JP2006019186A - Card connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely avoid sudden jumping out of a card and to ensure smooth insertion and removal of a card.
When taking out a thin card 16, a cam lever pressing member 12PM in a cover member 12 biases a cam lever 34 so that a claw portion 24N of an eject member 24 engages with a notch 16b of the thin card 16. .
[Selection] FIG.

Description

  The present invention relates to a card connector provided with a card attaching / detaching mechanism for selectively holding or releasing a card in a card accommodating portion.

  In an electronic device such as a cellular phone, a central processing unit (CPU) or an SD (secure digital) card having a built-in memory integrated circuit, or an IC card such as a Memory Stick (trademark) is connected to each device. Various function expansions and the like are performed by attaching them via the.

  Such a card connector is mounted in the card housing portion together with an eject mechanism for attaching and detaching the IC card to and from the card housing portion, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example. The housing member is provided with a brake piece (plate spring) for holding or releasing the IC card in order to avoid undesired jumping out or dropping out of the IC card.

  Such a brake piece has a pressing portion at the tip that contacts and presses against the outer peripheral surface of the IC card, and an undesired IC card is caused by the frictional force between the pressing portion and the outer peripheral surface of the IC card. Avoid jumping out or dropping out.

  In addition, the above-described ejection mechanism includes, for example, an ejection member that is movably disposed in the card housing portion along the IC card attachment / detachment direction and supports one end of the IC card, and that holds the ejection member according to the IC card attachment / detachment. Alternatively, it is configured to include a lock / unlock control unit that performs operation control related to release, and an elastic member as a biasing member that biases the eject member in the card ejection direction.

  The lock / unlock control unit includes, for example, a lever member as a control member whose one end is connected to the eject member, an annular guide groove that movably guides the other end of the lever member according to the attachment / detachment of the IC card, And a cam portion which is formed in the middle of the guide groove and holds or releases the other end of the lever member.

  Further, in order to simplify the configuration of the IC card drop-off prevention mechanism, as shown in Patent Document 3, for example, the eject member is movably arranged in the card accommodating portion along the IC card attaching / detaching direction. At the same time, there has been proposed one that is arranged to be rotatable.

JP 2002-270287 A JP 2003-217741 A JP 2004-087201 A

  When a brake piece (leaf spring) is used in order to avoid undesired popping out or dropping out of the IC card as described above, the pressing portion of the brake piece and the outer peripheral surface of the IC card Suppression by the frictional force between them has a certain limit because the frictional force depends on the pressing force of the pressing portion of the brake piece. Further, when the pressing force of the pressing portion of the brake piece is increased in order to cope with the steep pop-out of the IC card according to the elastic force of the elastic member, there is a possibility that the IC card cannot be smoothly attached and detached.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention is a card connector having a card attaching / detaching mechanism that selectively holds or releases a card in a card accommodating portion, and can reliably avoid a sharp jump-out of the card. An object of the present invention is to provide a card connector that can ensure smooth attachment / detachment of a card.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a card connector according to the present invention detachably accommodates a card having an engaged portion on a side surface, and has a card accommodating portion having a contact terminal for electrical connection to the card. And an engagement that is adjacent to the card receiving portion and is movable along the card mounting / removing direction and is rotatable, and is engaged with or disengaged from the engaged portion of the card. An ejecting member for supporting one end of a card inserted into the card accommodating portion, an urging member for urging the ejecting member toward the card ejection direction in the card accommodating portion, and one end of the ejecting member A lock / unlock control unit that has a control member to be connected and controls the operation of holding or releasing the control member and the ejection member according to the card attaching / detaching operation, and biasing of the biasing member Thus, when the card is ejected from the card accommodating portion, the pressing surface portion that presses the control member in a predetermined direction so that the engaging portion of the eject member is engaged with the engaged portion of the card. Control member pressing means.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the card connector of the present invention, when the control member pressing means is ejected from the card accommodating portion by the biasing force of the biasing member, the engaging portion of the eject member Since the control member has a pressing surface portion that presses the control member in a predetermined direction so that the card is engaged with the engaged portion of the card, it is possible to surely avoid sudden jumping out of the card and to smoothly Can be secured.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a card connector according to the present invention together with a thin memory card.
In FIG. 2, the card connector 10 is disposed inside an electronic device such as a mobile phone, a telephone, a PDA, or a camera. The card connector 10 electrically connects an electrode portion of the thin memory card 16 detachably housed in the housing portion and a connection terminal portion of a signal input / output board disposed inside a predetermined electronic device. It shall be connected.

  A plate-shaped thin memory card 16 such as a Memory Stick (trademark) has, for example, a front surface portion 16F and a back surface portion 16B facing each other as shown in FIG. Further, the thin memory card 16 has a chamfered portion 16a at the corner of the tip.

  In the back surface portion 16B of the thin memory card 16, a relatively shallow cutout portion 16b is formed in a side surface portion adjacent to the chamfered portion 16a to engage a claw portion of an eject member described later. Further, a groove portion 16c is formed at the tip portion adjacent to the chamfered portion 16a. The groove portion 16c is formed thinner than the thickness of other portions.

