RECORDING APPARATUS IN WHICH PLURAL RECORDING MEDIA CAN BE LOADED

Abstract: A plurality of recording medium drives such as a 5.25-inch floppy disk drive (1) and a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive (2) are provided in a front bezel (3) of the captioned apparatus. The drive (2) is connected in advance with the drive (1) through a flat cable (10) in the apparatus. To the host side, only the drive (1) is connected. Therefore, it is unnecessary to individually connect the recording medium drives through cables. Further, the drive (1) to which the flat cable is connected has an additional function of setting signals for the selection of each drive. The drive (1) can be used as an output buffer for the other drive.

Description: Technical Field The present invention relates to recording devices capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums such as floppy disk drives, optical disks, RAM cards, etc., and more particularly, relates to a recording device in which a plurality of recording mediums may be controlled from an external information processing device or the like through a single cable or one set of cables. Background Art Various recording mediums including floppy disks, optical disks such as a CD-ROM, and RAM card or ROM card in the form of a card are used as an external storage device of an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer. Some recording devices for effecting recording, regeneration and erasing by means of these recording mediums have been developed as a single recording device with a plurality of recording mediums mounted thereon. In the recording mediums and the recording device for handling digital data, for example, since reduction in size of the mediums or the device is making a progress due to an improved recording density, etc., it is now possible to mount a recording device having a thin type 5.25-inch FDD and a 3.5-inch FDD in a space where a floppy disk drive (hereinafter referred to as FDD) of 5.25-inch type has conventionally been mounted in. Also, it is possible that a plurality of thin type 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch FDDs, or a 5.25-inch FDD and a 3.5-inch FDD are mounted in the space where a plurality of the conventional 5.25-inch FDDs have been mounted in so that a vacant slot thereof is used for a recording device such as of a CD-ROM. Not only one combining a plurality of FDDs but also a recording device having a combination of FDD, CD-ROM, etc., mounted thereon is possible. Shown in Fig.9 is a manner by which a 5.25-inch FDD and a 3.5-inch FDD are combined and are connected to a computer on a host side. In general, since power interface connectors and/or signal interface connectors are of different types between a 5.25-inch FDD and a 3.5-inch FDD, a power interface connector 16 and a signal interface connector 17 for a 5.25-inch FDD are provided for the host system which corresponds to the 5.25-inch FDD. Accordingly, if 3.5-inch FDD is to be connected thereto together with the 5.25-inch FDD, it is necessary to effect the connection of the 3.5-inch FDD through an adapter board 13. A card edge 15 and a connector 14 which are respectively identical to an interface card edge 5 and a power interface connector 4 of a control board 11 of the 5.25-inch FDD are provided on one end 13a of the adapter board 13. Further, provided on the other end 13b thereof are a connector corresponding to a signal interface connector 7 of a control board 12 of the 3.5-inch FDD and a connector corresponding to a power interface connector 6. Thus, by connecting the connecting end 13b of the adapter board 13 and the 3.5-inch FDD to each other through a power interface cable 18 and a signal interface cable 19, the 3.5-inch FDD may be connected to the host system by means of the connectors 16, 17 which are compatible with the 5.25-inch FDD. Shown in Fig.10 is a recording device in which thin types of a 5.25-inch FDD and a 3.5-inch FDD are attached to and incorporated into an outer frame (front bezel) 3. A FDD device having such a dual construction is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No.63-11792 of which the basic construction is similar to that of the recording device shown in Fig.9. To achieve a compatibility of the connector on the host side corresponding to 5.25-inch FDD with a 3.5-inch FDD 2, the adapter board 13 is mounted on a 5.25-inch FDD 1. In the recording device shown in Fig.10, two signal interface connectors 5 and 15 and two power interface connectors 4 and 14 are provided for two drives of the recording mediums respectively of 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch. In the conventional recording device having a 5.25-inch FDD and a 3.5-inch FDD as shown in Figs.9 and 10, two cables, a power interface cable and a signal interface cable, are necessary for each FDD to be connected to the host side. When the recording device shown in Fig.9 or 10 is to be connected, a host side may not be provided with a plurality of interfaces corresponding to the respective FDDs. For example, a recording device with two or more FDDs mounted in one conventional slot as described may be installed. In such a case, the two FDDs are usually connected in the manner of a daisy chain. An example illustrating the daisy chain connection is shown in Fig.11. While a host side 30 and the 5.25-inch FDD (FDD 1) as well as the 3.5-inch FDD (FDD 2) are connected by means of a signal interface cable and a power interface cable, only the connection of interface signals for controlling the operation of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 are shown in this figure. The host side 30 and the FDD 1 are connected to each other through a cable 31 which provides a route for interface signals, and the FDD 2 is connected to the host side 30 through a cable 32 which branches from the cable 31. A drive select signal (DS signal) and a motor-on signal (MON signal) on the cable 32 are supplied to control ICs 21 and 22 of the respective FDDs 1 and 2 through selector switches 23 and 24 which are provided on the control board 11 of the FDD 1 and the control board 12 of the FDD 2, respectively. By selectively short-circuiting (turning on) a predetermined switch of the selector switches 23 and 24, the FDD 1 or the FDD 2 may be selected by a predetermined DS signal of the host side 30, thereby an access being established between the respective FDD and the host. Accordingly, if one interface is provided on the host side to thereby control a plurality of FDDs independently from one another, it is necessary to provide a selector switch on each FDD. Further, since, in the connection shown in Fig.11, the MON signal is common for both the FDD 1 and the FDD 2, motors of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 are concurrently brought into their operating condition when the MON signal is turned on. Further, if setting of the selector switch is mistaken, a disadvantage occurs that the both are concurrently accessed. A detailed description will now be given with respect to the DS signal and the operation of the selector switches 23, 24 thereof. A 34-pin interface is provided on the host side 30, and a DS0 signal from pin No.10, a DS1 signal from pin No.12, a DS2 signal from pin No.14, a MON signal from pin No.16 and a DS3 signal from pin No.6 are supplied therefrom. The system on the host side selects an FDD to be accessed by activating one of the signals DS0 ∼ DS3. Further, by activating the MON signal, the motors of FDD are operated. In the case where the selector switches are set so that an access to the FDD 1 is established upon activating the DS0 and an access to the FDD 2 is established upon activating the DS1, only a switch 23a of the selector switch 23 to which the DS0 signal is supplied is short-circuited, and switches 23b, 23c, 23d are opened. For the selector switch 24, only a switch 24b to which the DS1 