JPH02309468A - Data storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily exchange data among many external apparatuses by storing data inputted from an external apparatus through a connector part in the inputted order, reading out the stored data in the inputted order and transmitting the read data to the external apparatus through the connector part. CONSTITUTION:In the state connected to the external apparatus 2, a control part 7 stores data inputted from the external apparatus 2 through the connector part 3 in a storage part 8 in the inputted order based upon the operation of a receiving switch part 11. On the other hand, the control part 7 reads out the data stored in the storage part 8 in the inputted order based upon the operation of a transmitting switch part 12 and sends the read data to the external apparatus 2 through the connector part 3. The data storage device is provided with a power supply part 9 for holding data stored in the storage part 8. Consequently, data can be exchanged among two or more external apparatuses 2.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention temporarily stores data when a device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) transfers data via a communication boat. The present invention relates to a data storage device as an external storage device.

(Conventional technology) Computers and word processors (hereinafter referred to as word processors).

) has become more widespread, the need for data exchange between these devices has increased.

For example, this may be the case when data from multiple computers is collected and processed on one computer, or when a document created with one word processor is used in another word processor.

In such a case, there are roughly two ways to transfer data. One is to store data on a portable medium and exchange data via that medium, and the other is to connect devices with each other via communication lines and exchange data. be.

Portable media here refers to floppy disks, magnetic tape, or battery-backed ■C
such as memory.

When connecting via communication line and exchanging data, there are two methods: connecting the communication ports of both devices directly with a communication cable;
There is a method of exchanging data by first relaying it to another computer. In the latter method, the device holding the original data
The data is written to the storage device of the relay computer, and then the device receiving the data reads the written data from the storage device of the relay computer. The storage device of this relay computer is sometimes called a mailbox, and the system that exclusively provides such services is sometimes called e-mail.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, when data is exchanged using the above-described method, there are the following problems.

(1) First, when using portable media, the media must be compatible. As this medium, floppy disks are most commonly used in devices such as personal computers and word processors. However, when exchanging data between devices using floppy disks, the large number of types of floppy disks poses a problem. Classifying the types of floppy disks currently in use based on their physical structure, the sizes are 8 inches, 5 inches, and 3.5 inches.

4 types of 2 inch, data recording location is only one side or one
There are two ways of recording data: double-sided, double-sided, double-density, double-track, and high-density, and the density is increasing due to technological improvements.

Also, the logical structure of data on a floppy disk (
What format should data be recorded on a floppy disk? For example, a unit of data collection such as a single document is called a file, and how to name the file.
Method for recording files to floppy disk)
varies depending on the manufacturer and type of equipment,
Not unified.

Therefore, when data is exchanged using a floppy disk, data can be exchanged only between a limited number of devices, which is a disadvantage.

Media other than floppy disks are less popular;
It is even less suitable as a medium for data exchange.

(2) Next, the method of connecting devices through communication lines and exchanging data has higher compatibility than the method of using media such as floppy disks. The physical connection format is
It is almost unified to the American EIA standard called R3-232-C. There are several types of communication speeds and synchronization methods, but most devices allow you to set the communication speed and synchronization method to suit your usage conditions.

However, when two devices are connected via a communication line and exchange data, the device that holds the original data becomes the sender, the device that receives the data becomes the receiver, and both devices operate simultaneously. There is a problem in that data must be transferred using In particular, when two devices are located far apart, operators on each side must operate both devices at the same time, resulting in poor work efficiency.

This problem can be solved by using a system such as the e-mail mentioned above. That is, the side that has the original data writes the data into the mailbox of the relay computer at any timing, and the side that receives the data writes the data to the mailbox of the relay computer at any timing.
The data can be read from the mailbox at a convenient time.

However, when using a relay computer, both devices must be able to access the same relay computer. When accessing a computer remotely via a communication line, it is common to register authorized users in advance to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the computer. Therefore, when a relay computer is used, there is a problem in that the parties with which data can be exchanged are limited to those registered in advance.

Furthermore, if the communication line is charged, there is a problem in that communication costs are incurred for data exchange.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems regarding data exchange between devices, and to have portability and compatibility between many external devices. An object of the present invention is to provide a data storage device that allows data to be easily exchanged.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A data storage device of the present invention includes a connector section for connecting to an external device such as a computer device, a storage section for storing data, and a storage section for storing data even when power is not supplied from the outside. a power supply unit that retains data stored in a storage unit; a reception switch unit that instructs data reception; a transmission switch unit that instructs data transmission; and based on the operation of the reception switch unit, storing data inputted through the connector section in the storage section in the order in which they were input; and reading out the data stored in the storage section in the order in which they were input based on the operation of the transmission switch section; and a control section for transmitting data to the external device via the external device.

(Function) Since this data storage device has a highly versatile connector section, it can be connected to many external devices such as computer devices without any problem.

