JP3017709B2 - Card holder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card holder for holding a detachable PC card for an electronic device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a "personal computer"), and more particularly to an IC card having terminals which are surface electrodes. The present invention relates to a card holder for stacking with a PC card for easy use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A personal computer has a PC card (Persona).
l Computer MemoryCard Int
2. Description of the Related Art It has been widely practiced to extend the functions of a personal computer by inserting a peripheral device of a credit card size compliant with a PC card standard (standardized by the International Association and the Japan Electronics Industry Development Association).

[0003] This PC card has a plurality of IC chips inside, and has a connector (68 pins in the standard) for electrically connecting to an external electronic device. Various functions such as a memory function, a LAN function, and a modem function are prepared as functions of the IC chip.

By the way, in order to further expand the functions of a personal computer, it has the same size (about 5.4 cm × width) as this PC card.
A plug-in type input / output card configuration in which an IC card having a shape of about 8.5 cm in length is stacked on the PC card and used is described in, for example, JP-A-8-22521.

As shown in FIG. 4B, a front contact 103 is provided on a main surface 102 of a PC card 100. A 68-pin connector 101 is formed at an end of the PC card 100, and an edge 104 for receiving an IC card is provided on a main surface 102 on the connector 101 side.

As shown in FIG. 4C, a terminal 111 is provided on the IC card 110, and the IC card 110 is connected to a PC.
Card reader 1 of an external electronic device overlaid on card 100
20, the terminals 111 of the IC card 110 and the surface contacts 103 of the PC card 100 come into contact with each other and are electrically connected. At this time, PC card 1
00 is connected to the connector 121 of the card reader 120.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4C, P
When the IC card 110 is overlaid on the main surface 102 of the C card 100, the end of the IC card 110 is
It is locked to the edge 104 of the C card 100, and the main surface contact 103 of the PC card 100 and the terminal 111 of the IC card 110 are correctly connected at this position.

By doing so, it becomes possible to access the IC card 110 from the external electronic device via the PC card 100.
If 0 is a memory card, the memory can be accessed.

In the state shown in FIG. 4, it is necessary to accurately position the IC card 110 on the main surface 102 of the PC card 100 and insert them into the insertion slot of the card reader. It is difficult to perform accurate positioning.

In order to improve this, a PC card is held by a PC card holder 130 as shown in FIG. 5A (more precisely, a printed circuit board constituting the PC card is held). This PC card holder 130 is
As shown in FIG. 5 (A), it is composed of a retaining portion locking frame portion 131, side frame portions 132-1, 132-2, an IC card insertion side frame portion 132-3, an IC card pressing portion 133, and the like. ing.

FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along line aa of FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is a sectional view taken along line bb of FIG. 5A. The PC card holder 130 is provided with the holding portion locking frame portion 13.
1, side frame portions 132-1 and 132-2, and an IC card insertion side frame portion 132-3 are integrally formed of plastic, and an IC card pressing portion 133 is separately formed.
And, as shown in FIG. 5C, a columnar projection 133-1 is formed on the IC card holding portion 133. As shown in FIG. 5A, five projections 133-1 are formed, for example. In order to configure the PC card holder 130, it is necessary to fix the IC card holding portion 133 to the holding portion locking frame 131.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5C, a hole 131-1 is provided in the holding portion locking frame 131, and
The projection 133-1 is made to pass through and project from the projection 313-1. Then, the projecting portion of the projection 133-1 is heat-welded to form a head 133-2, and the IC card holding portion 133 is formed.
Is fixed to the holding portion locking frame 131.

The printed circuit board constituting the PC card is held on the back side of the PC card holder 130 in the state shown in FIG. 5A, and its surface contact portion is located below the IC card pressing portion 133. are doing. Then, an IC card (not shown) is inserted from the IC card insertion slot 134, and when the leading end reaches a position where it comes into contact with the locking surface 131-2 shown in FIG. Is accurately connected to the terminal portion.

When the IC card is inserted, the IC card is subjected to a force in the direction of being pressed against the printed circuit board side of the PC card by the IC card pressing portion 133, so that it is unlikely that the IC card will be displaced. The PC card having the IC card inserted into the card holder can be accurately and easily inserted into the insertion slot.

[0015]

When an IC card is inserted from the IC card insertion slot 134, FIG.
As shown by an arrow B, stress is applied to the IC card holding portion 133. This stress is concentrated on the connection point A between the IC card holding portion 133 and the protrusion 133-1. Therefore, when used for a long time, the IC card pressing portion 133 may be damaged from this portion due to the stress.

Moreover, the conventional PC card holder 130 shown in FIG.
Since the holding section locking frame 131 uses different members, the IC card holding section 133 and the holding section locking frame 13 are required to form the PC card holder 130.
1 was required to be assembled as shown in FIG. 5 (C). In addition, since the IC card holding portion 133 and the holding portion locking frame 131 are separate members, the member management for managing these members is troublesome.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a card holder which solves these problems.

