JP5298084B2 - Peripheral operation display circuit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation display circuit for a peripheral device in which a peripheral device used in a computer connected by a computer main boat, a signal cable, and a power cable can visually recognize that a storage device is operating by an LED.

  As a peripheral device of a computer, a CD, a DVD, an HDD, or the like is used. In the future, other types of peripheral devices may be used. An HDD is mainly used as a storage device of a computer, but an IDE specification HDD is generally used. In the IDE specification HDD, the signal between the computer and the HDD is a specification of a parallel data signal, and many control signals are prepared in addition to the data signal. As shown in FIG. 3, in the IDE specification, a 40-pin flat cable connector is used, and as shown in FIG. 4, the 39th pin indicates that the HDD is operating by connecting an LED and a current limiting resistor. A configuration that can be visually recognized by blinking the LED is determined as a standard.

  In recent years, as the high processing capacity of computers has expanded, the capacity of HDDs has increased, and there is a limit to the speed of signals with parallel data signals. The need to increase communication speed has increased. For this reason, serial ATA for serial data communication (also called serial ATA or SATA) has been established as an industry standard, and high-speed data transmission has become possible. HDDs that have become increasingly popular. In such SATA specifications, wiring in the computer may be simplified, and a signal cable is separately used as shown in the Signal Segment table of FIG. 5, and again as shown in the Power Segment table of FIG. In addition, power is supplied by a power cable.

  By using such SATA-compliant HDDs as computer storage devices, it has become possible to cope with higher speeds and larger capacities, but SATA-specification signal cables are defined only for transmission / reception of balanced signals. The pin for displaying the operation by the LED is standard so that it can visually recognize that the HDD is operating by connecting the LED and the current limiting resistor like the 39th pin in the IDE specification. Not prepared as. For this reason, in the SATA 2.0 specification, a terminal that can be used as an LED terminal as an option is standardized for the 11th pin of the power cable, but the 11th pin is used for other purposes and for LED display. In some cases, both applications are standardized as optional treatments, and there is no actual product example in which an operation display using LEDs is performed using the 11th pin of the power cable in an HDD product compliant with the SATA specification.

  The present invention has been standardized in the HDD of the IDE specification as described above, but means for easily realizing the visualization of the HDD operation using the LED not clearly defined and used in the SATA specification. provide. In addition, the HDD operates easily and economically without using a signal cable standardized by the SATA specification, without changing the power cable standard, and without adding a new extra cable. The purpose is to provide a means for visually recognizing. Furthermore, in peripheral devices other than the HDD, it is necessary to visually display the operation using the LED. However, in the case where the operation of the peripheral device other than the HDD is visually displayed, the same means can be used easily and economically. An object of the present invention is to provide an operation display means applicable to the above.

  Peripheral device including a peripheral device connected to a computer by a signal line and a power supply line, a power supply circuit, a current detection circuit, an LED circuit, and a monostable multivibrator having an LED circuit connected to an output terminal In the device operation display circuit, the power supply circuit supplies power to the peripheral device, and the current detection circuit outputs an output signal corresponding to the change in the power supply current supplied to the peripheral device from the power supply circuit based on the operation of the peripheral device. The output signal of the current detection circuit is input to the monostable multivibrator, and the monostable multivibrator is such that the input signal of the current detection circuit changes to a potential higher or lower than the input voltage threshold. Output signal is detected and connected to the output terminal by the output signal of monostable multivibrator Are LEDs of the LED circuit flashes are.

  It is preferable to insert a current detection resistor in series or add a current detection element to a power supply line for supplying power from the power supply circuit to the peripheral device.

  It is desirable that the output terminal of the current detection circuit is connected to the input terminal of the monostable multivibrator by capacitor coupling.

  A monostable multivibrator input terminal is connected to a pull-up resistor and pull-down resistor between the power supply and ground (reference potential), or only one of them is connected, and the offset voltage is determined by the pull-up resistor and pull-down resistor Is preferably lower or higher than the threshold potential of the monostable multivibrator.

  The monostable multivibrator is provided with a resistor and a capacitor for determining a time constant, and it is desirable to determine the time constant so that the blinking of the LID of the LED circuit by the output signal of the monostable multivibrator is visible.

  It is conceivable that the LED circuit connected to the output terminal of the monostable multivibrator is connected to the power source or the ground (reference potential) by connecting the LED and a resistor for limiting the current of the LED in series.

  The power supply circuit in which the current detection circuit detects a change in power supply current is preferably a power supply circuit used in a circuit that transmits and receives data signals between the computer and the peripheral device.

