JP5171541B2 - Card connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a card connector. In particular, the present invention relates to a structure of a card connector that is electrically connected to a memory card such as a microSD (Secure Digital) card, which is a micro memory card, when the memory card is inserted.

  A memory card, which is a card-type storage device, employs a flash memory as a storage medium. A memory card is very small and consumes little electric power for reading and writing data. For example, it is widely used as a recording medium for portable information devices such as mobile phones with cameras and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance).

  Compared to disk-type storage devices such as a flexible disk (FD) and a magneto-optical disk (MO), this memory card has a small storage capacity and is considered to be expensive. However, due to the recent technological progress and the mass production effect accompanying the spread of devices using memory cards, the storage capacity has become larger and the price has become lower.

  Furthermore, memory cards have the advantage of not requiring a drive device such as FD and MO to read and write data, so they are suitable for digital cameras, laptop computers, and portable music players where power consumption and portability are important. Is preferred.

  As a connector for such a memory card, the insertion force for inserting the card into the housing can be reduced, the card can be securely locked to the housing, and the card can be prevented from popping out when the card is ejected. A card connector is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

The card connector according to Patent Document 1 includes a housing into which a card is inserted and removed, and a connector terminal that comes into contact with a contact of the card when the card is inserted into the housing. Further, the card connector according to Patent Document 1 includes a slider that moves in the card insertion / removal direction as the card is inserted and ejected, a first coil spring that biases the slider in the card insertion direction, and a slider that ejects the card. A second coil spring that biases in the direction is provided. The first coil spring and the second coil spring are always in contact with the slider and the housing, respectively.
JP 2007-200185 A

  The card connector according to Patent Document 1 is called a so-called push-push type card connector with an eject mechanism, and is locked when the card is inserted (pushed) into the connector. When the card is pushed, the lock is released and the card is ejected from the connector.

  However, such a card connector with an eject mechanism includes at least a slider that moves in the card insertion / removal direction, a guide rod that guides a heart-shaped cam groove provided on the slider, and a coil spring that biases the slider. ing. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the card connector is increased.

  If a card connector that securely locks the card with fewer components can be realized, the manufacturing cost of the card connector can be reduced. The above can be said to be the subject of the present invention.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a card connector that can reliably lock a card with fewer components.

  The present inventor has found that these problems can be solved by a mechanism for locking by using a groove formed on the side surface of the card and releasing the lock by pushing down the end of the card. The inventors have invented the following new card connector.

  (1) A card connector comprising: a plate-like housing that forms a recess into which a card is inserted and removed; and a cover that has a flat surface that covers the recess of the housing. A connection terminal arranged in parallel at the end, and a substantially rectangular groove formed in the middle of one side surface, and the housing has a contact point protruding from the bottom surface of the recess and contacts the connection terminal The cover has a contact and is a protrusion partially protruding from the flat surface, the protrusion engaging with the groove to prevent the card from falling off, and the protrusion engaged with the groove. And a biasing means for biasing a force toward one surface of the card toward the inner surface of the cover.

  The card connector according to the invention of (1) includes a plate-shaped housing and a cover. The housing forms a recess into which the card is inserted and removed. The cover has a flat surface that covers the recess of the housing.

  The card has a plurality of connection terminals and a substantially rectangular groove. The plurality of connection terminals are arranged side by side at one end of one surface of the card. The groove is formed in the middle of one side of the card. The housing has a contact that contacts the connection terminal. The contact protrudes from the bottom surface of the recess.

  The cover has a projecting piece and an urging means. The protruding piece partially protrudes from the flat surface and engages with the groove to prevent the card from falling off. The urging means urges a force on one surface of the card toward the inner surface of the cover so that the protruding piece engages with the groove.

  Here, the housing has an insulating property. The insulating housing may be a housing made of a non-conductive material, and a synthetic resin can be molded to obtain an insulating housing having a desired shape.

  A plurality of contacts are arranged in parallel in the recess of the housing. The side-by-side means that they are arranged close to each other and arranged side by side. The contact has conductivity, and a conductive contact having a desired shape can be obtained by punching or bending a conductive metal plate. In consideration of easiness of processing, spring characteristics, conductivity, and the like, for example, a copper alloy is preferably used for the contact, but the contact is not limited to the copper alloy.

