GB2291750A

GB2291750A - Electronic device with detachable card unit

Info

Publication number: GB2291750A
Application number: GB9514284A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fumiyuki Kobayashi
Original assignee: NEC Corp
Current assignee: NEC Corp
Priority date: 1994-07-26
Filing date: 1995-07-13
Publication date: 1996-01-31
Anticipated expiration: 2015-07-13
Also published as: GB2291750B; AU671941B2; JPH0844834A; AU2718695A; JP2727973B2; CA2153817A1; GB9514284D0; CA2153817C

Abstract

In an electronic device 200 comprising a card 202 and a main unit 201 e.g. a modem, the card connects electrically the main unit to a device 100 e.g. a PC, the card being connectable to the main unit (Figure 4) in the same lead pattern (Figures 9a and 9b) even if the card is upside-down. <IMAGE>

Description

ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH DETACHABLE CARD UNIT The present invention relates to an electronic device having a detachable card unit such as an IC memory card unit, and more particularly to an electronic device having a detachable card unit for connection to various systems such as a computer or the like.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a known electronic device 200 having a main unit 201 with an integral card unit 202 that can be inserted into a card slot 102 defined in a casing 101 of a small-size information terminal 100 which is typically a personal computer. The card unit 202 is constructed according to substantially the same standards as those of general IC cards. If the electronic device 200 is designed as a radio modem for use with the information terminal 101, then when the card unit 202 is inserted into the card slot 102 for connection to the information terminal 101, data can be transmitted from and received by the information terminal 101 through the electronic device 200 functioning as the radio modem.

The card unit 202, which is integral with the main unit 201, has a female interface connector 203 on its distal end which can be inserted into the card slot 102 of the small-size information terminal 100. The casing 101 of the small-size information terminal 100 has a male interface connector 103 disposed in the card slot 102 for connection to the female interface connector 203 of the card unit 202. When the card unit 202 is inserted into the card slot 102, the male interface connector 103 is fitted into the female interface connector 203 and electrically connected thereto. The card unit 202 and the female interface connector 203 are constructed according to the standards PCMCIA.

With the conventional electronic device 200, the card unit 202 and the main unit 201 are integrally fixed to each other. The conventional electronic device 200 is designed such that, in normal use, the card unit 202 is inserted into the card slot 102 of the small-size information terminal 100 in the direction shown in Fig. 1.

Another small-size information terminal 100 shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings has a male interface connector 103 turned upside down, i.e., oriented in the direction opposite to the male interface connector 103 shown in Fig. 1, so that the card unit 202 has to be vertically inverted, i.e., turned upside down, in order to be inserted into the card slot 102 as shown in Fig. 2. When the card unit 202 is inserted into the card slot 102 as shown in Fig.

2, the main unit 201 projects downwardly from the bottom of the small-size information terminal 100, making the small-size information terminal 100 unstable and inconvenient to use if it is placed on a flat surface such as a desk surface.

If the small-size information terminal 100 and the electronic device 200 are combined with each other and used as shown in Fig. 2, then an undue load tends to be applied to the joint between the card unit 202 and the main unit 201. As a result, the electronic device 200 is highly likely to be broken or otherwise damaged.

To solve the above problems, there have been proposed certain electronic devices as described in European Patent Application No. 94120302.8 and US Patent No. 5,373,149 (European Patent Publication 0 610 025).

The electronic devices disclosed in the above documents have a casing which houses an electronic circuit and is pivoted to an end of a card unit by a hinge mechanism. Since the casing can be angularly moved with respect to the card unit depending on the direction in which the card unit is inserted into a card slot, the electronic device can always be held in a stable attitude when the card unit is inserted into the card slot, and is protected against damage.

While the disclosed arrangements are effective to eliminate the above drawbacks, the hinge mechanism renders the electronic device large in size and hence makes it inappropriate for use with a smallsize information device.

