted to a predetermined position, the tip of the IC card 3 pushes the card detection switch 27 to detect that the IC card 3 has reached the insertion completion position, and the detection signal is sent to the MPU 68 via the bus line 74. To be supplied.

  When the IC card 3 reaches the insertion completion position, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the IC card 3 is in contact with or in the vicinity of the discharge lever 4.

  As described above, when the terminal portion 32 comes into contact with the contact spring group 29 and the IC card 3 is connected to the card terminal 1, the power supply from the card terminal 1 to the IC card 3, the card terminal 1 and the IC card 3 Signals are transmitted and received between the contact spring group 29 and the terminal portion 32.

  Even if a force that moves the discharge lever 4 in the discharge direction by mistake during the transmission / reception of such a signal, the movement of the discharge lever 4 is blocked by the lock release button 5. There is no movement.

  When ejecting the IC card 3, as shown in FIG. 6, the pressing portion 19 of the lock release button 5 is pushed inside the card terminal 1 against the elasticity of the coil spring 25 with the fingertip 30 of the operator. As described above, since the space between the finger contact portion 10 of the discharge lever 4 and the pressing prevention projection 20 (recess 21) is narrow, the tip of the fingertip 30 or the like is operated with a thin tip to move the lock release button 5. There must be.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the pressing portion 19 is pushed in, the unlocking button 5 moves to the left as viewed in the drawing, and the claw portion 22 of the unlocking button 5 is disengaged from the engaging recess 11 of the discharge lever 4 to lock The release button 5 unlocks the discharge lever 4.

  Further, the movement of the unlock button 5 is detected by the unlock detection switch 28, and the unlock detection signal is transmitted to a control unit (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the pressing portion 19 is pushed in, the finger pad 31 is near the finger pad 10 of the discharge lever 4, so that the finger pad 31 is pulled toward the near side against the elasticity of the spring 15. As shown in FIG. 8, the discharge lever 4 moves in the direction of the arrow, and the IC card 3 moves in the discharge direction along with the movement. The movement of the IC card 3 is detected by the card detection switch 27, and the card discharge detection signal is transmitted to a control unit (not shown).

  The movement of the IC card 3 by the discharge lever 4 protrudes from the card terminal 1 to such an extent that the rear end of the IC card 3 can be picked up with a finger. Just pull it out.

  As described above, the fingertip 30 is moved away from the pressing portion 19 by the movement of the discharge lever 4 by the finger pad 31, so that the lock release button 5 is moved to a position where it comes into contact with the stopper 16 as shown in FIG. The inclined surface 12 of the discharge lever 4 and the inclined surface 23 of the lock release button 5 face each other.

  If the finger pad 31 is separated from the discharge lever 4 in this state, the discharge lever 4 is moved to the standby position side by the restoring force of the spring 15, and the lock release button 5 is temporarily moved by the function of the inclined surfaces 12 and 23 described above. As shown in FIG. 5, the eject lever 4 and the lock release button 5 are finally engaged with each other.

  The change in the conduction state between the contact point of the card terminal and the terminal portion of the IC card from the start of the discharge to the completion of the discharge is exactly the reverse of the case of the card insertion described with reference to FIG. That is, the state shown in FIG. 4C to the state shown in FIG. 4B is in a conductive state, and the state shown in FIGS. 4B to 4A becomes a non-conductive state.

  FIG. 10 shows the card detection switch 27, the lock release detection switch 28, the output, and the power on / off of the IC card 3 when the operator accidentally ejects the IC card 3 while applying power to the IC card 3. It is a timing chart showing a sequence.

  The figure shows the output of the unlock detection switch 28, the output of the card detection switch 27, the power supply Vcc terminal, the clock terminal, the reset terminal, from the execution of the card power on sequence to the execution of the card power off sequence (power off sequence). The operation timings of the I / O terminals are shown respectively.

  The output of the lock release detection switch 28 is at a high level when the lock release button 5 is not pressed, and is at a low level when the lock release button 5 is pressed. The output of the card detection switch 27 is at a high level when the card is inserted, and is at a low level when the card is discharged. Note that the outputs of both the detection switches 27 and 28 may be set so that the high level and the low level are reversed.