  In general, an IC chip is housed in an insulating plastic casing of a card. This IC chip is connected to a plurality of metal foils attached to the surface of the housing. A plurality of metal foils arranged side by side serve as connection terminals for the card. Here, the individual contacts may be connected one-to-one with the individual metal foil terminals, and mechanically and electrically connected.

  The contact is preferably a cantilever contact whose spring function is a cantilever beam. The contact may be composed of an elastic arm and a fixed arm, and the elastic arm may protrude from the bottom surface of the recess to provide a contact point that contacts a connection terminal formed on the card, and the fixed arm is press-fitted into the recess. Can be fixed.

  The fixing arm of the contact can also be molded and fixed integrally with the housing. A lead portion may be formed at the end of the fixed arm, and this card connector can be used as a surface mount connector by soldering the lead portion to a printed board.

  The housing has a pair of opposing side walls and a stop wall that is perpendicular to the pair of side walls and abuts the leading edge of the card. Further, the housing may be provided with a hypotenuse on one side wall, and this hypotenuse conforms to the hypotenuse formed on the card, thereby preventing erroneous insertion of the card. The thin rectangular parallelepiped space surrounded by the pair of side walls and the stop wall can be defined as “a recess into which the card is inserted and removed”. It can also be a card holding part.

  By covering the concave portion with the cover, a rectangular opening into which the card is inserted is formed facing the stop wall. Here, the distance between the pair of opposite side walls is sufficiently wider than the width of the card, and the pair of side walls regulates both wings of the card so that the correct posture (tilt) of the card is maintained. Can be aligned correctly.

  The cover is made of, for example, a thin metal plate, and a cover having a desired shape can be obtained by molding the developed thin metal plate. The cover is preferably made of a conductive thin metal plate, and a shielding effect is obtained when the flat surface of the cover covers the housing.

  The cover may be formed by bending both wings on one end side at a right angle to form a pair of first bent pieces, forming rectangular holes in the first bent pieces, and projecting on both side surfaces of the housing. You may make it latch on a lance.

  Further, the cover may be formed by bending both wings on the other end side at a right angle to form a pair of second bent pieces, and these second bent pieces can be guided by sliding on both side surfaces of the card.

  The protruding piece may be stepped on one wing on the other end side of the cover, and partially protrudes from the flat surface. The inclined surface of the protruding piece is arranged on the card insertion side to facilitate card insertion. If the step of the stepped projecting piece is arranged so as to face the card drawing direction, the projecting piece can be engaged with the groove portion to prevent the card from falling off. In other words, it can be locked.

  In the cover, the pair of second bent pieces may be further bent at a right angle to form a pair of opposed pieces facing the flat surface. Then, by providing cantilevered leaf spring pieces on these opposing pieces, the leaf spring pieces may be urging means for urging the one surface of the card toward the inner surface of the cover. it can.

  In addition, the cover may be formed by soldering a pair of facing pieces to the printed board, reinforcing the bonding strength with the printed board, and grounding the pair of facing pieces to the ground of the printed board. You may provide the window which confirms that the card | curd was inserted in the flat surface of the cover facing a recessed part.

  For example, the card is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the front end (one end) side where the connection terminal is arranged is narrower than the base end (the other end) side. The leading end side of the card forms a hypotenuse where one of the parallel side surfaces is open at an obtuse angle, and is continuous with one of the side surfaces parallel to the base end side. That is, the front end side of the card has a shape in which one corner is cut out like a single blade. A substantially square groove is adjacent to the oblique side of the card.

  When the card is inserted into the recess of the housing, the hypotenuse can get over the protruding piece. Further, when the card is inserted and the leading edge of the card comes into contact with the stop wall, the projecting piece engages with the groove portion to be in a mounted state. In this mounted state, the urging means urges the one surface of the card toward the inner surface of the cover, so that the engaged state between the groove and the projecting piece is not easily released. That is, the card mounting state can be reliably maintained.