  The peripheral device is preferably a storage device.

  The peripheral device is an HDD conforming to the serial ATA specification, and the HDD is preferably connected to the computer by a signal cable and a power cable conforming to the serial ATA specification.

  As described above, according to the operation display circuit of the peripheral device according to the present invention, the peripheral device is connected to the computer by the signal line and the power supply line, and the peripheral device is supplied with power by the power supply circuit. When a signal is transmitted and received between the computer and the peripheral device, the current of the power supply circuit supplied to the peripheral device changes. By detecting this current change, the monostable multivibrator is activated and the peripheral device is activated by the LED. As the current detection circuit and monostable multivibrator are general-purpose circuit components, various peripheral devices will be used in the future. However, the present invention provides an operation display circuit that can be applied economically in that it is general-purpose regardless of the type of equipment and can be configured with general-purpose parts.

  Further, in the current detection circuit, a current detection resistor is inserted in series in a power supply line for supplying power from the power supply circuit to the peripheral device, or an element for detecting a current change is added. This series resistance or detection element is a small resistance or element that does not interfere with the operation of the peripheral device. When the peripheral device performs a signal transmission / reception operation with the computer, the power supply current supplied from the power supply circuit to the peripheral device slightly changes. The current detection circuit detects this current change and outputs an output signal.

  The output terminal of the current detection circuit is connected to the input terminal of the monostable multivibrator by capacitor coupling. A pull-up resistor and a pull-down resistor are connected between the power supply and ground at the input terminal of the monostable multivibrator, and the offset voltage determined by the pull-up resistor and pull-down resistor is the threshold of the monostable multivibrator. The potential is set lower or higher than the potential. This resistor is a load of the current detection circuit, and at the same time, it has the effect of making it possible to set an offset potential at which the change in the signal output of the current detection circuit reliably exceeds the threshold of the monostable multivibrator. .

  Furthermore, the monostable multivibrator includes a resistor and a capacitor for determining a time constant, and it is possible to determine the time constant so that the blinking of the LED by the output signal of the monostable multivibrator is visible. The LED connected to the output terminal of the monostable multivibrator is connected to a resistor for current limitation in series, and the time constant of the power supply or ground (reference potential) monostable multivibrator is adjusted, so that the monostable -The pulse width of the output signal of the multivibrator can be appropriately adjusted so that the LED can be visually recognized. In this manner, an operation display circuit that can easily recognize the operation of a peripheral device is provided.

  The peripheral device may be a CD, DVD, HDD, or the like. In the future, other types of peripheral devices may be considered. A power supply line connecting a resistor or a detection element in series with the power supply circuit is a main power supply line for performing signal processing operations of peripheral devices. The operation display circuit of the present invention for detecting a change in the current supplied to the power supply circuit accompanying signal transmission / reception between the peripheral device and the computer can be realized by all the peripheral devices with low power consumption, so that it is an economical peripheral device. An operation display circuit is provided.

  The optimum application example of the operation display circuit of the peripheral device described so far is an operation display circuit applied to the storage device. In particular, it is assumed that the present invention is applied to an HDD conforming to the serial ATA specification. In the serial ATA specification, a signal cable as a signal line is defined, and a power cable as a power line is defined. In particular, HDDs conforming to the SATA specification have become mainstream, and signal cables and power cables as shown in FIG. 5 are used in peripheral devices of the SATA specification that are mainly used. Pin 11 has multiple functions defined (LED for operation display, or spin-up control), but it is optional and may be specified for overlapping purposes. There is no product example in which the 11th pin of the power cable is used for the operation display by the LED. By applying the operation display circuit of the peripheral device of the present invention to such SATA specification HDD, the operation display circuit of the peripheral device which can be applied regardless of how the standard is standardized, Also provides economically.

3 is an operation display circuit of a peripheral device according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the detail of the operation display circuit of the peripheral device of this invention. It is a figure which shows the terminal arrangement standardized by HDD of the IDE specification of a prior art. It is a figure which shows the circuit which displays the operation | movement of HDD with LED in HDD of the IDE specification of a prior art. It is a figure which shows the terminal arrangement | sequence of the SATA specification to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the main circuit current of HDD to which this invention is applied.