  A plurality of recesses 16g are arranged and formed substantially parallel to the long sides of the thin memory card 16 at the front end portion of the back surface portion 16B at a position separated from the groove portion 16c toward the center. Contact pads 16p as electrode portions are disposed on the bottom surfaces of the respective recesses 16g. The configuration of the contact pad 16p is, for example, a 10-pin system. The adjacent recesses 16g are partitioned at equal intervals by an elongated partition wall 16w having a predetermined height smaller than the plate thickness of the thin memory card 16. Therefore, the electrode group EL composed of the plurality of contact pads 16p is formed at a position deviated in one direction with respect to the center line C shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the card connector 10 includes a base member 14 having an accommodating portion 20 that detachably accommodates the thin memory card 16, and a cover member 12 that covers the entire base member 14. It is comprised including.

  The cover member 12 having a portal cross-sectional shape is made of, for example, a thin metal material. One side surface 12WL of both side surface portions of the cover member 12 has engagement holes 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, and 12e, which are respectively engaged with the claw portions of the base member 14 described later, in the claw portions. Correspondingly provided. The other side surface 12WR is formed with an engagement hole 12f that is engaged with the engagement claw of the base member 14.

  Therefore, the cover member 12 is fixed to the base member 14 by engaging the respective engagement holes 12 a to 12 f with the respective claw portions of the base member 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a rectangular opening 12 </ b> H is formed at a substantially central portion of the flat portion of the cover member 12. As a control member pressing means for pressing a cam lever member as a control member of an ejection mechanism described later with a predetermined pressure at a position on the side surface 12WL side in the flat portion of the cover member 12 and on the opening end side of the opening 12H. Cam lever pressing member 12PM is provided. A gap CL is formed around the cam lever pressing member 12PM and the cover member 12 so that the cam lever pressing member 12PM can be elastically displaced.

  One end of the cam lever pressing member 12PM is formed integrally with the cover member 12, while the curved portion 12PMa at the other end of the cam lever pressing member 12PM is enlarged and shown in FIG. 1, as will be described later. In the straight line portion, it is in contact with a portion close to the eject member 24. The curved portion 12PMa has a pressing surface portion 12PMs that is brought into contact with a predetermined position in the linear portion of the rod-shaped cam lever 34 in a state close to point contact. The pressing surface portion 12PMs forms a predetermined angle α with respect to a straight line X parallel to the flat surface of the cover member 12. As will be described later, for example, the angle α is set such that the direction of the pressing force applied to the cam lever 34 by the bending portion 12PMa is the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. The position where the pressing surface portion 12PMs contacts the linear portion of the cam lever 34 is not limited to such an example, and may be any position. Further, the cover member 12 is provided with a through hole 12t in a portion that is in a line with the cam lever pressing member 12PM and that faces the opening end.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the housing portion 20 in the base member 14 has an upper portion and a lower portion, and an end portion on the side opposite to the contact terminal fixing portion side described later is open. Therefore, when the base member 14 is covered by the cover member 12 described above, as shown in FIG. 2, a slot into which the thin memory card 16 is inserted is formed at one end of the accommodating portion 20. .

  The base member 14 is integrally molded with a molded resin material, for example. The base member 14 includes a side wall 14WL that forms one side of the accommodating portion 20 in which the thin memory card 16 is detachably accommodated, and a contact terminal fixing wall portion in which the contact terminals 22ai (i = 1 to 10) are arranged. 14WF and the side wall 14WR formed facing the side wall 14WL.

  On the outer surface of the side wall 14WL, claw portions 14Rb are formed at five locations at predetermined intervals, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, a substantially L-shaped opening 14 </ b> H is formed at the bottom continuous with the side wall 14 </ b> WL.

  The contact terminal fixing wall portion 14WF of the base member 14 is provided with a plurality of contact terminals 22ai (i = 1 to 10). For example, the ten contact terminals 22ai are arranged substantially parallel to the side wall 14WL at a predetermined mutual interval.

  The contact terminals 22ai are elastically connected to the contact portions 22A that are in contact with and electrically connected to the contact pads 16p of the thin memory card 16, and are electrically connected to the electrode portions of the substrate (not shown) by soldering. The soldering terminal portion 22 </ b> C, the contact portion 22 </ b> A, and the soldering terminal portion 22 </ b> C are connected to each other and include a fixing portion 22 </ b> F fixed to the base member 14.

  The contact terminal 22ai made of a sheet metal material, for example, phosphor bronze for a spring, is formed by pressing, and then its surface is subjected to gold plating.

  The fixing portion 22F of the contact terminal 22ai is fixed to the base member 14 by being press-fitted into a groove formed in the base member 14 in the same direction as the insertion direction of the thin memory card 16.

  Guide wall portions 14Gi (i = 1 to 10) formed integrally with the base member 14 are formed around the contact portions 22A of the contact terminals 22ai protruding into the housing portion 20 of the base member 14, respectively. Yes. As shown in FIG. 8, each guide wall portion 14Gi as a partition wall portion has a vertical wall facing both side surfaces of the contact portion 22A of the contact terminal 22ai and extending substantially parallel to the side wall 14WL, and one end of each vertical wall. It is comprised from the horizontal wall which connects. The distance between the vertical walls is set so that the concave portion 16g of the thin memory card 16 is engaged. Accordingly, the plurality of lateral walls corresponding to the contact terminals 22ai are arranged in a line on the same straight line, that is, formed in a common plane intersecting the side wall 14WL.