  When the base end of the card is pushed against the urging force of the urging means from the mounted state of the card, the card can be tilted with the leading edge of the card as a fulcrum. Then, the engagement between the groove and the protruding piece is released. Subsequently, the card can be removed from the connector by pulling out the card.

  Thus, the card connector according to the invention of (1) can realize a card connector that securely locks the card without forming a push-push type ejection mechanism as in the prior art. The card connector according to the invention of (1) can contribute to the reduction of the manufacturing cost because the number of components is reduced.

  (2) The urging means includes a pair of leaf spring pieces that are provided on both wings of the cover and urge the two wings on one surface of the card toward the inner surface of the cover. Card connector.

  (3) The card connector according to (2), wherein the cover is formed by integrally processing the projecting piece and the pair of leaf spring pieces by processing a developed metal plate.

  (4) The card connector according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the other end portion of the other surface of the card is pushed down to release the engagement between the groove and the protruding piece.

  The card connector according to the present invention includes a housing, a cover, and a plurality of contacts, and realizes a card connector that securely locks a card without forming a push-push type ejection mechanism as in the prior art. it can. Since the card connector according to the present invention has fewer components, it can contribute to a reduction in manufacturing costs.

    The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a card connector (hereinafter abbreviated as a connector) according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment, in which a card is mounted. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the connector according to the embodiment.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the connector according to the embodiment, and is a state diagram in the middle of mounting the card. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the connector according to the embodiment, in which the card is completely installed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment, and the card and the connector are viewed from the lower surface side.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment, in which a card is mounted. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment, and is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. FIG. 9 is a right side view of the connector according to the embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the mobile phone, and is a state diagram in which the connector according to the embodiment is mounted on the mobile phone. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector according to the embodiment, and is a state diagram in which the card is locked to the connector. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector according to the embodiment, and is a state diagram in which the card is unlocked.

  Initially, the structure of the connector by embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector 10 includes a plate-shaped housing 2 and a cover 3. The housing 2 forms a recess 21 into which the card 1 is inserted and removed. The cover 3 has a flat surface 30 that covers the recess 21 of the housing 2. The housing 2 is formed in a rectangular shape with an insulating synthetic resin material.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the card 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the distal end (one end) side where the connection terminal 11 (see FIG. 6) is arranged is the base end (the other end). ) The width is narrower than the side.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the front end side of the card 1 forms a hypotenuse 1a whose one side surface is opened at an obtuse angle among the parallel side surfaces, and is located within the both side surfaces parallel to the base end side. Continuing on one side. The leading end side of the illustrated card 1 has a shape in which one corner is notched in a single-edged shape. A substantially square groove 1 b is adjacent to the oblique side 1 a of the card 1. That is, the groove portion 1 b is formed in the middle of one side surface of the card 1.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of connection terminals 11 are arranged in parallel at one end of one surface of the card 1. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the housing 2 has a contact 4 that contacts the connection terminal 11. In the contact 4, a contact 4 a protrudes from the bottom surface of the recess 21.

