JPH11137840A - Cartridge and portable game machine using this cartridge to play game - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable game machine, which can be made smaller and thinner. SOLUTION: This cartridge is equipped with a circuit board which a wiring pattern is formed on the surface and a memory 23 is mounted on the wiring pattern and a case in which the circuit board 22 is stored. This cartridge is made so that one end of the wiring pattern is extended to one end of the circuit board, a hollow part 21b1 which is surrounded by upper wall part 21b3, lower wall part 21b4, and right and left wall parts 21b5 and to which the protruding part of a connector is inserted is formed on one end part of the case, and one end of the wiring pattern exists in the hollow part 21b1. The upper, lower, right, and left wall parts on the case are integrally formed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable game machine for playing a game using a cartridge storing a game program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a portable game machine uses a cartridge in which a game program, voice, and images of characters and the like are stored, and by mounting the cartridge, reads and proceeds with the game program in an electrically connected state. ,
The game player operates the controller in accordance with the progress of the game program to develop the game, and has the following configuration.

That is, the portable game machine has a connector for electrically connecting the memory cartridge, a semiconductor device such as a CPU for executing a game program stored in the cartridge, and a circuit board on which the semiconductor device is mounted. A liquid crystal display unit for displaying an image of a character or the like appearing in the game according to a command from the CPU, a controller for a game player to perform an operation during the game play, a speaker for reproducing sound based on a game program, And a battery for operating the function. On the upper side of the circuit board, a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display unit, a controller, a speaker, etc. are arranged,
A connector, a battery, and the like are arranged on the lower surface side of the circuit board. These functions are housed in a case body composed of an upper case and a lower case.

A conventional cartridge and a connector are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 1-152482, and
It has a structure as shown in FIG.

The cartridge 61 has a circuit board 6 on which a predetermined wiring pattern is formed and on which a semiconductor device such as a ROM is mounted.
2 and a case body 63 composed of an upper case 63a and a lower case 63b that house the circuit board 62. The circuit board 62 is provided in contact with the inner wall surface of the lower case 63b. This cartridge 61
A hollow portion 61a is formed at one end thereof, and the wiring pattern of the circuit board 62 is exposed in the hollow portion 61a. The wiring pattern is a circuit board 62
Are extended in a state of being aligned toward one end.

On the other hand, the connector 64 has a U-shape in cross section, and a first wall portion 64 on which the cartridge 61 is mounted.
a, a second wall portion 64b for holding the lower case 63b of the cartridge 61 from the outside, and an attaching portion 64c for attaching to the circuit board 62, and the inner wall surface of the first wall portion 64a has elasticity. It has contact pins 64d which are juxtaposed in a deformable state (see FIG. 15). And, the cartridge 61
With the wiring pattern of the circuit board 62 and the contact pins 64d of the connector 64 being in contact with each other, the first wall portion 64a and the second
It is fitted and mounted between the wall portion 64b. At this time,
The wiring pattern of the contact pin 64d and the circuit board 62 is the first
Since it is pressed from above and below by the wall portion 64a and the second wall portion 64b, even if the cartridge 61 and the connector 64 are deformed into a curved shape, the cartridge 61 and the connector 64 are corrected by this and surely come into contact.

[0007]

However, when the connector 64 provided with the second wall portion 64b is used as described above, the thickness of the second wall portion 64b corresponds to the thickness of the portable game machine itself. The thickness dimension becomes large, which makes it difficult for the game player to hold in the hand and perform game operations, and it is difficult for the game player to enter a small storage space such as a pocket, which makes it extremely inconvenient to carry.

[0008] In recent years, game machines have become extremely compact before they can be carried, but other electronic devices have also been made portable, and the number of cases where a plurality of electronic devices are carried at the same time is increasing. Against this background, there is a demand for portable game machines that are even smaller or thinner.

The present invention provides a portable game machine which can be made smaller or thinner in such a situation.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge for use with a connector having a projecting portion in which contact pins are provided in a row, wherein a memory for storing a game program and a front surface are provided. A circuit board on which a wiring pattern is formed and the memory is mounted on the wiring pattern;
A case body in which the circuit board is housed, one end of the wiring pattern is extended to one end of the circuit board, and the case body has an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion at one end thereof. And a hollow portion surrounded by left and right side walls and into which the protrusion of the connector is inserted, wherein one end of the wiring pattern is present in the hollow portion, wherein the upper wall portion and the lower It is an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge wherein the wall and the left and right side walls are formed integrally.