  FIG. 1 shows an operation display circuit of a peripheral device to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, 10 is a power supply circuit for supplying a power supply voltage to peripheral devices, and 20 is a peripheral device. FIG. 1 schematically shows the flow of the state, and one line does not indicate one wiring. A specific device of the peripheral device 20 may be a CD, a DVD, or an HDD. Data signals are transmitted and received between the computer (not shown) and the peripheral device 20 via signal lines (not shown). A plurality of power supplies are generally supplied to peripheral devices. A peripheral device such as a CD, DVD, or HDD often uses a motor because a storage medium in the peripheral device rotates. For this reason, one of the plurality of power supplies is a power supply for driving the motor. In addition, data signals are transmitted and received between the computer and the peripheral device 20, and various semiconductor circuits are used in the peripheral device 20. For this reason, a plurality of power supplies such as 3.3V and 5V may be used.

  Power is supplied to the peripheral device 20 from a main power source used for data signal transmission / reception processing performed between the computer of the power supply circuit 10 and the peripheral device 20, and current consumption of the peripheral device 20 on the power supply line. A current detection circuit 30 for detecting a change in the current is connected. When a data signal is transmitted and received between the computer and the peripheral device, power is consumed by the peripheral device 20, so that a current change occurs and the current flowing from the power supply circuit 10 to the peripheral device 20 is shown in FIG. 6. It changes like the example. The current detection circuit 30 detects such a slight current change, amplifies it to a necessary amplitude change, and outputs it.

  The output of the current detection circuit 30 is input to the monostable multivibrator 40. Here, the monostable multivibrator is a circuit called a monostable multivibrator or a one-shot multivibrator, and when a rising or falling change is input to the monostable multivibrator 40, the monostable multivibrator It is generally known that the 40 output terminals output a pulse signal having a pulse width longer than the input change.

  By connecting the LED circuit 50 to the output terminal of the monostable multivibrator 40, the LED of the LED circuit 50 is lit by an output signal having a long pulse width from the monostable multivibrator 40.

  As described above, the current detection circuit 30 detects a slight current change from the power supply circuit 10 caused by transmission / reception of a data signal between the computer and the peripheral device 20. A change output signal corresponding to the current change is input to the input terminal of the monostable multivibrator 40. An output signal having a long pulse width is output from a change signal corresponding to the current change input to the monostable multivibrator 40, and the LED of the LED circuit 50 is turned on by this output signal. By being configured and operated in this way, it is possible to visually confirm that the transmission and reception of data signals between the computer and the peripheral device 20, that is, that the peripheral device 20 is operating, with the LEDs.

  A more specific embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The power supply circuit 10 supplies power to the peripheral device 20. A specific device of the peripheral device 20 may be a CD, a DVD, or an HDD. Data signals are transmitted and received between the computer (not shown) and the peripheral device 20 via signal lines (not shown). A plurality of power supplies are generally supplied to peripheral devices. A peripheral device such as a CD, DVD, or HDD often uses a motor because a storage medium in the peripheral device rotates. For this reason, one of the plurality of power supplies is a power supply for driving the motor. In addition, data signals are transmitted and received between the computer and the peripheral device 20, and various semiconductor circuits are used in the peripheral device 20. For this reason, a plurality of power supply circuits such as 3.3V and 5V may be used.

  Here, as an example, a description will be given on the assumption that a 5 V power supply circuit is used as a main power source used for transmission and reception of data signals performed between the computer and the peripheral device 20. The present invention is not limited to a 5 V power supply circuit, but can be applied to a 3.3 V power supply or other power supply, and a different voltage will be supplied in the future. This also applies when a power supply circuit is used.

  A current detection resistor 31 is inserted in series in the main power supply power supply line for supplying power from the power supply circuit 10 to the peripheral device 20. Since the voltage supplied to the peripheral device 20 by the power supply circuit 10 is reduced by the voltage drop caused by the current supplied to the peripheral device 20, the resistance value of the current detection resistor 31 is the amount of current supplied to the peripheral device. At the maximum current value, the voltage drop generated by the current detection resistor 31 is preferably 50 mV to 100 mV. However, this does not mean that the amount of voltage drop due to the current detection resistor 31 must be in the range of 50 mV to 100 mV. The resistance value of the current detection resistor 31 may be selected so that the voltage drop is lower than 50 mV. The resistance value of the current detection resistor 31 may be selected so that the voltage drop is greater than 100 mV. The voltage is selected so that the voltage drop caused by the current detection resistor 31 does not affect the operation of the peripheral device 20.

  Here, when a data signal is transmitted / received between the computer and the peripheral device 20, power is consumed in the peripheral device 20, so that although there is a slight current change, the power supply circuit 10 to the peripheral device 20. The current that flows in changes. For this reason, a voltage drop change proportional to the current change occurs at both ends of the current detection resistor 31. The current detection circuit 30 detects such a slight current change, amplifies it to a necessary amplitude, and outputs it.