According to the present invention, there is provided an electronic device comprising a main unit and a card unit for insert ion into an external device for electric connection thereto, the card unit being separate from the main unit and detachably attached to the main unit, the card unit being connectable to the main unit in the same electric connection pattern irrespective of whether the card unit is turned upside down or not with respect to the main unit.

The electronic device preferably comprises connector means on the card unit and the main unit for connecting the card unit to the main unit in the same electric connection pattern irrespective of whether the card unit is turned upside down or not with respect to the main unit.

The connector means may comprise a first connector mounted on the card unit and a second connector mounted on the main unit for interfitting engagement with the first connector, each of the first connector and the second connector having a plurality of electrodes arranged in point symmetric with respect to the center thereof, the electrodes of the second connector being electrically connected to leads arranged in a pattern of point symmetry with respect to the center.

The card unit is desirably constructed according to substantially the same standards as those of IC cards, the card unit having a first interface and being insertable into a card slot having a second interface electrically connectable to the first interface.

The main unit can be arranged so as to be positioned higher than the bottom of the external device on the side of the external device when the card unit is inserted into the external device.

Even if the external device receives the card unit inserted in an upside-down orientation, the electronic device can be electrically connected to the external device when the card unit is turned upside down with respect to the main unit, without turning the main unit upside down. The electronic device thus joined to the external device can be used conveniently.

Accordingly, the electronic device with the detachable card unit can be held in a stable attitude when the card unit is inserted into an external device such as a small-size information device, irrespective of whether the card is turned upside down or not.

The present invention will be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 (described above) is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of a known electronic device with a detachable card unit, which is shown combined with an external device; Fig. 2 (described above) is a side elevational view, partly broken away, illustrative of drawbacks of the known electronic device shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of an electronic device with a detachable card unit embodying the present invention, for use with a small-size information terminal; Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic device shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5(a) is an enlarged front elevational view of a plug connector of the card unit of the electronic device shown in Fig. 3; ; Fig. 5(b) is an enlarged fragmentary crosssectional view taken along line 5(b) - 5(b) of Fig.

5(a); Fig. 6(a) is an enlarged front elevational view of a socket connector of a main unit of the electronic device shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 6(b) is an enlarged fragmentary crosssectional view taken along line 6(b) - 6(b) of Fig.

6(a); Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view, partly broken away, of the plug connector and the socket connector that are connected to each other; Fig. 8 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of the electronic device according to the present invention which is connected to the small-size information terminal; and Figs. 9(a) and (b) are schematic diagrams showing different lead patterns of the plug connector and the socket connector.

As shown in Fig. 3, a small-size information terminal 100 such as a personal computer or the like has a casing 101 with a horizontal card slot 102 defined therein for insertion of an IC card therein.

The casing 101 also has a male interface connector 103 positioned at the inner bottom of the card slot 102.

An electronic device 200 according to the present invention, which may typically be a radio modem for connection to the small-size information terminal 100, has a card unit 202 which is constructed according to substantially the same standards as those of general IC cards. The card unit 202, which houses a suitable internal circuit, is mechanically and electrically connected at a proximal end 202a thereof to a main unit 201, which houses a suitable internal circuit, of the electronic device 200. The card unit 202 has a distal end 202b which can be inserted into the card slot 102 of the small-size information terminal 100 for electric connection to the male interface connector 103 thereof.

Fig. 4 shows an exploded perspective of the electronic device 200 according to the present invention. The card unit 202 has a female interface connector 203 on its distal end 202b for being fitted over and electrically connected to the male interface connector 103 of the small-size information terminal 100. The card unit 202 also has a plug connector 204 on its proximal end 202a.

As shown in Figs. 5(a) and 5(b), the plug connector 204 comprises a horizontally elongate projecting rectangular frame 205 and a pair of vertically spaced, upper and lower arrays of female electrodes 206 mounted respectively on upper and lower inner surfaces of the rectangular frame 205.

