JP2007122354A - Peripheral device and electronic equipment system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a card not to be taken out under a state that a peripheral device is connected to electronic equipment and to allow the card to be taken out and inserted easily under a state of connection cancellation, with a simple configuration. <P>SOLUTION: Since a card slot 4 is provided adjacent to a USB connector 5 of a data communication apparatus 1, when the USB connector 5 is inserted in a USB port 7 of a personal computer 6, a front of the card slot 4 is closed by a wall part 6a. Therefore, when power is supplied to the data communication apparatus 1 via the USB connector 5 and USB port 7, a SIM card 3 is not taken out of the card slot 4. When the USB connector 5 is taken out of the USB port 7, the SIM card 3 is easily taken out of the card slot 4. At this time, power is not supplied to the data communication apparatus 1 via the USB connector 5 and USB port 7, so that the SIM card 3 is least likely to be broken. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a peripheral device and an electronic device system, and more particularly to a peripheral device such as a data communication apparatus connected to an interface unit of an electronic device such as a personal computer, and an electronic device system including the electronic device and the peripheral device.

  Conventionally, peripheral devices connected to electronic devices such as personal computers are often used. For example, there is a configuration in which a data communication device is connected to an interface unit of an electronic device, and data can be wirelessly transmitted and received by the data communication device. In Patent Document 1, an adapter module equipped with a PC card having a communication function is connected to an interface unit of an output device such as a printer or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) to enable transmission / reception of data of the output device. The configuration is disclosed.

  Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose peripheral devices such as a card reader connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port of an electronic device. These peripheral devices are provided with a card slot into which a card such as a memory card is inserted.

On the other hand, a SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) card may be used for data communication. The SIM card stores information related to a contract with a communication carrier such as a telephone number and a user ID, and is often used by being attached to a mobile phone. However, the SIM card is used for a data communication apparatus connected to a personal computer or the like. It can also be used by mounting. By using one SIM card inserted into and removed from various electronic devices, communication according to a single contract information (telephone number or the like) stored in the SIM card can be performed in various electronic devices. Therefore, it is not necessary to conclude a communication contract separately for each electronic device, and information communication according to necessity and application can be easily performed while using various electronic devices properly. The SIM card mentioned here includes a UIM (User Identify Module) card.
JP 2002-351650 A Utility Model Registration No. 3108898 JP 2001-166858 A JP 2004-13220 A

  As described above, when communication is performed using various electronic devices based on one communication contract, one SIM card is inserted and removed each time. Considering the workability of the user, it is preferable that the SIM card can be easily attached and detached.

  On the other hand, it is necessary to avoid, as much as possible, damage to the SIM card storing important contract information for communication and further incorporating the processing device. For example, when a data communication device is connected to an interface unit of an electronic device such as a personal computer, even if the connector provided in the data communication device is directly connected, the connection is made via a relay cable. In addition, the user can freely touch the data communication device. If the SIM card attached to the data communication device is exposed to the outside and can be manually inserted and removed, it is possible to remove the SIM card during operation of the device, either the SIM card itself or the SIM card. The data stored in the may be damaged. If the SIM card is inserted or removed while the device is operating, that is, with power supplied, there is a high possibility that the SIM card and the data stored therein will be damaged due to an excessive current flowing. It is desirable to insert / remove the SIM card when the power of the device is off.

  For this reason, in mobile phones, data communication devices, and the like, a measure has been considered that prevents the SIM card from being damaged by making it impossible to insert and remove the SIM card during operation of the device. A general mobile phone or the like employs a configuration in which a SIM card mounting portion is provided inside a device and this mounting portion is covered with a lid. However, if the opening and closing of the lid covering the mounting portion is complicated, it is troublesome to insert and remove the SIM card, which is inconvenient and inconvenient for the user. On the other hand, if the configuration is such that the lid can be easily opened and closed in consideration of the workability of the user, the SIM card can be easily inserted and removed even during operation of the device, and as a result, the SIM card is erroneously inserted and removed. A possibility arises.

  As described above, regarding the SIM card that may be used by being mounted on various electronic devices, it can be said that the workability of the SIM card insertion / removal work and the safety of preventing damage are a trade-off.

  Cited Document 4 discloses a configuration having a lock mechanism that structurally restricts the card removal from the card slot, a lock state detection means, and a control means. In this configuration, when the lock state of the lock mechanism is detected, the interface unit of the electronic device is set to an active state in which signals can be transferred to and from the card. On the other hand, when the unlocking state of the lock mechanism is detected, the interface unit is set to an inactive state in which signal transfer with the card is impossible. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the card from being inserted and removed during the operation of the electronic device, but the configuration is very complicated with respect to the mechanism and the electric circuit. Also, the lock mechanism must be released to insert or remove the card.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a peripheral device that has a simple configuration and allows easy insertion / removal of a card such as a SIM card, but cannot be inserted / removed during operation of a connected electronic device. Another object is to provide an electronic device system including the electronic device and peripheral devices.