  The current detection circuit 30 amplifies the voltage drop due to the current at both ends of the current detection resistor 31 to a necessary amplitude by the current detection amplification circuit 32 and outputs it. Since the potential difference generated at both ends of the current detection resistor 31 is proportional to the amount of current flowing through the current detection resistor 31, amplification at the output terminal of the current detection circuit 30 is proportional to the amount of current flowing through the current detection resistor 31. The output voltage is output. In other words, a voltage proportional to the amount of current supplied to the peripheral device 20 is output to the output terminal of the current detection circuit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the output terminal of the current detection circuit 30 is connected to the connection point of the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43 via the coupling capacitor 41 and simultaneously connected to the monostable multivibrator 40. ing. This means that the AC change component of the output voltage of the current detection circuit 30 is input to the monostable multivibrator 40. In other words, the amount of current supplied from the current supply circuit 10 to the peripheral device 20 has an alternating current component such as a direct current component and a current change amount, but a change corresponding to the alternating current component of the output voltage of the current detection circuit 30 proportional to the current change amount. Is input to the monostable multivibrator 40.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the pull-up resistor 42 is connected to a power supply potential (indicated as Vcc in FIG. 2), and the pull-down resistor 43 is connected to the ground (reference potential). However, it is not always necessary to use both the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43, and only one of the required resistors may be used. By connecting the ends of the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43 to the power supply and the ground in this way, the connection point between the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43 is the resistance value of the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43. The voltage corresponds to a value obtained by dividing the power supply voltage by the ratio. A constant voltage value determined by the resistance ratio between the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43 is called an offset voltage.

  As described above, the connection point between the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43 is supplied to the peripheral device 20 from the power supply circuit 10 generated when the data signal is transmitted and received between the computer and the peripheral device 20. Since the signal change corresponding to the voltage change amount proportional to the current change component of the current is input, the potential at the connection point between the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43 changes from the offset voltage to the voltage change corresponding to this signal change. Only the voltage will change.

  A monostable multivibrator 40 shown in FIG. 2 is a circuit called a monostable multivibrator or a one-shot multivibrator. The monostable multivibrator 40, when a signal change having a potential higher than the threshold value of the input voltage or a signal change to a potential lower than the reverse threshold value is input, the output terminal of the monostable multivibrator 40 It is generally known that the circuit outputs a pulse signal having a pulse width longer than the input signal change. The offset voltage formed by the pull-up resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43 is pulled up so that the change in the input voltage to the monostable multivibrator 40 is sufficiently large with respect to the threshold value. The resistance values of the resistor 42 and the pull-down resistor 43 are selected.

  An LED circuit 50 (display LED 52 and current limiting resistor 51) is connected in series to the output terminal of the monostable multivibrator 40 and connected to the ground (reference potential). The LED circuit 50 may be connected to a power supply instead of being connected to the ground (reference potential). When connecting to a power source, the direction of the display LED 52 needs to be appropriately changed.

  As described above, as described in the more specific configuration of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, data signals are transmitted and received between the computer and the peripheral device 20, so that the power supply circuit 10 supplies the peripheral device 20. However, the current detection circuit 30 detects and amplifies the slight current fluctuation, and the current fluctuation component is input to the monostable multivibrator 40 via the coupling capacitor 41. Become. The monostable multivibrator 40 outputs a pulse signal having a long pulse width based on the time constant determined by the time constant determining resistor 45 and the time constant determining capacitor 44. The display LED 52 connected to the output of the monostable multivibrator 40 blinks with a long pulse signal every time a data signal is transmitted / received between the computer and the peripheral device 20. By being configured in this way, it can be visually recognized by the LED that the peripheral device is operating.

  In the present invention, the connection between the peripheral device and the computer is standardized by an industry standard. However, when the method for visually displaying that the peripheral device is operating is not necessarily standardized, the power supply of the peripheral device is used. A current detection circuit is provided as a supply circuit, and its output is input to a monostable multivibrator, and an LED is connected to its output terminal, thereby providing a circuit for visualizing that a peripheral device is operating. In particular, when an HDD is used as a peripheral device, the visualization circuit using an LED is standardized as an IDE specification in the conventional IDE specification HDD, but in the SATA specification corresponding to a higher-speed HDD. The parallel signal interface has been changed to a serial signal interface capable of transmitting and receiving higher-speed data signals, and the number of signal cable terminals has been reduced to reduce the size of the interface. Terminals for visual display are not standardized as an essential terminal arrangement. For this reason, HDD products that cannot visually display that the HDD is operating are being sold, which is inconvenient in the manufacture and inspection of computers. In addition, for the computer user, the LED indicating that the HDD is operating is not displayed on the computer, and it is unclear whether the computer is operating or has stopped due to a malfunction, and is anxious. give. Such various inconveniences can be solved.