signal is supplied is short-circuited and switches 24a, 24c, 24d are opened. By setting in this manner, the selector switch 23 of the FDD 1 accepts only the SD0 signal from the host system and supplies it to the control IC 21, while not accepting the other DS1 ∼ DS3 signals. On the other hand, the selector switch 24 of the FDD 2 accepts only the DS1 signal from the host system to supply it to the control IC 22, while does not accept the other DS0, DS2, DS3 signals. Since signals other than the DS signals are supplied in common to both the control ICs 21, 22 of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2, the FDD selected by the DS signal is controlled by these signals, whereby an access to the host side is established. In this manner, in order to access a plurality of FDDs from one interface which is provided on the host side, it is necessary to accurately provide the respective setting of the selector switch which is provided on each FDD. Shown in Fig.12 is an example of the daisy chain connection in which the connection is made so that the motors of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 may also be controlled independently from each other. The construction of the control boards 11, 12 of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 are identical to that in Fig.11. Accordingly, in order to control the motors independently from each other, it is necessary, unlike the connecting method shown in Fig.11, to provide a connection so that different signals may be input to the identical pins on the interfaces of the control boards 11, 12. In order to change the connecting order of the interface, it is usually necessary to change the cable array by twisting the interface cable 32 to the FDD 2 at a mid-point thereof as indicated by a reference numeral 90. A detailed description will now be given with respect to the DS signal and the MON signal in the case of this figure. Of the 34-pin interface on the host side: pin No.10 outputs a motor-on A signal (MONA signal); pin No.14 outputs a drive select A signal (DSA signal); pin No.12 outputs a drive select B signal (DSB signal); and pin No.16 outputs a motor-on B signal (MONB signal). To select the FDD 2 by the A drive, i.e, DSA signal as seen from the host side 30, only the switch 24c of the selector switch 24 is short-circuited and the switches 24a, 24b, 24d are opened. At this time, since it is necessary to set the FDD 1 as the B drive, only the switch 23c of the selector switch 23 is short-circuited and the switches 23a, 23b and 23d are opened. As a result, setting of the selector switch is identical between the FDD 1 and the FDD 2. Since the twisting 90 occurs in the interface cable 32, the MONA signal for instructing turning on of the A-side motor is connected to an MON input of the FDD 2. The MONB signal for instructing turning on of the B-side motor is connected to an MON input of the FDD 1 by the interface cable 31. Thus, if the DSA signal and the MONA signal are activated, only the motor of the FDD 2 is turned on to establish an access between the FDD 2 and the host 30. On the other hand, if the DSB signal and the MONB signal are activated, only the motor of the FDD 1 is turned on to establish an access between the FDD 1 and the host 30. As described, in order to control the respective motors independently from each other when FDDs having control boards of an identical construction are connected, it is necessary to provide a daisy chain connection with the interface cable 32 being twisted. At this time, while each FDD may be independently controlled by making setting of the selector switch on the respective board to be identical in the manner as described, a case of a concurrent access to the both or a case of no access being established may occur if setting of the selector switches is mistaken. Further, one of the problems in connecting a plurality of FDDs to a host is that signals for an output interface to be output from the respective FDDs occur more frequently where a noise affecting the recording operation may be generated due to a switching current at the time of such switching operation. Specifically, in the interface connection with a host, a 7438-equivalent is generally used as the line driver irrespective of whether the signal is supplied form the host side or from the FDD' s side and it is output in an open-drain state. Accordingly, pull up of the output interface signal from the FDD to be supplied to the host side is performed at the host system which is the line receiver side. A value of about 150Ω is employed as the pull-up resistance on the host side so that an excellent transfer characteristic may be obtained even with a longer cable. Thus, when signals in the output interface such as read data signal (RD signal), index signal, track 00 signal, write protect signal, ready/disk change signal, etc., are operated, a large current of about 40 mA is to be turned on and off at a high speed within the FDD. If on and off of a large current is frequently effected while recording or regeneration is being performed at the FDD of a recording device, an electromagnetic field is generated by such switching current and it plunges into such as a magnetic head of the FDD to be the cause of a noise in recording or regeneration. These problems are not only of FDDs but also common in those recording devices with a plurality of recording mediums such as optical disks mounted thereon. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording device capable of having a plurality of recording mediums mounted thereon, of which the construction is simple, which may be easily connected to a host, and in which the disadvantages and the occurrence of a noise as described in connecting it to a host side in a recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums such as floppy disks thereon may be eliminated. Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a recording device of a relatively smaller size with a high level of performance. The present invention aims at providing a recording device which may be connected to a host without twisting or the like of an interface cable. Further, it aims at providing a recording device in which such problem as a concurrent access to a plurality of recording mediums due to erroneous setting of selector switches may be prevented. Further, it aims at providing a recording device of which reliability is improved by minimizing the effect of switching currents even though a plurality of recording mediums are mounted thereon. Disclosure of the Invention In a recording device according to the present invention, a plurality of recording sections each capable of mounting a recording medium are previously connected to each other by means of at least one flat cable or the like. In the case where the recording mediums are of different types, e.g., where floppy disks of different sizes are mounted or where a floppy disk and a CD-ROM are mounted, connection conversion means corresponding to the respective connection is provided. Specifically, in a recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to the present invention, at least having: a first recording section for performing at least one of recording and regeneration of digital data to and from a first recording medium; and a second recording section for performing at least one of recording and regeneration of digital data to and from a second recording medium which is of a different type from the first recording medium --- an internal connection means for connecting the first recording section and the second recording section is provided and a connection conversion means for converting the connection arrangement between the first recording section and an external equipment in accordance with the second recording section is provided in the internal connection means to make possible a connection with a host side by a single or one set