  Between the guide wall portions 14Gi of the adjacent contact terminals 22ai, gaps are formed through which the partition walls 16w of the thin memory card 16 can pass.

  Thereby, when the thin memory card 16 is inserted into the accommodating portion 20 in a normal direction, that is, when the back surface portion 16B is inserted in a state of facing the opening 14H of the base member 14, the thin memory card 16 is inserted. While the respective partition walls 16w are guided by the respective guide wall portions 14Gi, the contact portions 22A of the contact terminals 22ai are pushed downward by the contact pads 16p.

  In FIG. 8, the protruding pieces 14P are provided substantially parallel to each other at a position separated from the leftmost guide wall 14Gi by a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is set so as to coincide with the distance between the groove 16c and the recess 16g of the thin memory card 16, for example.

  One end of the protruding piece 14P is coupled to the inner peripheral surface of the contact terminal fixing wall portion 14WF. The length along the side wall 14WL of the protruding piece 14P is set to be approximately equal to the entire length of the guide wall portion 14Gi. Therefore, the other end of the projecting piece 14P is formed in a common plane with the lateral wall 14gb of the guide wall portion 14Gi.

  In such a configuration, when the leading end of the thin memory card 16 is in a properly inserted state, for example, when the chamfered portion 16a is on the protruding piece 14P side, the leading end of the thin memory card 16 is inserted into the groove 16c. Insertion is possible without interfering with the projecting piece 14P, so that the partition wall 16w passes through the gap, and the contact pad 16p reaches the position of the contact portion 22A of the contact terminal 22ai.

  On the other hand, when the leading end portion of the thin memory card 16 is in the wrong insertion state, that is, when the chamfered portion 16a is on the side facing the position of the protruding piece 14P, a plurality of leading end portions of the thin memory card 16 are provided. Therefore, the insertion operation of the leading end portion of the thin memory card 16 is restricted in the middle of the guide wall 14Gi and the projecting piece 14P.

  As a result, erroneous insertion of the leading end of the thin memory card 16 is recognized, and erroneous insertion of the leading end of the thin memory card 16 is restricted.

  An inner side portion of the side wall 14WL is provided with an ejection mechanism including a lock / unlock control unit that selectively ejects the thin memory card 16 from the accommodating unit 20 and restricts undesired popping of the thin memory card 16. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the ejection mechanism includes a substantially L-shaped ejection member 24 that is rotatably supported while moving relative to the base member 14, and engages with the thin memory card 16. A coil spring 26 that is interposed between the base member 14 and the eject member 24 and biases the eject member 24 in the ejecting direction of the thin memory card 16 and selectively holds the eject member 24 and the cam lever 34 against the base member 14 or In addition, it includes a cam mechanism section to be released and a lock / unlock control section for controlling the ejection member 24 to be locked or unlocked with respect to the thin memory card 16.

  As shown in FIG. 8, one end of the coil spring 26 subjected to nickel plating is supported by the base member 14, and the other end of the coil spring 26 is connected to the spring receiving portion 24 s of the eject member 24.

  The eject member 24 is formed of, for example, a resin material as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. At one end portion of the eject member 24 near the contact terminal fixing wall portion 14WF, a slope portion 24B that engages the chamfered portion 16a of the inserted thin memory card 16 is formed on the accommodating portion 20 side.

  On the other hand, the substantially V-shaped other end portion of the eject member 24 is formed with a through hole 24h to which a cam lever 34 described later is connected. A claw portion 24N that selectively engages with the cutout portion 16b of the thin memory card 16 is formed on the side of the accommodating portion 20 at the other end portion of the eject member 24. The claw portion 24N is formed corresponding to the shape of the cutout portion 16b of the thin memory card 16 to be inserted.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, the lower surface portion of the eject member 24 slidably contacted with the bottom of the base member 14 has a predetermined mutual interval corresponding to the guide holes 14E and 14F of the base member 14. Guide pins 24Pa and 24Pb are formed. The guide pin 24Pa is formed in a region facing the inclined surface portion 24B on the lower surface portion. The guide pin 24Pb is formed in a region facing the claw portion 24N on the lower surface portion. The guide pins 24Pa and 24Pb are movably inserted into the guide holes 14E and 14F of the housing member 14, respectively. The guide hole 14 </ b> E has a predetermined length and is a long hole extending along the direction in which the thin memory card 16 is attached / detached. The guide holes 14F formed adjacent to the slot side so as to be aligned with the guide holes 14E are a long hole portion 14fa having a predetermined length, and gradually from the end of the long hole portion 14fa to the side wall 14WL side. And an enlarged portion 14fb having an opening that is enlarged and widened. The side wall 14WL side of the enlarged portion 14fb is connected to the long hole portion 14fa via an inclined portion. At that time, in the state where the thin memory card 16 is not in contact with the eject member 24, the guide pin 24 </ b> Pb is formed by the component force of the urging force of the coil spring 26 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The cam lever 34 is urged in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1 by the elastic force of the cam lever pressing member 12PM while being urged toward the straight portion side, and as shown in FIG. Slightly protrudes into the accommodating portion 20.