[0011] The term "integrally formed" means one formed by one component, and does not include one formed by a plurality of components.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable game machine for playing a game using the cartridge according to the first aspect, wherein the portable game machine is detachably electrically connectable to the cartridge. A connector, a semiconductor device for executing a game program of the cartridge, a display unit for displaying the progress of the game program to a game player, a controller for the game player to input his / her own intention, the connector, the display unit, and the controller A substrate electrically connected to the substrate, the display unit and the controller are disposed on the upper surface side of the substrate, the connector is disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate, and the connector is a hollow portion of the cartridge. Having a protruding portion having a contact pin that makes electrical contact with the wiring pattern of the circuit board when inserted into the circuit board. It is intended to provide a portable game machine according to symptoms.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the portable game machine according to the second aspect, the semiconductor device is disposed on a lower surface side of the substrate at a position facing a cartridge mounted on the connector. In addition, the present invention provides a portable game machine, wherein a wall portion is provided at a portion located between the semiconductor device and the connector.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the portable game machine of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a portable game machine used in this embodiment.

On the surface of this portable game machine, a liquid crystal display screen 1 (display section) for displaying the contents of the game to the game player, a controller 2 for the game player to input his / her own intention, a game A sound generator 3 having a built-in speaker (not shown) for generating a sound in accordance with the progress of the program is formed.

The liquid crystal display screen 1 is formed so as to be located substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction and slightly above in the short direction.

The controller 2 is disposed on both the left and right sides of the liquid crystal display screen 1. On the left side of the liquid crystal display screen 1, there are disposed keys 2 a having four upward, downward, left and right pressing points. On the right side of the screen 1, two push-type push buttons 2b are disposed diagonally to the left.

A power switch 4 for turning on / off the power is disposed above the key 2a in the short direction.

The controller 2 and the power switch 4 are arranged so as to be located above the center line (two-dot chain line in the figure) in the vertical direction of the liquid crystal display screen 1 in the short direction. By arranging the controller 2 in this manner, the game player can easily operate the controller 2 while holding the portable game machine by hand. Specifically, the game player presses the lower corner of the portable game machine with the palm of each hand while supporting the back of the portable game machine with the little finger, the ring finger, the middle finger and the index finger. Is very easy to move when it comes to the vicinity of, and it is easy to operate the controller 2.

Behind the two push buttons 2b, two cylindrical batteries 5 for moving the portable game machine are provided. Furthermore, a communication unit capable of fighting another game player or a communication connector 6 connectable to a communication wiring is provided in an upper portion in the short direction of the portable game machine located above the key 2a. . In addition, an external power supply connector 7 is incorporated in a portion located below the liquid crystal display screen 1 in the lateral direction, and a headphone connector 8 is incorporated in a portion located to the left of the external power supply connector 7. Have been.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a sectional structure of the portable game machine.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a case body. The case body 9 includes an upper case 9a and a lower case 9b, and a hollow portion is formed between the upper and lower cases 9a and 9b. The above-mentioned components are disposed in the case body 9. In the lower case 9b, an insertion opening 10 for inserting the cartridge 20 is formed.

The cartridge 20, as shown in FIG.
Case body 2 composed of upper case 21a and lower case 21b
1 and a circuit board 22 housed in the case body 21. On the circuit board 22, a memory 23 such as a ROM storing a game program and the like is mounted. At one end of the lower case 21b, two windows 21b1 (hollow portions) for inserting the connector 11 are formed. These windows 21b1 are upper wall portions 21b3,
It is integrally formed in a region surrounded by the lower wall portion 21b4 and the left and right wall portions 21b5.

The cartridge 20 is attached and fixed so that the upper case 21a and the lower case 21b are overlapped, and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view as shown in a plan view of FIG. The vertical dimension of the cartridge 20 is about 45 mm, and the horizontal dimension is about 54 mm.