of interface cable. In the recording device according to the present invention, the second recording section is connected to the first recording section by means of the internal connection means and is connected to an external equipment through the first recording section. Thus, it is not necessary to attach an interface cable for directly connecting the second recording section to the host side. Further, conversion between different types of recording sections is possible by a connection conversion means provided in the internal connection means, without separately providing an adapter board. For example, in the case where the first recording section and the second recording section are connected to each other by means of a connecting member such as a flat cable, the wiring combination or the like of the flat cable may be converted on the cable or, naturally, it may be converted at the connecting point with the wiring on the first recording section or on the second recording section. In the recording device having such construction, a so-called daisy chain connection and a conversion circuit are implemented by the recording device itself. Thus, its connection with the host side is very simple. Further, in the recording device according to the present invention, even in the case of incorporating different types of recording mediums, it suffices to simply connect the first recording section and the second recording section by means of a connecting member such as a flat cable when the recording device is assembled. Thus, number of the component parts constituting the recording device may be reduced and assembling of the recording device is also facilitated. It is preferable that an external connection connector capable of connecting to an external device is provided at a rear end portion of the first recording section and an internal connection connector capable of providing connection to the second recording section is provided on a side end portion of the first recording section in a manner not causing an interference thereat. The internal connection connector and a connection connector provided at a rear end portion of the second recording section may be connected to each other by a flat cable which provided as the internal connection means in the manner where it is bent. Thereby, installing of the cable is facilitated and the cable is suitably accommodated. The present invention is not limited to a recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums of different types but it may also be applied to one capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums of the same type. In such a recording device, at least two recording sections are connected to each other by means of an internal connection means and at least one of the recording sections which is connected by means of the internal connection means may be provided with: an external connection means for connecting the recording section to an the external device; a relay means for connecting the external connection means and the internal connection means; and a setting means for setting selection signals from the external device for selecting at least one of the recording sections. Further, it is also possible that signals for selecting the respective recording sections are respectively set at the setting means. A drive select signal or the like for allowing an access to that recording section, for example, is included in the selection signals. Further, in a recording device where such recording mediums as a floppy disk or an optical disk to be driven are employed, in addition to signals for selecting a recording section, a signal for driving a recording medium such as a motor-on signal may be included in the selection signals. Since selection signals of a plurality of recording sections which are connected to one another by means of an internal connection means may be set by a setting means which is provided on one of the recording means, setting operation is easy. Further, if, upon changing of setting of one recording section, setting of the other recording section is also changed, it is possible to prevent such a problem in which two recording sections are concurrently accessed due to erroneous setting of the selection signals. A switch means may be used as such setting means, which is capable of selectively turning on and off at least a portion of the connection at the relay means or the connection between the external connection means and a recording control means of one of the recording sections. Further, it may also be achieved by means for changing a combination of at least a portion of the connection at the relay means or the connection between the external connection means and a recording control means of one of the recording sections. A switchboard capable of being replaced and having a predetermined wiring pattern formed thereon may be used as the means for changing the combination. Alternatively, a logical means for performing at least a portion of the connection at the relay means or the connection between the external connection means and a recording control means of one of the recording sections may be used as the means for changing the combination so that the logical means is controlled by an external control means to effect the changing of the combination. In this case, it is also possible to achieve the recording control means, the logical means and the external control means on the same integrated circuit. It is important for a recording device capable of having a plurality of recording mediums mounted thereon to suppress a noise due to switching currents. In the recording device as described in which at least two recording sections are connected to each other by means of an internal connection means, an output driver means may be provided on at least one of the recording sections which are connected to each other by means of the internal connection means in such a manner as to be driven by a signal from the other recording section, so that signals of output interface may be output to an external equipment from the output driver means. By using one of the recording sections as the so-called output buffer of the other recording section, switching currents may be suppressed to a lower level within the recording device on which a plurality of recording mediums are mounted, so as to suppress the occurrence of a noise. For example, a signal output by means of an open-drain or an open-collector from the other recording section may be pulled up by a voltage applying means provided at the one recording section and it may be input to the output driver means. Since the distance, too, is shorter within the recording device, it is possible to set the resistance value for the pull up operation to a higher level, whereby current level of the signals exchanged through the internal connection means may be reduced to prevent it from being the cause of a noise. Brief Description of the Drawings Fig.1 is perspective view schematically showing a recording device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, capable of having a plurality of recording mediums mounted thereon, as seen from a rear side of the device so as to illustrate the connection of the two recording sections. Fig.2 is a circuit diagram showing an internal connection of the recording device shown in Fig.1, illustrating the internal connection in the case where a selector switch is used. Fig.3 is a circuit diagram of another embodiment showing an internal connection of the recording device shown in Fig.1, illustrating the internal connection in the case where a switchboard is used. Fig.4 is circuit diagram showing in detail the switchboard shown in Fig.3 and the connection thereof. Fig.5 is perspective view schematically showing a recording device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, capable of having a plurality of recording mediums mounted