As shown in Fig. 4, the main unit 201 comprises a casing 207 having a horizontally elongate rectangular slot 208 defined in a side wall of the casing 207. The main unit 201 has a socket connector 209 disposed in the slot 208.

The socket connector 209 serves to receive the plug connector 204 on the proximal end 202a of the card unit 202. As shown.in Figs. 6(a) and 6(b), the socket connector 209 comprises an horizontally elongate joint 210 projecting into the slot 208 for insertion into the rectangular frame 205 and a pair of vertically spaced, upper and lower arrays of male electrodes 211 mounted respectively on upper and lower outer surfaces of the joint 210. The male electrodes 211 of the socket connector 209 are positioned for alignment with the respective female electrodes 206 of the plug connector 204. Therefore, when the proximal end 202a of the card unit 202 is inserted into the slot 208 of the main unit 201, the female and male electrodes 206, 211 are brought into contact with each other and electrically connected to each other.The female electrodes 206 are arranged in point symmetry with respect to a central point in the rectangular frame 205, and the male electrodes 211 are also arranged in point symmetry with respect to a central point on the joint 210. Leads electrically connected in the socket connector 209 to the respective male electrodes 211 are arranged in a pattern of point symmetry, as described later on.

The card unit 202 and the main unit 201 can mechanically and electrically joined to each other when the plug connector 204 on the proximal end 202a of the card unit 202 is fitted into the socket connector 209 in the slot 208 of the main unit 201.

Fig. 7 shows in cross section the plug connector 204 and the socket connector 209 that are connected to each other. When the plug connector 204 is inserted into the socket connector 209, the rectangular frame 205 is fitted into the slot 208, and the joint 210 is fitted into the rectangular frame 205, thereby mechanically coupling the card unit 202 and the main unit 201 to each other. At this time, since the female electrodes 206 of the card unit 202 and the male electrodes 211 of the main unit 201 are held in contact with each other, the female and male electrodes 206, 211 are electrically connected to each other.

Then, as shown in Fig. 8, the distal end 202b of the card unit 202 is inserted into the card slot 102 of the small-size information terminal 100. The female interface connector 203 of the card unit 202 is now connected to the male interface connector 103 of the small-size information terminal 100, whereupon the small-size information terminal 100 and the electronic device 200 are mechanically and electrically connected to each other. In this embodiment, for example, the radio modem may be attached, and hence electrically connected, to the personal computer.

If the male interface connector 103 is designed in an upside-down or vertically inverted configuration, then when the electronic device 200 is to be connected to the small-size information terminal 100, it is necessary to turn the card unit 202 upside down, i.e., vertically invert the card unit 202. To this end, the card 202 is first detached from the main unit 201 by pulling the plug connector 204 out of connection with the socket connector 209. Then, the card unit 202 is turned upside down, and the plug connector 204 is fitted into the socket connector 209. Therefore, the card unit 202 that has been turned upside down is connected to the main unit 201.

When the plug connector 204 is inserted in the socket connector 209 with the card unit 202 upside down, the female and male electrodes 206, 211 are reliably electrically connected to each other because the female and male electrodes 206, 211 are arranged in point symmetry with respect to respective central points of the connectors 204, 209. Furthermore, since the leads connected in the socket connector 209 to the respective male electrodes 211 are arranged in a pattern of point symmetry, the female and male electrodes 206, 211 are electrically connected to'teach other in the same electric connection pattern even when the card unit 202 is turned upside down.

Specific patterns of point symmetry for leads electrically connected to the respective male electrodes 211 will be described below.

According to one pattern, only those of the female electrodes 206 which are positioned on the right-hand side of the center (as shown in Fig. 5(a)) of the plug connector 204 are used as active female electrodes, and leads in the socket connector 209 are connected in a pattern of point symmetry to those of the male electrodes 211 which are positioned on the right- and left-hand sides of the center in their upper and lower arrays as shown in Fig. 9(a). Therefore, even when the card unit 202 is turned upside down, the active female electrodes 206 are electrically connected to the same leads in the socket connector 209.