When the data storage device is connected to an external device, the control section of the data storage device receives data input from the external device via the connector section in the order in which they were input based on the operation of the reception switch section. The data can be stored in the storage section, and based on the operation of the transmission switch section, the data stored in the storage section can be read out in the order in which they were input and sent to an external device via the connector section. Therefore, the present data storage device allows data to be exchanged between two or more external devices using highly compatible communication functions. Further, by using this data storage device, the conventional problems regarding data exchange between devices described above can be solved. Furthermore, this data storage device can be constructed using a connector section, a switch section (reception switch section, transmission switch section), several types of IC, and a storage section backup power supply section (small button-type battery). , a small device can be realized. Therefore, this data storage device can be carried anywhere freely and very easily, which is very convenient. .

(Example) Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a data storage device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an overview diagram of the data storage device shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a data storage device of the present invention, and 2 is a computer device.A connector 3 is provided on the side surface of the data storage device 1, as shown in FIG. A connector receiver 4 to which a connector 3 of the data storage device 1 is connected is provided. Also, the second
As shown in the figure, a vial 5b connected to an internal wiring 5a is disposed inside the peripheral wall 3a of the connector 3. The connector receiver 4 is provided with a bin hole corresponding to the bin 5b of the connector 3, so that the connector 3 can be detachably attached to the connector receiver 4. Then, connect the bin 5b of the connector 3 of the data storage device 1 to the computer equipment 2.
By inserting the data storage device 1 into the via hole of the connector receiver 4, the data storage device 1 is connected to the computer equipment 2 with the connector as shown.

The data storage device 1 includes an asynchronous transmitting/receiving circuit (hereinafter referred to as IIART) 6 connected to the bin 5b of the connector 3 (see FIG. 2) via an internal wiring 5a, and a microprocessor (hereinafter referred to as CPU). 7, a memory 8, a button-type battery 9 for backing up the memory 8, an ink face circuit 1o, and a reception switch 11 and a transmission switch 12 connected between the interface circuit 10 and the ground, respectively. There is. Here, UART6
, CPU 7 , memory 8 , and interface circuit 10 are connected to bus 13 . Furthermore, since the memory 8 is backed up by a button-type battery 9, the contents of the memory 8 can be retained even if the main power of the data storage device 1 is turned off. Further, the receiving switch 11 and the transmitting switch 12 are configured, for example, as push button switches as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation will be explained with the data storage device 1 connected to the computer equipment 2 through the connector as shown in FIG.

(1) The data storage device 1 is operated by two switches, a reception switch 11 and a transmission switch 12. When the reception switch 11 or the transmission switch 12 is turned on (the push button of the reception switch 11 or the transmission switch 12 is pressed down), the reception switch 11 or the transmission switch 12 is turned on (depressed) via the interface circuit 10 and the bus 13. teC
This will be communicated to PU7. The CPU 7 performs the following operations depending on the depressed switch.

(a) When the push button of the reception switch 11 is pressed (the reception switch 11 is turned on), the CPU 7 starts receiving data. Data is transferred from computer equipment 2 to connector receiver 4
．． It is input to the UART 6 via the connector 3 and internal wiring 5a. Data on the internal wiring 5a is here transmitted in an asynchronous manner. The start-stop synchronization method is a method in which one byte of data is serially transmitted with a start bit at the beginning and a stop bit at the end. The UART 6 notifies the CPU 7 every time it receives one byte of data on the internal wiring 5a. CPU7 is U
Every time there is a notification from ART6, υARTS reads 1 byte of the received data and writes it into memory 8 in the order of reading.
Then, write the entered memory address (the final address when 1 byte of data is written) in the "data end address display area" at a predetermined location in the memory. Here, the data end address display area refers to the data 1 when data is written into the memory 8 every time 1 byte of data is read from 1 JART 6.
This area indicates the final address of each byte, and the range in which valid data is written can be determined by the last address written in this area.

(b) When the push button of the transmission switch 12 is pressed (the transmission switch 12 is turned on), the data storage device 1 starts transmitting data. The CPU 7 first reads the data end address display area of the memory 8 and learns the range in which the data in the memory 8 is recorded.

Next, the CPU 7 reads 1 from the memory 8 from the beginning of the memory.
Read data byte by byte and transfer the read data to bus 13.
The data is transferred to UART6 via. Every time the tlART 6 receives one byte of data, it sends the data to the computer equipment 2 via the internal wiring 5a, the connector 3, and the connector receiver 4. The CPU 7 repeats this operation until all the data recorded in the memory 8 is read out and sent out.

(II) Next, a method of exchanging data between two devices A and B (not shown) using the data storage device 1 will be explained.

When transferring data from device A to device B, data storage device l is first connected to device A. Next, the push button of the reception switch 11 of the data storage device 1 is pressed down (the reception switch 11 is turned on) to put the data storage device 1 into a reception state, and data is sent from the device A. After all data from device A has been recorded in memory 8 of data storage device 1, data storage device 1 is removed from device A, and data storage device 1 is connected to device B. Next, put device B in the receiving state, press down the transmission switch 12 of data storage device 1 (turn on transmission switch 12), and transfer the data recorded in memory 8 of data storage device 1 to device B. do.

