JP2006195645A - Data transmitter/receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data transmitter/receiver by which effective use of a recording medium having a recording part capable of recording data and a secondary battery integrated with the recording part is attained. <P>SOLUTION: A card reader 102 has a data reading part 110 and a battery existence/absence detection sensor 112. In the data reading part 110, the data is read from a memory card 12 inserted into an insertion port 106 and outputted from a USB terminal 108 to external equipment. The battery existence/absence detection sensor 112 detects whether or not the memory card 12 inserted into the insertion port 106 has the secondary battery and when the memory card 12 has the secondary battery, supplies power of the secondary battery from the USB terminal 108 to the external equipment 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a data transmission / reception device, and more particularly, to a data transmission / reception device used for a recording medium including a recording unit capable of recording data and a secondary battery integrated with the recording unit. The present invention relates to a data transmitting / receiving apparatus capable of transmitting or receiving data on a recording medium to an external device using an interface such as UBS.

  In order to read data from a recording medium such as a memory card and output the data to an external device, for example, a so-called card reader such as a conversion adapter described in Patent Document 1 is used.

  By the way, as a device for recording data on this recording medium, for example, a digital camera can be cited. In general, a digital camera uses a battery sharing power in addition to the recording medium.

  Therefore, it is preferable to integrate the recording medium and the battery, because handling becomes easier than in the case of separate bodies. In particular, since the recording medium is used by freely rewriting data, even if the battery is integrated with the recording medium, it is more convenient to use a rechargeable secondary battery.

However, a card reader or the like that can effectively use a recording medium in which a secondary battery is integrated, in particular, can charge and discharge a secondary battery has not been proposed.
JP 2001-166858 A

  In view of the above facts, the present invention provides a data transmitting / receiving apparatus capable of effectively using a recording medium including a recording unit capable of recording data and a secondary battery integrated with the recording unit. This is the issue.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a data transmission / reception device used for a recording medium including a recording unit capable of recording data and a secondary battery integrated with the recording unit, A connectable connection unit, a data output unit capable of outputting data recorded in the recording unit to an external device via the connection unit, and at least charging or discharging of the secondary battery from the external device And a charging / discharging unit that enables one of them.

  Therefore, in this data transmitting / receiving apparatus, the data of the recording unit of the recording medium can be output to the external device via the connection unit by the data output unit.

  Moreover, at least one of charging or discharging can be performed on the secondary battery from an external device by the charging / discharging unit. For example, even in a situation where power cannot be supplied to the external device because there is no general-purpose power outlet, the external device can be used by supplying power from the secondary battery of the recording medium to the external device. Further, when the external device is configured to be able to charge the secondary battery, the secondary device can be charged by supplying power from the external device to the secondary battery of the recording medium through the data transmitting / receiving device. it can.

  As described above, by using the data transmitting / receiving apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to effectively use a recording medium including a recording unit capable of recording data and a secondary battery integrated with the recording unit. It becomes.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, there is provided battery detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a secondary battery in the recording medium.

  Therefore, it is possible to charge or discharge only the recording medium having the secondary battery and not to perform the recording medium not having the secondary battery. For example, as described in claim 3, when a secondary battery is detected by the battery detection means, it is possible to supply power from the secondary battery to an external device. The power supply detection means for detecting whether or not an external device can supply power as in claim 4, further comprising: a secondary battery detected by the battery detection means; and the power supply detection When it is detected by the means that the external device can supply power, the power may be supplied from the external device to the secondary battery for charging.

  In invention of Claim 5, in the invention of any one of Claims 1-4, the status display which can display at least one of the charge state or discharge state of the secondary battery by the said charging / discharging part. Means.

  Since the user of this data transmission / reception apparatus can know that it is in a charged state or a discharged state, convenience is enhanced.

  The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 5, the battery remaining amount display means for displaying the remaining battery amount of the secondary battery is provided. .

  Since the user of this data transmission / reception apparatus can know the remaining battery level of the secondary battery, the convenience is enhanced.

  Since the present invention has the above configuration, it is possible to effectively use a recording medium including a recording unit capable of recording data and a secondary battery integrated with the recording unit.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a data transmitting / receiving apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a card reader 102 according to the first embodiment and a memory card 12 from which data is read by the card reader 102 as an example of the data transmitting / receiving apparatus of the present invention.

  The memory card 12 includes a recording unit 14 capable of recording data therein, and a secondary battery 16 integrated with the recording unit 14. From the terminal section 18 provided in the memory card 12, it is possible to transmit and receive data to the recording section 14, and to charge and discharge the secondary battery 16.

