JP2009140801A - Card connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a card connector of a reverse type which can effectively make a thickness thinner as compared with a conventional one. <P>SOLUTION: A terminal member 55 fixed with a housing ceiling plate 4 is provided with a terminal upper portion 55b and a terminal lower portion 55c with a step portion 55a in-between. The housing ceiling plate 4 has a thinner thickness portion 33 supporting the terminal lower portion 55c and a thicker thickness portion 34 supporting the step portion 55a and the terminal upper portion 55b. A bottom surface of the terminal lower portion 55c fixed and supported by the thinner thickness portion 33 and an upper surface of the terminal upper portion 55b fixed and supported by the thicker thickness portion 34 are exposed. A metal cover 3 is arranged at a position facing the thinner thickness portion 33 of the housing ceiling plate 4 and the terminal lower portion 55c, and a part of the metal cover in a thickness direction is positioned in a step between the thinner thickness portion 33 of the housing ceiling plate 4 and the thicker thickness portion 34. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a card connector having a structure in which a terminal member is supported on a housing ceiling plate.

  An electronic function card called a memory card (hereinafter simply referred to as a card) is attached to a digital camera or a digital video camera. The card is stored in a card connector having a card mounting area.

  A plurality of terminal members are juxtaposed in the card mounting area of the card connector, and when the card is stored in the card mounting area, each external connection portion of the card and each terminal member are electrically connected. .

  In the structure in which the terminal member is supported on the housing ceiling plate located on the card mounting area as in Patent Document 1 shown below, when the card is inserted into the card mounting area of the card connector, the external connection side of the card faces upward. And insert. The card connector having such a structure is generally called a reverse type (also referred to as a reverse type in this specification).

  As described in Patent Document 1, a metal cover is overlaid on the housing ceiling plate. Therefore, the terminal member is embedded in the housing ceiling plate formed of synthetic resin by insert molding, and the portion of the terminal member supported by the housing ceiling plate is called synthetic resin / terminal member / synthetic resin / metal cover. There was a need to prevent the terminal member and the metal cover from coming into direct contact with each other as a laminated structure.

For this reason, conventionally, there is a limit to thinning the housing ceiling plate, and there has been a problem that it is not possible to promote the thinning of the reverse type card connector.
JP-A-2005-135608

  Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems, and in particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a card connector that can be effectively reduced in thickness in the reverse type compared to the conventional one.

The card connector in the present invention,
A housing having a card mounting area into which a card can be inserted, and a plurality of terminal members supported by a housing ceiling plate located above the card mounting area of the housing and capable of conducting to an external connection provided in the card; And a metal cover covering the housing ceiling plate,
A portion of the terminal member fixedly supported by the housing ceiling plate is provided with a terminal upper step portion having a high height via a step portion and a terminal lower step portion having a height position lower than the terminal upper step portion. ,
The housing ceiling plate has a thin portion that fixes and supports the lower terminal portion of the terminal, and a thick portion that protrudes upward from the thin portion through a step, and supports and supports the step portion and the upper step portion of the terminal, At least the lower surface of the terminal lower step portion fixed and supported by the thin portion and the upper surface of the terminal upper step portion fixed and supported by the thick portion are exposed,
The metal cover is disposed at a position facing the thin portion of the housing ceiling plate and the lower terminal portion of the terminal, and at least part of the metal cover in the thickness direction includes the thin portion of the housing ceiling plate and the thin portion. It is located in the level | step difference between thick parts.

  As a result, the total thickness of the combined portion of the housing ceiling plate and the metal cover can be made thinner than before, and thus the reverse type card connector in which the terminal member is supported by the housing ceiling plate can be realized.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the upper and lower surfaces of the terminal lower step portion fixedly supported by the thin portion are exposed, and the thickness of the thin portion is substantially the same as the thickness of the terminal member. As a result, the card connector can be more effectively thinned.

  In the present invention, the upper surface of the thin portion protrudes upward so that the lower surface of the metal cover and the upper surface of the lower terminal portion of the terminal do not come into contact with each other, and there is a protrusion at a position lower than the upper surface of the thick portion. Preferably it is formed. Thereby, the thin card connector which can prevent reliably the contact with the said metal cover and a terminal member is realizable.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the thickness of the thick portion is substantially the same as the thickness from the lower surface of the terminal lower step portion to the upper surface of the terminal upper step portion. As a result, the card connector can be more effectively thinned.

