Connection confirmation system and main body device

• US 8,405,513 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kouyama, Tomoaki, Goto, Satoru, Hashizume, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US12/962,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20110133943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 340/635, 340/10.1, 324/133, 324/754.03, 324/762.02, 345/161
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/69 of terminals at the end of a cable or a wire harness; of plugs; of sockets, e.g. wall sockets or power sockets in appliances

Abstract

An electrical connection confirmation system includes a cartridge type HDD 200 and a storage device main body 100 into which the cartridge type HDD 200 is inserted. The cartridge type HDD 200 includes a HDD connector 230 configured to comply with SATA standard, and having pins 210a to 210j and 210l to 210o that are internally shorted. The storage device main body 100 includes a main body connector 130 configured to comply with SATA standard, and having pins 110a to 110j and 110l to 110o provided in positions respectively opposite to the pins 210a to 210j and 210l to 210o. The electrical connection of the cartridge type HDD 200 to the storage device main body 100 is detected based on voltage states or electric current states of the specified pins 110d, 110g, and 110m.

Claims

1. An electrical connection confirmation system comprising:

an external device; and

a main body device into which the external device is inserted, wherein

the external device includes an external device connector configured to comply with a predetermined interface standard, the external device connector having a plurality of short-circuit pins that are internally shorted, and

the main body device includes;

a main body device connector configured to comply with the predetermined interface standard, the main body device connector having a plurality of opposite pins provided in positions respectively opposite to the plural short-circuit pins; and

a connection detector connected to a specific one of the plural opposite pins, and configured to detect the electrical connection of the external device connector to the main body device connector on the basis of the state of a voltage at or an electric current through the specific opposite pin.

2. The electrical connection confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plural short-circuit pins and the plural opposite pins is any one of a power supply pin used for power supply, a ground pin used for grounding, and a signal pin used for signal input/output.

3. The electrical connection confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein

at least two of the plural opposite pins serve as the specific opposite pin, and

the connection detector detects the electrical connection of the external device connector to the main body device connector based on a combination of voltage states or electric current states of the specific opposite pins.

4. The electrical connection confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein

the main body device includes a notification unit that performs notification to a user based on whether the electrical connection of the external device connector is detected by the connection detector.

5. The electrical connection confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined interface standard is Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) standard.

6. The electrical connection confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein

the external device is a removable storage medium, and

the main body device is a storage device main body that writes data to the storage medium and reads data from the storage medium.

7. The electrical connection confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein

the main body device includes an operation confirmation unit configured to confirm whether the external device operates normally or not, when the connection detector detects the electrical connection of the external device connector to the main body device connector.

8. A main body device into which an external device is inserted, the external device including an external device connector configured to comply with a predetermined interface standard, the external device connector having a plurality of short-circuit pins that are internally shorted, the main body device comprising:

a main body device connector configured to comply with the predetermined interface standard, the main body device connector having a plurality of opposite pins provided in positions respectively opposite to the plural short-circuit pins; and

a connection detector connected to a specific one of the plural opposite pins, and configured to detect the electrical connection of the external device connector to the main body device connector based on a voltage state or an electric current state of the specific opposite pin.

9. The main body device according to claim 8, wherein

each of the plural short-circuit pins and the plural opposite pins is any one of a power supply pin used for power supply, a ground pin used for grounding, and a signal pin used for signal input/output.

10. The main body device according to claim 8, wherein

at least two of the plurality of opposite pins serve as the specific pin, and

the connection detector detects the electrical connection of the external device connector to the main body device connector based on a combination of voltage states or electric current states of specific opposite pins.

11. The main body device according to claim 8, wherein

the main body device includes a notification unit that performs notification to a user based on whether the electrical connection of the external device connector is detected by the connection detector.

12. The main body device according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined interface standard is Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) standard.

13. The main body device according to claim 8, wherein

the external device is a removable storage medium, and

the main body device is a storage device main body that writes data to the storage medium and reads data from the storage medium.