  The contact 4 has conductivity, and is formed by punching or bending a conductive metal plate. The contacts 4 may be connected to the connection terminals 11 on a one-on-one basis, and are mechanically and electrically connected.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the contact 4 is a cantilever contact whose spring functions as a cantilever. The contact 4 includes an elastic arm and a fixed arm, and the elastic arm protrudes from the bottom surface of the recess 21 and is provided with a contact 4 a that contacts the connection terminal 11. The fixed arm of the contact 4 is molded and fixed to the housing 2 integrally.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 6, the contact 4 forms a lead portion 4b at the end of the fixed arm. By connecting these lead portions 4b to the printed board 1p (see FIG. 2) by soldering, the connector 10 can be a surface mount connector.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the housing 2 has a pair of opposing side walls 21 a and 21 b and a stop wall 21 c that is substantially orthogonal to the pair of side walls 21 a and 21 b and against which the leading edge of the card 1 abuts. . Referring to FIG. 4, the housing 2 is provided with a hypotenuse 21d on one side wall 21a. Since the hypotenuse 21d can be adapted to the hypotenuse 1a of the card 1, it is possible to prevent erroneous insertion of the card 1.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the recess 21 is covered with the cover 3, thereby forming a rectangular opening 22 into which the card 1 is inserted facing the stop wall 21 c. The distance between the pair of opposing side walls 21a and 21b is sufficiently wider than the width of the card 1, the pair of side walls 21a and 21b regulates both wings of the card 1, and the correct posture (tilt) of the card 1 is maintained. The connection terminal 11 and the contact 4 of the card 1 can be correctly aligned.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the connector 10 has a detection switch 5 for detecting the card 1 arranged on one wing of the recess 21 of the housing 2. The detection switch 5 includes a contact plate 51 and a contacted plate 52.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the contact plate 51 includes a fixed piece 511, a movable piece 512, and a contact point 513. The fixed piece 511 is fixed to the bottom wall of the recess 21. Further, the movable piece 512 has a tip portion extending on the side opposite to the opening 22. The contact point 513 is provided at the tip of the movable piece 512.

  Referring to FIG. 4 or FIG. 6, the contacted plate 52 has a fixed piece 521 and a contact 523. The fixed piece 521 is fixed to the corner of the housing 2. The contact 523 is disposed in proximity to the contact 513 with the distal end portion of the fixed piece 521 being refracted.

  Referring to FIG. 5, when the card 1 is inserted into the recess 21, the corner of the card 1 deforms the movable piece 512, and the contact 513 can come into contact with the contact 523. That is, it can be electrically detected that the card 1 is inserted into the connector 10.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the cover 3 is made of a thin metal plate, and a developed thin metal plate (not shown) is formed. The cover 3 is made of a conductive thin metal plate, and a shielding effect is obtained when the flat surface 30 of the cover 3 covers the housing 2.

  Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 6, the cover 3 has a pair of first bent pieces 31 and 31 formed by bending both wings on one end side at a right angle. A pair of rectangular holes 311 and 311 are formed in the pair of first bent pieces 31 and 31. The pair of rectangular holes 311 and 311 can be locked to lances 2r protruding from both side surfaces of the housing 2 (see FIG. 4).

  1 or 2 and 6, the cover 3 has a pair of second bent pieces 32 and 32 formed by bending both wings on the other end side at a right angle. The pair of second bent pieces 32 and 32 can slide and guide both side surfaces of the card 1.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 and FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, the cover has a protruding piece 3 a partially protruding from the flat surface 30. The projecting piece 3 a is stepped on one wing on the other end side of the cover 3. The inclined surface of the protruding piece 3a is disposed on the card 1 insertion side. Further, the step of the projecting piece 3 a is arranged so as to face the drawing direction of the card 1. The protruding piece 3a can be engaged with the groove 1b to prevent the card 1 from falling off.

  Referring to FIG. 6, in the cover 3, the pair of second bent pieces 32 and 32 are further bent at a right angle to form a pair of opposed pieces 33 and 33 that face the flat surface 30. Then, by providing cantilevered leaf spring pieces 3b on the pair of opposed pieces 33 and 33, the leaf spring pieces 3b and 3b are directed toward the inner surface of the cover 3 to urge a force on one surface of the card 1. It is an urging means to do.

  2 and 6, the cover 3 may reinforce the bonding strength with the printed circuit board 1p by soldering the pair of opposed pieces 33 and 33 to the printed circuit board 1p. The pair of opposed pieces 33 and 33 can be grounded to the ground of the printed circuit board. A window 34 for confirming that the card 1 has been inserted is provided on the flat surface 30 of the cover 3 facing the recess 21.

  Next, the operation of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 6, the card 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the distal end (one end) side where the connection terminal 11 is arranged has a width wider than the proximal end (the other end) side. It is narrower. The leading end side of the card 1 forms a hypotenuse 1a whose one side surface is open at an obtuse angle among the parallel side surfaces, and is continuous with one side surface of both side surfaces parallel to the base end side. The leading end side of the illustrated card has a shape in which one corner is cut out in a single-edged shape. A substantially square groove 1 b is adjacent to the oblique side 1 a of the card 1.

  Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, when the card 1 is inserted into the recess 21 of the housing 2, the hypotenuse 1a can get over the protruding piece 3a. Further, when the card 1 is inserted and the leading edge of the card 1 abuts against the stop wall 21c, the projecting piece 3a engages with the groove 1b to be in a mounted state (see FIG. 12).

  In the mounted state of the card 1 shown in FIG. 12, the pair of leaf spring pieces 3b and 3b urge the force toward one surface of the card 1 toward the inner surface of the cover 3, so that it protrudes from the groove 1b. The engagement state of the piece 3a is not easily released. That is, the connector 10 can reliably maintain the mounted state of the card 1.

  Referring to FIG. 13, when the base end portion of the card 1 is pushed against the urging force of the pair of leaf spring pieces 3 b and 3 b from the mounted state of the card 1, the card 1 is placed with the leading edge of the card 1 as a fulcrum. Can tilt. Then, the engagement between the groove 1b and the protruding piece 3a is released. Subsequently, the card 1 can be detached from the connector 10 by pulling out the card 1 (see FIG. 9).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the connector 10 can be mounted on the mobile phone T. When the card 1 is attached to the connector 10, the base end portion of the card 1 faces the step of the mobile phone T, and the card 1 is removed by pushing the base end portion of the card 1 and pulling out the card 1 further. It can be detached from the connector 10 (see FIG. 11). Since the base end portion of the card 1 is provided with the step 1c, the card 1 can be pulled out by engaging the claw.

  Thus, the card connector according to the embodiment of the present invention can realize a card connector that securely locks the card without forming a push-push type ejection mechanism as in the prior art. Since the card connector according to the embodiment of the present invention has fewer components, it can contribute to a reduction in manufacturing cost.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a card connector according to the present invention. It is a perspective view of the connector for cards by the above-mentioned embodiment, and is a state figure in which a card was inserted. It is a top view of the connector for cards by the embodiment. It is a top view of the connector for cards by the above-mentioned embodiment, and is a state figure in the middle of mounting a card. It is a top view of the connector for cards by the above-mentioned embodiment, and is a state figure in which a card was installed completely. It is a perspective view of the card connector by the said embodiment, and sees the card | curd and the card connector from the lower surface side. It is a perspective view of the connector for cards by the above-mentioned embodiment, and is a state figure in which a card was inserted. It is a perspective view of the card connector by the said embodiment, and is the principal part enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a right side view of the card connector according to the embodiment. It is a perspective view of a mobile phone, and is a state diagram in which the card connector according to the embodiment is mounted on the mobile phone. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the card connector according to the embodiment, and is a state diagram in which the card is locked to the card connector. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the card connector according to the embodiment, and is a state diagram in which the card is unlocked.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Card 1b Groove part 2 Housing 3 Cover 3a Projection piece 3b Leaf spring piece (biasing means)
4 contacts 4a contacts 10 connectors (card connectors)
11 Connection terminal 21 Recess 30 Flat surface

Claims (4)

A card connector comprising a plate-like housing that forms a recess into which a card is inserted and removed, and a cover having a flat surface that covers the recess of the housing,
The card has a connection terminal arranged in parallel at one end of one surface, and a substantially rectangular groove formed in the middle of one side surface,
The housing has a contact that protrudes from the bottom surface of the recess and contacts the connection terminal;
The cover is a protruding piece that partially protrudes from the flat surface, and a protruding piece that engages with the groove to prevent the card from falling off, and the protruding piece engages with the groove. A card connector having biasing means for biasing one surface of the card toward the inner surface of the cover;   2. The card use according to claim 1, wherein the urging means includes a pair of leaf spring pieces that are provided on both wings of the cover and urge the force toward both wings on one side of the card toward the inner surface of the cover. connector.   The card connector according to claim 2, wherein the cover is formed by integrally processing the projecting piece and the pair of leaf spring pieces by processing a developed metal plate.   The card connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the other end of the other surface of the card is pushed down to release the engagement between the groove and the protruding piece.

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