JP4885699B2 - Connection detection device and connection detection system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connection detection device and a connection detection system, and is particularly suitable for determination of a plurality of connection units and detection of an incomplete connection state.

In recent years, there has been a trend toward digitization of information, and image forming apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles used for outputting digitized information have become indispensable devices. In addition, in order to efficiently use the image capturing function in the scanner and the copier and the image forming function in the copier and the printer, a multi-function machine having these functions is widely used. For example, the multifunction peripheral is realized by connecting expansion units having respective functions to the apparatus main body. As a method for detecting the presence / absence of connection of such an extension unit, there are a High / Low detection based on the presence / absence of connection of a dedicated signal line and a detection method based on a communication state between units by software control (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-15961 A

However, in the method of providing a dedicated signal line, in order to detect the connection of different units, signal lines corresponding to the number of units are required. Furthermore, I / O ports corresponding to the number of dedicated signal lines are required. Therefore, an increase in the number of signal lines, an increase in circuit scale, an increase in the number of parts, and the like are undesirable. Also, in recent years, many terminals for inter-unit connection are narrow pitch and multi-pin, and the accuracy of connection between terminals is very severe. Therefore, even when a signal indicating the connection state is input to the connection detection terminal, other terminals used for data transfer or the like may not be accurately connected, and connection detection using High / Low may be performed. Has its limits. On the other hand, it is possible to solve such problems by using a detection method based on the communication state between units by software control, but in this case, software control is required in both the main unit and the sub unit. It becomes. In addition, when a communication abnormality occurs between units, it is difficult to determine whether it is due to poor connection or abnormal software operation.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to realize connection presence determination and connection accuracy determination with a simple configuration.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a connection detection device that detects a connection state with an external unit, and includes a unit connection portion having a connection detection terminal connected to the external unit; A connection detection circuit for detecting a connection state of the connection detection terminal; and a storage means for storing a detection result detected in the connection detection circuit when the external unit is connected to the connection detection terminal as correspondence information; Determination means for determining whether or not the external unit is connected to the connection detection terminal based on the detection result of the connection detection circuit and the correspondence information stored in the storage means; and the connection detection The terminal has a first terminal connected to the high potential side and a second terminal connected to the low potential side, and the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the unit connection portion. In the direction perpendicular to the connecting direction, the external unit is provided in the unit connection portion in a state where the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the external unit by being provided with the other terminal interposed therebetween. All other terminals connected to the terminal are arranged so that they are always connected , and the correspondence information indicates that the connection detection is performed when a plurality of external units are combined and connected to the connection detection terminal. includes a detection result is detected in the circuit, the determination means includes a feature that you determine the combination of the external unit based on said connection detection circuit of the detection result and said corresponding information stored in the storage means To do.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the connection detection circuit includes a power source for supplying a predetermined voltage, a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series as a voltage dividing circuit between the power source and the system ground. And an A / D converter that converts the voltage across the second resistor into a digital value and outputs the digital value, and the connection detection terminal is connected between the first resistor and the second resistor. The connection detection device according to claim 1, which is connected in between.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the correspondence information includes a detection result detected by the connection detection circuit when a plurality of types of external units are connected to the connection detection terminal, and the determination means includes the connection The connection detection device according to claim 1, wherein the type of the external unit is determined based on a detection result of a detection circuit and the correspondence information stored in the storage unit.