  In the present invention, each terminal upper step portion of the plurality of terminal members is fixedly supported by the common thick portion located in a predetermined region, and the metal cover has an upper surface and a common upper portion of the common thick portion. It is preferable that an opening for exposing the upper surfaces of the plurality of upper terminal portions of the terminals is formed. For example, a common thick part is formed rather than individually forming the thick part with respect to the terminal upper stage part of each terminal member, whereby the metal cover has an opening facing the common thick part. Since it suffices to provide the metal cover and the housing ceiling plate, they can be formed with a simple structure. Further, by forming the common thick portion in a wide range, the molten resin can be appropriately filled at the time of insert molding, and the terminal member can be firmly fixed and supported by the housing ceiling plate.

Further, in the present invention, when the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the card into the card mounting area in plan view is the left and right side direction,
The plurality of terminal members are divided into predetermined pieces extending from the housing ceiling plate to the side walls located in the left and right sides of the housing, and are electrically connected to the external connection portions of the cards of the terminal members. It is preferable that the connection part with the external circuit part is exposed at the tip part opposite to the side. This facilitates the routing of each terminal member.

  In the present invention, the connecting portion of the terminal member extending in the left direction and the connecting portion of the terminal member extending in the right direction are asymmetrical positions when the insertion direction is a symmetric axis. It is preferable to be formed. As a result, it is possible to reduce erroneous connection with the external circuit unit.

Further, in the present invention, each terminal member is formed with the terminal upper step portion in the vicinity of each side wall, and each terminal upper step portion positioned on both the left and right sides is fixedly supported by the common thick portion,
The metal cover has a notch formed at a position facing the common thick portion formed in the left and right side directions, and the common thick portion, the side wall, and the terminal upper stage from the notch It is preferable that each part is exposed. As a result, while firmly fixing and supporting the terminal member, the connection portion of each terminal member to the external circuit portion can be easily exposed to the outside so as not to contact the metal cover.

  According to the present invention, the total thickness of the combined portion of the housing ceiling plate and the metal cover can be made thinner than before, so that it is possible to reduce the thickness of the reverse type card connector in which the terminal member is supported by the housing ceiling plate.

Hereinafter, the card connector of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is an exploded perspective view of the card connector, FIG. 2 is a front view of the card connector (viewed from the Y1 direction and the card C is not attached), FIG. 3 is a plan view of the card connector, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the card connector with the cover removed, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the card connector taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the card connector in which a part of FIG. 5 is enlarged, and FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the card connector as viewed from the direction of the arrow cut along the BB line in FIG. Note that FIG. 4 also includes lines AA and BB as in FIG. 3 to clarify which part of the housing ceiling plate 4 is cut.

  The Y1-Y2 direction shown in each figure indicates the insertion and ejection directions of the card C, and the Z1-Z2 direction indicates the thickness direction of the card connector 1. Further, the X1-X2 direction, the Y1-Y2 direction, and the X1-X2 direction are orthogonal to each other.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the card connector 1 includes a housing 2 and a metal cover 3. The housing 2 is further divided into a housing frame 5 and a housing ceiling plate 4.

  The housing frame 5 is integrally formed with a front wall 24, a rear wall 25, a right wall 26, a left wall 27, and a bottom wall 28 (see FIG. 1). The upper surface 24a of the front wall portion 24, the upper surface 25a of the rear wall portion 25, the upper surface 26a of the right wall portion 26 and the upper surface 27a of the left wall portion 27 are flush with each other.

  The housing ceiling plate 4 is formed so as to be in close contact with the upper surfaces 24a, 25a, 26a, 27a of the housing frame 5.

  By assembling the housing ceiling plate 4 on the housing frame 5, the card mounting area 10 is formed in the housing 2 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a slider 41 is provided inside the left wall 27 of the housing frame 5. The slider 41 is supported so as to be linearly reciprocable in the Y1-Y2 direction.

