JPS63288379A - Reader/writer for memory card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To send and receive in real time a signal between a memory card and an external equipment, by providing a memory for buffer whose access time is higher than a transfer speed of a signal from the external equipment, in a reader/writer for the memory card. CONSTITUTION:When a memory card 7 has been connected to a terminal for memory card 6, data of the memory card 7 is transferred to a memory for buffer 5 by a flow of signals B1 and B2 through the memory card terminal 6, by a control signal A from a microcomputer 4. Between a data processing part 3 and the buffer memory 5, a signal is inputted and outputted as indicated with an arrow (a), and when the structure of the buffer memory 5 is an 8-bit parallel, a signal form of (a) becomes parallel 8 bits, and between an external equipment 1 and the buffer memory 5, a signal is sent and received. In this case, it can be executed in real time since the buffer memory 5 is a memory whose access time is higher than a transfer speed from the external equipment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention is applicable to memory cards that exchange signals with memory cards used as external storage media in 0M and FM devices such as document memory of word processors. league·
It's about writers.

2. Description of the Related Art A system block diagram of a conventional memory card reader/writer is shown in FIG. In Fig. 2, 1 is an external device such as a personal computer, and 2 is an interface terminal for exchanging signals with the external device 1, such as R8-23.
2C blue or FDD (floppy disk driver)
This is an interface terminal. 3 is a data processing unit that processes signals exchanged with the external device 1 via the interface terminal 2; 7 is a memory card equipped with a memory IC; 6 is a memory card terminal for exchanging signals with the memory card 7; , 4 is a microcomputer for controlling the data processing unit 3 and the memory card 7;
b4. b2. b3. b4 is an arrow indicating a signal flow, and D is a control signal going from the microcomputer 4 to the data processing section 3.

Signals are inputted and outputted between the external device 1 and the interface terminal 2 as shown by the arrow A, and signals are inputted and outputted through the entire interface terminal 2 to the data processing unit 3 as shown by the arrow b2. The signals b and b2 are the same, and their signal forms differ depending on the type of interface terminal 2. For example, in R5-232G, the signal format is serial data and the transfer rate is 960 obpg. Also FDD
The signal format of the interface is serial data, and the transfer rate is 500 kbpg.

Arrow b is between the data processing section 3 and the memory card terminal 6.
Signals are input/output as shown in 3, and signals are input/output as shown by arrow b4 through the memory card terminal 6 to the memory card 7. The signals b3 and b4 are the same, but if the structure of the memory card 7 is 8-bit parallel,
The signal formats of 3 and b4 are 8-bit parallel. Although the signal forms are different between b2 and bs, the signal forms are matched by the data processing section 3, and the timing of the processing is performed by a control signal from the microcomputer 4.

In this way, finally external device 1 and memory card 7
Signals are exchanged between the two.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the conventional method has a problem when the transfer rate of the signal b4 exchanged with the external device 1 is faster than the transfer rate of the signal b4 exchanged with the memory card 7.

For example, if the interface terminal 2 is an FDD interface terminal, the transfer rate of the signal b1 is 500 kbps, and the memory card 7 is a 12FROM memory IC.
In the case of a memory card mounted with , the write speed is slow and requires 10m1160 for 32 bytes in page write mode, so the transfer speed of signal b4 is 256 kbps. Therefore, in this case, there is a problem in that signals cannot be exchanged between the external device 1 and the memory card 7 in real time.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a memory card reader/writer with a buffer memory whose access time is faster than the signal transfer speed from an external device. When the memory card is connected to the memory card terminal, the data on the memory card is transferred to the buffer memory 1-, and when the memory card is removed from the memory card terminal after the signal exchange with the external device is completed, the data in the buffer memory is transferred. It is designed to be transferred to a memory card.

Effect of the Invention According to the present invention, signals are exchanged with an external device in real time because the transfer speed of signals from the external device is faster than that of the buffer 1, which has a faster access time. It becomes possible.

Embodiment A system block diagram of a memory card reader/writer according to the present invention is shown in FIG. In Figure 1, 6 is the memory for buffer 1, for example DRAM (dynamic RAM).
The rest is the same as in Figure 2. a, B,.

B2. C, , C2 are arrows indicating the flow of signals, and M is a control signal going from the microcomputer 4 to the buffer 1-memory 6. First, when the memory card 7 is connected to the memory card terminal 6, the data in the memory card 7 is transferred to the buffer 1- by the control signal from the microcomputer 4 through the memory card terminal 6 and the signal flow K of B2. Transferred to memory 6. For example, DM
(dynamic memory access) is transferred. Signals are input and output between the data processing unit 3 and the buffer memory 6 as shown by the arrow a, but if the structure of the buffer memory 6 is 8-bit parallel, the signal form of a is 8-bit parallel. Signals are exchanged between the external device 1 and the buffer 1-memory 6 in the same manner as in the conventional example. At this time, the buffer 1-memory 6 is a memory whose access time is faster than the transfer rate from the external device, such as DRAM (transfer rate 160 Mbps at 7ri-t=x time 501 SeO).
Therefore, signals can be exchanged between the external device 1 and the buffer 1-memory 6 in real time.

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, since there is a buffer memory whose access time is faster than the signal transfer rate from the external device, it is possible to transfer signals between the memory card and the external device, whose access time is slower than the signal transfer rate from the external device. It can be done in time.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a memory card reader/writer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a system block diagram of a conventional memory card league/writer. 1...External device, 2...Interface terminal, 3...Data processing unit, 4...
・Microcomputer - 15...Buffer memory, 6...Memory card terminal, 7
...Memory card, D...Control signal, a, bl, b2. b3. b4. B4. B2. C,
, C2...Arrow indicating the flow of signals. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person/-
---Outer machine 2-1-Internet desk S 8--Data processing unit 4-m-Microcomputer 5-1-Buffer memory 6--Memory card lever No. 1 Figure 7- ---
Mary Card Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] An interface terminal for exchanging signals with an external device, a memory card terminal for exchanging signals with a memory card equipped with a memory IC, and data for processing signals exchanged with the external device through the interface terminal. It consists of a processing section, a buffer memory whose access time is faster than the transfer rate of signals exchanged between the external device and the interface terminal, and a microcomputer for controlling the memory card, the data processing section, and the buffer memory. Memory card reader/writer.