The invention according to claim 4 is a connection detection system for detecting a connection state between a main unit and a subunit unit, wherein the main unit has a connection detection terminal connected to the subunit. A connection detection circuit that detects a connection state of the connection detection terminal; and a storage unit that stores, as correspondence information, a detection result detected in the connection detection circuit when the subunit is connected to the connection detection terminal. Determination means for determining whether or not the subunit is connected to the connection detection terminal based on the detection result of the connection detection circuit and the correspondence information stored in the storage means; Each of the terminal and the connection confirmation terminal includes a first terminal connected to the high potential side and a second terminal connected to the low potential side, and the first terminal A state in which the connection detection terminal and the connection confirmation terminal are connected to each other by providing the terminal and the second terminal with the other terminal interposed in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction of the inter-unit connection portion. In which the other terminals for connecting the units are always connected , and the subunit further includes an external connection detection terminal connected to the connection confirmation terminal, and the external connection detection A connection confirmation terminal of another subunit can be connected to the terminal .
The invention described in claim 5, wherein the signal adjustment resistor is characterized connection detection system according to claim 4 in which the resistance value varies depending on the type of the subunit.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 7, the subunit further includes an external connection detection terminal connected to the connection confirmation terminal, and a connection confirmation terminal of another subunit can be connected to the external connection detection terminal. A connection detection system according to claim 5 or 6.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not an extension unit is connected and to determine the accuracy of connection with a simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present invention, in the connection detection between the main unit and the subunit, the main unit and the subunit are each provided with a resistor. When the two are connected, the resistor provided to the main unit and the resistor provided to the subunit are provided. The potential of the connection detection circuit inside the main unit is determined on the basis of the combined resistance between and the subunit, and the connection state of the subunits is determined based on this potential.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an electronic apparatus 1 including a connection detection device 100 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 10, a storage 20, a RAM 30, a system bus 40, and a connection detection device 100. In addition, the connection detection device 100 includes a connection detection circuit 110 and a unit connection unit 120. The RAM 30 is generally constituted by a volatile memory such as a DRAM. A control program such as firmware stored in the storage 20 is loaded into the RAM 30, and the operation of the electronic device 1 and the control of the connection detection device 100 are performed by the CPU 10 which is a control unit.
The storage 20 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM), or a nonvolatile storage medium such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk. Various information used in operation is stored.
The connection detection device 100 detects whether or not an external unit is connected to the unit connection unit 120. The unit connection unit 120 is a connection terminal for connecting an external unit. The external unit will be described later.
The connection detection circuit 110 outputs a digital signal according to the connection state of the unit connection unit 120. These elements are connected to the system bus 40. The components of the electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 1 are examples, and elements other than those shown in FIG. 1 may be included as necessary.

  FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a circuit configuration relating to a connection detection function inside the connection detection apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the connection detection device 100 according to this embodiment includes a constant potential power supply 111, a first resistor 112, a second resistor 113, a ground 114, and an A / D converter 115 inside the connection detection circuit 110. . In addition, the unit connection unit 120 includes a first connection detection terminal 121 and a second connection detection terminal 122 (hereinafter also simply referred to as connection detection terminals 121 and 122). Although not shown, another signal line terminal used for data transmission / reception is provided between the connection detection terminals 121 and 122.

The first resistor 112 and the second resistor 113 are connected in series between the constant potential power source 111 and the ground 114, the first resistor 112 is on the constant potential power source 111 side, and the second resistor 113 is on the ground 114 side. Connected to each. In other words, one end of the first resistor 112 is connected to the constant potential 111 and the other end is connected to one end of the second resistor 113. A terminal of the second resistor 113 opposite to the first resistor 112 is connected to an earth 114 as a system ground. That is, the first resistor 112 and the second resistor 113 form a voltage dividing circuit between the constant potential power supply 111 and the ground 114.
One end of the A / D converter 115 is connected to the connection portion between the first resistor 112 and the second resistor 113, and the other end is connected to the ground 114 side of the second resistor 113. Therefore, the A / D converter 115 converts the voltage value at both ends of the second resistor 113, that is, the potential value at the point A shown in FIG. 2 into a digital value, and is included in the electronic device 1 via the system bus 40. Send to other sites. The first connection detection terminal 121 and the second connection detection terminal 122 are provided as one of terminals to which an external unit is connected in the unit connection unit 120, respectively. The first connection detection terminal 121 is connected to a connection portion between the first resistor 112 and the second resistor 113. The second connection detection terminal 122 is connected to the ground 114.

式（１）に示すように、電位Ｅ₀はＲ₁とＲ₂との比によって決定される。 As shown in FIG. 2, the voltage supplied from the constant potential power supply 111 is E _s (V), the resistance value of the first resistor 112 is R ₁ (Ω), and the resistance value of the second resistor 113 is R ₂ (Ω). To do. Here, the potential between the first resistor 112 and the second resistor 113 in the state shown in FIG. 2, that is, in a state where nothing is connected to the first connection detection terminal 121 and the second connection detection terminal 122 (in FIG. 2). A potential at the point A), that is, a potential at which one end of the first connection detection terminal 121 and the A / D converter 115 is connected (hereinafter referred to as a point A potential) E ₀ is expressed by the following equation (1). .

As shown in equation (1), the potential E ₀ is determined by the ratio of R ₁ and R ₂ .