  Therefore, when the thin memory card 16 is properly inserted into the eject member 24, the claw portion 24N is against the elastic force of the cam lever pressing member 12PM by the tip of the thin memory card 16, and the arrow UL shown in FIG. When the thin memory card 16 is further inserted and the notch portion 16b reaches the claw portion 24N, the claw portion 24N is counteracted by the elastic force of the cam lever pressing member 12PM. It is rotated in the clockwise direction and engaged with the notch 16b relatively shallowly. At that time, a confirmation sound is generated when the claw portion 24N collides with the periphery of the notch portion 16b.

  When the eject member 24 is further advanced toward the contact terminal fixing wall portion 14WF in the housing portion 20, the guide pin 24Pa is guided and moved linearly to the periphery of the guide hole 14E, while the guide pin 24Pb is guided. Since the eject member 24 is guided by the peripheral edge of the hole 14F, the guide pin 24Pb moves forward from the enlarged portion 14fb to the long hole portion 14fa, so that the eject member 24 moves in the counterclockwise direction toward the contact terminal fixing wall portion 14WF. The guide pin 24Pa is further rotated about the rotation center. Thereby, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is surely engaged with the cutout portion 16b of the thin memory card 16 to be inserted. At that time, the chamfered portion 16 a of the thin memory card 16 comes into contact with the inclined surface portion 24 B of the eject member 24.

  Therefore, the lock / unlock control unit is formed by the guide pins 24Pa and 24Pb, the guide holes 14E and 14F, and the cam lever 34.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 9, the cam mechanism section includes a substantially heart-shaped cam element (heart cam) 30 formed on the inner side of the side wall 14 WL on the aforementioned slot side, and a plurality of cam mechanisms formed around the heart cam 30. A lever guide groove 32 including a step portion, a staple needle-shaped cam lever whose one end is connected to the through hole 24h of the eject member 24 and the other end is slid along the lever guide groove 32. 34 and the above-described cam pressing member 12PM that biases the bent tip of the cam lever 34 against the guide surfaces of the plurality of lever guide grooves.

  The heart cam 30 formed of resin has a substantially V-shaped cam surface 30a in which one end portion of the cam lever 34 is selectively engaged with a portion facing the substantially V-shaped end portion 24E of the eject member 24. ing.

  The lever guide groove 32 formed of resin includes a first guide groove 32G1 linearly extending along one side of the heart cam 30 along the side wall 14WL, and a first guide groove 32G1 on the other side of the heart cam 30. Of the second guide groove 32G2 extending in parallel to the first guide groove 32G1 and the first guide groove 32G1 facing the cam surface 30a after extending obliquely toward the side wall 14WL so as to branch from the middle of the first guide groove 32G1 A third guide groove 32G3 is formed between one end and one end of the second guide groove 32G2 to connect a portion facing the cam surface 30a.

  The average depth of the first guide groove 32G1 is set larger than the average depth of the second guide groove 32G2. The depth of the portion of the first guide groove 32G1 that intersects with one end of the second guide groove 32G2 is set to be the deepest. Accordingly, a step portion is formed at the intersection of the first guide groove 32G1 and one end of the second guide groove 32G2.

  In addition, between the end of the first guide groove 32G1 on the one end side of the third guide groove 32G3 and one end of the guide groove 32G1, the depth of one end of the guide groove 32G3 is the first guide groove 32G1. It is set to be deeper than the depth. Accordingly, a step portion is formed at the boundary portion between the end portion of the first guide groove 32G1 on one end side of the third guide groove 32G3 and the one end of the guide groove 32G3.

  Further, the depth of one end of the guide groove 32G2 between the end portion on the one end side of the second guide groove 32G2 and the one end of the guide groove 32G2 in the third guide groove 32G3 is the third guide groove 32G3. It is set to be deeper than the depth. Accordingly, a step portion is formed at the boundary portion between the end portion of the second guide groove 32G2 on the one end side of the third guide groove 32G3 and the one end of the guide groove 32G2.

  As a result, the one end of the cam lever 34 follows the operation of the eject member 24 and follows the direction indicated by the arrow shown in FIG. 9 in the first guide groove 32G1, the third guide groove 32G3, and the second guide. It will be guided through the groove 32G2 sequentially.

  An abutting wall 38 against which the end 24E of the eject member 24 abuts when the end 24E of the eject member 24 is retracted is located closer to the enlarged portion 14fb than the portion where the lever guide groove 32 is formed. It is formed flat in a direction substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the eject member 24.

  In such a configuration, when the thin memory card 16 is mounted, first, when the thin memory card 16 is inserted into the accommodating portion 20 through the slot, as shown in FIG. 8, the end 24E of the eject member 24 abuts. When the chamfered portion 16a comes into contact with the inclined surface portion 24B of the eject member 24 from a state separated from the wall 38, the eject member 24 is rotated by a rotational moment about the guide pin 24Pa and starts moving forward. It is done. At that time, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is engaged with the cutout portion 16b of the thin memory card 16 relatively shallowly with a confirmation sound due to the collision, and then is engaged more securely and deeply.

