Mobile communication terminal device

• US 6,836,814 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 12/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takaoka, Toshiaki, Yamaguchi, Kentoku
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US09/810,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20010034807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 710/301, 710/303, 710/316, 710/100, 710/62, 455/557, 455/556.1, 455/572
• US Class Current: 710/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

According to the present invention, a serial control signal interface and a serial data interface are provided in addition to a USB interface having a USB device controller, and a switching circuit for selectively connecting these interface to a system connector is provided on a mobile communication terminal device. Then, when an external device is connected to the system connector, it is determined whether or not the external device has an external interface having a USB host function on the basis of the interface identification voltage supplied from the external device, so that the switching circuit is changed over on the basis of the determination result to select an appropriate interface.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal device comprising:

a first Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface having a USB slave function;

a serial data interface different form the first USB interface;

a system connector comprising a plurality of terminals, being connectable to an external device by said plurality of terminals;

first determination means for determining whether or not the external device connected to the system connector comprises a second USB interface having a USB host function;

interface selection means for selecting the first USB interface when it is determined by the first determination means that the external device comprises the second USB interface having the USB host function, and for selecting the serial data interface when it is determined by the first determination means that the external device does not comprise the second USB interface having the USB host function; and

switching means for connecting the terminals of the system connector with the first USB interface when the first USB interface is selected by the interface selection means, and for connecting the terminals of the system connector with another serial data interface when the serial data interface is selected by the interface selection means, wherein

the first USB interface performs a data transfer with the external device via the terminals of the system connector when the first USB interface is selected by the interface selection means and the first USB interface is connected to the terminals of the system connector, and

the serial data interface performs data transfer with the external device via the terminals of the connector system when the serial data interface is selected by the interface selection means and said another serial data interface is connected to the terminals of the system connector by the switching means.

2. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the first determination means comprises:

means for detecting a voltage value output from a specific terminal via the system connector when the external device is connected to the system connector; and

means for determining a kind of third external interface incorporated the external device based on the detection result by the voltage value detection means.

3. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the first determination means comprises:

means for detecting identification signal pattern output form a specific terminal via the system connector in the case where the external device is connected to the system connector; and

means for determining a type of third external interface incorporated in the external device based on the detection result of the signal pattern detection means.

4. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

authentication means for conducting authentication procedure between the external device and the mobile communication terminal device via the system connector;

second determination means for determining a connection form between the mobile communication terminal device and the external device based on the authentication result by the authentication means; and

connection control means for controlling the connection of the external device to the mobile communication terminal device itself on the basis of the determination result of the second determination means.

5. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the authentication means determines whether or not the external device is a battery charger;

the second determination means, in the case where the authentication means determines that the external device is a battery charger, detects a standard value of the battery charger to determine whether or not the battery charger can be connected; and

the connection control means connects the battery charger and a power source circuit in the mobile communication terminal device in the case where the second determination means determines that the battery charger can be connected, while cut off the battery charger from the power source circuit in the case where the second determination means determines that the battery charger cannot be connected.

6. A mobile communication terminal device comprising:

a system connector having a predetermined terminal arrangement structure;

a first external interface sending and receiving a first signal in accordance with a first protocol via the system connector between the mobile communication terminal device itself and an external device;

a second external interface sending and receiving a second signal in accordance with a second protocol being different from the first protocol via the system connector between the mobile communication terminal device itself and the external device;

first determination means for determining a third external interface provided on the external device individually from the first and second external interfaces to be connected to the system connector; and

interface selection means for selecting an external interface corresponding to the third external interface from the first and second external interfaces based on a determination result of the first determination means.

7. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 6, wherein a part of terminals of the system connector is shared with the first external interface and the second external interface.

8. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 6, wherein

the first determination means detects a voltage value output from a specific terminal via the system connector when the external device is connected to the system connector to determine the third interface incorporated in the external devices.

9. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 6, wherein

the first determination means detects an identification signal pattern output from a specific terminal via the system connector when the external device is connected to the system connector to determine the third interface incorporated in the external device.

10. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 6, further comprising first display displaying a determination result by the first determination means.

11. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 6, further comprising:

authentication means for conducting a authentication procedure between the mobile communication terminal device and the external device via an external interface selected from first and second external interfaces;

second determination means for determining a connection form between the mobile communication terminal device itself and the external device based on an authentication result of the authentication means; and

connection control means for controlling a connection of the external device to the mobile communication terminal device itself based on a determination result of the second determination means.

12. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 11, wherein the second determination means detects a specification of the external device and determines whether or not the external device can be connected to the mobile communication terminal device itself.

13. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 11, further comprising a second display displaying the determination result by the second determination means.

14. A mobile communication terminal device comprising:

a system connector having a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal and additional terminal;

a first external interface sending and receiving a first signal in accordance with a first protocol via the system connector between the mobile communication terminal device itself and an external device;

a second external interface sending and receiving a second signal in accordance with a second protocol being different from the first protocol via the system connector between the mobile communication terminal device itself and the external device;

first determination means for determining a third external interface provided on the external device individually from the first and second external interfaces to be connected to the system connector; and

interface selection means for selecting an external interface corresponding to the third external interface from the first and second external interfaces based on a determination result of the first determination means, wherein

the first external interface transmits the first signal between the external device and the mobile communication terminal device via the USB terminal of the system connector in the case where the first external interface is selected, while

the second external interface selectively uses a part of the USB terminal of the system connector and the additional terminal to transmit the second signal between the external device and the mobile communication terminal device in the case where the second external interface is selected.

15. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 14, wherein a part of terminals of the system connector is shared with the first external interface and the second external interface.

16. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 14, wherein

the first determination means detects a voltage value output from a specific terminal via the system connector when the external device is connected to the system connector to determine the third interface incorporated in the external devices.

17. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 14, wherein

the first determination means detects an identification signal pattern output from a specific terminal via the system connector when the external device is connected to the system connector to determine the third interface incorporated in the external device.

18. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 14, further comprising first display displaying a determination result by the first determination means.

19. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 14, further comprising:

authentication means for conducting a authentication procedure between the mobile communication terminal device and the external device via an external interface selected from first and second external interfaces;

second determination means for determining a connection form between the mobile communication terminal device itself and the external device based on an authentication result of the authentication means; and

connection control means for controlling a connection of the external device to the mobile communication terminal device itself based on a determination result of the second determination means.

20. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 19, wherein the second determination means detects a specification of the external device and determines whether or not the external device can be connected to the mobile communication terminal device itself.

21. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 19, further comprising a second display displaying the determination result by the second determination means.

22. A mobile communication terminal device comprising:

a system connector comprising a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal and an additional terminal;

a first external interface providing a USB slave function;

a second external interface which is different from the first external interface concerning a protocol;

first determination means for determining whether or not an external device connected to the system connector comprises a third external interface providing a USB host function; and

interface selection means for selecting the first external interface when it is determined that the external device provides the USB host function while selecting the second external interface when it is determined that the external device does not provide the USB host function based on a determination result of the first determination means.

23. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 22, wherein the first determination means comprises:

means for detecting a voltage value output from a specific terminal via the system connector when the external device is connected to the system connector; and

means for determining a kind of third external interface incorporated in the external device based on the detection result by the voltage value detection means.

24. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 22, wherein the first determination means comprises:

means for detecting identification signal pattern output form a specific terminal via the system connector in the case where the external device is connected to the system connector; and

means for determining type of third external interface incorporated in the external device based on the detection result of the signal pattern detection means.

25. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 22, further comprising:

authentication means for conducting authentication procedure between the external device and the mobile communication terminal device via the system connector;

second determination means for determining a connection form between the mobile communication terminal device and the external device based on the authentication result by the authentication means; and

connection control means for controlling the connection of the external device to the mobile communication terminal device itself on the basis of the determination result of the second determination means.

26. The mobile communication terminal device according to claim 25, wherein the authentication means determines whether or not the external device is a battery charger;

the second determination means, in the case where the authentication means determines that the external device is a battery charger, detects a standard value of the battery charger to determine whether or not the battery charger can be connected; and

the connection control means connects the battery charger and a power source circuit in the mobile communication terminal device in the case where the second determination means determines that the battery charger can be connected, while cut off the battery charger from the power source circuit in the case where the second determination means determines that the battery charger cannot be connected.