Next, an external unit (sub unit) connected to the electronic device 1 as a main unit will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration related to the subunit connection detection function. As shown in the figure, the subunit 200 includes a signal adjustment resistor 201, a first connection confirmation terminal 202, and a second connection confirmation terminal 203 (hereinafter also simply referred to as connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203). Although not shown, another signal line terminal used for data transmission / reception is provided between the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203. A first connection confirmation terminal 202 is connected to one end of the signal adjustment resistor 201, and a second connection confirmation terminal 203 is connected to the other end. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the resistance value of the signal adjustment resistor 201 is R ₃ (Ω).
Therefore, when the subunit 200 configured in this way is connected to the unit connection part 120 provided in the connection detection device 100 of the electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 1, the signal adjustment resistor 201 is connected to the unit connection part. By connecting to the connection detection circuit 110 via 120, the potential at point A can be changed. That is, the output signal of the A / D converter 115 on the electronic device 1 side can be adjusted by the signal adjustment resistor 201 of the subunit 200.

  Next, a connection state between the electronic device 1 and the subunit 200 will be described with reference to FIG. When the sub unit 200 is connected to the unit connection part 120 of the electronic device 1, as shown in FIG. 4, the first connection detection terminal 121, the first connection confirmation terminal 202, the second connection detection terminal 122, the second connection confirmation terminal 203, Are connected to each other. By adjusting the shape of the subunit 200 and the unit connecting portion 120, the arrangement of the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 in the subunit 200, and the arrangement of the connection detection terminals in the unit connecting portion 120, the subunit 200 is connected to the unit connecting portion 120. Can be connected to.

尚、式（２）より、接続検知端子１２１及び接続検知端子１２２に何も接続しない状態（Ｒ₃が無限大の状態）では、Ｅ₁とＥ₀とが同値になることがわかる。このように、ユニット接続部１２０にサブユニット２００を接続することにより、Ａ／Ｄ変換部１１５にかかる電圧が変化する。従って、Ａ／Ｄ変換部１１５が出力するデジタル信号が変化する。ＣＰＵ１０は、Ａ／Ｄ変換部１１５が出力する信号の変化を持ってサブユニット２００の接続／非接続を判断することができる。 As shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the subunit 200 is connected to the unit connection portion 120, one end of the signal adjustment resistor 201 is between the first resistor 112 and the second resistor 113, that is, the point A potential. And the other end is connected to the ground 114. In other words, one end of the signal adjustment resistor 201 is connected to the first resistor 112 side terminal of the second resistor 113, that is, the constant potential power supply 111 side (high potential side) terminal, and the other end is connected to the system ground. ing. Thus, the second resistor 113 and the signal adjustment resistor 201 are connected in parallel, and the combined resistance of the second resistor 113 and the signal adjustment resistor 201 is connected in series with the first resistor 112. Therefore, the point A potential E ₁ is obtained by replacing R ₂ shown in the formula (1) with a combined resistance of R ₂ and R ₃ . Here, in order to simplify the display, when the reciprocal of the potential E ₁ is shown, the reciprocal of the potential E ₁ is expressed by the following equation (2).

It can be seen from equation (2) that E ₁ and E ₀ have the same value when nothing is connected to the connection detection terminal 121 and the connection detection terminal 122 (R ₃ is infinite). In this way, by connecting the subunit 200 to the unit connection unit 120, the voltage applied to the A / D conversion unit 115 changes. Accordingly, the digital signal output from the A / D converter 115 changes. The CPU 10 can determine whether the subunit 200 is connected or disconnected based on a change in the signal output from the A / D converter 115.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the connection detection function of the electronic device 1.
As shown in FIG. 5, the control program loaded from the storage 20 (see FIG. 1) to the RAM 30 operates as the connection detection control unit 31 in conjunction with the CPU 10 (see FIG. 1). The potential information 32 is loaded from the storage 20. The connection detection control unit 31 also functions as a determination unit that determines whether a subunit is connected to the unit connection unit 120 based on the digital signal output from the connection detection circuit 110 while referring to the potential information 32. To do.