  Next, when the thin memory card 16 is further pressed against the urging force of the coil spring 26 together with the eject member 24, the eject member 24 is separated from the contact wall 38 and further advanced and rotated. At this time, the guide pin 24Pb is detached from the enlarged portion 14fb and moved to the long hole portion 14fa. One end of the cam lever 34 is guided by the first guide groove 32G1.

  Subsequently, when the thin memory card 16 is further pressed against the urging force of the coil spring 26 together with the eject member 24 and then the pressing force is released, the one end portion of the cam lever 34 has the first guide groove 32G1. And is engaged with the cam surface 30a of the third guide groove 32G3. At this time, the state in which the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is engaged with the cutout portion 16b of the thin memory card 16 is held.

  Therefore, the cam mechanism unit holds the eject member 24 and the lock / unlock control unit sets the lock state.

  Thereby, the thin memory card 16 is held in the accommodating portion 50, and the contact pad 16p of the thin memory card 16 and a contact terminal described later are brought into contact and electrically connected. Further, undesired popping out of the thin memory card 16 that has been mounted is avoided.

  On the other hand, when the thin memory card 16 is removed from the accommodating portion 50, first, the loaded thin memory card 16 is pushed further slightly. At this time, when the eject member 24 is advanced, one end portion of the cam lever 34 is released from the cam surface 30a and is released and moved to the second guide groove 32G2, so that the eject member 24 has its guide pin. 24Pb is guided by the long hole portion 44fa and retracted by the urging force of the coil spring 26. That is, the cam mechanism part sets the eject member 24 in a released state.

  Next, when the guide pin 24Pb of the eject member 24 reaches the proximal end of the inclined portion of the enlarged portion 14fb, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is moved by the rotational moment around the guide pin 24Pa caused by the biasing force of the coil spring 26. Thus, it becomes possible to start separation from the notch 16b of the thin memory card 16.

  However, since the elastic force of the cam lever pressing member 12PM acts on the cam lever 34 in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is maintained as it is, that is, the engaged state is maintained. Therefore, the thin memory card 16 can be reliably prevented from popping out and falling off.

  When the guide pin 24Pb of the eject member 24 reaches the linear portion of the enlarged portion 14fb by the urging force of the coil spring 26, the end 24E of the eject member 24 is brought into contact with the contact wall 38.

  Further, when the thin memory card 16 is forcibly pulled out against the elastic force of the cam lever pressing member 12PM, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is separated from the notch portion 16b of the thin memory card 16, and the thin memory card 16 It returns to the above-mentioned standby position where it does not interfere with Therefore, the lock / unlock control unit is unlocked, and the thin memory card 16 is ejected.

FIG. 12 shows the appearance of another example of the card connector according to the present invention.
Similarly, the card connector in the example shown in FIG. 12 is also arranged inside an electronic device such as a mobile phone, a telephone, a PDA, or a camera.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the soldered terminal portion 22C of the contact terminal 22ai is assumed to be located in the accommodating portion 20. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the contact terminal 46ai is soldered. The terminal portion 46 </ b> C is configured to protrude outward from the end portion of the base member 44.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the card connector 40 includes a base member 44 having an accommodating portion 50 that detachably accommodates the thin memory card 16, and a cover member 42 that covers the entire base member 44. ing.

  The cover member 42 having a portal cross-sectional shape is formed of, for example, a thin metal material. As shown in FIG. 13, one side surface portion 42 WL of both side surface portions of the cover member 42 has an engagement hole (not shown) that engages a claw portion of a base member 44 described later. It is provided corresponding to the nail part.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the other side surface portion 42WR is formed with an engagement hole 42f that is engaged with the engagement claw of the base member 44. Further, on the side surfaces 42WL and 42WR of the cover member 42, fixed pieces 42g fixed to a substrate (not shown) are integrally formed at two locations.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the bent portion 42j is integrally formed so as to correspond to each other between the two fixed pieces 42g. The bent portion 42j is connected to the side surface portion 42WR and is bent inwardly (in the X-coordinate direction shown in FIG. 17) inwardly in parallel with the flat surface of the cover member 42 on the base member 44 side. Further, a bent portion 42k smaller than the bent portion 42j is integrally formed in the same manner adjacent to one fixed piece 42g. Each of the bent portion 42j and the bent portion 42k serves to reinforce the rigidity of the cover member 42. A bent portion 42f2 is formed in a portion of the cover member 42 adjacent to the bent portion 42j.

  The bent portion 42f2 is connected to the side surface portion 42WR and is bent inwardly (in the X-coordinate direction shown in FIG. 17) inwardly in parallel with the flat surface of the cover member 42 on the base member 44 side, as shown in FIG. It has a protrusion 42fp protruding in the Y coordinate direction at the end. The protrusion 42fp is press-fitted into a recess of a base member described later.