  The card reader 102 includes a housing 104, and an insertion port 106 into which the memory card 12 can be inserted is provided at one end thereof. A terminal portion (not shown) is provided in the insertion slot 106, and contacts data with the terminal portion 18 of the inserted memory card 12 so that data and power can move in both directions.

  A USB terminal 108 is attached to the card reader 102 on the side opposite to the insertion slot 106. The USB terminal 108 can be connected to a USB insertion port or the like of the external device 22 (see FIG. 2). Examples of the external device 22 include a personal computer, a printer, and a digital camera.

  FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the card reader 102. The card reader 102 includes a data reading unit 110 and a battery presence / absence detection sensor 112.

  The data reading unit 110 can read data from the memory card 12 inserted into the insertion slot 106 and output the data from the USB terminal 108 to an external device.

  The battery presence / absence detection sensor 112 detects whether or not the memory card 12 inserted into the insertion slot 106 includes the secondary battery 16, and if so, the power of the secondary battery 16 is supplied from the USB terminal 108. It can be supplied to the external device 22.

  In the card reader 102 according to the first embodiment having such a configuration, data reading processing from the card reader 102 is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, when the user inserts the memory card 12 into the insertion slot 106 in step S122, the battery presence / absence detection sensor 112 detects the presence / absence of the secondary battery 16 of the card reader 102 in step S124. When the secondary battery 16 is detected, power is supplied from the secondary battery 16 to the external device 22 through the USB terminal 108 in step S126. In step S128, data is output from the recording unit 14 to the external device 22 through the USB terminal 108.

  In step S124, if the battery presence / absence detection sensor 112 does not detect the secondary battery 16, the process proceeds to step S128 without supplying power to the external device 22, and data is transferred from the recording unit 14 through the USB terminal 108. Output to the external device 22.

  In this way, by using the card reader 102 of the present embodiment, power can be supplied from the memory card 12 to the external device 22, and therefore the external device 22 cannot receive power from a power outlet or the like. Etc., the external device 22 can be used.

  FIG. 4A shows a card reader 132 according to a modification of the first embodiment. The card reader 132 is different from the card reader 102 of the first embodiment in that a display panel 134 is provided, but the other configuration is the same.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the display panel 134 includes a discharge state display unit 136 and a battery remaining amount display unit 138. The discharge state display unit 136 can display that power is being supplied from the secondary battery 16 to an external device. The battery remaining amount display unit 138 can display the remaining battery amount in the secondary battery 16. As a result, the convenience of the card reader 132 is improved.

  Further, power necessary for display on the display panel 134 is supplied from the secondary battery 16 of the memory card 12. Since the card reader 102 does not require a power source for display, the card reader 102 has a small and simple configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 5, for example, when an external device 22 having a display 24 is used, the display 24 of the external device 22 also includes a discharge state display unit 136 and a battery remaining amount display unit 138. Can be displayed.

  FIG. 6 shows the internal structure of the card reader 202 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the secondary battery 16 of the memory card 12 is charged by supplying power from the external device 22. Note that the external appearance and the like of the memory card 12 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. Also, regarding the internal structure of the card reader 202 of the second embodiment, the same parts as those of the card reader 102 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As can be seen from FIG. 6, the second embodiment includes a power supply presence / absence sensor 204 in addition to the battery presence / absence detection sensor 112 of the first embodiment. The power supply presence / absence sensor 204 determines whether or not the external device 22 can supply power when the external device 22 is connected to the USB terminal 108. If possible, power can be supplied from the external device 22 to the secondary battery 16 through the USB terminal 108 and charged.

  In the second embodiment, a device capable of supplying power is assumed as the external device 22. For example, a personal computer shown in FIG. 7A or a USB hub shown in FIG.

  In the card reader 202 of the second embodiment, data reading processing from the card reader 102 is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, when the user inserts the memory card 12 into the insertion slot 106 in step S222, the battery presence / absence detection sensor 112 detects the presence / absence of the secondary battery 16 of the card reader 102 in step S224, as in the first embodiment. To do. When the secondary battery 16 is detected, in step S226, the power supply presence / absence sensor 204 determines whether or not the external device 22 connected to the USB terminal 108 can supply power. If power can be supplied, power is supplied from the external device 22 to the secondary battery 16 through the USB terminal 108 and charged in step S228. In step S230, the data is output from the recording unit 14 to the external device 22 through the USB terminal 108.

  In addition, when the battery presence / absence detection sensor 112 does not detect the secondary battery 16 in step S224, and in step S226, the power supply presence / absence sensor 204 indicates that the external device 22 connected to the USB terminal 108 cannot supply power. If it is determined, the process proceeds to step S230 without charging the secondary battery 16, and data is output from the recording unit 14 to the external device 22 through the USB terminal 108.