  Next, a connection form between the unit connection unit 120 and the subunit 200 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6A is a perspective view schematically showing the shapes of the unit connection part 120 and the connection part of the subunit 200 (hereinafter, the insertion part 200a). In FIG. 6A, for simplification of illustration, a part is shown through. As shown to Fig.6 (a), the unit connection part 120 which concerns on a present Example is a box-shaped rectangular parallelepiped member which has a rectangular bottom face, The one surface is opening. As indicated by the dotted arrows in the figure, the insertion portion 200a is inserted in parallel to the opening direction of the unit connection portion 120. That is, the dotted arrow in FIG. 6A indicates the insertion direction of the insertion portion 200a with respect to the unit connection portion 120. The unit connection part 120 is provided with various terminals (hereinafter referred to as a terminal group) on the surface in the longitudinal direction on the inner side wall thereof, and includes connection detection terminals 121 and 122 therein. The terminal group is provided on both surfaces facing each other on the inner side wall in the longitudinal direction of the unit connection portion 120. The terminal group is arranged in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the insertion portion 200 a on the inner wall of the unit connection portion 120. The connection detection terminals 121 and 122 are arranged on the outer side (end side) of other terminals in the terminal group provided in parallel. Further, the first connection detection terminal 121 and the second connection detection terminal 122 are separately arranged on one and the other of the inner walls of the unit connection part 120 facing each other. Furthermore, the first connection detection terminal 121 is disposed on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the unit connection portion 120, and the second connection detection terminal 122 is disposed on the end side opposite to the first connection detection terminal 121. Yes. In other words, the first connection detection terminal 121 and the second connection detection terminal 122 are arranged so as to sandwich another terminal in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction between the unit connection part 120 and the insertion part 200a.

  The insertion part 200a of the subunit 200 according to this embodiment into the unit connection part 120 has a shape and configuration corresponding to the unit connection part 120 described above. That is, the insertion part 200 a is a box-shaped rectangular parallelepiped member having a rectangular bottom surface, and the size thereof corresponds to the internal dimension of the unit connection part 120. The insertion part 200a is provided with various terminals (hereinafter referred to as an insertion terminal group) on a side surface in the longitudinal direction, which is perpendicular to the insertion direction to the unit connection part 120 indicated by a dotted line arrow in the figure. The connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 are also included. The insertion terminal group is provided on both side surfaces of the insertion portion 200a in the longitudinal direction. The insertion terminal group is provided side by side in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the subunit 200 on the side surface of the insertion portion 200a. The connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 are arranged on the outer side (end side) of the other terminals in the insertion terminal group provided in parallel. Further, the first connection confirmation terminal 202 and the second connection confirmation terminal 203 are arranged separately on one and the other of the side surfaces facing each other. Further, the first connection confirmation terminal 202 is disposed on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the subunit 200, and the second connection confirmation terminal 203 is disposed on the end side opposite to the first connection confirmation terminal 202. . In other words, the first connection confirmation terminal 202 and the second connection confirmation terminal 203 are arranged so as to sandwich other terminals in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction between the unit connection part 120 and the insertion part 200a.

  FIG. 6B shows a state where the insertion portion 200 a is connected to the unit connection portion 120. In FIG. 6B as well, as in FIG. 6A, a part thereof is shown for simplification of illustration. As shown in the drawing, the insertion part 200a is inserted into the unit connection part 120, and the connection is completed when the respective terminals come into contact with each other. As shown in FIG. 6B, in a state where the insertion portion 200a is inserted into the unit connection portion 120, the first connection detection terminal 121 and the first connection confirmation terminal 202 and the second connection detection terminal 122 and the second connection are connected. The confirmation terminals 203 are in contact with each other. FIG. 6C is a front view showing an example in which the connection between the insertion portion 200a and the unit connection portion 120 is incomplete. Also in FIG. 6C, for simplification of illustration, a part is shown transparently, the unit connection part 120 is indicated by a solid line, and the insertion part 200a is indicated by a broken line. In FIG. 6C, the insertion part 200a is inserted with an inclination with respect to the unit connection part 120, and the second connection detection terminal 122 and the second connection confirmation terminal 203 are in contact with each other, but the first connection detection is performed. The terminal 121 is not in contact with the first connection confirmation terminal 202. The connection detection terminals 121 and 122 and the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 are provided at the end of the terminal group or the insertion terminal group arranged in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction between the insertion portion 200a and the unit connection portion 120. Therefore, when the insertion part 200a is inserted with an inclination with respect to the unit connection part 120, contact failure occurs first. As a result, in the state where the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 and the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 are connected, all other terminals are always connected, the detection terminals are connected, and the other terminals are connected. Can avoid the situation. As a result, the connection between the subunit 200 and the unit connection unit 120 can be accurately detected.

Next, as a specific example, an example in which numerical values are applied to E _s , R ₁ , R ₂ , and R ₃ will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, E _s = 5 (V), R ₁ = 1K (Ω), R ₂ = 10 K (Ω), and R ₃ = 5 K (Ω). FIG. 7 is a graph showing a change in voltage applied to the A / D conversion unit 115 when the subunit 200 is connected / disconnected. As shown in FIG. 7, the point A potential E ₀ is 4.55 (V) in a state where the subunit 200 is not connected to the unit connection part 120, that is, in a state where the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 are open. . On the other hand, the point A potential E ₁ in the state where the subunit 200 is connected to the unit connection portion 120, that is, in the state where the signal adjustment resistor 201 is connected between the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 is 3.85. (V).

