KR100264099B1 - Electric connector for connecting an electronic memory card - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrical connector 10 for connecting an electronic memory card comprising a support 12 having a flat surface 20 and a plurality of conductors 16 in the form of a resiliently deformable blade 16. Each contact blade 16 has a first curved end 30 for contacting the pads on the card, a central portion 38 for connecting the blade 16 to the support 12, and an agent for connecting the blades. Two ends 34. In the electrical connector for electronic memory connection, the central connection portion 38 of each blade 16 is composed of a harpoon shaped side hook 62 which is received in a corresponding slot 64 of the support 12. Means for securing 16 to support 12.

Description

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR FOR CONNECTING AN ELECTRONIC MEMORY CARD}

The present invention relates to an electrical connector for connecting an electronic memory card comprising a plurality of electrical contact pads arranged on a major surface in parallel with a direction of insertion of a card into a read / write device.

More specifically, the present invention provides a support made of an insulating material and having a plane parallel to the insertion direction of an electronic memory card, and a plurality of conductors in the form of blades extending parallel to the insertion direction of the card and elastically deformable (hereinafter And a first end curved to protrude from a plane of the support while contacting the pad on the card, and a central portion connecting the blade to the support; A second end connecting the blade to the processing circuit of the read / write device and extending parallel to the insertion direction.

For example, according to the known design disclosed in FR-A-2,638,293, each contact blade is in the form of a beam inserted at one end of the insulating material of the support and extends perpendicularly from this end to terminate at the curved free contact end. .

This design has the disadvantage of being bulky due to the length of each contact blade required to have sufficient elasticity to provide a finite force for contacting a corresponding pad on the card.

EP-A-0,520,080 (MOLEX) is a part in which the central portion of each blade is folded in the form of a hairpin extending substantially parallel to the plane of the support, the free end extending by the connecting end of the blade and securing the blade to the support And a second branch line having a free end extending by the curved contact end of the blade, wherein the first and second branch lines are connected to each other by a U-shaped center fold. Connectors have been proposed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector of the type described above in which the magnitude of curvature of each blade is increased.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides an electrical connector for connecting an electronic memory card comprising a plurality of electrical contact pads arranged on a main surface, the electrical connector comprising a support, a contact blade, a first branch line and a second branch line. Wherein the support is formed of an insulating material and has a plurality of conductors (contact blades) in the form of a plane parallel to the electronic memory card and resiliently deformable, each contact blade having a plurality of contact blades on the card. A first end projecting from the plane of the support and curved in contact with one of the pads, a central connection connecting the contact blade to the support, and a second end connecting the contact blade to the processing circuit of the read / write device. The central connection portion of each of the contact blades is a folded portion in the form of a hairpin, The free end of the first branch line is inserted into the housing of the support and extends by the connecting end of the contact blade, the free end of the second branch line extends by the curved contact end of the contact blade and the first And a second branch wire connected to each other by a U-shaped center fold portion,

The curved contact end extends by a nose that is substantially parallel to the plane of the support, and a hole is provided in the insertion portion of the blade to further increase the degree of curvature of the contact blade. It is proposed an electrical connector which receives the free end of the protrusion when the blade is in a bent position.

According to another feature of the invention,

The protrusion is elastically exerted to affect the stationary surface of the connector,

The first branch extends against the housing formed facing the plane of the support such that it bends in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the support,

The curved contact end of each blade extends collinearly with the inserted free end of the first branch at the central connection of the blade,

Each contact blade is formed in the form of a cut and folded metal strip having a constant thickness, each contact strip comprising an intermediate part having a reduced thickness, in particular produced by compression, the intermediate part being said contact blade Extends between the contacting end and the connecting end of the

The reduced thickness extends between the free end of the first branch and the free end of the second branch;

The curved contact end is located longitudinally between the connecting end and the central fold portion connecting the first branch line and the second branch line of the central connecting portion.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a side view showing a connector manufactured according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 4, partially in cross section and shown in a larger ratio; FIG.

4 is a top view of the connector half cut from the top of the connector shown in FIG. 3;

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG.

6 shows another alternative embodiment in the form of a hairpin shaped contact blade in accordance with the present invention, similar to the upper right of FIG. 1;

It is essential that the connector 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 consist of a case or support 12 made of insulating material, a cover 14 made of molded plastic, and a series of conductors 16. to be.

As shown in the figure, it is essential that the case or the support 12 consist of a horizontal plate 18 defining a plane 20 and a rectangular side wall 22.

The rectangular top surface 20 comprises a series of housings 24 formed like a cavity of the top surface of the horizontal plate 18.

In the embodiment shown in these figures, the connector has a general structure symmetrical with respect to the vertical central plane P shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, so that the support 12 comprises a series of four housings 24 arranged in pairs. do.