thereon, as seen from a rear side of the device so as to illustrate the connection of the two recording sections. Fig.6 is a circuit diagram showing an internal connection of the recording device shown in Fig.5. Fig.7 is a circuit diagram showing a logical block for connecting the two recording sections of the recording device shown in Fig.5. Fig.8 illustrates an example of the construction of output interface of the recording device shown in Fig.5. Fig.9 is an elementary connection diagram showing in an extended manner an ordinary connection for combining two types of recording devices. Fig.10 is a perspective view showing a conventional recording device into which two types of recording sections are incorporated, as seen from a rear side of the device so as to illustrate the connection thereof. Fig.11 is a connection circuit diagram showing an example of connecting the recording device shown in Fig. 10 to a host in the manner of a daisy chain. Fig.12 is a connection circuit diagram showing another example of connecting the recording device shown in Fig.10 to a host in the manner of a daisy chain. The Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the above drawings. [Embodiment 1] Referring to Fig.1, a recording device having a 5.25-inch FDD 1 and a 3.5-inch FDD 2 is shown as an embodiment of the present invention. In this recording device, the 5.25-inch FDD 1 and the 3.5-inch FDD 2 are mounted at a front bezel 3 in a integrated manner, forming an FDD unit of a dual construction in which a 5.25-inch floppy disk and a 3.5-inch floppy disk may be inserted from the front bezel 3, respectively. Though not shown, each of the FDDs 1, 2 is provided with a drive device such as a motor and a recording/regeneration device such as a magnetic head, so as to be capable of independently accessing an information processing device such as a personal computer. An interface card edge 5 and a power interface connector 4 are provided on a control board 11 of the 5.25-inch FDD 1. Further, a signal interface connector 7 and a power interface connector 6 are provided on a control board 12 of the 3.5-inch FDD 2, so that each of the FDDs 1, 2 may be connected to the host side. In the recording device of the present example, an internal connector 9 is further provided on the control board 11. Also, an internal connector 8 is provided on the control board 12. Here, the internal connectors 8 and 9 are provided on the side end portions of the boards 11 and 12, respectively, and they are connected to each other through a flat cable 10 which is attached on the side surface of the recording device. The portion related to the connection between the control boards 11 and 12 is summarized in a connection circuit diagram of Fig.2. The recording device shown in Fig.2 is a recording device according to the present invention, adapted to be connected to a host 30 in which a connection interface with a 5.25-inch FDD is provided. It should be noted that a recording device in which the construction provided on the board 11 is applied to the board 12 so as to be connected to a host having a connection interface for connecting to an 3.5-inch FDD is naturally included in the present invention. The power interface connector 4 provided on the board 11 of the 5.25-inch FDD 1 is connected to a power interface connector 34 of the host 30 by means of a connection cable 36 which is connected thereto by means of a connector 17. A power supply wiring 41 for power on the board is provided from the power interface connector 4 onto the board 11, so that power is supplied from the power supply wiring 41 to a control IC 21, etc., which are mounted on the board 11. This power supply wiring 41 is connected to an internal connection wiring 46 at a relay region 45 on the board 11. In this example, of the three lines of the board power wiring 41 supplied from the host 30, two lines are connected to the internal connection wiring 46. The internal connection wiring 46 continues to an internal connector 9 of the FDD 1 and is connected to an internal connector 8 of the FDD 2 through a flat cable 10 which is connected to the internal connector 9. Then, on the board 12 of the FDD 2, it is connected to two lines of a board power wiring 51 which are extended from the power interface connector 6 of the board 12 through an internal connection wiring 56. The signal interface connector 5 provided on the board 11 of the FDD 1 is connected to a signal interface connector 35 of the host through a connection cable 37 and a connector 16, and the signal interface connector 5 is connected to the control IC 21 by means of a signal wiring 42 on the board 11. The signal wiring 42 is connected to an internal connection wiring 47 at the relay region 45 and the internal connection wiring 47 continues to the internal connector 9. Thus, the internal connection wiring 47 for signals is connected to an internal connection wiring 57 of the FDD 2 through the flat cable 10 in a similar manner as the internal connection wiring 46 for power supply. On the board 12, the internal connection wiring 57 is connected to a signal wiring 52 which is extended from the signal interface connector 7, and the signal wiring 52 is connected to the control IC 22 of the board 12. Since the connector array of the signal interface connector 5 on the board 11 and the connector array of the signal interface connector 7 on the board 12 are different from each other and since number of connections necessary for their access is also different between them, only those of the signal wiring 42 which are necessary for the FDD 2 are selected at the relay region 45 as shown in Fig.2 and are connected to the internal connection wiring 47 in such an order as to facilitate their connection with the wiring 52 on the board 12 of the FDD 2. Further, in the recording device of this example, a selector switch 60 for setting a signal for selecting an FDD to be accessed (drive select signal: hereinafter referred to as SD signal) is mounted on the board 11. The selector switch 60 of this example is constituted by two switches 61 and 62. The switch 61 is connected to signal lines of the signal wiring 42 which transmit the SD0 signal and the SD1 signal from the side of the host 30, so that a signal of SD0 or SD1 is selected at the switch 61 and is transmitted to the control IC 21. In other words, the signal wiring for transmitting SD0 is connected to one end of a short plug 61a of the switch 61 while the signal wiring for transmitting SD1 is connected to a short plug 61b of the switch 61. The other ends of the short plugs 61a, 61b are short-circuited and are input to the control IC 21. In a similar manner as the switch 61, the switch 62 is also connected to the signal wiring for transmitting SD0 and SD1. The other end of the switch 62 is short-circuited and is input to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 through the internal connection wiring 47, the internal connector 9, the flat cable 10, the internal connector 8, the internal connection wiring 57, and the signal wiring 52. An operation in the recording device of this example connected in the manner as described will now be described of the case where the drive select switch 61 for the FDD 1 located on the board 11 is set to the position of the short plug 61a while the drive select switch 62 for the FDD 2 also located on the board 11 is set to the position of the short plug 62b. When a SD0 signal for selecting the drive of No.0 is supplied from the host 30 side, the SD0 signal reaches the control IC 21 of the FDD 1 on the board 11 through the signal interface connector 5, the signal wiring 42, and the drive select switch 61 which are on the board 11. This means that the 5.25-inch FDD 1 is selected from the host 30 where an access between the host 30 and the FDD 1 is established. Thus, such operation as recording and regeneration with respect to a floppy disk