  A lock mechanism 35 is provided between the slider 41 and the housing frame 5 for locking the slider 41 on the back side (Y1 side) of the card mounting area 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The lock mechanism 35 includes a groove cam 42 formed on the upper surface of the slider 41 and a lock pin 36 provided on the housing frame 5 side.

  The proximal end portion 36a and the distal end portion 36b of the lock pin 36 are bent at a right angle, and the proximal end portion 36a is rotatable in a holding recess 24c provided inside the front wall portion 24 of the housing frame 5. It is supported. The distal end portion 36 b of the lock pin 36 is slidably inserted into the groove cam 42. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the metal cover 3 is integrally formed with a lock leaf spring 37 on the left front side (Y2 side). The lock plate spring 37 is a cantilever support spring formed by cutting out a part of the metal cover 3. The lock pin 36 is pressed by the lock plate spring 37, and the tip 36 b is pressed against the groove bottom of the groove cam 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the groove cam 42 includes a lock release portion 42a located at the end on the back side (Y1 side) and a lock portion 42b located on the front side (Y2 side) from the lock release portion 42a. Have. Between the unlocking part 42a and the locking part 42b, for example, an outward groove 42c is formed on the left side, and a backward groove 42d is formed on the right side.

  In the initial position (the state in which the card C is not inserted), the slider 41 is moved to the front side (Y2 side). At this time, the tip end portion 36b of the lock pin 36 is in the lock release portion 42a of the groove cam 42. Is located. When the card C is inserted into the card mounting area 10 from the Y1 direction and the slider 41 moves to the back side (Y1 side) of the card mounting area 10 together with the card C, the distal end portion 36b of the lock pin 36 moves forward of the groove cam 42. After passing through the groove 42c, the tip end portion 36b reaches the lock portion 42b of the groove cam 42, and the slider 41 is locked so as not to return to the near side (Y2 side).

  When the card C is pushed and the slider 41 is moved to the back side (Y1 side) by a short distance, the tip portion 36b of the lock pin 36 comes out of the lock portion 42b of the groove cam 42 and is guided to the return groove 42d. The slider 41 is unlocked.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a reference stopper portion 45 is integrally formed on the back side (Y1 side) of the slider 41 so as to protrude inward (rightward in the drawing) of the card mounting area 10 from the inner side surface 41 a of the slider 41. Has been. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a holding leaf spring (holding member) including a holding portion 43 bent in a substantially V shape is provided on the back side of the slider 41. The holding portion 43 protrudes to the right side in the drawing from the inner side surface 41 a of the slider 41.

  When the card C is inserted into the card mounting area 10, the card C is abutted against the reference stopper portion 45, the holding portion 43 is engaged with the concave portion 14 provided on the left side surface of the card C, and the card C is attached to the slider 41. It is supposed to be retained.

  The card connector 1 is provided with a detection mechanism 30 for identifying the type of the card C. That is, the card connector 1 can distinguish between the card C shown in FIG. 1 and another card. Another identifiable card is the Y1-Y2 direction of the notch-shaped guide identification groove 16 provided on the side surface on the front surface 44 side and the back surface 46 side of the card C shown in FIG. Other than this, the other shapes are the same structure.

  The detection mechanism 30 includes a detection movable unit 20 supported on the right end side of the housing ceiling plate 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The detection movable part 20 is an elongated cantilever leaf spring formed of metal, and the base end part 20 a of the detection movable part 20 is fixedly supported on the right end side of the housing ceiling plate 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the detection movable portion 20 extends from the base end portion 20 a fixedly supported by the housing ceiling plate 4 in the Y2 direction and is bent inwardly of the card mounting area 10 to protrude. The lower plate spring portion 22 is provided at a position higher than the lower plate spring portion 22 and is connected via a connecting portion on the abutting portion 21 side of the lower plate spring portion 22 and extends in the Y1 direction from the connecting portion. The upper spring portion 40 is provided with a contact portion 23 that is bent and protrudes outward from the card mounting area 10.