  The A / D converter 115 according to the present embodiment performs A / D conversion on the applied voltage with 8 bits (256 gradations). Here, the point A potential 4.55 (V) when the subunit 200 is not connected is converted into a digital signal and output as 233d (decimal number) or 0xE9 (hexadecimal number). On the other hand, the A point potential 3.85 (V) in a state where the subunit 200 is connected is digitally converted and output as 197d or 0xC5. The digital signal output from the A / D conversion unit 115 in this manner is input to the connection detection control unit 31 described with reference to FIG. In the potential information 32, as shown in FIG. 8, if the A point potential is 4.55 (V) (233d, 0xE9) as the correspondence information between the A point potential and the connected state of the subunit, If it is 3.85 (V) (197d, 0xC5), a table indicating a connection state is stored. The connection detection control unit 31 compares the output signal of the A / D conversion unit 115 with a table included in the potential information 32 and determines whether the subunit 200 is connected or not.

In the table shown in FIG. 8, the potential at long if 233d or 0xE9 corresponding to the potential E _0, to specify only the potential of the one point as such 197d or 0xC5 if potential corresponding to the potential E ₁ Instead, a predetermined range may be designated. For example, the potential E ₀ can be specified as 230d to 236d or 0xE6 to 0xEC, and the potential E ₁ can be specified as 194d to 200d or 0xC2 to 0xC8. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a detection failure due to a voltage error applied to the A / D conversion unit 115. Here, as shown in FIG. 8, even when only one digital value corresponding to each potential is designated, one digital value has 256 gradations between 0 (V) and 5 (V). A range of one gradation divided by is shown. In this analog value range for one gradation, it is possible to deal with an error of the A point potential. On the other hand, when the output signal of the A / D conversion unit 115 does not match the value or range specified in the table of the potential information 32, the connection detection control unit 31 determines that the contact failure of the subunit 200, the connection detection device 100, or the unit It can be determined that a failure has occurred due to the failure of the connection unit 120.

  Note that the connection surfaces of the unit connection part 120 and the subunit 200 need not be rectangular as described above, but may be square, circular, or elliptical. Further, the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 and the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 are other than the case where they are provided on the most end side in the direction perpendicular to the connection direction, as in the examples of FIGS. Is also possible. For example, the terminal group and the insertion terminal group of the unit connection part 120 and the insertion part 200a are arranged side by side in a direction parallel to the connection direction of both, and the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 are the most open side in the connection direction, the connection confirmation If the terminals 202 and 203 are provided on the most base side in the connection direction, the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 and the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 are connected, and all other terminals are connected. be able to.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 and the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 are connected by contacting each other. In such a configuration, when the unit connection part 120 and the insertion part 200a are in contact with each other while being displaced from the correct position, and the both are incomplete contact, if the conventional High / Low detection is used, the connection is established. In many cases, it was judged that it was done accurately. However, in the connection detection device 100 according to the present embodiment, since the contact between the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 and the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 is incomplete, a resistance is generated at the contact portion, and the A point potential is The value is different from a predetermined value included in the potential information 32. Accordingly, a contact failure between the electronic device 1 and the subunit 200 can be detected. In addition, since the connection detection according to the present embodiment uses software control for collation between the output of the A / D conversion unit 115 and the potential information 32 and connection determination based on the collation result, software control is not required for other parts. In addition to being able to be realized with a simple configuration, it is possible to reduce erroneous detection due to abnormal software operation.

  In the above description, the example in which the connection detection device 100 and the subunit 200 have two terminals for connection detection or connection confirmation has been described. However, as shown in FIG. Only the first connection confirmation terminal 202 can be realized. Specifically, in the connection detection device 100, the second connection detection terminal 122 connected to the earth 114 which is the system ground is removed, and in the subunit 200, one end of the signal adjustment resistor 201 is connected to the subunit 200. By connecting to the system ground, an effect equivalent to the above can be obtained with one terminal for connection detection and connection confirmation.

  Note that when there is one connection detection / confirmation terminal as shown in FIG. 9, only the connection detection / confirmation terminal is connected and the other terminals are connected as described in FIG. 6 (c). There is a possibility that a malfunction will not occur. For such problems, the connector shapes of the unit connection part 120 and the insertion part 200a are formed so that other terminals are always connected when the connection detection and confirmation terminals are connected. Can be solved. For example, a connection detection / confirmation terminal is provided on one end side in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction, and a fitting portion is provided in the connector shape on the other end side. This can be solved by preventing the side (connection detection, confirmation terminal side) from being fitted.