in the FDD 1 is instructed through a magnetic head or the like of the FDD 1 and exchange of data with the host side is performed. On the other hand, when the SD1 signal for selecting the drive of No.1 is supplied, the SD1 signal reaches the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 through the signal interface connector 5 of the board 11, the signal wiring 42, the drive select switch 62, the internal connection wiring 46, the internal connector 9, the flat cable 10, the internal connector 8, the internal connection wiring 57, and the signal wiring 52. This means that the 3.5-inch FDD 2 is selected from the host 30 where an access between the host 30 and the FDD 2 is established. In this case, data recorded/regenerated by a magnetic head or the like of the FDD 2 is exchanged with the host 30 side through the board 11 by way of a similar route as the SD1 signal. By setting the drive select switch 61 to the short plug 61b and by setting the drive select switch 62 to the short plug 62a, selection may also be respectively made of the FDD 1 by the SD1 signal and of the FDD 2 by the SD0 signal in a manner opposite to the above. As described, in the recording device of this example, it is not necessary to connect an interface cable to the signal interface connector 7 of the FDD 2 to perform exchange of data between the FDD 2 and the host side. This is because exchange of data is possible through the signal interface connector 5 of the FDD 1 which is connected thereto by means of the flat cable 10. The FDD 1 and the host 30 are naturally able to exchange data therebetween through the interface connector 5. The like can be said with respect to power supply. Further, since the mediums in the recording device of this example are of different types from each other, for example, of 5.25-inch type and 3.5-inch type, the combination of the interface connector is different between the FDD 1 and the FDD 2. However, the combination of the signal wiring is converted by the flat cable 10 so that it is adapted to the combination of the respective interface connector. Thus, even if the host side is provided only with a connector corresponding to the 5.25-inch type, it can access the 3.5-inch FDD. It is not necessary to additionally provide an adapter board, etc., for this purpose. An example using a switchboard 65 instead of the selector switch 60 is shown in Figs.3 and 4. While the SD signal is switched in the example using the selector switch 60 as shown in Fig.2, the motors of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 are started at the same time because the motor-on signal (MON signal) for controlling on and off of the drive motors is not changed over. In the following example, however, the MON signal may also be changed over so that the motors of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 are separately controlled. This corresponds to the case of the previously described conventional device which has been described by way of Fig.12 where it was necessary to twist the interface cable. Although the recording device having the connection wiring shown in Figs.3 and 4 employs the switchboard 65, the construction of the other portions is substantially identical to that in the above described example. Like reference numerals are given to like portions and description thereof will be omitted. In the recording device of this example, a slot (switch connector) 64 into which the switchboard 65 is inserted is provided at the relay region 45. Those signal lines of the signal wiring 42 through which DSA signal, DSB signal, MONA signal, MONB signal are supplied from the side of the host 30 are input to this slot 64. Then, signal lines for supplying the DS signal and the MON signal to the control IC 21 of the board 11 from the slot 64 are respectively connected to the control IC 21, and signal lines for supplying the DS signal and the MON signal to the the control IC 22 of the board 12 are respectively connected to the control IC 22 through the internal connection wiring 47, the internal connector 9, the flat cable 10, the internal connector 8, the internal connection wiring 57, and the signal wiring 52. Fig.4 shows in detail the wiring in the vicinity of the slot 64 and the wiring in the switchboard 65. Eight pins 64a ∼ 64h are provided in the slot 64 of this example as shown in Fig.4(a). The signal line to which the DSA signal is supplied from the pin No.14 of the host 30 is connected to the pin 64a, and the signal line to which the DSB signal is supplied from pin No.12 is connected to the pin 64c. The signal line to which the MONB signal is supplied from pin No.16 is connected to the pin 64e, and the signal line to which the MONA signal is supplied from pin No.10 is connected to the pin 64g. The signal line for supplying the DS signal for selecting the FDD 1 is connected to the control IC 21 of the FDD 1 from the pin 64b, and the signal line for supplying the MON signal for turning on the motor of the FDD 1 is connected to the control IC 21 from the pin 64h. Further, the signal line for supplying the DS signal for selecting the FDD 2 is connected to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 from the pin 64d, and the signal line for supplying the MON signal for turning on the motor of the FDD 2 is connected to the control IC 22 from the pin 64f. A description will now be given with respect to operation in the case where the switchboard 65a wired as shown in Fig.4(b) is inserted in the slot 64 which is connected as described. The switchboard 65 of this example is formed of a small flexible board such as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No.4-21624 and it may be easily inserted/pulled out into/from the slot 64 which is formed as an eight-terminal switch connector. The switchboard 65a is a switchboard which is wired to connect adjoining pins to each other, and, when it is inserted into the slot 64, adjoining pins are connected to be paired in their order so that the pins 64a and 64b, for example, are connected to each other and 64c and 64d are likewise connected to each other. Accordingly, when the DSA signal and the MONA signal are activated at the host 30, the DSA signal is supplied to the control IC 21 from the pin 64b which is connected to the pin 64a, and the MONA signal is supplied to the control IC 21 from the pin 64h which is connected to the pin 64g. Thereby, the motor of the FDD 1 is driven and the connection between the FDD 1 and the host is established. At this time, since the MONA signal is not input to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2, the motor of the FDD 2 is not driven and no connection is established between the FDD 2 and the host. On the other hand, when the DSB signal and the MONB signal are activated at the host 30, the DSB signal and the MONB signal are input to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 through the internal connection wiring in a manner opposite to the above, where the motor of the FDD 2 is turned on and exchange of data between the FDD 2 and the host becomes possible. At this time, exchange of data between the FDD 2 and the host is effected through the interface of the FDD 1 in the manner as described above. A description will now be given of the case where, instead of the switchboard 65a, a switchboard 65b as shown in Fig.4(c) is inserted into the slot 64. The switchboard 65b is wired in such a manner as to connect the pin 64a and the pin 64d to each other and to connect the pin 64b and the pin 64c to each other, and the like can be said about the pins 64e ∼ 64h. Thus, when the DSA signal and the MONA signal are activated from the side of the host 30, the DSA signal is supplied to the control IC 22 from the pin 64d which is connected to the pin 64a and the MONA signal is supplied to the control IC 22 from the pin 64f which is connected to the pin 64g. Thereby, the motor of the FDD 2 is driven and