Each housing 24 is a notch having a parallel end or surface 26 delimited by the bottom 28 of the housing extending in a plane parallel to the flat top surface 20 of the case 12. ).

Each housing 24 is designed to receive a conductor 16 made of an elastically deformable conductive material.

Each component 16 is thus manufactured in the form of a cut and folded contact blade.

Each contact blade 16 extends in the general longitudinal direction contained in a vertical plane parallel to the parallel surface 26 of the corresponding housing 24 and orthogonal to the surface 20 of the support 12.

Each contact blade 16 is provided in a direction I parallel to the housing 24 so as to interact with a corresponding pad on an electronic memory card that can be inserted into a read / write device equipped with a connector 10 according to the invention. A convexly curved end 30.

The curved contact end 30 of each blade 16 is substantially parallel to the plane 20 and extends by a nose 32, the function of which is described later.

Each contact blade 16 is also connected to the top surface 20 vertically, ie along the sidewalls 22 of the support 12, connecting each blade 16 to a track on a printed circuit board according to surface mount element technology, for example. And a connecting end 34 extending in the orthogonal direction and terminating at the lead wire 36 bent again at right angles.

The curved contact end 30 and the connection end 34 are connected to each other by a hairpin center connection 38.

The central connection 38 of each blade 16 forms an acute angle with respect to the first branch line 40 and the first branch line 40 extending in a direction substantially parallel to the plane 20 of the support 12. A second branch line 42 is included, and these branch lines are connected to each other by the U-shaped center fold portion 44.

This center fold 44 is bent towards the center of the connector, i.e. positioned so that it substantially coincides with the chip on the chip card when the chip card is in the read / write position.

This geometrical arrangement makes the connector according to the invention very compact, taking up little space on the printed circuit board on which the connector is mounted.

In fact, the length of the connector, measured parallel to the longitudinal direction of the blade 16, is as short as possible.

The free end 46 of the first branch line 40 is extended by the connecting end 34 of the blade 16, while the free end 42 of the second branch line 42 of the center connection 38 is curved. By the contact end 30.

The free end 46 of the first branch line 40 of each blade 16 is elastically bent in a direction D in which the central connection 38 and in particular the first branch line 40 are substantially orthogonal to the plane of the support 12. Inserted to make

To this end, the free end 46 is parallel with the plane 20 of the support 20 but with a flat portion 48 which is offset downwards perpendicularly with respect to the upper surface 20, and the flat upper surface of the support 12. It is inserted between the corresponding surface portions 50 which are formed to face the inner surface 52 of the lid 14 which withstands pressure against the 20.

In fact, as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lid 14 is secured to the case 12 and extends vertically downward from the lower surface 52 to the flat top wall 18 of the support 12. It is housed in two corresponding holes 56 formed in and fixed by hot crimping by two nails 54 made with the lid 14.

After hot crimping the head 58 of the nail 54, the lid 14 is provided with a central connection of the blade 16 to provide an insertion effect in the housing delimited by the surfaces 48, 50. The free end 46 of the first branch line 44 at 38 is securely fastened on the support 12 to be inserted.

In order to allow passage of the curved contact end 30 of the blade 16 and also to allow passage of the second branch line 42 at some central connection 38, the cover 14 is provided with a housing 24. And a series of aligned emerging slots 60 opposite the blades 16.

In the embodiment described in FIGS. 1 to 5, the connector has a form with eight housings 24 and six contact blades 16, so that the lids 14 are only six emergings which face each other in parallel in pairs. It includes a slot.

Prior to the installation of the lid 14, each contact blade 16 is installed on the support 12 by lateral insertion, ie in a direction substantially parallel to the insertion direction I.

During this lateral insertion, the harpoon annulus 62 on each contact blade 16 is strongly inserted into the corresponding slot 64 of the support 12.

Each ring 62 extends substantially parallel to the first branch line 40 at the central connection 38 connected by the crossbar 65.

Each slot 64 is bounded towards the top by a cross bridge 66 cast with a support 12, as shown in FIG. 5.

Each annular foot 62 protrudes laterally outward beyond the connecting end 34 of the blade 16 opposite the inner surface 70 of the peripheral flange 72 on the cover 14. A heel, which prevents hernia to the unexpected side of the contact blade 16.

In this mounted position, in particular as shown in FIG. 3, the projections 32 of each contact blade 30 are used to define the exact geometric rest position of the curved contact 30 of each blade 16. Resilient pressure is applied to the portion 74 facing the lower layer surface 52 of the lid 14 such that the curved contact occupies the exact geometric position defined for the support 12.

The lid 14 keeps all the blades 16 elastically somewhat pressure condensed in the correct geometric position.

This design allows the curved contact 30 to have a variable top surface of the cover 14 of the connector 10 while the curved contact 30 can vary the contact force against the contact area on the memory card according to the exact geometric shape of the central contact 38. It has the advantage of providing a limit range that extends beyond 76.