[0018]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a card holder for forming a PC card and holding a printed circuit board having contacts 3 on its surface is provided. 1, an IC card for holding an IC card having a terminal electrically connected to the contact 3;
Do holding part, locking frame part, left and right side frame parts, IC car
Card insertion side frame, the IC card holding part is locked
The part that is locked to the frame is rounded and
IC car having a terminal electrically connected to the contact
IC card holding part to hold the card, locking frame part, right and left
And the side frame of the IC card insertion side have elasticity.
Characterized by being integrally formed of an insulating material .

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a connector, 6 denotes an engaging portion, 7 denotes a base portion, and 8 denotes a side frame portion. FIG. 2 (C),
As is clear from FIG. 2D, the base 7 is rounded. The IC card holding section 4 is made of elastic plastic.

As described above, in the present invention, the IC card holding portion and the locking frame portion are formed as separate components, and are different from those in which the IC card pressing portion and the locking frame portion are fixed by heat-welding the tips of the projections as in the prior art. However, since these are integrally formed as a single component from the beginning, the drawback that stress is concentrated on the connection point of the protruding portion as in the related art is improved, and the IC card holding portion 4 may be damaged even when used for a long time. Is less.

Further, the IC card holding portion 4 is provided with the locking frame portion 5.
Since the locking portion 6 that locks the corners is rounded, stress is dispersed without concentration, and damage to the IC card pressing portion 4 can be prevented from this point as well.

Further, an IC card holding portion 4 and a locking frame portion 5
Are integrated, so that there is no need to separately manage them as in the related art, and the time and effort can be saved. I
Since the C card holding portion 4 is made of elastic plastic, the positional relationship when the IC card 20 is superimposed on the PC card can be easily maintained, and the electronic device not shown in the superimposed state is not shown. Can be easily and accurately inserted into the PC card insertion slot.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a card holder according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a card holder of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when a printed circuit board for PC card, a spacer, and the like are incorporated in the card holder of the present invention. is there.

In the figure, 1 is a card holder, 2 is a connector,
3 is a contact, 4 is an IC card holding part, 5 is a locking frame part, 6 is a locking part, 7 is a base part, 8 and 9 are side frame parts, 10
Is an IC card insertion side frame, 11 is an IC card insertion slot, 1
2-0 is a hole, 20 is an IC card, 3 'is an IC card 2
Reference numeral 0 denotes a terminal, reference numeral 30 denotes a metal cover of a PC card, reference numeral 31 denotes a label, reference numeral 32 denotes a spacer, reference numeral 33 denotes a printed board, reference numeral 33-1 denotes a contact portion, reference numerals 34-1 to 34-3 indicate semiconductor components, and reference numeral 35 denotes a spacer.

FIG. 2 shows a card holder 1 according to the present invention.
The configuration is as shown in FIG. That is, the card holder 1
A locking frame portion 5 in which the IC card pressing portion 4 is integrally formed;
Left and right side frame portions 8 and 9 and an IC card insertion side frame portion 10 located on the side of an IC card insertion slot 11 into which an IC card is inserted.
And the like. The IC card pressing portion 4, the locking frame portion 5, the side frame portions 8, 9 and the IC card insertion side frame portion 10 are integrally formed using the same plastic material, for example, using a mold. Constitute.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the entire structure of the card holder 1, FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along the line aa in FIG. 2A, and FIG. (B) is a partially enlarged view, and FIG. (D) is a side view of a part of FIG. (C).

The IC card holder 4 and the locking frame 5 are
As shown in FIGS. 2 (B), 2 (C), and 2 (D), not only the locking portion 6 is formed integrally, but also the base 7 of the IC card holding portion 4 is rounded.

FIG. 3 illustrates a state in which a printed board for a PC card, a spacer, and the like are incorporated in the card holder 1 shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the metal cover 30 for protecting the printed circuit board 33 has a hole 12-0 of the card holder 1 (see FIG. 3F, and the hole 12-0).
Are not visible from the position shown in FIG. 3 (E)). And metal cover 3
A label 31 is attached to 0.

The printed circuit board 33 has semiconductor components 34-1 to 34-34 for performing a function as a PC card.
3 are arranged. In FIG. 3B, the printed board 33 is provided with a contact portion 33-1 provided with a contact on the back surface, and the connector 2 is provided at one end of the printed board 33.

The spacer 32 has a hole 32-1 into which the contact portion 33-1 is inserted, and a projection 32-2 which is engaged with the hole 12-1 of the card holder 1. . A hole 35-1 for exposing the contact 3 is formed in the spacer 35. FIG. 3 (E)
Shows a state where the card holder 1 shown in FIG. In this state, the spacer 35 shown in FIG. 3D is inserted into the portion formed by the IC card insertion side frame portion 10, the side frame portions 8 and 9, and the locking frame portion 5, and the spacer 35 shown in FIG. ),
The printed circuit board 33 to which the connector 2 is attached and the spacer 32 shown in FIG.