  As shown in the figure, the outputs of both detection switches 27 and 28 are already in a high level state, that is, the IC card 3 is set in the insertion completion position of the card terminal 1. In this state, the power-on sequence of the IC card 3 is performed. That is, a predetermined voltage Vcc is applied from the card terminal 1 to the IC card 3, a clock signal for various control operations is supplied, reset is released, and command data and response data are exchanged at the I / O terminal. Done.

  In the normal case, the IC card 3 is not discharged during power feeding, that is, the outputs of the card detection switch 27 and the lock release detection switch 28 remain at a high level, and the IC card 3 The access operation of the IC card 3 is performed in a normal state between the power-on sequence and the power-off sequence.

  However, if the lock release button 5 is unexpectedly pressed for some reason during the power supply to the IC card 3, the output of the lock release detection switch 28 changes to a low level as shown in FIG.

  The control unit outputs a warning signal when the output of the unlock detection switch 28 changes to a low level during the access operation of the IC card 3, and emits a warning sound with a buzzer (not shown) built in the card terminal 1. Then, a warning message is displayed on the display section 6 (see FIG. 2) “IC card is in use and card ejection prohibited!”. However, even in this state, power supply to the IC card 3 is continued.

  This warning display may be performed only when the IC card is being processed. In this case, the control program may be configured to display a warning only when unlocking is detected in a state where a predetermined response is not returned from the IC card 3 after the command is input to the IC card.

  Since the warning sound is generated with the buzzer and the warning is displayed on the display unit 6 as described above, the operator notices an erroneous operation and cancels the operation of the discharge lever 4. When the finger is released from the unlock button 5, the output of the unlock detection switch 28 returns to a high level, so that the warning by the buzzer and the display unit 6 is stopped.

  However, if the ejection lever 4 is slid forward after the lock release button 5 is pressed due to some mistake or the like, the output of the card detection switch 27 changes from the high level to the low level as shown in FIG. . The power-off sequence is executed with this level change as a trigger.

  That is, the control circuit of the card terminal outputs a reset signal to the IC card, and then the reset is applied, the I / O terminal is set to the high impedance state, the supply of the clock signal is stopped, and the supply of the voltage Vcc is finally stopped. To do. Such a power-off sequence is a program sequence that is completed within 300 μs in this embodiment after the output of the card detection switch 27 changes to a low level. Thus, by executing the power-off sequence before the card is ejected, it is possible to prevent the destruction of the memory inside the card or the destruction of the microcomputer.

  FIG. 11 is a frequency distribution diagram when the time from when the card detection switch 27 becomes low level to when the contact spring group 29 of the card terminal 1 moves away from the terminal portion 32 of the IC card 3 is measured 150 times.

  As is apparent from this figure, it takes 1 ms or more for the contact spring group 29 to move away from the terminal portion 32 of the IC card 3, and the contact spring group after the power-off sequence (set within 300 μs in this embodiment) is completed. 29 is confirmed to be separated from the terminal portion 32 of the IC card 3. In addition, the moving distance of the IC card from the state where the start of ejection is detected to the state where conduction is impossible is 0.75 mm.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a first modification of the present invention. In this figure, the lock release button 5 and the lock release detection switch 28 are omitted in order to avoid complication of the drawing.

  As shown in the figure, in this example, a lever detection switch 33 such as a micro switch for detecting the movement of the discharge lever 4 is provided in the vicinity of the discharge lever 4. A gap 34 is provided between the tip of the IC card 3 mounted at a predetermined position and the discharge lever 4, and the gap 34 is a play stroke 35 of the discharge lever 4, followed by the discharge. A stroke 36 is provided.

  Accordingly, when the discharge lever 4 is moved in the discharge direction, first, the lever detection switch 33 detects the movement of the discharge lever 4 at the stage of play of the discharge lever 4, and a power-off sequence is executed based on this detection signal. It is configured to be. The discharge lever 4 passes through the gap 34 and comes into contact with the tip of the IC card 3 to enter the discharge stroke 36. The IC card 3 is discharged and the discharge operation is detected by the card detection switch 27. Therefore, this card detection switch 27 detects only the presence / absence of the IC card 3 and is not used as a trigger for executing a power-off sequence.