connection between the FDD 2 and the host is established. At this time, in a similar manner as the above, the DSA signal and the MONA signal are not input to the control IC 21 of the FDD 1. On the other hand, when the DSB signal and the MONB signal are activated from the host 30, the DSB signal and the MONB signal are input to the control IC 21 of the FDD 1 in a manner opposite to the above, where the motor of the FDD 1 is turned on and exchange of data between the FDD1 and the host is effected. In this manner, by replacing the switchboard 65a with the switchboard 65b, setting of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 may be easily changed. Further, since setting of the FDD 1 and setting of the FDD 2 are to be simultaneously changed, it is also possible to previously prevent such a problem as that only the setting of one is changed and access is made to both the FDD 1 and the FDD 2. Furthermore, since the MON signal is also changed over, separate MON signals may be supplied to the FDD 1 and the FDD 2, respectively. In the conventional example, two sets of interface cable have been required to be connected to the host and it has also been necessary to have a twist on one of them. In the device according to the present invention, however, one set of cable suffices and, naturally, twisting is not required. For this reason, connection of the recording device of this example is very simple and occurrence of such troubles as a connection failure is less likely. Setting and change of signals for selecting a drive, too, are simple and setting is not likely to be mistaken, since it suffices to insert the switchboard into the FDD 1. Further, it is also possible to form circuits corresponding to the above described switchboards 65a and 65b, respectively, at different surfaces or different end portions of one switchboard, thereby its handling is facilitated because changing over may be effected by simply changing the manner by which the one switchboard is inserted. Furthermore, while, in the above embodiment, an internal connector is provided for each of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2, a normally provided signal or power interface may be used instead of the internal connector of the FDD 2 to provide the connection therefrom to the FDD 1. This will be described in detail in the following embodiment. [Embodiment 2] Shown in Fig.5 is a recording device formed as a different embodiment according to the present invention. The recording device of this example, too, is a recording device having a 5.25-inch FDD 1 and a 3.5-inch FDD 2 mounted thereon and is formed as an FDD unit of the dual structure in which the respective mediums may be inserted from the front bezel 3. A signal interface card edge 5 and a power interface connector 4 are provided on a control board unit (PCB) 11 of the FDD 1, so that, by connecting them to a host side, the recording device may be operated by receiving power from the host side where exchange of data is possible. A connection connector 7' incorporating a signal interface and a power interface is provided on a control board unit (PCB) 12 of the FDD 2, and the connection connector 7' is connected to an internal connector 9 of the PCB 11 by means of a flat cable (FCC) 10. A separate internal connector is not provided on the PCB 12 of this example, and the internal connection between the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 is effected by using the connector 7' by which the FDD 2 may usually be connected to a host equipment which corresponds to the 3.5-inch type. In the device of this example, the internal connector 9 is provided at a side end portion of the PCB 11, so as not to cause an interference with the interfaces 5, 4 which are provided for communication with the outside. Further, the connector 9 and the connection connector 7' provided at the rear end portion of the FDD 2 are connected to each other through the flat cable 10. The flat cable 10 is bent at a mid-point thereof to change by 90° the direction of the connecting ends at the two ends thereof, so as to facilitate its inserting operation into the respective connectors 9, 7'. Also, it is not likely that the connected flat cable does not bulge out from the recording device. Further, a setting switch 79 to be described later is mounted in the vicinity of the internal connector 9, and an opening 78 for operating the switch 79 is provided at a position on the case cover of the FDD 1. As shown in Fig.6, the connection wiring of the PCB 11 and the PCB 12 are substantially identical to the above described embodiment. Thus, like portions are denoted by like reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. In the recording device of this example, an internal connection wiring is not provided on the PCB 12, since an internal connector is not separately provided on the FDD 2. Its connection with the FDD 1 is totally provided through the connection connector 7'. In a similar manner as the board 11 of the above described recording device, the signal wiring 42 and the power wiring 41 of the PCB 11 are connected to the internal connection wiring 46, 47 within the relay region 45 in such a manner as to be adapted to the array of the connection connector 7' of the PCB 12. The internal connection wirings 46, 47 are connected to the internal connector 9, and the FCC 10 is connected to the internal connector 9. The signal lines for supplying DSA, DSB, MONA, MONB on the PCB 11 of this example are once input to the control IC 21 of the FDD 1. A logical block 71 is provided within the control IC 21, and the FDD of which connection is to be established with the host side is set by the logical block 71. The wiring for supplying DS signal and MON signal to be input to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 is output from the logical block 71 and is supplied to the PCB 12 from the control IC 21 through the internal connector 9. Detail of such as the logical block 71 will be described below by way of Fig.7. Pull-up circuits 80, 88 are also provided on the PCB 11. While the pull-up circuit 80 is the circuit which is also mounted on the foregoing recording device, it is shown in this figure to describe pull up of output signals which will be described in the following. In Fig.7, wiring for supplying a read data signal (RD signal) which is an output interface signal of the FDD 2 is also shown. In the recording device of this example, the wiring for supplying the RD signal from the FDD 2 is once input to a driver circuit 85 within the control IC 21 of the FDD 1 from the internal connector 9, and the output from the driver circuit 85 is provided to the host side 3 from the signal interface connector 5 through the signal wiring 42. The pull-up circuit 88 is adapted to be capable of pulling up the circuit for supplying the RD signal to be input to the control IC 21 from the FDD 2. Detail thereof will be described below by way of Fig.8. The construction of the logical block 71 provided in the control IC 21 of this example is shown in Fig.7 using logic gates. The logical block 71 is constituted by four selectors 72 ∼ 75, each selector being constructed for example by two AND gates that are input in parallel to a NOR gate. The signal to be selected by the selectors 72 ∼ 75 is controlled by a setting switch 79. Specifically, when the setting switch 79 is short-circuited, a signal of high level is supplied to a terminal 72a of the selector 72 while a signal of low level is supplied to a terminal 72c. When the setting switch 79 is opened, signals of the opposite level are supplied. In a similar manner as the above described embodiment, respective signals of MONA from pin No.10, DSA from pin No.14, DSB from pin No.12, MONB from pin No.16 are supplied from the host 30 as an open-drain output. The wiring for supplying DSA signal, etc. is connected to a 5V line of the board power supply through