The lower case 21b of the cartridge 20
As shown in the end view of FIG.
The two window portions 21b1 described above are formed on the left and right sides. The height A of the window 21b1 is set to the lower case 20b.
Are molded with extremely small tolerance dimensions (for example, within a tolerance range of 0.15 mm), and in the present embodiment, the height A is about 3.5 mm.
The width dimension C of the window 21b2 is also extremely small (for example, within a tolerance range of 0.15 mm) similarly to the height dimension.
In the present embodiment, the width C is about 50 mm.

The circuit board 22 is located at the hatched portion in FIG.
It is housed in a state mounted on the inner wall surface of the lower case 21b with almost no gap.

In the present embodiment, the lower case 21b is mounted on the inner wall surface of the lower case 21b with almost no gap. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a groove for accommodating the circuit board 22 is provided on the inner wall surface of the lower case 21b. Is provided so that the end face of the circuit board 22 is not exposed, so that the tip of the circuit board 22 can be protected against erroneous handling of the cartridge 20 of the game player (for example, hitting against a hard object). It is also possible to prevent chipping or scratching.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the cartridge 20. The thickness B of the cartridge 20 is as thin as about 8 mm.

Further, the circuit board 22 will be described with reference to FIG.
A predetermined wiring pattern is formed on the surface of the device, and a memory 23 such as a ROM (omitted in FIG. 7) is mounted on the wiring pattern. In this wiring pattern, a plurality of wirings (36 wirings in the present embodiment) are extended toward one end of the circuit board 22. The plurality of wiring patterns (hereinafter, referred to as the external connection terminals 22a) extending in the direction of the end surface come into contact with contact pins of the connector 11 described later.

The circuit board 22 has a notch 22b formed at one end thereof and arranged in parallel with the external connection terminal 22a, and the notch 22b cuts into the middle pillar 21b2 of the lower case 21b. The lower case 2 in such a state
1b. One end of the wiring pattern of the circuit board 22 will be present in the hollow part.

Further, on the right side of the notch 22b,
A through hole 22c of about 6.5 mm is formed, and a screw (not shown) is inserted into the through hole 22c to insert the upper case 21a.
And the lower case 21b are attached and fixed.

Next, the connector 11 will be described. As shown in the top view of FIG. 8, the connector 11 has three feet 11a for mounting the connector 11 on a circuit board in a portable game machine in a stable state, and has upper faces at both ends and a center. It is formed so as to protrude rearward. The connector 11 is formed with two protruding portions 11b protruding forward in a top view. Each protrusion 11b
Is tapered so that the shape of the tip portion in plan view becomes narrower, and guides it so that it can be smoothly inserted into the window 21b1 of the cartridge 20.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, contact pins 11c corresponding to each of the external connection terminals 22a on the circuit board 22 of the cartridge 20 are provided in a row on the protruding portion 11b. Further, each protruding portion 11b has a tapered shape in which the tip portion becomes narrower, and guides so that the window portion 21b1 of the cartridge 20 can be smoothly inserted. Further, although not shown in these figures, each of the feet 11a is in a state of protruding rearward as opposed to protruding forward like the protruding part 11b. Further, claw portions 11e for attachment to the board of the portable game machine are provided on the foot portions 11a at both ends. Further, the connector 11 is provided with positioning pins 11d for attachment to a circuit board of the portable game machine at both ends. The board 14 is electrically connected to the connector 11, the liquid crystal display screen 1, and the controller 2. The liquid crystal display screen 1 and the controller 2 are disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 14, and the connector 11 is disposed on the lower surface of the substrate 14. The connector 11 is a housing 11f made of a hard resin such as PBT (polybutyl terephthalate).
The plurality of rectangles shown in FIG. 9 are hollow portions 11g for preventing deformation of the housing 11f. The connector 11 can be made of an engineering plastic (engineering plastic) that is hard and has high molding dimensional accuracy.

