JPH0330998A - Card structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To certainly prevent the damage of a card when the card is inserted in a card slot in a state turned upside down by bisecting the end of circuit wiring including power supplies at every kind and distributing the bisected ends to respective terminals in a left and right symmetric state. CONSTITUTION:Power supplies (5V/GND), data lines D0-D7, address lines (A0-A7) and control signal lines (CTL) are respectively connected in a left and right symmetric state across the center (2/40 pins = 20 pins in a drawing) of pins (terminals). By this card structure, when cards 3a, 3b having semiconductor circuit elements built therein such as memory cards or IC cards are inserted in card slots 101, 201 in a state turned upside down, both of or one of an apparatus main body 1 and the cards 3a, 3b can be certainly prevented from damage getting into an unrecoverable state.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention provides a memory card, an IC
It relates to the structure of cards such as cards.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in personal computers that are easy to carry and can be operated by an internal battery, a rotating magnetic recording medium such as a floppy disk (FD) or a semiconductor is used as a storage medium for supplying information from the outside. A memory card or the like is used. Among these, device configurations that use a floppy disk as an external storage medium require a large amount of power consumption due to their rotational drive mechanism, which places a large load on the internal battery and makes the device large and heavy. There is a problem of becoming Furthermore, in devices using memory cards as external storage media, there is a problem in that the storage capacity per card is extremely small, and therefore is subject to significant practical limitations. Furthermore, cards with large storage capacities are currently very expensive, making them economically disadvantageous and impractical.

In particular, in card-using devices that do not identify the user, in order to prevent the card from being inserted into the card slot upside down, for example, the thickness of both edges, which are the sliding parts of the card, may be different. A mechanism to prevent reverse insertion may be considered, but even in such a card structure,
If the card is forcibly inserted into the card slot with the card upside down, an abnormal circuit will be formed in the circuit of the device and the card, which may cause the power to run around or short circuit, resulting in damage to both the device and the card, or There is a risk that one of them will be damaged irreparably.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, in the past, when a card is inserted into a card slot with the card upside down, an abnormality occurs in the device main body and the circuit of the card, causing a circuit such as a circuit of the power supply or a short circuit. There is a problem that a circuit may be formed and the device and/or the card may be irreparably damaged.Furthermore, in this case, cards with large storage capacity are currently Since it is extremely expensive, even the smallest damage that leaves the card in an unrecoverable state results in a large economic disadvantage.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and when a card containing a built-in semiconductor circuit element, such as a memory card or an IC card, is inserted into a card slot with its front and back reversed,
An abnormal circuit is formed in the circuit of the device main body and the card that causes power supply to run around or short circuit, resulting in damage to both the device main body and the card.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a card structure that can avoid damage that would cause one side to become unrecoverable.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means and Effects for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a memory card having a plurality of terminals arranged at the leading end in the insertion direction;
In a card with a built-in semiconductor circuit element such as an IC card, the circuit wiring end including the power supply is divided into sections for each type, and these are distributed symmetrically to each terminal.
As a result, when a card containing a built-in semiconductor circuit element such as a memory card or IC card is inserted into a card slot with the front and back reversed, damage to the device and/or the card may become irreparable. can be reliably prevented.

(Example) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an apparatus to which a card according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied.

In Figure 2, ■ is the main body of the personal computer,
Reference numeral 2 denotes a display housing provided on the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable within a predetermined rotation range. 101 is a card slot provided on one side of the main body 1, and 201 is a card slot provided on one side of the display housing 2. 102 is main body 1
This is an external unit storage slot provided on one side, and here it is a small floppy disk drive (FDD).
, or an external unit storage slot containing a built-in magnetic disk drive such as a small hard disk drive (HDD). 3a and 3b are cards containing built-in semiconductor circuit elements, such as memory cards and IC cards, each having a terminal structure as shown in FIG. 4 is an external unit that is inserted into the card slot 102 and has a built-in magnetic disk drive such as a small floppy disk drive (FDD) or a small hard disk drive (HDD), and 4c is provided at the tip of the unit 4 in the insertion direction. It is a connector that has been installed.

FIG. 1 shows a card 3a incorporating the above-mentioned semiconductor circuit element,
This figure shows the arrangement of the bins of the plug portion provided at the tip of 3b in the insertion direction, and here, it is shown for a memory card (MC). Memory card 3a (3
b) The card slot 101 is turned upside down.
, 201, the device main body l and the card 3a
In order to avoid damage that could result in the formation of an abnormal circuit that could cause a power supply to run around or a short circuit in the circuit of The wiring is divided into sections for each type, and these are distributed symmetrically to each terminal. To give a specific example,
Power supply (5V/GND) and data line (DO~D7)
, address lines (AO to A7), control signal lines (CTL), etc. are configured to be pin-connected symmetrically around the center of the bin (terminal) (2/40 pin - 20 bin in the figure). .

By adopting such a card structure, the card 3a having a built-in semiconductor circuit element such as a memory card, an IC card, etc.
, Insert the card slot lot with 3b turned upside down.
, when inserted into 201, the device body l and card 3
It is possible to reliably prevent damage that would cause either or both of a (3b) to become unrecoverable.

Note that the terminal configuration of the card and the circuit signals connected to the terminals are not limited to the above embodiments, and the present invention can be applied to various card configurations having various terminal configurations and circuit signals.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in a card containing a built-in semiconductor circuit element having a plurality of terminals arranged at the leading end in the insertion direction, the circuit wiring end including the power supply is connected to the card. Since the structure is divided into two parts for each type and distributed symmetrically to each terminal, when a card containing a built-in semiconductor circuit element such as a memory card or IC card is inserted into the card slot with the front and back reversed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent damage to the device main body and/or the card that would cause an irrecoverable state.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an apparatus using a card according to the above embodiment. l...Main body, 2...Display unit housing, lot, 20
1... Card slot, 102... External unit storage slot, 3a, 3b... Card with built-in semiconductor circuit element (memory card, IC card, etc.), 4...
External unit (FDD unit, HDD unit), 4
c... Connector.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a memory card or IC card that has multiple terminals arranged at the tip in the insertion direction, the circuit wiring end including the power supply is divided into two for each type, and the circuit is connected to each terminal symmetrically. structure.