a pull-up resister 81 of the pull-up circuit 80, so that a high level signal is input to the logical block 71 when the host side is open. In the following, description will be given on the assumption that signals are active when they are at their high level. The DSA signal and DSB signal are input to the selectors 72 and 73, and one of these signals is output from the selectors 72, 73, respectively, depending on the position of the setting switch 79. The output from the selector 72 is connected to a control circuit within the control IC 21 to supply a DS signal for selecting the FDD 1. The output from the selector 73 is brought to the outside of the control IC 21 and is supplied to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 through the internal connection wiring to be a DS signal for selecting the FDD 2. The like can be said of the MONA signal and the MONB signal. The MONA signal and the NONB signal are input to the selectors 74 and 75, and one of these signals is output from the selectors 74, 75, respectively, depending on the position of the setting switch 79. The output from the selector 74 is brought to the outside from the control IC 21 and is supplied to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 to be a MON signal for controlling the motor of the FDD 2. The output from the the selector 75 is supplied to a control circuit within the control IC 21 to be a MON signal for controlling the motor of the FDD 1. For example, when the setting switch 79 is in its short-circuited position, the output of the selector 72 is driven to its low level only when the DSB signal is at its high level, so that it is inverted by a buffer and a high level DS signal is supplied to the control circuit of the FDD 1. Thus, an access between the FDD 1 and the host is established by the DSB signal. At the selector 73, a high level DS signal is supplied to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 through a buffer only when the DSA signal is at its high level. Thus, an access between the the FDD 2 and the host is established by the DSA signal. At the selector 74, a high level MON signal is supplied to the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 through a buffer only when the MONA signal is at its high level. Thus, the motor of the FDD 2 is operated by the MONA signal. At the selector 75, a high level MON signal is supplied to a control circuit in the control IC 21 through a buffer only when the MONB signal is at its high level. Thus, the motor of the FDD 1 is operated by the MONB signal. When the setting switch 79 is brought to its open position, the DSA signal, etc. to be selected by the selectors 72 ∼ 75 become the opposite of the above. Thus, the DSA signal is selected at the selector 72 and access between the FDD 1 and the the host 30 is established by the DSA signal. Similarly, the DSB signal at the selector 73, the MONB signal at the selector 74, and the MONA signal at the selector 75 are respectively selected. In a similar manner as the embodiment which has been described by way of Figs.3 and 4, such problem as a concurrent access to both the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 would not occur even when the setting is changed in this manner. It should be noted that, while the device of this example is constructed so that the setting switch 79 is manually operated, it is naturally also possible to operate it by a signal from the host 30, and, in such a case, setting of the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 may be changed at will through the system on the side of the host 30. In Fig.8, the connection route of the RD signal to be output to the host 30 from the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 is extracted. Not only the RD signal, but also such signals for output interface as index signal, track 00 signal, and write protect signal are output from the FDD 2 to the side of the host 30. These signals are open-drain outputs which, in the conventional example, are the signals to be pulled up at the host side. In this embodiment, however, as represented by the RD signal, the signals output from the control IC 22 of the FDD 2 are once transmitted to the FDD 1 through the interface connector 7' of the FDD 2, the FCC 10, and the internal connector 9. Further, they are input from the internal connector 9 to the driver circuit 85 within the control IC 21 of the FDD 1 through the internal connection wiring 47. The pull-up circuit 88 is connected to the internal connection wiring 47 at a point before its being input to the driver circuit 85, so that the open-drain output is pulled up by the board voltage 5V by means of the pull-up resister 89. The RD signal input to the driver circuit 85 is input to a driver 87 through a buffer 86, so that the output driver 87 is turned on and off. Though not shown, the output driver 87 also serves as the RD output driver of the FDD 1. The open-drain output of the output driver 87 is brought out from the control IC 21, is transmitted to the signal output interface connector 5 through the signal wiring 42, and is transmitted to the host 30. Thus, the open-drain output of the output driver 87 is pulled up by the host side. In the recording device according to the present invention, an output signal of the FDD 2 which is internally connected to the FDD 1 is once received at the FDD 1, and it is newly formed into an open-drain output at the FDD 1 to be output to the host side. Thus, for the portion between the FDD 1 and the FDD 2, i.e., within the recording device, the signal is pulled up by the pull-up circuit 80 within the device. What is pulled up at the side of the host 30 is the portion of the driver circuit 85 and after. For this reason, it is possible to make smaller the switching currents flowing through the signal wiring between the FDD 2 and the FDD 1, so as to greatly reduce noises thereof. In the case where the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 are separately connected as in the conventional recording device, since the output signal of the FDD 2, too, is pulled up at the host side, a large switching current is caused to flow to be a main cause of noises within the device. Thus, by employing the construction according to the present invention, the internal noise which has been a problem in recording/regeneration to/from a floppy may be greatly reduced, thereby a recording device with a high reliability may be provided. Naturally, the output driver circuit 85 may also be constructed as the circuit which is common for both the FDD 1 and the FDD 2. In other words, it is possible to have the construction in which the output interface is shared by a plurality of FDDs. It should be noted that, while the driver circuit 85 and the logical block 71 are additionally provided in the present embodiment to reduce noise and to facilitate setting of FDDs, it is easy to form them by adding them to the inside of the control IC. Thus, an increase in size of the PCB 11 of the FDD 1 or complicated structure thereof due to these circuits will not occur. In the recording device according to the present invention as described by the above embodiments, despite the fact that it is provided with a plurality of recording mediums, its connection with a host may be provided through one set of connection in a similar manner as the recording device which is capable of mounting only one recording medium --- it is not necessary to additionally provide a daisy chain connection between the host and the plurality of recording mediums. Further, since control of each motor is independently performed, twisting or the like of the connecting cable is not required. Setting of signals for respectively selecting a plurality of FDDs may be readily and securely performed by a switch, switchboard or logical block which is provided within the device, for example, on the board of the FDD 1. Such an error as setting of the