JPH10171938A - Pc card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stable PC card having no malfunction irrespective of the version of connecting conditions by providing a storage means for storing the state of an operation mode switch when a power is turned on and not changing the stored contents during the PC card is loaded even by the erroneous operation of a mechanical switch or the like. SOLUTION: An operation to be used in the PC card 1 is selected by the switch 4. Then, the PC card 1 is connected to a host device. If the card is inserted in the state where the power of the host device is turned on, a supply voltage Vcc is applied at the same time as the insertion of the card. A power IC 5 detects this applying of supply voltage and notifies the storage means 3 the effect that the PC card is operable. In the storage means 3, the operation mode information selected by the switch 4 is latched according to the signal transmitted from the power IC 5. This latched state is held by the storage means 3 when voltage is applied to the PC card.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
The so-called P used as an auxiliary signal source for sound sources, images, etc.
The present invention relates to a C card, and more particularly to a malfunction prevention that occurs when an operation mode of a PC card having a plurality of operation modes is switched.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various operation modes such as memory writing, reading, input / output switching, and audio signal input / output have been executed for a PC card external to a computer. It has been required to support not only the above operation modes but also video signal input / output. On the other hand, in a memory card, prohibition / cancellation of data writing is performed by a mechanical switch. Conventionally, the switching of each of the above operation modes has been performed by sending and receiving commands to and from the computer main unit via a connector that satisfies the pin connection conditions defined by the PCMCIA standard. However, when the input / output of the video signal is also performed as described above, it becomes necessary to execute the input / output of the signal under the pin connection condition different from the conventional one. For this reason, the types of information to be handled, that is, the types of the various operation modes described above, are increasing for multi-mode computers, and new pin connection conditions according to the conventional PCMCIA standard have been standardized. For this reason,
For recent models that support multi-mode, such an operation mode switching is not a problem, but for models that support multi-mode, the above operation modes can be used with the PC card connected to the computer. In order to perform the switching, the function of the PC card itself needs to be switched at the same time by switching the pin connection conditions. That is, this means that the pin arrangement according to the PCMCIA standard must be switched while being connected to the computer.

As described above, the types of information handled by PC cards used for computer interfaces have increased with the progress of multimedia, and the standards for connection conditions have also changed, and the same PC card is compatible with both new and old versions. Compatibility is needed. Conventionally, a dedicated PC card has been used for each version, and a PC card having a configuration satisfying the above requirements has not been announced.

As shown in FIG. 4, the position of a switch for prohibiting / releasing data writing in the memory card is provided on a side surface of the memory card opposite to a connector of the card. The switching operation of the switch was enabled.

A mechanical switch for switching the operation mode corresponding to both of these versions on the PC card side is used. Conventionally, such a mechanical switch is used to prohibit writing to the PC card. The position was set on the side of the PC card as described above. When used for write-protection, the operation of the mechanical switch is permitted even when the PC card is loaded, but switching of the plurality of operation modes is not allowed when the PC card is loaded as described above. For this reason, there has been a need for a solution for preventing a trouble from occurring even if a switch is erroneously operated from the outside while a PC card of a computer is loaded, or preventing erroneous operation of a mechanical switch.

[0006]

As described above, the connection conditions between a computer and a PC card are changing, and in response to this, a single PC card can be used to switch between the old and new versions. Is required. However, at the same time, when this switch is installed, if the PC card is loaded in the computer and this switch is switched by an erroneous operation, the PC is switched.
The operation of the system may be confused by different connection conditions of the card to the computer.

[0007] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and provides a stable PC free from malfunctions regardless of the version of the connection condition.
The purpose is to provide the card.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an electrical connection is made to a host device via a connector, and a plurality of electrical input / output signal connection methods are provided. In a PC card having an operation mode and having a mechanical switch for switching and selecting the plurality of operation modes, a state of the mechanical switch for switching the plurality of operation modes is stored at the time of power-on, and while the PC card is being loaded, The storage unit is configured to have a storage unit that does not change the stored content due to an erroneous operation of the mechanical switch for switching the operation mode.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the PC card according to the first aspect, further comprising a nonvolatile memory in which input / output and storage conditions corresponding to each of the plurality of operation modes are recorded. There is provided a selecting means capable of selecting and reading out the condition corresponding to the operation mode selected by the mechanical switch from the non-volatile memory by an output from the means.