  In the present invention, a card is detachable, and a peripheral device that is used by being connected to an electronic device is provided adjacent to the connector portion connected to the interface portion of the electronic device, and the connector portion. Card slot. According to this configuration, when the connector portion is connected to the electronic device, there is almost no gap in front of the card slot adjacent to the connector portion. Therefore, it is impossible to insert / remove the card while the peripheral device is connected to the electronic device. The card may be a SIM card and may have a data communication function. The connector unit may be a USB connector, and the interface unit may be a USB port.

  The card mounting direction in the card slot is preferably parallel to the connection direction of the connector section to the interface section and in the same direction or in the opposite direction. In that case, it is easy to form a configuration that makes it impossible to insert and remove the card in a state where the connector portion is connected to the interface portion.

  The electronic device system of the present invention includes a peripheral device having any one of the above-described configurations and an electronic device having a wall portion provided with an interface portion, and the wall portion is connected to the electronic device. It has the part which plugs up the front of the card slot.

  Another electronic device system according to the present invention includes a peripheral device having any one of the above-described configurations, an electronic device having an interface unit, a relay cable that connects a connector unit of the peripheral device and an interface unit of the electronic device. The relay cable includes a socket portion to which the connector portion is connected, and a wall portion that is adjacent to the socket portion and blocks the front of the card slot of the peripheral device in a state where the connector portion is connected to the socket portion. It is characterized by being.

  According to the present invention, when the peripheral device is connected to the electronic device, there is almost no gap in front of the card slot adjacent to the connector portion, so that the card cannot be physically inserted or removed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the card from being accidentally pulled out and damaged in the operating state where the peripheral device is connected to the electronic device. In addition, it is not necessary to complicate the configuration of peripheral devices and electronic devices.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 shows a data communication apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Although not described in detail, the data communication device 1 has a hardware structure similar to that of a known data communication device built in the case 2 and stores software similar to that of the known data communication device. When the SIM card 3 is attached, a communication function can be achieved based on information stored in the SIM card 3. The data communication apparatus 1 is provided with a card slot 4 for mounting a SIM card 3. Further, for example, a USB connector 5 which is a connector portion for connecting to an electronic device such as a personal computer 6 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is provided.

  A major feature of the data communication device 1 of the present invention is that the card slot 4 is arranged at a position adjacent to the USB connector 5. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the direction in which the USB connector 5 is inserted into the USB port 7 that is an interface unit of an electronic device such as a personal computer 6 and the direction in which the SIM card 3 is inserted into the card slot 4 are parallel and opposite to each other. It has become.

  A state in which the data communication apparatus 1 is connected to the personal computer 6 is shown in FIG. This connection will be described. First, the SIM card 3 is inserted into the card slot 4 of the data communication apparatus 1. Then, the USB connector 5 of the data communication apparatus 1 is inserted into the USB port 7 of the personal computer 6. Thus, the connection of the data communication apparatus 1 to the personal computer 6 is completed. Although not described in detail, power is supplied from the personal computer 6 to the data communication device 1 via the USB port 7 and the USB connector 5, and the hardware and software in the data communication device 1 operate to perform a communication function. it can. For example, data in the personal computer 6 can be transmitted by the data communication device 1 or data from a network such as the Internet can be taken into the personal computer 6.

  In this connection state, when removing the SIM card 3, first, the USB connector 5 is removed from the USB port 7, and the data communication apparatus 1 is removed from the personal computer 6. At this time, the power supply to the data communication device 1 is cut off, and the data communication device 1 is turned off. Then, the SIM card 3 is extracted from the card slot 4 adjacent to the USB connector 5. Since the USB connector 5 has already been disconnected from the USB port 7 when the SIM card 3 is extracted, no power is supplied to the data communication apparatus 1. Therefore, there is no possibility that an excessive current is applied to the SIM card 3.

  In a state where the data communication apparatus 1 is connected to the personal computer 6, that is, in a state where the USB connector 5 is inserted into the USB port 7, the front of the card slot 4 is blocked by the wall portion 6 a of the personal computer 6. Therefore, the SIM card 3 cannot be removed from the card slot 4. That is, the SIM card 3 cannot be removed in a state where the USB connector 5 is inserted into the USB port 7, that is, in a state where power may be supplied to the data communication apparatus 1. This is very effective for preventing the SIM card 3 and the data stored therein from being damaged due to an excessive current.