  Thus, since the secondary battery 16 of the memory card 12 can be charged by using the card reader 102 of the present embodiment, the secondary battery 16 can always be in a fully charged state. If the memory card 12 including the secondary battery 16 that has been charged in this way is used, the secondary battery 16 is supplied to a device that cannot receive power from a power outlet or the like. The device can be used using electric power.

  FIG. 9A shows a card reader 232 according to a modification of the second embodiment. The card reader 232 is different from the card reader 202 of the first embodiment in that a display panel 234 is provided, but the other configuration is the same.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, the display panel 234 includes a charge state display unit 236 and a battery remaining amount display unit 238. The charge state display unit 236 can display that the battery is being charged by supplying power from the external device 22 to the secondary battery 16. In the battery remaining amount display unit 238, the remaining battery amount in the secondary battery 16 can be displayed as in the first embodiment. As a result, the convenience of the card reader 232 is improved.

  The power necessary for display on the display panel 134 is supplied from the secondary battery 16 of the memory card 12 or from the external device 22 as in the first embodiment. Since the card reader 102 does not require a power source for display, the card reader 102 has a small and simple configuration.

  In the modification of the second embodiment, the charge state display unit 236 and the remaining battery level display unit 238 are displayed on the display 24 of the external device 22 as in the example shown in FIG. Can do.

  In the above description, the configuration in which data is transmitted from the memory card 12 to the external device 22 has been described as an example, but conversely, the configuration in which the data in the external device 22 is received by the memory card 12 may be used. A configuration capable of both is also possible. As an example of the interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the external device 22, the USB has been described above as an example. However, the interface is not limited to the USB as long as data can be transmitted and received. However, USB is preferable because it is highly versatile in connection with various devices and can supply power in addition to data transmission and reception alone. Of course, depending on the type of interface, data transmission / reception and power supply may be performed by separate cables and terminals.

  The data is not particularly limited. For example, if image data is transmitted and received between the memory card 12 and the external device 22, when the personal computer is used as the external device 22, the data is displayed on the personal computer display. An image can be displayed. When a digital camera is used as the external device 22, it is possible to display image data on the display of the digital camera and record data of an image taken by the digital camera on the memory card 12. When a printer is used as the external device 22, an image in the memory card 12 can be printed.

  In addition, the data transmission / reception device (card reader) of the present invention is not necessarily separated from the external device, and may be integrated into the external device.

It is a perspective view which shows the card reader and memory card of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the card reader of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the data output in the card reader of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and electric power supply. It is a perspective view which shows the card reader and memory card of the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows an example of the external apparatus to which the card reader of the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention was connected. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the card reader of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A), (B) is a perspective view which shows an example of the external apparatus to which the card reader of 2nd Embodiment of this invention was connected. It is a flowchart which shows the data output in the card reader of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the process of charge. It is a perspective view which shows the card reader and memory card of the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

12 memory card 14 recording unit 16 secondary battery 18 terminal unit 22 external device 24 display 102 card reader (data transmission / reception device)
104 Housing 106 Insertion slot 108 USB terminal (connection part)
110 Data reading part (data output part)
112 Battery presence / absence detection sensor (charge / discharge unit)
132 Card reader (data transmission / reception device)
134 Display panel 136 Discharge state display section (state display means)
138 Battery level display (battery level display means)
202 Card reader (data transmission / reception device)
204 Power supply presence / absence sensor (charge / discharge unit)
232 Card reader (data transmitter / receiver)
234 Display panel 236 Charge state display section (state display means)
238 Battery level display (battery level display means)

Claims (6)

A data transmission / reception device used for a recording medium comprising a recording unit capable of recording data and a secondary battery integrated with the recording unit,
A connection part that can be connected to an external device;
A data output unit capable of outputting data recorded in the recording unit to an external device via the connection unit;
A charging / discharging unit that enables at least one of charging or discharging from the external device to the secondary battery;
A data transmitting / receiving apparatus comprising: Battery detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a secondary battery in the recording medium;
The data transmitting / receiving apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: The data transmitting / receiving apparatus according to claim 2,
A data transmission / reception apparatus that supplies electric power from a secondary battery to an external device when a secondary battery is detected by the battery detection means. The data transmitting / receiving apparatus according to claim 2,
Power supply detection means for detecting whether or not an external device can supply power;
Further comprising
When the secondary battery is detected by the battery detection means and the external device is detected to be able to supply power by the power supply detection means, power is supplied from the external device to the secondary battery for charging. A data transmitting / receiving device. State display means capable of displaying at least one of a charged state or a discharged state of the secondary battery by the charge / discharge unit;
The data transmitting / receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data transmitting / receiving apparatus includes: Battery level display means for displaying the remaining battery level of the secondary battery,
The data transmitting / receiving apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

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