  The card C is also provided with a guide identification groove 16 on the right end surface. For example, even when the card C shown in FIG. 1 is moved to the back side (Y1 direction) of the card mounting area 10 by the slider 41 to be in the mounting state, the contact portion 21 of the detection movable unit 20 always has the guide identification groove 16. The detection movable unit 20 is not movable. On the other hand, when another card having a length of the guide identification groove 16 shorter than the length of the guide identification groove 16 of the card C shown in FIG. The contact portion 21 is relatively moved in the guide identification groove 16, but at least in the card mounting stage, the contact portion 21 of the detection movable portion 20 is disengaged from the guide identification groove 16 and more than the guide identification groove 16 of the card. Is also located on the Y2 side and protrudes in the X2 direction from the guide identification groove 16 (the outer right side surface is not shown in FIG. 1, but the outer left side surface 17 corresponding to the outer right side surface is formed on the left end side. The detection movable unit 20 is deformed in the X2 direction away from the card mounting area 10 with the base end 20a side as a fulcrum. As a result, the contact portion 23 of the upper spring portion 40 of the detection movable portion 20 contacts the inner side surface of the metal cover 3. The metal cover 3 also functions as a fixed electrode of the detection mechanism 30. Therefore, it is possible to detect which type of card is inserted by detecting whether or not the contact portion 23 of the detection movable portion 20 is in contact with the metal cover 3 and is in a conductive state.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an opening 3 a and a notch 3 b are formed on the surface of the metal cover 3. The opening 3 a and the notch 3 b are provided at positions facing thick wall portions 34, 38, 39 formed on the housing ceiling plate 4 described later, and the metal cover 3 is disposed on the housing ceiling plate 4. Sometimes, the thick portions 34, 38, 39 are exposed from the opening 3a and the notch 3b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, both sides in the left-right direction of the metal cover 3 are bent downward, and the side surfaces 3 c of the metal cover 3 are formed on the left wall portion 27 and the right wall portion 26 of the housing frame 5. An engagement hole 13 that engages with the mating protrusion 29 is formed. Further, a plate-like engagement convex portion 32 that is bent downward and protrudes downward is formed on the rear end side (Y1 side) of the metal cover 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the housing ceiling plate 4 supports a plurality of terminal members 55. The terminal members 55 are arranged in the same number and the same pitch as the external connection portions 9 exposed on the surface 44 of the card C shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the housing ceiling plate 4 is provided with an open window 56, and a portion of the terminal member 55 that is not fixedly supported by the housing ceiling plate 4 extends to the window 56. ing. Therefore, one end side of the terminal member 55 is fixedly supported by the housing ceiling plate 4, and the other end side is in a cantilever state with a free end. The terminal member 55 on the free end side disposed in the window portion 56 is formed to be bent into the card mounting area 10, and is bent in a substantially V shape in the card mounting area 10 in the vicinity of the tip end portion of the terminal member 55. A first connection portion 57 (only one terminal member 55 is given a reference numeral in FIGS. 1 and 4) is formed to be electrically connected to the external connection portion 9 of the card C.

  For example, the surface of the terminal member 55 is formed of a conductive metal plate plated with a low-resistance noble metal material such as gold.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fixed portion of the terminal member 55 fixedly supported by the housing ceiling plate 4 has a terminal upper step portion 55b having a high height via a step portion 55a, and a terminal upper step portion 55b. The lower terminal portion 55c having a lower height position is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, 6, and 7, the housing ceiling plate 4 includes a thin portion 33 for fixing and supporting the terminal lower step portion 55c, and a thick portion for fixing and supporting the step portion 55a and the terminal upper step portion 55b. (Thus, the thick portions 34, 38, 39 are present at a plurality of locations. In particular, with regard to the structure of the thick portion, the thick portion 34 is representative. explain). The thin portion 33 and the thick portions 34, 38, 39 constituting the housing ceiling plate 4 are integrally formed of synthetic resin.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lower surface 33a of the thin portion 33 is formed in substantially the same plane as the lower surface 55c1 of the terminal lower step portion 55c, and the lower surface 55c1 of the terminal lower step portion 55c is exposed downward. On the other hand, the upper surface 33b of the thin portion 33 is formed substantially flush with the upper surface 55c2 of the terminal lower step portion 55c, and the upper surface 55c2 of the terminal lower step portion 55c is exposed upward. The thickness T1 of the thin portion 33 is substantially the same as the thickness T2 of the terminal member 55. The thickness T1 of the thin portion 33 and the thickness T2 of the terminal member 55 are about 0.2 to 0.25 mm. Here, “substantially the same” means the thickness T1 / thickness T2 = 0.95 to 1.05. Even in the case of “identical”, it is allowed to include a manufacturing error.