  A bent portion 42f1 is formed at a position separated from the bent portion 42f2 by a predetermined distance on one end side. The bent portion 42f1 protrudes in the X coordinate direction shown in FIG. The area of the bent portion 42f1 in the base member is smaller than the area of the bent portion 42f2. The bent portion 42f1 is press-fitted into another concave portion of the base member 44 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 17, bent portions 42 </ b> Fa and 42 </ b> Fb bent toward the base member 44 are formed at the end portion of the cover member 42 that faces the opening end. A fixed piece 42f3 bent toward the base member 44 is integrally formed between the bent portions 42Fa and 42Fb. The fixing piece 42f3 is press-fitted into still another recess of the base member 44 described later. Further, a ground terminal 42GC is integrally provided at a portion adjacent to the bent portion 42Fa.

  On the other hand, a fixing piece 42f4 bent toward the base member 44 is integrally formed on the side surface portion 42WL side at the periphery of the opening end of the cover member 42.

  As shown in FIG. 13, relatively shallow recesses 42 a, 42 b and 42 c such as dowels are formed at predetermined positions in the flat portion of the cover member 42. The inner surfaces of the recesses 42 a 42 b and 42 c are in contact with predetermined positions on the outer surface of the thin memory card 16 to be attached and detached.

  As a control member pressing means that presses a cam lever 34 as a control member of an ejection mechanism, which will be described later, with a predetermined pressure at a position on the side surface 42WL side in the flat portion of the cover member 42 and on the opening end side of the recess 42b. The cam lever pressing member 42PM is provided. A gap CL is formed around the cam lever pressing member 42PM and the cover member 42 so that the cam lever pressing member 42PM can be elastically displaced.

  One end of the cam lever pressing member 42PM is formed integrally with the cover member 42, while the curved portion 42PMa at the other end of the cam lever pressing member 42PM is similar to the example shown in FIG. The straight part is in contact with a portion close to the eject member 24. The curved portion 42PMa has a pressing surface portion 42PMs that is brought into contact with a predetermined position in the linear portion of the rod-shaped cam lever 34 in a state close to point contact. The pressing surface portion 42PMs forms a predetermined angle α with respect to a straight line parallel to the flat surface of the cover member 42 as in the example of FIG. Also in the example shown in FIG. 13, the angle α is set so that the direction of the pressing force applied to the cam lever 34 by the curved portion 42PMa is the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. In addition, the relative position where the pressing surface portion 42PMs contacts the linear portion of the cam lever 34 is not limited to such an example, and may be any position.

  A pressing piece 42P as a brake piece that presses the surface of the thin card 16 to be attached and detached is provided at a portion of the cover member 42 adjacent to the cam lever pressing member 42PM substantially parallel. One end of the pressing piece 42P can be elastically displaced, while the other end of the pressing piece 42P is formed integrally with the cover member 42. Further, the pressing pieces 42P are also provided substantially in parallel at a predetermined interval on the side surface portion 42WR side of the cover member 42.

  Further, a through hole 42ha and a through hole 42hb are formed on the side surface portion 42WR side of the cover member 42 in line with the pressing piece 42P and the concave portion 42c, respectively. The through hole 42ha and the through hole 42hb are formed at positions directly above the bent portion 42f1 and the protruding portion 42fp, respectively. For example, in the case of assembly, these through holes 42ha and the through holes 42hb are used for visually confirming the position of a concave portion of the base member 44 described later.

  The cover member 42 is provided with a through hole 42t aligned with the cam lever pressing member 42PM.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the housing portion 50 in the base member 44 has an upper portion and a lower portion that are substantially L-shaped, and an end portion on the opposite side to the contact terminal fixing portion side described later. is doing. Therefore, when the base member 44 is covered by the cover member 42 described above, a slot into which the thin memory card 16 is inserted is formed at one end of the accommodating portion 50 as shown in FIG. .

  The base member 44 is integrally molded with a molded resin material, for example. The base member 44 includes a side wall 44WL that forms one side of the accommodating portion 50 in which the thin memory card 16 is detachably accommodated, and a contact terminal fixing wall portion in which the contact terminals 46ai (i = 1 to 10) are arranged. 44WF and the side wall 44WR formed facing the side wall 44WL.

  Claw portions 44Rb are formed at five locations on the outer surface of the side wall 44WL.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 18, a substantially L-shaped opening 44 </ b> H is formed at the bottom continuous with the side wall 14 </ b> WL.

  The contact terminal fixing wall portion 44WF of the base member 44 is provided with a plurality of contact terminals 46ai (i = 1 to 10). For example, the ten contact terminals 46ai are arranged substantially parallel to the side wall 44WL at a predetermined mutual interval.

  As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19A, the contact terminal 46ai has a contact portion 46A that is elastic and contacts the contact pad 16p of the thin memory card 16 and is electrically connected thereto, and an electrode portion of the substrate. The soldering terminal portion 46C is fixed by soldering and electrically connected, and the contact portion 46A and the soldering terminal portion 46C are connected to each other, and the fixing portion 46F is fixed to the base member 44. Yes.

  The contact terminal 46ai made of a thin metal plate material, for example, phosphor bronze for a spring, is formed by pressing, and then its surface is subjected to gold plating.