  As described above, the present invention is based on the industry standard in which the terminal arrangement of the cable that connects the peripheral device and the computer by combining the already known current detection circuit and the already known monostable multivibrator in the industry standard. Even if standardized in this way, a circuit that can provide visualization by LEDs is provided. Furthermore, since the current detection circuit and the monostable multivibrator are known and it is possible to use circuit parts that are commercially available as general-purpose ICs, a display circuit for visualizing with LEDs can be economically provided. provide.

  In the future, the storage capacity of peripheral equipment will continue to increase. Along with this, the transmission speed for transmitting and receiving data signals between the computer and peripheral devices will be further increased. For this reason, the signal line connecting the computer and the peripheral device has an increasingly higher transmission speed. On the other hand, since the demand for downsizing of computers becomes more and more demanding, the signal lines connecting computers and peripheral devices need to realize a high-speed transmission speed with a smaller number of signal lines than before. Therefore, it is possible to visually recognize that the peripheral device is operating normally by using the standardized LED in the IDE specification HDD or the like, but in the future peripheral device, It is conceivable that there is no room for providing a signal line for the wire cable. The present invention provides a display circuit for visualizing that a peripheral device is operating by detecting a current change in a power supply line that supplies power to the peripheral device. In view of the technological trend of increasing capacity, speeding up, and downsizing, a visualization display circuit using a very effective LED is provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Power supply circuit 20 Peripheral device 30 Current detection circuit 31 Current detection resistance 40 Monostable multivibrator 41 Coupling capacitor 42 Pull-up resistance 43 Pull-down resistance 44 Time constant determination capacitor 45 Time constant determination resistance 50 LED circuit 51 Current limitation Resistance 52 Display LED

Claims (9)

Peripheral device including a peripheral device connected to a computer by a signal line and a power supply line, a power supply circuit, a current detection circuit, an LED circuit, and a monostable multivibrator having an LED circuit connected to an output terminal In the operation display circuit of equipment,
The power supply circuit supplies power to the peripheral device,
The current detection circuit outputs an output signal by detecting a change in power supply current supplied to the peripheral device from the power supply circuit based on the operation of the peripheral device,
The output signal of the current detection circuit is input to the monostable multivibrator,
The monostable multivibrator outputs an output signal by detecting that the output signal of the input current detection circuit is higher or lower than an input voltage threshold,
An operation display circuit for a peripheral device, wherein the LED of the LED circuit connected to the output terminal blinks by the output signal of the monostable multivibrator.   2. The operation display circuit for a peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein a current detection resistor is inserted in series or a current detection element is added to the power supply line for supplying power from the power supply circuit to the peripheral device. .   3. An operation display circuit for a peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein an output terminal of the current detection circuit is connected to an input terminal of the monostable multivibrator by capacitor coupling.   A pull-up resistor and a pull-down resistor are connected to the input terminal of the monostable multivibrator between the power source and the ground (reference potential), or only one of them is connected, and is determined by the pull-up resistor and the pull-down resistor. The peripheral display operation display circuit according to claim 1, wherein the offset voltage is lower or higher than a threshold value of the monostable multivibrator.   The monostable multivibrator is provided with a resistor and a capacitor for determining a time constant, and the time constant is determined so that the blinking of the LED of the LED circuit by the output signal of the monostable multivibrator is visible. The operation display circuit of the peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein the operation display circuit is a peripheral device.   The LED circuit connected to the output terminal of the monostable multivibrator is characterized in that an LED and a resistor for limiting the current of the LED are connected in series and connected to a power supply or ground (reference potential). An operation display circuit for a peripheral device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   7. The power supply circuit for detecting a change in power supply current by the current detection circuit is a power supply circuit used in a circuit for transmitting and receiving a data signal between the computer and the peripheral device. An operation display circuit for the peripheral device according to claim 1.   The peripheral device operation display circuit according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a storage device.   9. The peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is an HDD conforming to a serial ATA specification, and the HDD is connected to a computer by a signal cable and a power cable conforming to the serial ATA specification. Operation display circuit for peripheral devices.

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