According to another pattern, only those of the female electrodes 206 of the upper array (as shown in Fig. 5(a)) of the plug connector 204 are used as active female electrodes, and leads in the socket connector 209 are connected in a pattern of point symmetry to the male electrodes 211 of the upper and lower arrays as shown in Fig. 9(b). Therefore, even when the card unit 202 is turned upside down, the active female electrodes 206 are electrically connected to the same leads in the socket connector 209.

After the card unit 202 as it is turned upside down has been connected to the main unit 201, the card unit 202 is inserted into the card slot 102 of the small-size information terminal 100 on a side thereof until the male and female interface connectors 103, 203 are connected to each other. Since the main unit 201 is now connected upside down relatively to the card unit 202, the main unit 201 is oriented as indicated by the solid lines in Fig. 8 with respect to the smallsize information terminal 100. Consequently, the main unit 201 does not project downwardly beyond the bottom of the small-size information terminal 100, as indicated by the two-dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 8. The small-size information terminal 100 with the electronic device 200 connected thereto can thus be placed stably on a flat surface.Therefore, the electronic device 200 can be used conveniently and versatile by with respect to the small-size information terminal 100.

Because the card unit 202 is detachable from the main unit 201, the same card unit 202 may be combined with another main unit which has a different internal circuit, or the same main unit 201 may be combined with another card unit 202 which has a different internal circuit, providing an electronic device 200 of different specifications. Consequently, electronic devices 200 of different specifications can easily be produced at a low cost.

While the electronic device 200 may typically be a radio modem for use with a personal computer, for example, the electronic device 200 may also be an external memory, an interface unit, or any of various other devices which has a card unit for insertion into a small-size information terminal for electric connection thereto.

According to the present invention, as described above, the electronic device 200 is composed of the main unit 201 and the card unit 202 which are separate from each other and detachably connected to each other, the card unit 202 being insertable into an external device. The card unit 202 can be electrically connected in the same lead pattern to the main unit 201 even when the card unit 202 is turned upside down and then connected to the main unit 201. Even if the external device receives the card unit 202 inserted in an upside-down orientation, the electronic device 200 can be connected to the external device without the main unit 201 projecting downwardly from the bottom of the external device, i.e., with the main unit 201 positioned higher than the bottom of the external device. The electronic device 200 is simple in structure, can be used conveniently, and is versatile in its use.

Since the card unit 202 and the main unit 201 are detachable from each other through the plug and socket connectors 204, 209, the card unit 202 may be combined with a main unit having a different internal circuit, or the main unit 201 may be combined with a card unit having a different internal circuit, providing electronic devices 200 of various different specifications at a low cost.

Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising: a main unit; and a card unit for insertion into an external device for electric connection thereto, said card unit being separate from said main unit and detachably attached to said main unit; said card unit being connectable to said main unit in the same electric connection pattern irrespective of whether the card unit is turned upside down or not with respect to said main unit.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising connector means on said card unit and said main unit for connecting said card unit to said main unit in the same electric connection pattern irrespective of whether the card unit is turned upside down or not with respect to said main unit.

3. An electronic device according to claim 2, wherein said connector means comprises: a first connector mounted on said card unit; and a second connector mounted on said main unit for interfitting engagement with said first connector; each of said first connector and said second connector having a plurality of electrodes arranged in point symmetric with respect to a center thereof; said electrodes of said second connector being electrically connected to leads arranged in a pattern of point symmetry with respect to said center.

4. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein said card unit is constructed according to substantially the same standards as those of IC cards, said card unit having a first interface and being insertable into a card slot having a second interface electrically connectable to said first interface.

5. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein said main unit is arranged so as to be positioned higher than the bottom of the external device on the side of the external device when said card unit is inserted into the external device.

6. An electronic device, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Fig. 3 et seq of the drawings.