FIG. 11 shows that the cartridge 20 is connected to the connector 1.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state of being attached to the first. The cartridge 20 is mounted on the connector 11 while being supported by the metal plate 12 along the direction of the arrow in the figure. At this time, when the protrusion 11b of the connector 11 enters the window 21b1 of the lower case 21b, the contact pin 11c
And the external contact terminals 22a come into contact with each other. Since the contact pin 11c is held in such a manner as to be elastically deformed, when the contact pin 11c comes into contact with the external contact terminal 22a, the contact pin 11c is elastically deformed and contacts each external contact terminal 22a. As a result, a stable contact state can be obtained. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the tolerance of the height A of the window 21b1 of the cartridge 20 is very small, so that when the projection 11b of the connector 11 enters the window 21b1, the surface of the projection 11b Since the gap generated between the contact pin 11c and the inner wall surface of the window 21b1 is very unlikely to occur, a more stable contact state between the contact pin 11c and the external contact terminal 22a can be obtained. As described above, the cartridge 20 can be electrically connected to the connector 11 in a detachable state. Further, in the present embodiment,
The cartridge 20 has a protrusion 11 b of the connector 11.
Part that enters (that is, part that forms window 21b1)
Are formed integrally, and since the center pillar 21b2 is formed integrally, bending deformation or the like in the height direction does not easily occur, and more stable contact between the contact pin 11c and the external contact terminal 22a is achieved. The state can be obtained.

Since the cartridge 20 has the above-described structure, only the protrusions 11b of the connector 11 are arranged in a line, and a holding wall for supporting the lower wall surface of the cartridge 20 as conventionally used is provided. It is not necessary to provide the connector 11, the structure of the connector 11 can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a thin metal plate 12 made of stainless steel or the like for supporting the cartridge 20 is provided in the insertion slot 10. The metal plate 12 has a thickness of about 0.3 mm, and a tip portion 12a is bent at a right angle downward. Then, the distal end surface of the distal end portion 12a of the metal plate 12 comes into contact with the sponge 13 (wall portion). The sponge 13 is formed on the surface of the substrate 14 via an adhesive or the like. As a result, when the contact pins 11c of the connector 11 and the external connection terminals 22a in the cartridge 20 come into contact with each other, powder of metal or the like generated by abrasion or the like falls on the substrate 14 and the wiring is formed on the substrate 14. The bent metal plate 12 and the sponge 13 are blocked by a wall to prevent the pattern from inducing poor contact between adjacent patterns and adjacent semiconductor devices (not shown), thereby reducing reliability. It has been prevented beforehand. The semiconductor device is disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate 14 at a position facing the cartridge 20 with the metal plate 12 interposed therebetween. In this embodiment, the sponge 13 is used as the wall. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the case where the wall is provided on the circuit board, an insulator is used for a portion in contact with the circuit board, If not, an electrically conductive material other than an insulator may be used. Also, the shape of the wall is not limited.

The portable game machine having the above structure has the following functions.

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the portable game machine.

In the portable game machine, the cartridge 20
RA that advances the game program 24a in the OM 24
M (memory) 25 (semiconductor device), liquid crystal display unit 1a for displaying video data 24b of ROM 24 as video, sound reproduction unit 3a including a speaker for reproducing sound data 24c as sound, and controller 2 described above.
Commanding the progress of the game program 24a in the ROM 24, and according to the progress of the game program 24a and the controller 2 of the game player, a plurality of video
CPU that transfers appropriate video data 24b out of b to the liquid crystal display unit 1a and transfers appropriate audio data 24c out of the plurality of audio data 24c to the audio reproduction unit 3a
25 (semiconductor device).

A display drive circuit 26 for displaying the video data 24b as if the character is moving is connected to the liquid crystal display unit 1a.

Further, the sound reproducing unit 3a has a sound reproducing circuit 2 for converting the sound data 24c into a sound as if a character is emitting sound in the sound reproducing unit 3a.
7 are provided.

The electrical connection between the cartridge 20 and the portable game machine is made through the connector 11 as described above.

The portable game machine having such a function plays a game in the following procedure.

First, when the game player operates the cartridge 20
Is attached to the connector 11 of the portable game machine, and in this state, the power switch is turned on. Then, the CPU 25 executes the game program 2 in the ROM 24 of the cartridge 20.
4a, the video data 24b and the sound data 24c are read, and the game program is advanced by the RAM 25 based on an instruction from the CPU 25. The game player operates the liquid crystal display screen 1 as the game program 24a progresses.
Is visually determined, and operated using the controller 2 as necessary. For example, in the case of a game program in which a character (pseudo game player) is advanced on the liquid crystal display screen 1 while avoiding shells released from the front, the game player uses the controller 2
Skillfully presses with your finger to move the character back and forth and left and right so that it is not hit by shells. The operation of the game player is set according to the content of the game program.