  The fixing portion 46F of the contact terminal 46ai is press-fitted into a groove formed in the base member 44 in a direction opposite to the insertion direction of the thin memory card 16 through a through hole formed in the contact terminal fixing wall portion 44WF. It is fixed to the terminal fixing wall 44WF.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 18, guide wall portions 14 </ b> Gi (integrally formed with the base member 44) are formed around the contact portions 46 </ b> A of the contact terminals 46 ai projecting into the housing portion 50 of the base member 44. i = 1 to 10) are formed. As shown in FIG. 18, each guide wall 44Gi as a partition wall includes a vertical wall that faces both side surfaces of the contact portion 46A of the contact terminal 46ai and extends substantially parallel to the side wall 44WL, and one end of each vertical wall. It is comprised from the horizontal wall which connects. The distance between the vertical walls is set so that the concave portion 16g of the thin memory card 16 is engaged. Accordingly, the plurality of lateral walls corresponding to the contact terminals 46ai are arranged in a line on the same straight line, that is, formed in a common plane intersecting the side wall 44WL.

  Between the guide wall portions 44Gi of the adjacent contact terminals 46ai, gaps are formed through which the partition walls 16w of the thin memory card 16 can pass.

  In FIG. 18, the protruding pieces 44P are provided substantially parallel to each other at a position separated from the leftmost guide wall 44Gi by a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is set so as to coincide with the distance between the groove 16c and the recess 16g of the thin memory card 16, for example. One end of the protruding piece 44P is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the contact terminal fixing wall portion 44WF. The length along the side wall 44WL of the protruding piece 44P is set substantially equal to the entire length of the guide wall portion 44Gi. Therefore, the other end of the protruding piece 44P is formed in the same plane as the lateral wall of the guide wall portion 44Gi. The protruding piece 44P has the same effect as the protruding piece 14P in the above example.

  A recess 44g3 into which the above-mentioned fixing piece 42f3 is press-fitted is provided in the vicinity of one end of the protruding piece 44P in the contact terminal fixing wall 44WF.

  In FIG. 18, recessed portions 44g1 and 44g2 into which the above-described fixing pieces 42f1 and protrusion pieces 42fp are press-fitted are formed at positions spaced apart from the right end guide wall portion 44Gi by a predetermined distance toward the side wall 44WR.

  An ejecting mechanism including a lock / unlock control unit that selectively ejects the thin memory card 16 from the housing unit 50 and restricts undesired pop-out of the thin memory card 16 is provided in an inner portion of the side wall 44WL. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the eject mechanism includes a substantially L-shaped eject member 24 that is rotatably supported while moving relative to the base member 44, and a base member 44. And a coil spring 26 that is interposed between the ejection member 24 and urges the ejection member 24 in the ejection direction of the thin memory card 16, and a cam mechanism portion that selectively holds or releases the ejection member 24 with respect to the base member 44. In addition, it is configured to include a lock / unlock control unit that controls the ejection member 24 to be locked or unlocked with respect to the thin memory card 16.

  In FIG. 18, components that are the same in the example illustrated in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the guide pins 24Pa and 24Pb are movably inserted in the guide holes 44E and 44F of the base member 44, respectively. The guide hole 44 </ b> E has a predetermined length and is a long hole extending along the attaching / detaching direction of the thin memory card 16. Guide holes 44F formed adjacent to the slot side so as to be in a line with the guide holes 44E are a long hole portion 44fa having a predetermined length, and gradually from the end portion of the long hole portion 44fa to the side wall 44WL side. And an enlarged portion 44fb having an opening that is enlarged and widened. The side wall 44WL side of the enlarged portion 44fb is connected to the long hole portion 44fa via an inclined portion. At that time, when the thin memory card 16 is not in contact with the eject member 24, the guide pin 24Pb is applied to the linear portion of the enlarged portion 44fb by the component force of the urging force of the coil spring 26 as shown in FIG. While being urged, the cam lever 34 is urged by the elastic force of the cam lever pressing member 42PM, so that the tip of the claw portion 24N slightly protrudes into the accommodating portion 50 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 18, a recess 44g4 into which the above-described fixing piece 42f4 is press-fitted is provided between the lever guide groove 32 and the end of the base member 44.

  Thereby, when the cover member 42 is assembled to the base member 44, the cover member 42 is engaged with the base member 44 by engaging the respective engagement holes and the respective claw portions 44Rb of the base member 44. It will be fixed. 19A and 19B, the bent portion 42f1 and the protruding piece 42fp of the cover member 42 are press-fitted into the concave portions 44g1 and 44g2 of the base member 44, and each fixed piece. 42f3 and 42f4 are press-fitted into the recesses 44g3 and 44g4, respectively.

  At this time, even when the surface area of the side wall 44WR of the base member 44 is relatively small and a plurality of claw portions cannot be provided, the bent portion 42f1 and the projecting piece 42fp of the cover member 42 and the concave portions 44g1 and 44g2 The cover member 42 and the base member 44 can be reliably and easily coupled, and the degree of freedom in design is increased.

  In such a configuration, when the thin memory card 16 is mounted, first, when the thin memory card 16 is inserted into the accommodating portion 50 through the slot, as shown in FIG. 18, the end 24E of the eject member 24 abuts. When the chamfered portion 16a comes into contact with the inclined surface portion 24B of the eject member 24 from a state separated from the wall 38, the eject member 24 is rotated by a rotational moment about the guide pin 24Pa and starts moving forward. It is done.