In the above description, the example in which the connection / disconnection of the subunit 200 is determined based on the voltage value applied across the second resistor 113 has been described. For example, the value of the current flowing through the second resistor 113 You may judge based on. In that case, the first resistor 102 is not particularly necessary. When determining based on the value of the current flowing through the second resistor 113, the connection position of the A / D converter 105 is not connected to the position shown in FIG. 4 but to the position where only the current flowing through the second resistor 113 is detected. There is a need to. Note that the method based on voltage detection as described above can be more easily realized than the method based on current detection, and it is preferable that both are selectively used according to the embodiment.
In the above description, an example in which the signal adjustment resistor 201 is used to change the point A potential in accordance with the connection of the subunit 200 has been described. However, the output of the A / D conversion unit 105 is not limited to the resistor. The same effect can be obtained if the component changes in signal. For example, as described above, when A / D conversion is performed on a current instead of a potential, the value of the current flowing through the second resistor 113 can be changed by providing a power source and a capacitor inside the subunit 200.

  In the present embodiment, as an example in which the connection detection function in the first embodiment is further expanded, a function for determining the type of subunit connected to the unit connection portion will be described. In addition, about the structure which attaches | subjects the code | symbol similar to Example 1, the same or equivalent part as Example 1 is shown, and description is abbreviate | omitted. In Example 1, the connection / non-connection of the subunits was determined based on the change in the point A potential due to the connection of the subunits having the signal adjustment resistors. Here, by changing the resistance value of the signal adjustment resistor mounted on the subunit depending on the type of the subunit, the value of the point A potential also changes depending on the type of the subunit connected to the unit connecting portion. Thereby, the type of the subunit connected to the unit connecting portion can be determined. As an example, in addition to the subunit 200 described in the previous embodiment, consider an example in which a subunit 200b shown in FIG. 10A and a subunit 200c shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10A, in the subunit 200b, a signal adjustment resistor 204 is connected between the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203. The resistance value R ₄ of the signal adjustment resistor 204 according to this embodiment is 3K (Ω). Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, the subunit 200c has a signal adjustment resistor 205 connected between the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203. The resistance value R ₅ of the signal adjustment resistor 204 according to the present embodiment is 1K (Ω). FIG. 11 is a graph showing the potential at point A in a state in which nothing is connected to the unit connection unit 120 and in a state in which the subunits 200, 200b, and 200c are connected to each other. As shown in FIG. 11, the point A potential E ₂ in the state where the subunit 200b is connected to the unit connection portion 120, that is, in the state where the signal adjustment resistor 204 is connected between the connection detection terminals 121 and 122, 3.49 (V). Further, the A point potential E ₃ in the state where the subunit 200c is connected to the unit connection portion 120, that is, in the state where the signal adjustment resistor 205 is connected between the connection detection terminals 121 and 122, is 2.38 (V ).

The digital output signal of the A / D converter 115 in the case of each of the point A potentials E ₂ and E ₃ shown in FIG. 11 is 179d or 0xB3 in the case of E ₂ and 122d or 0x7A in the case of E ₃ . In the potential information 32 according to the present embodiment, a table indicating the connection state of the unit connection unit 120 with respect to the point A potential is stored as shown in FIG. That is, if the potential at point A is 4.55 (V) (233d, 0xE9), the unconnected state is 3.85 (V) (197d, 0xC5), and the subunit 200 is in the connected state, 3.49 (V ) (179d, 0xB3) indicates that the subunit 200b is in a connected state, and 2.38 (V) (122d, 0x7A) indicates that the subunit 200c is in a connected state. The connection detection control unit 31 compares the output signal of the A / D conversion unit 115 with a table included in the potential information 32 and determines whether the subunit 200 is connected or not.
As described above, by using the connection detection device and the connection detection system according to the present embodiment, even if a plurality of types of subunits are connected to the common terminal of the electronic device 1, connection detection or contact failure is achieved. Can be detected without increasing the number of signals and the circuit scale.