  5 and 6, the lower surface 34a of the thick portion 34 is formed on substantially the same plane as the lower surface 55c1 of the lower terminal portion 55c and the lower surface 33a of the thin portion 33. Further, the upper surface 34b of the thick portion 34 is formed substantially flush with the upper surface 55b1 of the terminal upper step portion 55b, and the upper surface 55b1 of the terminal upper step portion 55b is exposed upward. The thickness T3 of the thick portion 34 shown in FIG. 6 is substantially the same as the height from the lower surface 55c1 of the terminal lower step portion 55c to the upper surface 55b1 of the terminal upper step portion 55b. The thickness T3 of the thick part 34 is about 0.4 to 0.5 mm. About the same, it has the same meaning as described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 6, etc., the metal cover 3 is disposed at a position facing the thin portion 33 and the terminal lower step portion 55 c of the housing ceiling plate 4. As described above, the opening 3a and the notch 3b are formed in the metal cover 3 at a position facing the thick portions 34, 38 and 39, and the thick portions 34 and 38 are formed from the opening 3a and the notch 3b. , 39 are exposed.

  In particular, as shown in FIG. 6, at least a part of the metal cover 3 in the thickness direction is located within a step between the thin portion 33 and the thick portion 34 of the housing ceiling plate 4. Therefore, although the thickness of the metal cover 3 is T4, the protruding amount of the metal cover 3 protruding upward from the upper surface 34b of the thick portion 34 is suppressed to T5 (see FIG. 6). The thickness T4 of the metal cover 3 is about 0.2 to 0.25 mm, and the protrusion amount T5 of the metal cover 3 is about 0 mm to 0.15 mm.

  As described above, the upper surface 33b of the thin portion 33 is substantially flush with the upper surface 55c2 of the terminal lower step portion 55c, and the upper surface 55c2 of the terminal lower step portion 55c is exposed, so that FIG. 1, FIG. 4, FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, an insulating protrusion 60 is formed on the upper surface 33b of the thin portion 33 so that the metal cover 3 and the terminal lower step portion 55c are not in direct contact with each other. Although FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, in order to make the positional relationship among the metal cover 3, the protruding portion 60, the terminal lower step portion 55 c and the thick portion 34 easy to understand, the protruding portion 60 that is visible on the back side is illustrated. In FIGS. 1 and 4, not all of the protrusions are denoted by reference numerals, and only some of the protrusions are denoted by reference numerals. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the thickness T <b> 6 of the protrusion 60 is regulated so that the upper surface 60 a of the protrusion 60 is lower than the upper surface 34 b of the thick portion 34. The thickness T6 of the protrusion 60 is about 0.05 to 0.1 mm. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the protrusion 60 is preferably provided on each thin and long thin portion 33 interposed between the terminal lower step portions 55 c. Further, it is preferable that a plurality of protrusions 60 are provided at intervals along the extending direction (longitudinal direction) of the terminal lower step portion 55c. The protruding portion 60 may be formed separately from the thin portion 33, but it is preferable to integrally form the protruding portion 60 and the thin portion 33 from the viewpoint of simplification of manufacturing.

  In the present embodiment, the total thickness of the combined portion of the housing ceiling plate 4 and the metal cover 3 can be made thinner than before. First, in the present embodiment, the terminal member 55 includes a terminal upper step portion 55b having a high height position and a terminal lower step portion 55c having a low height position via a step portion 55a. The lower terminal portion 55c is fixed and supported by the thin portion 33, and the step portion 55a and the upper terminal portion 55b are fixed and supported by the thick portion 34. 6 and 7, the thickness T1 of the thin portion 33 is substantially the same as the thickness T2 of the terminal member 55. Therefore, the housing ceiling plate 4 and the metal cover 3 at the thin portion 33 are combined. The thickness is the thickness T1 of the thin portion 33 (or the thickness T2 of the terminal member 55) + the thickness T4 of the metal cover 3 + the thickness T6 of the protrusion 60. That is, in this embodiment, except for the thickness T2 of the terminal member 55 and the thickness T4 of the metal cover 3, only the thickness T6 of the protrusion 60 is added. It can be effectively thin compared to the embedded form. In addition, the thickness T3 of the thick portion 34 can be suppressed to about twice the thickness T2 of the terminal member 55, and the metal cover 3 is not disposed on the thick portion 34 in the first place. Therefore, in the thick portion 34, only the thickness T3 of the thick portion 34 is involved in the thickness, so that the thickness can be effectively reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, the total thickness of the combined portion of the housing ceiling plate 4 and the metal cover 3 can be made thinner than before. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the reverse type card connector 1 in which the terminal member 55 is fixedly supported by the housing ceiling plate 4.