  Next, when the thin memory card 16 is further pressed against the urging force of the coil spring 26 together with the eject member 24, the eject member 24 is separated from the contact wall 38 and further advanced and rotated.

  At that time, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is relatively shallowly engaged with the cutout portion 16b of the thin memory card 16 with a confirmation sound due to the collision.

  Subsequently, when the thin memory card 16 is further pressed against the urging force of the coil spring 26 together with the eject member 24 and then the pressing force is released, the one end portion of the cam lever 34 has the first guide groove 32G1. And is engaged with the cam surface 30a of the third guide groove 32G3. At this time, the state in which the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is engaged with the cutout portion 16b of the thin memory card 16 is held. Therefore, the cam mechanism unit holds the eject member 24 and the lock / unlock control unit sets the lock state.

  Thereby, the thin memory card 16 is held in the accommodating portion 50, and the contact pad 16p of the thin memory card 16 and the contact terminal 46ai are brought into contact with each other and electrically connected. Further, undesired popping out of the thin memory card 16 that has been mounted is avoided.

  On the other hand, when the thin memory card 16 is removed from the accommodating portion 50, first, the loaded thin memory card 16 is pushed further slightly. At this time, when the eject member 24 is advanced, one end portion of the cam lever 34 is released from the cam surface 30a and is released and moved to the second guide groove 32G2, so that the eject member 24 has its guide pin. 24Pb is guided by the long hole portion 44fa and retracted by the urging force of the coil spring 26. That is, the cam mechanism part sets the eject member 24 in a released state.

  Next, when the guide pin 24Pb of the eject member 24 reaches the base end of the inclined portion of the enlarged portion 44fb, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is moved by the rotational moment around the guide pin 24Pa caused by the biasing force of the coil spring 26. Thus, it becomes possible to start separation from the notch 16b of the thin memory card 16.

  However, since the elastic force of the cam lever pressing member 42PM acts on the cam lever 34 in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 remains engaged as shown in FIGS. It becomes a state. Therefore, undesired pop-out and dropout of the thin memory card 16 can be avoided.

  When the guide pin 24Pb of the eject member 24 reaches the linear portion of the enlarged portion 44fb by the biasing force of the coil spring 26, the end 24E of the eject member 24 is brought into contact with the contact wall 38.

  Further, when the thin memory card 16 is forcibly pulled out against the elastic force of the cam lever pressing member 42PM, the claw portion 24N of the eject member 24 is separated from the notch portion 16b of the thin memory card 16, and the thin memory card 16 It returns to the above-mentioned standby position that does not interfere with the above. Accordingly, the lock / unlock control unit is unlocked, and the thin memory card 16 is ejected.

It is a fragmentary sectional view which expands and shows partially the principal part in an example of the connector for cards which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of an example of the connector for cards which concerns on this invention with an IC card. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the example shown in FIG. 2. It is a front view in the example shown by FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the example shown in FIG. 2. It is a side view in the example shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the IC card used for an example of the connector for cards which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the base member in the example shown by FIG. It is a top view in the example shown by FIG. It is a top view of the base member with which operation | movement description in the example shown by FIG. 2 is provided. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the eject member in the example shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of another example of the connector for cards which concerns on this invention. It is a top view in the example shown by FIG. It is a bottom view in the example shown by FIG. It is a front view in the example shown by FIG. It is a side view in the example shown by FIG. It is a top view which shows the cover member in the example shown by FIG. It is a top view which shows the base member in the example shown by FIG. (A) is a fragmentary sectional view in the example shown by FIG. (B) is the elements on larger scale in the example shown by FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an operation in the example shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an operation in the example shown in FIG. 12.

Explanation of symbols

10, 40 Card connector 12, 42 Cover member 12PM, 42PM Cam lever pressing member 14, 44 Base member 16 Narrow card 22ai, 46ai Contact terminal 24 Eject member 26 Coil spring 32 Guide groove 34 Cam lever member 42f1 Bent portion 44g1 Recessed portion

Claims (3)

A card housing portion having a contact terminal for detachably housing a card having an engaged portion on a side surface portion and making an electrical connection to the card, and
An engagement that is adjacent to the card receiving portion and is movable along the card attachment / detachment direction and is pivotable, and is engaged with or disengaged from the engaged portion of the card. An eject member having a joint portion and supporting one end portion of the card inserted into the card housing portion;
An urging member that urges the eject member toward the ejection direction of the card in the card accommodation portion;
A lock / unlock control unit having a control member coupled to one end of the eject member, and performing an operation control for holding or releasing the control member and the eject member in accordance with an attaching / detaching operation of the card;
When the card is ejected from the card housing portion by the biasing force of the biasing member, the engaging portion of the eject member is engaged with the engaged portion of the card.
Control member pressing means having a pressing surface portion for pressing the control member in a predetermined direction;
A card connector comprising:   The card connector according to claim 1, wherein the pressing surface portion of the control member pressing means is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the linear portion of the control member. The card accommodating portion is formed to be surrounded by a base member on which the contact terminal is disposed and a cover member that has a plate-like portion coupled to the concave portion of the base member and covers the base member, The card connector according to claim 1, wherein the plate-like portion of the cover member is coupled by being inserted into the concave portion along the plate thickness direction.

Images