  In the present embodiment, as an example in which the connection detection function in the second embodiment is further expanded, a plurality of subunits can be connected without increasing the number of terminals on the main unit side, and the function of determining the connection of the plurality of subunits Will be explained. In addition, about the structure which attaches | subjects the code | symbol similar to Example 1, 2, the same or an equivalent part is shown, and description is abbreviate | omitted. In the second embodiment, the example in which the type of the subunit connected to the unit connection unit is determined based on the value of the point A potential corresponding to the type of the subunit connected to the unit connection unit has been described. Here, when a plurality of signal adjustment resistors are connected in parallel between the point A potential and the system ground, the amount of change in the point A potential is determined based on the combined resistance value of the connected signal adjustment resistors. . Thereby, the connection of a some subunit can be discriminate | determined. As an example, a case where a subunit having a configuration as shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 13 is used as a modification of the subunits 200, 200b, and 200c described in the first and second embodiments will be described. Here, FIG. 13 shows the case of the subunit 200, but the subunits 200b and 200c also have the same configuration except for the signal adjustment resistors 204 and 205.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the subunit 200 according to the present embodiment includes a first external connection detection terminal 206, a second external connection detection terminal 207 (hereinafter referred to as an external connection detection terminal) in addition to the examples of the first and second embodiments. 206, 207). Although not shown, another signal line terminal used for data transmission / reception is provided between the external connection detection terminals 206 and 207. The first external connection detection terminal 206 is connected to the first connection confirmation terminal 202, and the second external connection detection terminal 207 is connected to the second connection confirmation terminal 203. In the subunit 200 according to the present embodiment, the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 are connected to the connection detection terminals 121 and 122 of the unit connection unit 120, and the external connection detection terminals 206 and 207 are connected to the unit connection unit 120. In addition, other subunits can be connected, and as a result, a plurality of subunits can be connected to the electronic apparatus 1. An example of connecting a plurality of subunits to the electronic apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram showing a state where a plurality of subunits are connected to the connection detection apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 14, the subunits 200, 200b, and 200c are connected to the connection detection apparatus 100 one by one.

As shown in FIG. 14, the subunit 200 is connected to the unit connection unit 120, and the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 of the subunit 200 b are connected to the external connection detection terminals 206 and 207 of the subunit 200. Furthermore, the connection confirmation terminals 202 and 203 of the subunit 200c are connected to the external connection detection terminals 206 and 207 of the subunit 200b. In this state, one end of each of the signal adjustment resistors 201, 204, and 205 is connected between the first resistor 112 and the second resistor 113, that is, a common point A potential, and the other end is common to the ground 114. It is connected to the. Therefore, the combined resistance of the second resistor 113 and the signal adjustment resistors 201, 204, and 205 is connected in series with the first resistor 112. Therefore, the point A potential can be obtained by substituting R ₂ shown in the formula (1) with a combined resistance of R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ , and R ₅ .

FIG. 15 is a graph showing the point A potential for each subunit connection state with respect to the unit connection unit 120. As shown in FIG. 15, the signal adjustment resistor 204 and the signal adjustment resistor 205 are connected in parallel between the connection detection terminals 121 and 122, in a state where the subunit 200 b and the subunit 200 c are connected to the unit connection unit 120. The A point potential E ₄ in the state connected to is 2.06 (V). Further, the state in which the subunit 200 and the subunit 200b are connected to the unit connection unit 120, that is, the state in which the signal adjustment resistor 201 and the signal adjustment resistor 204 are connected in parallel between the connection detection terminals 121 and 122. The point A potential E _{5 at 1} is 1.94 (V).
The digital output signal of the A / D converter 115 in the case of each of the A point potentials E ₄ and E ₅ shown in FIG. 15 is 105d or 0x69 in the case of E ₄ , and is 99d or 0x63 in the case of E ₅ . In the potential information 32 according to the present embodiment, a table indicating the connection state of the unit connection unit 120 with respect to the point A potential is stored as shown in FIG. That is, in addition to the example of FIG. 12, if the potential at point A is 2.06 (V) (105d, 0x69), the subunit 200b and the subunit 200c are connected, and 1.94 (V). (99d, 0x63) indicates that the subunit 200 and the subunit 200b are connected. The connection detection control unit 31 compares the output signal of the A / D conversion unit 115 with a table included in the potential information 32, and determines the subunits connected to the unit connection unit 120 and their combinations.

  In the above description, the subunits 200, 200b, and 200c have been described as examples. However, various types of subunits may be used. In such a case, in the combination of a plurality of subunits, it is necessary to select the value of the signal adjustment resistor so that the point A potential is not the same or close to the combination of different patterns. This is because when the value of the point A potential is the same or close to the combination of different patterns, which combination pattern cannot be discriminated.