  The structure of the housing ceiling plate 4 on which the terminal member 55 is fixedly supported in the present embodiment is formed by insert molding. In the present embodiment, the terminal member 55 is provided with a stepped portion 55a, and the stepped portion 55a is embedded in the thick portion 34 (the stepped portion 55a is not exposed from the housing ceiling plate 4). This can be realized and the terminal member 55 can be firmly fixed and supported on the housing ceiling plate 4. Further, the stepped portion 55a and the terminal upper stepped portion 55b are fixed and supported by the thick portion 34 having a thickness larger than that of the thin portion 33, so that the flow of the molten resin at the time of insert molding is not hindered. And it becomes possible to insert-mold easily.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, at the position slightly on the Y2 side of the window portion 56 formed on the housing ceiling plate 4, the terminal upper step portions 55 b of all the terminal members 55 are X <b> 1-X <b> 2. Located in substantially the same region with respect to the direction, all the terminal upper step portions 55 b are fixedly supported by the common thick portion 34. The metal cover 3 has an opening 3a for exposing the upper surface 34b of the common thick portion 34 and the upper surface 55b1 of each terminal upper step portion 55b. For example, the common thick portion 34 is formed as in the present embodiment rather than individually forming the thick portion with respect to the terminal upper step portion 55 b of each terminal member 55, and thus the metal cover 3 has a common Therefore, the metal cover 3 and the housing ceiling plate 4 can be formed with a simple structure. Further, by forming the common thick portion 34 in a wide range, it is easy to fill the molten resin at the time of insert molding, and the housing ceiling plate 4 can be appropriately formed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the terminal member 55 extends from the common thick portion 34 in a predetermined manner in the left-right direction, and is formed integrally with the housing ceiling plate 4 and protrudes downward from the side wall plate 7. , 8 are formed to extend. And the 2nd connection part 58 with an external circuit part is outward from the said side wall board 7 and 8 in the front-end | tip part on the opposite side to the 1st connection part 57 electrically connected with the external connection part 9 of the card | curd C of each terminal member 55. Protruding. With the above configuration, the plurality of terminal members 55 can be easily routed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second connection portion 58 of the terminal member 55 extending to the left wall plate 7 and the second connection portion 58 of the terminal member 55 extending to the right wall plate 8 are The card C is preferably formed in an asymmetrical position when the Y1-Y2 direction, which is the insertion and ejection direction of the card C, is used as the symmetry axis. This can reduce erroneous connection with the external circuit unit.

  Further, in the vicinity of the left side wall plate 7 and the vicinity of the right side wall slab 8, terminal upper step portions 55 b are formed on the terminal members 55. And each terminal upper step part 55b is fixedly supported by the common thick parts 38 and 39 at the positions on both the left and right sides, respectively, and as shown in FIGS. A notch 3b is formed at a position facing the thick portions 38, 39, and the common thick portion 38, the left side wall plate 7, the right side wall plate 8, and the terminal upper step portion 55b are exposed from the notch portion 3b. ing. Accordingly, the second connecting portion 58 can be easily protruded outward so as not to contact the metal cover 3 in a state where the terminal member 55 is firmly fixed and supported.

  In the embodiment described above, the upper surface 55c2 of the terminal lower step portion 55c of the terminal member 55 is exposed. For example, the upper surface 55c1 of the terminal lower step portion 55c is thin (for example, equivalent to the thickness T6 of the protrusion 60). It may be covered with a synthetic resin. In this case, only the lower surface 55c1 of the terminal lower step portion 55c is exposed.

