Patent ID: 6842818
Filing Date: 2005-01-11
Classification: G06F,H05K

Abstract:
1. An electronic device in which a card-shaped device having a connector section is usable, the connector section being provided with connector pins including data pins, comprising: a card interface to be connected to the card-shaped device via the connector section of the card-shaped device; operation mode acquiring unit configured to acquire, when the card interface is connected to the card-shaped device, operation mode information of the card-shaped device via a predetermined one of the connector pins of the card-shaped device other than the data pins; and operation mode setting unit configured to execute signal assignment on each of the data pins on the basis of the operation mode information acquired by the operation mode acquiring unit; and wherein: the operation mode information of the card-shaped device indicates one of first, second and third operation modes; and the operation mode setting unit assigns all the data pins to a data transfer process when the operation mode information acquired by the operation mode acquiring unit indicates the first operation mode; the operation mode setting unit assigns a predetermined number of the data pins to the data transfer process, assigns one of the remaining data pins to a process of transmitting a general purpose signal, assigns another of the remaining data pins to a process of informing the electronic device of a state of the card-shaped device, and assigns yet another of the remaining data pins to a process of transmitting an asynchronous interrupt signal from the card-shaped device to the electronic device, when the operation mode information indicates the second operation mode; and the operation mode setting unit assigns another predetermined number, larger than first-mentioned predetermined number, of the data pins to the data transfer process, assigns one of the remaining data pins to the process of informing the electronic device of the state of the card-shaped device, and assigns another of the remaining data pins to the process of transmitting an asynchronous interrupt signal from the card-shaped device to the electronic device, when the operation mode information indicates the third operation mode.