Then, the projection 30-1 of the metal cover 30 to which the label 31 is attached is inserted into the hole 12-0 of the card holder 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 3F is a partially enlarged view of FIG. As a result, the printed circuit board 33 having the spacer 35 and the connector 2 attached to the card holder 1, the spacer 32, and the metal cover 3
0 are integrally combined to form a plug-in type PC card. Instead of attaching the label 31 to the metal cover 30 in advance, the label 31 may be attached after the components are integrally connected to the card holder 1 as described above.

The plug-in type P thus integrally connected
The outer shape of the C card has a size specified by the PC card standard. Of course, this plug-in type PC card can be used not only with the IC card 20 inserted as described above but also alone without inserting the IC card 20.

When the IC card 20 is inserted through the IC card insertion slot 11, a force as shown by an arrow B is applied to the IC card pressing portion 4 as shown in FIG. Although stress is applied, the IC card pressing part 4 and the locking frame part 5 are integrally formed, and the protrusion is not heat-welded as in the conventional example shown in FIG. Since stress does not concentrate at the base of the book protrusion, breakage of the IC card holding portion 4 can be prevented.

Further, the IC card holding portion 4 is provided with the locking frame portion 5.
Since the base portion 7 of the locking portion 6 that locks the shape is rounded, the stress is prevented from being concentrated on a line in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. This also prevents the IC card holding portion 4 from being damaged.

Further, since the IC card holding portion 4, the locking frame portion 5, the side frame portions 8, 9 and the IC card insertion side frame portion 10 are made of an elastic plastic, the IC card 20 is formed.
Is inserted into the PC card insertion slot of an external electronic device such as a personal computer while the position of the IC card is accurately maintained, since the IC card is held down by the IC card pressing portion 4 after the device is inserted. be able to. Note that I
By setting the thickness of the C card holding portion 4 to 0.2 to 1.0 mm, an elastic member can be formed.

Further, since the IC card holding section 4 is integrally formed with the locking frame section 5, it is not necessary to separately manage and store them, and it is possible to save labor for managing members. Moreover, since they are integrally formed in this way, there is no need to fix and assemble them as in the conventional case.

Further, by integrally forming the IC card pressing portion 4, the locking frame portion 5, the side frame portions 8, 9, the IC card inserting side frame portion 10 and the like, the damage of the IC card pressing portion 4 as described above can be prevented. Not only can they be prevented, but also there is no need to assemble them, and the trouble of managing the members can be saved.

[0038]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Each part of the card holder is integrally configured
In this way, the labor of assembling can be omitted.
You only need to manage the card holders,
Can be omitted. (2) Since the IC card pressing portion and the locking frame portion are integrally formed, concentration of stress at a specific portion where the IC card pressing portion and the locking frame portion are connected is eliminated, and damage to the IC card pressing portion is effectively prevented. can do.

In addition, the labor for assembling the IC card holding portion and the locking frame portion can be omitted. Further, it is not necessary to separately manage the IC card holding section and the locking frame section, and the member management can be omitted.

(3) Since the portion where the IC card pressing portion is locked to the locking frame portion is rounded, even if a force for vertically moving the IC card pressing portion is applied to the IC card pressing portion by inserting the IC card. The stress based on this does not concentrate on the specific portion of the locking portion, and from this point, it is also possible to effectively prevent the IC card pressing portion from being damaged. (4) Since the IC card holder is made of elastic plastic, when the IC card is overlaid on the PC card and these are inserted together into the PC card insertion slot of an external electronic device, the IC card holder is held down. The overlapping state can be accurately maintained by the elasticity of the portion, and the insertion thereof can be easily performed.

(4) Since the components constituting the card holder are integrally formed, the labor for assembling can be omitted.
In addition, since only one card holder needs to be managed, the trouble of the management can be saved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a state where an IC card is inserted into a card holder of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a card holder of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view when a printed circuit board, a spacer, and the like for a PC card are incorporated in the card holder of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view (part 1) of a conventional example.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view (part 2) of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Card holder 2 Connector 3 Contact 3 'Terminal of IC card 4 IC card holding part 5 Locking frame part 6 Locking part 7 Base part 8, 9 Side frame part 10 IC card insertion side frame part 11 IC card insertion slot 12 −0 hole 20 IC card

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-8-22525 (JP, A) JP-A-9-223206 (JP, A) JP-A-9-198470 (JP, A) JP-A-5-225 208578 (JP, A) JP-A-6-171276 (JP, A) JP-A-9-22521 (JP, A) JP-A-6-19052 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06K 17/00-19/18

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An IC card holder for forming a PC card and holding a printed circuit board having contacts on its surface, wherein the IC card holder holds an IC card having terminals electrically connected to the contacts. A frame , a locking frame, left and right side frames, and an IC card insertion side frame, wherein the IC card holding portion is locked to the locking frame.
And a terminal having a terminal electrically connected to the contact.
IC card holding part that holds the card, locking frame part, and left
The right side frame and the IC card insertion side frame have elasticity.
A card holder characterized by being integrally formed of an insulating material .