Further, in the present invention, a mechanical switch for switching and selecting the operation mode is provided on a surface which is not exposed to the outside while the PC card is loaded.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system diagram of a PC card according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the PC card 1 is connected via a connector 10 to a host device such as a computer. PC
Signals such as address information, data, chip enable, and other various control signals for the memory in the card 1 are transmitted and received through the connector 10 together with the power supply and the ground wiring. Each line of the address, data and control signals is connected to the I / F control unit 2 in the card, and at the same time, various operations such as register swapping and access information in each operation mode of the operation mode A8 and the operation mode B9. It is also connected to an EEPROM 7 in which conditions are stored.
The operation mode A8 or the operation mode B9 is selected by the switch 4, and the selected operation mode is stored in the storage unit 3. This storage operation detects the timing of turning on the power by the power supply IC 5 and stores the position of the switch at the time of turning on the power, that is, the operation mode of the operation mode A8 or the operation mode B9. The selected and stored operation mode is input to the selection means 6 in the I / F control unit, and the condition corresponding to the selected operation mode is selected.

The operation of the present invention having the above configuration will be described below.

First, an operation mode to be used in the PC card 1 is selected by the switch 4. After this,
When the PC card 1 is connected to a higher-level device and a card is inserted while the power of the higher-level device is turned on, the power supply voltage Vcc is applied when the card is inserted. The power supply IC 5 detects the application of the power supply voltage and notifies the storage means 3 that the PC card is in an operable state. In the storage means 3, the signal transmitted from the power supply IC 5 is
Latch the operation mode information selected by. This latched state is maintained by the storage means 3 as long as a voltage is applied to the PC card. This storage means 3 is shown in FIG.
Can be easily realized by using a D flip-flop as shown in FIG. That is, the output state of the power supply IC 5 is applied to the CK terminal of the D flip-flop through the wiring 51, and the information of the operation mode selected by the switch 4 is applied to the D terminal through the wiring 41, whereby the mode identification signal is output. The signal is output from the terminal Q via the wiring 31. The storage unit 3 transmits information corresponding to the operation mode specified by the switch 4 to the selection unit 6 built in the I / F control unit 2. The selection unit 6 selects whether the function connected to the I / F control unit 2 is the operation mode A8 or the operation mode B9, and specifies one operation mode connected to the higher-level device. At the same time, the selection means 6 selects the condition stored in the EEPROM 7, that is, the condition corresponding to the operation mode selected from either the condition A or the condition B.
As described above, when the power is applied to the PC card 1 from the host device, the operation mode set by the switch 4 is stored and held in the card.
Even if the switch 4 malfunctions when the switch is in the operating state, the operation mode set when the power is first turned on does not change.

Further, the position at which the switch is attached to the PC card is also set outside the apparatus in a state where the PC card is loaded into the apparatus, such as the top and bottom surfaces of the card as shown in FIG. By installing the switch in a part that is not exposed, it is possible to prevent the operation of the switch during loading, and this structure eliminates the need for the storage unit 3.

In the above description, the operation modes are A and B.
Although the case of two modes has been described, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to the case of two or more modes. Furthermore, it is also possible to integrate the function processing units of the mode A8 and the mode B9 with the I / F control unit 2 to form a single chip.

[0017]

According to the present invention, as described above, the PC
The operation mode to be set in the card is latched when the power is turned on, and the operation is not confused due to an erroneous operation of the operation mode selection switch while the PC card is operating. Further, by installing the switch at a position where it cannot be operated from the outside while the PC card is loaded, the safety can be further enhanced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the inside of a PC card according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a connection diagram of a D flip-flop used in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing an installation position of a mechanical switch for switching and selecting the operation mode in the PC card according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external view showing a position of a write protect switch in a conventional memory card.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 PC card 2 I / F control part 3 Storage means 4 Operation mode selection switch 5 Power supply IC 6 Selection means 7 EEPROM (nonvolatile memory) 8 Operation mode A function processing part 9 Operation mode B function processing part 10 Connector

Claims (3)

[Claims] An electrical input / output signal connection method having a plurality of operation modes; and a mechanical switch for selecting the plurality of operation modes. A PC card having a storage means for storing selection information of the selected operation mode at power-on. 2. The PC card according to claim 1, further comprising: a non-volatile memory for storing conditions corresponding to each of the operation modes, and an output from the storage means for storing selection information at power-on. A PC card, comprising: a selection unit capable of selectively reading, from the nonvolatile memory, a condition corresponding to an operation mode selected by a mechanical switch for selecting the operation mode. 3. The PC card according to claim 1, wherein a mechanical switch for selecting the operation mode is provided on a side portion of the PC card that is not exposed to the outside during operation of the PC card. PC card to do.