  In addition to the dot shape shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the protrusion 60 may be formed in a rectangular shape or the like along the thin portion 33 located between the terminal lower step portions 55c.

Exploded perspective view of the card connector, Front view of card connector (viewed from Y1 direction, card C not attached), Plan view of card connector, A plan view of the card connector with the metal cover removed, Sectional drawing of the card connector which cut | disconnected in the thickness direction from the AA line of FIG. 3, and was seen from the arrow direction, The partial expanded sectional view of the card connector which expanded a part of Drawing 5, The partial expanded sectional view of the card connector which cut | disconnected in the thickness direction from the BB line of FIG. 3, and was seen from the arrow direction,

Explanation of symbols

C Card 1 Card connector 2 Housing 3 Metal cover 4 Housing ceiling plate 5 Housing frame 10 Card mounting area 20 Movable detection part 30 Detection mechanism 33 Thin part 34 Thick part 36 Lock pin 37 Lock leaf spring 41 Slider 42 Groove cam 55 Terminal Member 55a Stepped portion 55b Terminal upper step portion 55c Terminal lower step portion 56 Window portion 57 First connection portion 58 Second connection portion 60 Projection portion

Claims (8)

A housing having a card mounting area into which a card can be inserted, and a plurality of terminal members supported by a housing ceiling plate located above the card mounting area of the housing and capable of conducting to an external connection provided in the card; And a metal cover covering the housing ceiling plate,
A portion of the terminal member fixedly supported by the housing ceiling plate is provided with a terminal upper step portion having a high height via a step portion and a terminal lower step portion having a height position lower than the terminal upper step portion. ,
The housing ceiling plate has a thin portion that fixes and supports the lower terminal portion of the terminal, and a thick portion that protrudes upward from the thin portion through a step, and supports and supports the step portion and the upper step portion of the terminal, At least the lower surface of the terminal lower step portion fixed and supported by the thin portion and the upper surface of the terminal upper step portion fixed and supported by the thick portion are exposed,
The metal cover is disposed at a position facing the thin portion of the housing ceiling plate and the lower terminal portion of the terminal, and at least part of the metal cover in the thickness direction includes the thin portion of the housing ceiling plate and the thin portion. A card connector characterized by being located in a step between thick portions.   2. The card connector according to claim 1, wherein upper and lower surfaces of the terminal lower step portion fixedly supported by the thin portion are exposed, and the thickness of the thin portion is substantially the same as the thickness of the terminal member.   The upper surface of the thin-walled portion is formed with a protruding portion at a position lower than the upper surface of the thick-walled portion so that the lower surface of the metal cover does not contact the upper surface of the lower terminal portion of the terminal. Item 3. A card connector according to item 2.   4. The card connector according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the thick portion is substantially the same as a thickness from a lower surface of the terminal lower step portion to an upper surface of the terminal upper step portion.   The upper terminal portions of the plurality of terminal members are positioned within a predetermined region and fixedly supported by the common thick portion, and the metal cover includes an upper surface of the common thick portion and a plurality of the upper terminal portions. The card connector according to claim 1, wherein an opening for exposing an upper surface of the portion is formed. When the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the card into the card mounting area in plan view is the left and right side direction,
The plurality of terminal members are divided into predetermined pieces extending from the housing ceiling plate to the side walls located in the left and right sides of the housing, and are electrically connected to the external connection portions of the cards of the terminal members. The card connector according to claim 1, wherein a connection portion with an external circuit portion is exposed at a tip portion opposite to the side.   The connection portion of the terminal member extending in the left direction and the connection portion of the terminal member extending in the right direction are formed at asymmetrical positions when the insertion direction is a symmetric axis. The card connector according to claim 6. In each terminal member, the terminal upper step portion is formed in the vicinity of each side wall, and each terminal upper step portion located on both the left and right sides is fixedly supported by the common thick portion,
The metal cover has a notch formed at a position facing the common thick portion formed in the left and right side directions, and the common thick portion, the side wall, and the terminal upper stage from the notch The card connector according to claim 6 or 7, wherein each portion is exposed.

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