Data transmission and reception operations between devices A and B are performed by built-in communication control programs when these devices are personal computers or word processors. The contents of this operation are well known, and since only the communication function seen from the outside is important for the present invention, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Note that in performing the above operation, the communication functions of devices A and B and data storage device 1 must be the same. For example, communication function specifications such as a communication speed of 1200 bits/second, a start-stop synchronization method, a data length of 8 bits, a stop bit length of 1 bit, and no parity bit (an additional bit for error detection) are set for devices A and B and the data storage device. 1 must match each other.

Therefore, the communication function specifications of the data storage device l are fixed, and each device to be connected (devices A and B in the above embodiment)
Although it is easy to adapt the communication function of the data storage device 1 to this, it is also possible to change the communication function specifications of the data storage device 1. In this case, even if the communication function specifications of devices A and B are different from each other, each data storage device 1
If devices A and B can communicate with each other, data can be exchanged between devices A and B. Here, various methods can be considered to change the communication function specifications, such as changing the software according to the communication function specifications that require the change.

Furthermore, in the above explanation, data is exchanged between two devices, but since the data in the memory 8 of the data storage device 1 will not be erased unless a reset operation is performed, the same data can be exchanged between two or more devices. It also becomes possible to transfer it to a device.

As can be seen from the above description, the data storage device 1 of the present invention can be connected to an external device such as a computer device 2 using a connector. The data storage device 1 is highly compatible with many external devices because it is almost unified to the American EIA standard called EIA. Therefore, when using the data storage device 1, the highly compatible communication functions can be used to
Data can be exchanged between two or more devices. In particular, when using the data storage device 1, compatibility between different devices is dramatically increased compared to when using a storage medium such as a floppy disk as in the past.

In addition, as a method for exchanging data, data storage device 1
When using , two operators must send and receive data at the same time (both the sending and receiving devices must be connected at the same time), compared to the conventional case where two devices are directly connected via a communication line. There is no need to worry about the trouble of having to operate the device to transfer data. Furthermore, when using the data storage device 1, there is no need for the operator of each device to register access rights to the relay computer compared to the conventional case of using a relay computer for e-mail, etc. . Furthermore, when using the data storage device 1, no communication line is required, so there is no communication cost as in the conventional case.

The data storage device 1 also has a connector 3 and a switch (
A receiving switch 11, a transmitting switch 12), and several types of I
C (UART 6, CPU 7. Memory 8° interface circuit 10) and a button-type battery 9 for memory backup.
Since it is composed of only two parts, it can be integrated into an extremely compact device. Therefore, it is easy to transport the data storage device 1 from device A to device B.
The trouble of carrying it around is rarely a disadvantage.

Further, the IC card has a storage section for storing data, but does not have a CPU. On the other hand, the data storage device 1 of the present invention is provided with a CPU 7 in addition to the memory 8, and can record data in and read data from the memory 8 by itself. Since it is used as a communication interface according to the highly versatile R3-232-C standard of the U.S. EIA,
Highly compatible with many devices.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and that various applications and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, if the data storage device according to the present invention is used, the following various effects can be achieved.

(1) Data can be exchanged between two or more external devices using highly compatible communication functions.

In particular, compatibility between different external devices is dramatically improved compared to the conventional case of using storage media such as floppy disks.

(2) As a method of exchanging data, compared to the conventional method of directly connecting two external devices with a communication line, two operators must send and receive data at the same time (with the sender and There is no need for the same device on the receiving side to operate at the same time to transfer data.

(3) Also, as a method of exchanging data, compared to the conventional method of using relay computers such as e-mail, the operator of each external device has to register access rights to the relay computer, which is more troublesome. There is no.

(4) Since no communication line is used, there is no communication cost as in the past.

(5) This data storage device has a connector section and a switch section (
Since it can be constructed with only a small number of parts such as a receiving switch section and a transmitting switch section) and several types of ICs, it can be made extremely compact. Therefore, this data storage device can be freely and extremely easily transported from one external device to another, which is very convenient.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a data storage device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an overview diagram of the data storage device shown in FIG. 1. 1... Data storage device, 2... Computer equipment,
3... Connector, 7... CPU (microprocessor), 8... Memory, 9... Memory backup battery, 11...
Reception switch, 12... transmission switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A connector section for connecting to an external device such as a computer device, a storage section for storing data, and a power supply section for retaining data stored in the storage section even when power is not supplied from the outside. a reception switch section for instructing data reception; a transmission switch section for instructing data transmission; and based on the operation of the reception switch section, data input from the external device via the connector section. , the data is stored in the storage unit in the order in which it is input, and the data stored in the storage unit based on the operation of the transmission switch unit,
A data storage device comprising: a control section for reading out the data in the order of input and transmitting the data to the external device via the connector section.