The disclosed connector 10 is very compact and at the same time provides optimum performance of the electrical contact of the blade 16 to the contact area on the card inserted into the read / write device with the connector according to the invention.

The blade 16 is mechanically mounted to the support 12 by fixing a harpoon ring 62 in the case of mechanically assembling the blade 16 to a pre-casted support, i.e., a case 12, which is installed. It is fixed.

Components which are the same as or similar to those described above are described with the alternative embodiment shown in FIGS.

In FIG. 6, the intermediate portion of each contact blade 16 extending from the insert 46 leading to the curved contact 30 is tapered so that the thickness is reduced for the thickness of the metal strip produced by the contact blade being cut and bent. will have an "e".

This reduced thickness increases the likelihood of elastic deformation of each contact blade and, in particular, allows the bending limit of each contact blade to be increased despite the overall low height of the connector.

In order to further increase the bendable limit of each contact blade 16, a hole (not shown) may be provided in the inserted portion 46 of the blade, which is provided with a protrusion (if the blade is bent). 32 free end.

The local part of each blade is made thin by local compression before cutting the blade. By the method of obtaining such a thin thickness "e", it is possible to improve the mechanical properties of the material in areas which are difficult to produce by compression.

In these various alternative embodiments, the design of the body 12, which is made of insulating material and has a parallel surface delimiting the housing 24 containing the bottom 18 and the contact blades 12, is in particular with respect to each other. It is desirable to provide excellent electrical isolation for the device. This insulation is supplemented by the complementary design of the slit 60 in the cover 14.

In addition, when there is a card in the use position, all the housings 24 can be blocked in a semi-closed manner to prevent the ingress of dust or other foreign bodies into the cavity 24.

In these embodiments of the form with hairpin contact blades, the central loop or fold 44 of the contact blades 16 bends towards the center of the connector, ie contact pads on the smallest circuit card when the card is in use. It is bent towards the intermediate plane P extending substantially coincident with the center of.

This geometrical design allows the connector to provide a very short overall length (measured in the width direction with respect to FIG. 3), thus taking up little space on the printed circuit card that houses it.

Without departing from the scope of the present invention, the disclosed connector can be used in a read / write device in which the electronic memory card moves in a direction generally orthogonal to the plane and surface 20 relative to the connector.

In this application, the design of the contact blades 16 allows a self-cleaning effect due to the interaction between the curved end 30 and the conductive track on the card during the final landing phase of the conductive track.

Claims (7)

An electrical connector (10) for connecting an electronic memory card comprising a plurality of electrical contact pads arranged on a main surface thereof, The electrical connector 10 includes a support 12, a contact blade 16, a first branch 40 and a second branch 42, wherein the support 12 is formed of an insulating material and the electronic memory card And a plurality of conductors (contact blades) 16 in the form of blades that are elastically deformable in parallel with a plane 20, each of which contact blades 16 may be a pad of one of a plurality of pads on the card. A first contact end 30 which is in contact with and protrudes from the plane 20 of the support 12, a central connection 38 connecting the contact blade 16 to the support 12, and the contact blade A second connection end 34 connecting the 16 to the processing circuit of the read / write device, wherein the central connection 38 of each contact blade 16 is a folded portion in the form of a hairpin, and the first Insert free end 46 of branch 40 is inserted into the housing of the support Er extending by the second connecting end 34 of the contact blade 16, and the insertion free end of the second branch line 42 by the curved first contact end 30 of the contact blade 16. In the electrical connector extending and the first branch line 40 and the second branch line 42 are connected to each other by a U-shaped central fold portion 44, The curved first contact end 30 extends by a protrusion 32 substantially parallel to the plane 20 of the support and the insertion free end of the blade to further increase the degree of curvature of the contact blade. (46) is provided with a hole, the hole receiving the free end of the projection when the blade is in the bent position. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protrusion (32) is elastically exerted to affect the stop surface (74) of the connector. 3. The support 12 according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first branch line 40 is adapted to bend the first branch line 40 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane 20 of the support 12. Electrical connector which extends opposite the housing (24) formed so as to face said plane (20). 3. The curved contact end 30 of each blade 16 extends in line with the inserted free end 46 of the first branch line 40 of the central connection of the contact blade 16. Electrical connector, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, wherein each contact blade 16 is formed in the form of a metal strip cut and folded to a constant thickness, Wherein each contact strip comprises an intermediate portion having a reduced thickness (e), in particular produced by compression, extending between the contact end and the contact end of the contact blade. 6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the intermediate portion having the reduced thickness (e) extends between the free end (46) of the first branch line and the free end of the second branch line (42). The center fold portion 44 according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the curved contact end 30 connects the first branch line 40 and the second branch line 42 of the center connecting portion 38. And a longitudinal position between and the connecting end (34).