  Since many parts are used in the card ejection mechanism, the movement of the ejection lever 4 can be reliably detected by providing the play stroke 35 as described above.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a second modification of the present invention. In this example, a card detection terminal 38 is provided at a predetermined interval upstream of the contact terminal 37 in the IC card ejection direction.

  FIG. 2A shows a state where the IC card 3 is mounted at a predetermined position, and the contact terminal 37 and the card detection terminal 38 are in contact with the same terminal portion 32 on the IC card 3. Therefore, it can be detected that the IC card 3 is mounted by detecting the energized state of the card detection terminal 38 and the contact terminal 37.

  FIG. 2B shows a state in the middle of discharging the IC card 3. When the IC card 3 is discharged in the direction of the arrow, the contact terminal 37 is kept in electrical contact with the terminal portion 32 on the card. It begins to slide on the terminal part 32. First, the card detection terminal 38 is disconnected from the terminal portion 32, and at that stage, the conduction between the card detection terminal 38 and the contact terminal 37 is lost. By detecting this change, the discharge start of the IC card 3 can be detected, and the power-off sequence is executed until the contact terminal 37 is detached from the terminal portion 32.

  In the above description, an embodiment of an electronic device using an IC card has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to an electronic device using a memory card and an electronic device into which a modem card can be inserted.

  In the above embodiment, the contact type information recording medium has been mainly described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a case where power supply and signal transmission / reception are performed by an electromagnetic coupling method using an electromagnetic coil in the terminal portion.

It is a perspective view which shows the state in the middle of inserting an IC card in the portable IC card terminal by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of a portable IC card terminal showing a state where the insertion of the IC card is completed. It is a partial top view of the card terminal. It is a partial side view which shows the contact state of a contact spring group and a terminal part. It is a partial enlarged plan view of a card terminal showing a state in the middle of inserting an IC card. It is a partial enlarged plan view of the card terminal showing a state in the middle of discharging the IC card. It is a partial enlarged plan view of the card terminal showing a state in the middle of discharging the IC card. It is a partial enlarged plan view of the card terminal showing a state in the middle of discharging the IC card. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a card terminal. It is a timing chart of each part. It is a frequency distribution diagram in which the time from when the card ejection is detected until the contact spring group is separated from the terminal portion of the IC card is measured. It is the schematic for demonstrating the 1st modification of this invention. It is the schematic for demonstrating the 2nd modification of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1: portable IC card terminal, 3: IC card, 4: discharge lever, 5: lock release button, 8: side wall, 10: finger rest, 11: engagement recess, 17: slide guide piece, 18: guide groove , 19: pressing portion, 20: pressing preventing projection, 21: concave portion, 22: claw portion, 27: card detection switch, 28: unlocking detection switch, 29: contact spring group, 30: fingertip, 31: finger pad 32: terminal unit, 33: lever detection switch, 37: contact terminal, 38: card detection terminal, 66: ROM, 67: RAM, 68: MPU, 70: LCD control unit, 73: power control unit.

Claims (2)

Control means for controlling the electronic device;
A terminal for communicating various signals with a terminal of an information storage medium that is detachably attached to the electronic device under the control of the control means;
Detecting means for detecting completion of insertion of the information storage medium and start of discharge;
The control means executes a power-on sequence for the information storage medium in a state where the detection means detects the completion of insertion of the information storage medium,
While the power supply to the information storage medium is being applied, after the detection means detects the start of the discharge of the information storage medium, the control is performed until communication is disabled between the terminal of the information storage medium and the terminal of the electronic device. An electronic device characterized in that the means executes a power-off sequence for the information storage medium. An information storage medium detachably attached to the electronic device and having a terminal for communicating with the electronic device;
Control means for controlling the electronic device, a terminal for supplying power to the information storage medium and exchanging signals under the control of the control means, and detection for detecting completion of insertion and start of ejection of the information storage medium An information processing system including an electronic device having means,
In a state where the detection means detects the completion of insertion of the information storage medium, the control means executes a power-on sequence for the information storage medium,
While the power supply to the information storage medium is being applied, after the detection means detects the start of the discharge of the information storage medium, the control is performed until communication is disabled between the terminal of the information storage medium and the terminal of the electronic device. An information processing system, wherein the means executes a power-off sequence for the information storage medium.

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