both FDDs for example to DSA may be previously prevented. The recording device according to the present invention has a merit as described and, even when a plurality of recording mediums of different types are mounted thereon, its connection with a host may be provided by one set of connection and adding of an additional board such as an adapter board for achieving a compatibility with a different recording medium is not required. Accordingly, number of component parts of the recording device according to the present invention may be reduced to save space on the board and to achieve a reduction in the size of the device. Further, the board of the recording medium connected to the host side, for example, the board of the FDD 1 in the above embodiments, may be used also as an output buffer. Thereby, on the other FDD connected to the FDD 1, a small current suffices as the switching current of the output driver. The electromagnetic field due to the switching current is a cause of noise plunging into a magnetic head or the like of the FDD, and the extent of such noise is proportional to the value of the switching current. Accordingly, reducing of the extent of the switching current leads to a great reduction of the internal noise, providing a remarkable merit in improving the performance of the recording device. Further, there is also an advantage that noise caused by fluctuation of power supply voltage due to switching current may be reduced. Naturally, the recording device according to the present invention having a number of merits as described is not limited to the above described recording device having the FDD 1 and the FDD 2 mounted thereon. Not only floppy disks but also various other types such as optical disks, CDs, ROM cards and RAM cards may be used as the recording mediums. Further, the number of the recording mediums is, naturally, not limited to two. Industrial Applicability A recording device according to the present invention is to be used as an external storage device of an information processing device such as a computer, and it is the device which is suitable in replacing the space for a conventional recording device with that of the recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums, since, especially in the recent years, recording devices have been reduced in their size. The recording device according to the present invention is capable of having a plurality of recording mediums such as of floppy disk drive, optical disk, and RAM card.

Claims: A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums, at least including: a first recording section for performing at least one of recording and regeneration of digital data onto and from a first recording medium; and a second recording section for performing at least one of recording and regeneration of digital data onto and from a second recording medium of a different type from said first recording medium; said recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums, characterized by, internal connection means for connecting said first recording section and said second recording section to each other, said internal connection means comprising connection conversion means (46,47;56,57) for converting connection array between said first recording section and an external equipment in accordance with said second recording section; relay means (45) for connecting the external connection means and said internal connection means to each other; and setting means (60,65a,65b) for setting selection signals to be supplied from said external device for selecting at least one of said recording sections; driver means (85) driven by an output signal from the other of said recording sections and outputting signal from said one recording section to an external device. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 1, wherein said first recording section comprises: an external connection connector provided at a rear end portion of the recording section and capable of being connected to said external equipment; and an internal connection connector provided at a side end portion of the recording section and capable of being connected to said second recording section; and wherein said internal connection means comprise a flat cable for connecting said internal connection connector and a connection connector provided at a rear end portion of said second recording section to each other, the flat cable being attached thereto in a bent manner. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 1, wherein said recording sections drive their respective recording mediums to perform at least one of recording and regeneration of digital data with respect to a predetermined position on the recording mediums, and wherein said selection signals include at least a signal for selecting said recording sections and a signal for driving said recording mediums. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said setting means is furthermore capable of setting two or more selection signals to be supplied from said external device to select each of the recording sections on the both sides which are connected by said internal connection means. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 4, wherein said setting means comprise a switch means capable of selectively turning on and off at least a portion of connection in said relay means or connection between said external connection means and recording control means of one of said recording sections. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 5, wherein said setting means comprise means for recombining at least a portion of connection in said relay means or connection between said external connection means and a recording control means of one of said recording sections. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 6, wherein said means for recombining comprise switchboards having a predetermined wiring pattern formed thereon and capable of.inserted in a replaceable manner into one of said recording sections. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 6, wherein said means for recombining comprises: logical means for performing at least a portion of connection in said relay means or connection between said external connection means and one of said recording sections; and an external control means for controlling the logical means. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 8, wherein said recording control means, said logical means and said external control means are all implemented on the same integrated circuit. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 1, wherein the output signal from said the other recording section is output from signal output means having an open-drain output or an open-collector output; and wherein said one recording section comprises voltage applying means for pulling up an open-drain output or an open-collector output of said signal output means. A recording device capable of mounting a plurality of recording mediums according to claim 1 or 10, wherein said one recording section comprises: an external connection connector provided at a rear end portion of the recording section and capable of being connected to said external device; and an internal connection connector provided at a side end portion of the recording section and capable of being connected to said the other recording section; and wherein said internal connection means comprise a flat cable for connecting said internal connection connector and a connection connector provided at a rear end portion of said the other recording section to each other, the flat cable being attached thereto in a bent manner.

Inventors: KOIZUMI KAZUHIKO, NOBUTANI TSUTOMU, OHTSUKA TADASHI, KOIZUMI, KAZUHIKO, NOBUTANI, TSUTOMU, OHTSUKA, TADASHI
Applicants: SEIKO EPSON CORP, SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G11B19
IPC codes: G06F1, G11B19, G11B25, G06F3, G11B33