  FIG. 3 shows a connection form different from that described above between the data communication apparatus 1 and the electronic apparatus of the present embodiment. This is a configuration that assumes a case where it is difficult to directly connect and hold the data communication device 1 on the wall surface of the electronic device provided with the USB port due to problems such as the shape of the electronic device. In the example shown in FIG. 3, a small personal digital assistant (PDA) 8 is used as an electronic device, and the USB port of the PDA 8 and the USB connector 5 of the data communication apparatus 1 are connected via a relay cable 10. Has been. As shown in FIG. 4, the relay cable 10 used here has a wall portion 11 a formed in one socket portion 11. The other socket portion 9 is not provided with a wall portion and is the same as the socket portion of the conventional relay cable.

  When the USB connector 5 of the data communication device 1 is inserted into the socket portion 11 of the relay cable 10, the front of the card slot 4 adjacent to the USB connector 5 is blocked by the wall portion 11a. Therefore, the SIM card 3 cannot be removed as long as the USB connector 5 is connected to the relay cable 10, that is, in a state where power may be supplied to the data communication apparatus 1.

  As described above, the data communication device 1 of the present invention has the same effect both when it is directly connected to the electronic device and when it is connected to the electronic device via the relay cable 10 having the wall portion 11a. It is done. Note that the front surface of the card slot 4 and the walls 6a and 11a may be in close contact with the data communication device 1 connected to the electronic devices 6 and 8, but may be in close proximity with a slight gap. Good. That is, in this connection state, it is sufficient that there is no wide gap between the front surface of the card slot 4 and the wall portions 6a and 11a so that the SIM card 3 can be inserted and removed.

  In addition to the personal computer 6 shown in FIG. 2 and the PDA 8 shown in FIG. 3, various electronic devices such as a printer, a CRT, and a mobile phone are used as electronic devices. Further, the peripheral device is not limited to the data communication device, and any peripheral device in which a card is mounted and connected to an electronic device and functions is used. The card is not limited to the SIM card 3, and is inserted into a card slot of a peripheral device such as a PC card, an IC card, or a memory card to assist the operation of the peripheral device or to electrically read and write data. Any card that does is used. In the drawing, a small SIM card 3 and a small card slot 4 corresponding to the small SIM card 3 are shown. However, when other types of cards are used, a card slot corresponding to the size and shape of the card is shown. What is necessary is just to form suitably. The connector part, the interface part, and the socket part are not limited to those of the USB standard, and those of various standards can be used.

It is a perspective view of the data communication apparatus which is one Embodiment of the peripheral device of this invention. (A) is a perspective view of the electrical equipment system of this invention to which the data communication apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and the personal computer which is an example of an electronic device were connected, (b) is a typical expansion of the principal part. It is a side view. (A) is a perspective view of another example of the electrical equipment system of the present invention in which the data communication apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and a PDA as an example of an electronic equipment are connected via a relay cable. FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged side view of the main part. It is a typical perspective view of the principal part of the relay cable shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Data communication equipment (peripheral equipment)
2 Case 3 SIM card (card)
4 Card slot 5 USB connector (connector part)
6 Personal computer (electronic equipment)
6a Wall 7 USB port (interface part)
8 PDA (electronic equipment)
9 Other socket part 10 Relay cable 11 Socket part 11a Wall part

Claims (6)

In peripheral devices that are detachable and connected to electronic devices,
A peripheral device comprising: a connector portion connected to an interface portion of the electronic device; and a card slot provided adjacent to the connector portion and into which the card is inserted.   The peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein the card is a SIM card and has a data communication function.   The peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein the connector unit is a USB connector, and the interface unit is a USB port.   The peripheral according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a mounting direction of the card in the card slot is parallel to a connection direction of the connector unit to the interface unit and is in the same direction or an opposite direction. machine. A peripheral device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and an electronic device having a wall portion on which the interface portion is provided,
The said wall part is an electronic device system which has a part which block | closes the front of the said card slot of the said peripheral device in the state connected to the said electronic device. 5. The peripheral device according to claim 1, an electronic device having the interface unit, and a relay cable that connects the connector unit of the peripheral device and the interface unit of the electronic device. ,
The relay cable includes a socket portion to which the connector portion is connected, a wall portion that is adjacent to the socket portion and blocks the front of the card slot of the peripheral device in a state where the connector portion is connected to the socket portion. Having an electronic equipment system.

Images