JPH06337971A - Card type external device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to optionally select the writing time of discrimination information and to automate the writing by allowing the writing of function discrimination information n a storage element when the logic state of a prescribed terminal in a connector is turned to a prescribed logic state. CONSTITUTION:This card type external device is provided with an information returning means 4 for returning card function discrimination information to a computer in response to a request from the computer. The means 4 includes a storage element 3 for electrically storing the function discrimination information, and when the logic state of a prescribed terminal if in the connector 1 is turned to a prescribed logic state, allows the writing of the function discrimination information in the element 3. Thus the element 3 is turned to the writable state only by turning the prescribed terminal 1f of the connector 1 to the previously determined logic state and information from the computer, e.g. can be written in the element 3. Therefore the writing of information is not restricted by the existence of a SUS (stainless) label, and the necessity of hand-writing by probe contact is eliminated, and the writing time of information can be optionally selected.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card-type external device to be inserted into a dedicated slot of a computer, and more specifically to a JEIDA Ve with a standardized outer shape and signal interface.
Regarding the card-type external device of r4.1 or PCMCIA2.0 standard, for example, communication modem, external expansion memory or LA
The present invention relates to a card-type external device having various functions such as an N (local area network) interface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, as semiconductor technology has advanced, computers have been further reduced in size and weight, and for example, notebook computers, which are easy to carry, have been widely used. By the way, depending on the use of the computer, various external devices such as a communication modem, an external expansion memory or a LAN interface are required. However, if these devices are connected by a cable, portability will be impaired. Not preferable. Therefore, there is a demand for a small external device that can be used while being mounted in the slot of a computer. Generally, a general-purpose slot for a board, which is always provided in a desktop computer, is not suitable for a portable computer due to its size, and the portable computer may be provided with a dedicated card slot that is smaller than the general-purpose slot for a board. Many.

The card type external device used by being inserted into such a dedicated slot has a standardized case size and input / output signal arrangement as described at the beginning, and it looks like a communication modem, an external expansion memory, etc. Cannot be distinguished. The identification of the function is performed by returning predetermined information in response to a request from the computer, and this information includes information for identifying the card function (device information such as communication modem, additional memory or LAN). And product information (product number, etc.) and various information used arbitrarily by the manufacturer are included. To store such a large amount of information, CI
A storage element (generally ROM; Read Only Memory) called S (Card Identification Status Resister) is provided.

[0004]

By the way, in such a conventional card type external device, there is a problem that it is troublesome to write information in the storage element (ROM) and it takes time. That is, conventionally, a probe was applied to the ROM on the card to write information, and then a suspension label (see FIG. 2) was attached to finish the product, but the time for writing information is limited to before attaching the suspension label. However, since it is necessary to manually touch the probe and operate the ROM writer, it is troublesome and time-consuming. [Purpose] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a card type external device in which the writing time of the identification information can be freely selected and the writing can be automated.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a card type external device which is used by inserting it into a dedicated slot of a computer in order to achieve the above object, and which responds to a request from the computer. The information returning means includes means for returning the function identification information of the card to the computer, the information returning means includes a storage element for electrically storing the function identification information, and a logical state of a predetermined terminal of the connector is a predetermined logic. It is characterized in that it is configured to allow writing of the function identification information into the storage element when the state is brought into a state.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the storage element is allowed to be written only by setting a predetermined terminal of the connector to a predetermined logic state, and for example, information from a computer can be written in the storage element. Therefore, it is not limited to the presence or absence of the suspension label, and the manual writing by contacting the probe is not required. As a result, the writing timing of information can be freely selected and the writing can be automated.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a card type external device (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “card”) according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a card-side connector that is connected to a connector of a dedicated slot of a computer (not shown), and the number and arrangement of pins are standardized. For example, in JEIDA Ver4.1 compatible, out of 68 pins in total, 1st pin, 34th pin, 35th pin and 68th pin are assigned to ground, and the rest are power source, data, address and various types. Assigned to the control signal. Only the control signal is different for each function of the card,
The ground, power supply, and data / address are common.

The pin arrangement of the connector 1 in this embodiment is as follows. Pin 1a: Card enable signal CE Pin 1b: Output enable signal OE Pin 1c: Attribute memory space select signal RE
G Pin 1d: Address (however, multiple bits) Pin 1e: Data (however, multiple bits) Pin 1f: Ground and write enable WE signal (point of this embodiment) (hereinafter, omitted) Card enable signal CE and output enable signal The OE and the attribute memory space select signal REG are given to the control circuit 2 together with the address and data, and the control circuit 2 outputs the internal card enable signal CE ′ while the CE, OE and REG are input in the active state. The internal output enable signal OE 'is output in the active state, and the computer can access the CIS information electrically stored in the attribute memory (storage element such as ROM) 3.

The control circuit 2 and the attribute memory 3 together form an information return means 4 for returning to the computer CIS information including the function identification information of the card in response to a request (CE, OE, REG, etc.) from the computer. Constitute. The CIS information is the internal circuit (for example, communication modem section, additional external memory section or LAN interface section).
Including the function information of 5, the computer identifies and uses the function of the card according to the CIS information.

Here, a pin 1f (corresponding to a predetermined terminal described in the gist of the invention) of the connector 1 is connected to the write enable terminal 3a (write enable at H level) of the attribute memory 3 and this pin 1f. For example, if the card is compatible with JEIDA Ver4.1, it corresponds to pin 1, pin 35, pin 35, or pin 68. These pins are dedicated to ground and cannot be used for any other purpose at the user stage. That is, since the pin 1f is always dropped to the ground potential (corresponding to L level) during normal use, the attribute memory 3 does not enter the write enable (write enable) state at the user stage, and the CIS information is inadvertently rewritten. There is no such thing.

On the other hand, for example, when the pin 1f is positively raised to the Vcc potential (corresponding to the H level; a predetermined logic state described in the gist of the invention) at the manufacturing stage, the attribute memory 3 becomes the write enable state. So, for example,
The computer-generated CIS information can be automatically written from the connector 1 to the attribute memory 3, and it is not necessary to manually write the CIS information by probe contact as in the conventional case.

Therefore, the writing of the CIS information can be facilitated, and since the writing of the information is performed via the connector 1, it is possible to freely perform the writing without limiting the writing time before the attachment of the suspension label. In the embodiment, the pin 1f (ground terminal) of the connector 1 is selected as the predetermined terminal, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a terminal that is unused when the user uses the card, or a used terminal that always has a specific logic state may be selected.

[0013]

According to the present invention, when the logical state of the predetermined terminal of the connector becomes the predetermined logical state, the writing of the function identification information to the storage element is allowed, so that the suspension label is attached. Regardless of the presence or absence, it is possible to provide a card-type external device in which the writing time of the identification information can be freely selected, and moreover, the writing can be automated to reduce the labor and easy to manufacture.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a card-type external device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Connector 1f: Ground pin (predetermined terminal) 3: Attribute memory (storage element) 4: Information returning means

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Koichiro Sada 1015 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Fujitsu Limited

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A card-type external device to be used by inserting it into a dedicated slot of a computer, comprising information returning means for returning the function identification information of the card to the computer in response to a request from the computer, The information returning means includes a storage element for electrically storing the function identification information, and writes the function identification information to the storage element when a logical state of a predetermined terminal of the connector becomes a predetermined logical state. A card-type external device characterized by being configured to allow