  As described above, by using the connection detection method according to the present embodiment, a plurality of subunits can be connected without increasing the connection terminals of the main unit, and a plurality of subunits are connected simultaneously. Even so, by connecting to the common terminal of the electronic device 1, it is possible to detect connection and to detect poor contact, and the implementation can be performed without increasing the number of signals and the circuit scale.

It is a block diagram which shows the electronic device containing the connection detection apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of the connection detection circuit based on the Example of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the subunit of the connection detection system which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of the connection detection system which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the connection detection apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows typically the connection part between units which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the electric potential of the connection detection circuit which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a table | surface which shows the correspondence information of the electric potential which the connection detection apparatus based on the Example of this invention has, and a connection state. It is a circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of the connection detection system which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the subunit of the connection detection system which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the electric potential of the connection detection circuit which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a table | surface which shows the corresponding information of the electric potential which the connection detection apparatus which concerns on the other Example of this invention has, and a connection state. It is a circuit diagram which shows the subunit of the connection detection system which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of the connection detection system which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the electric potential of the connection detection circuit which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a table | surface which shows the corresponding information of the electric potential which the connection detection apparatus which concerns on the other Example of this invention has, and a connection state.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic device, 10 CPU, 20 Storage, 30 RAM, 31 Connection detection control part, 32 Electric potential information, 40 System bus, 100 Connection detection apparatus, 110 Connection detection circuit, 111 Constant potential power supply, 112 1st resistance, 113 2nd Resistance, 114 Ground, 115 A / D conversion section, 120 Unit connection section, 121 First connection detection terminal, 122 Second connection detection terminal, 200, 200b, 200c Sub unit, 201, 204, 205 Signal adjustment resistance, 202 First connection confirmation terminal, 203 Second connection confirmation terminal, 206 First external connection detection terminal, 207 Second external connection detection terminal,

Claims (5)

A connection detection device for detecting a connection state with an external unit,
A unit connection part having a connection detection terminal connected to the external unit;
A connection detection circuit for detecting a connection state of the connection detection terminal;
Storage means for storing a detection result detected by the connection detection circuit when the external unit is connected to the connection detection terminal as correspondence information;
Determination means for determining whether or not the external unit is connected to the connection detection terminal based on the detection result of the connection detection circuit and the correspondence information stored in the storage means;
The connection detection terminal has a first terminal connected to the high potential side and a second terminal connected to the low potential side, and the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the unit. In the direction perpendicular to the connecting direction of the part, the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the external unit in the state where the first terminal and the second terminal are connected to the external unit. Arranged so that all other terminals connected to the external unit are always connected ,
The correspondence information includes a detection result detected in the connection detection circuit when connected to the connection detection terminal in a state where a plurality of external units are combined,
The judgment unit may, connection detection device, characterized that you determine the combination of the external unit based on said correspondence information stored in the detection result and the storage means the connection detecting circuit. The connection detection circuit is
A power source for supplying a predetermined voltage, a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series as a voltage dividing circuit between the power source and the system ground, and a voltage across the second resistor are converted to digital values. The A / D conversion unit that converts and outputs the output, and the connection detection terminal is connected between the first resistor and the second resistor. Connection detection device. The correspondence information includes a detection result detected by the connection detection circuit when a plurality of types of external units are connected to the connection detection terminal.
3. The connection detection according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the type of the external unit based on a detection result of the connection detection circuit and the correspondence information stored in the storage unit. apparatus.   A connection detection system for detecting a connection state between a main unit and a subunit,
  The main unit includes a unit connection unit having a connection detection terminal connected to the subunit, a connection detection circuit for detecting a connection state of the connection detection terminal, and the subunit connected to the connection detection terminal. Based on the storage means storing the detection result detected by the connection detection circuit as correspondence information, the detection result of the connection detection circuit and the correspondence information stored in the storage means, Determining means for determining whether or not the unit is connected,
  The subunit includes a connection confirmation terminal connected to the connection detection terminal of the main unit, and a signal adjustment resistor connected to the connection confirmation terminal.
  The connection detection terminal and the connection confirmation terminal each have a first terminal connected to the high potential side and a second terminal connected to the low potential side, and the first terminal and the second terminal A terminal is provided between the other units in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction of the inter-unit connection portion, thereby connecting the units in a state where the connection detection terminal and the connection confirmation terminal are connected to each other. Are placed so that other terminals are always connected,
  The sub unit further includes an external connection detection terminal connected to the connection confirmation terminal, and a connection confirmation terminal of another subunit can be connected to the external connection detection terminal.   The signal adjustment resistor is:
  The connection detection system according to claim 4, wherein the resistance value varies depending on the type of the subunit.

Images