In this embodiment, the case body 21 of the cartridge 20 is formed by the upper case 21a and the lower case 21b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. Case 30b and window case 3
0c. The window case 30c is formed by, for example, a fitting means (not shown) provided on the window case 30c.
It can be attached to the upper case 30a and the lower case 30b.
The window case 30c and the upper case 30a in FIG.
May be integrally formed and attached to the lower case 30b. Further, in the present embodiment, the left and right wall portions of the case body are formed at both ends of the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and has a space into which the projecting portion of the connector is inserted. If so, it may be formed at a position inside both ends of the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion.

[0047]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the upper wall, the lower wall, and the left and right walls of the case body are integrally formed, the width and the height of the hollow are reduced. Since the accuracy can be extremely high, for example, when inserting the connector into the hollow portion, it is possible to more reliably contact the wiring pattern in the hollow portion and the contact pin of the connector, and the reliability is reduced due to poor electrical contact. It is possible to prevent.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by using the cartridge of the first aspect, the outer surface of the lower wall portion of the conventionally used cartridge is supported only by inserting the connector into the hollow portion of the cartridge. Since it is not necessary to provide a supporting portion on the connector, the structure of the connector can be simplified and the connector can be made thinner, so that the thickness of the portable game machine itself becomes very thin, and it becomes extremely portable for the game player. .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the wall is provided on the portion of the substrate located between the semiconductor device and the connector, metal powder or the like generated when the cartridge is mounted on the connector is removed. For example, it is possible to prevent a contact failure from occurring, for example, by spilling onto a wiring pattern on a substrate or a semiconductor device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part for describing an appearance of a portable game machine used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the portable game machine used in the present embodiment, taken along line XX in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a structure of a cartridge used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the cartridge of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the cartridge of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the cartridge of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a partially omitted plan view showing a circuit board in the cartridge of the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a top view showing the connector of the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing the connector of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the connector of the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the cartridge of the present embodiment is mounted on the connector.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cartridge according to a modified example of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of the cartridge and the portable game machine according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the structure of a conventional connector and cartridge.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a mounted state of a conventional connector and a cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid crystal display screen 2 Controller 9 Case 11 Connector 11c Contact pin 12 Metal plate 13 Sponge 14 Substrate 20 Cartridge 21b1 Window 21b3 Upper wall 21b4 Lower wall 21b5 Left and right wall 22 Circuit board 23 Memory S.N.K.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cartridge for use with a connector having a projecting portion in which contact pins are provided in a row, comprising: a memory in which a game program is stored; and a wiring pattern formed on a surface of the cartridge. A circuit board on which the memory is mounted, and a case body in which the circuit board is housed, one end of the wiring pattern is extended to one end of the circuit board, and the case body is one end thereof. A cartridge in which a hollow portion is formed at an end portion, the hollow portion being surrounded by an upper wall portion, a lower wall portion, and left and right side wall portions and into which the protrusion of the connector is inserted, and one end of the wiring pattern is present in the hollow portion. An upper wall, a lower wall, and left and right side walls of the case body are integrally formed. 2. A portable game machine for playing a game using the cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said portable game machine comprises a connector which can be electrically connected to said cartridge in a detachable state, and said cartridge. A game device, a display unit for displaying the progress of the game program to a game player, a controller by which the game player inputs his / her own intention, and an electrical connection with the connector, the display unit, and the controller And the display unit and the controller are disposed on the upper surface side of the substrate, the connector is disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate, and the connector,
A portable game machine comprising: a projection having contact pins for electrically contacting a wiring pattern of the circuit board when inserted into a hollow portion of the cartridge. 3. The portable game machine according to claim 2, wherein said semiconductor device is disposed on a lower surface side of said substrate at a position facing a cartridge mounted on said connector, and said semiconductor device is provided with said semiconductor device. A portable game machine, wherein a wall portion is provided at a portion located between the connector and the connector.