JPH1092167A - Memory card attachment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To mount a memory card which has a contact on its rear face to a camera by inserting the card into an insertion opening provided in the camera main part. SOLUTION: A conductive rubber 14 which can be electrically connected to the contact of a memory card 12 by pressing it against the contact is supported rotatably around an axis in parallel with its longitudinal direction. In accordance with the insertion operation of the memory card 12, the tips of tabs 26a and 26b provided on a holding member 23 which holds the conductive rubber 14 are pushed by the front edge of the memory card 12 to turn the conductive rubber 14 with the holding member 23 and the conductive rubber 14 is transferred to a position where it is pressed against the contact of the memory card 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a memory card mounting device, and more particularly, to a memory card mounting device used as a recording medium for image information in an electronic still camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for mounting a memory card in an electronic still camera, there has been one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-83386. This product forms a memory card insertion slot on the side of the camera, and inserts the memory card into the insertion slot so that the pin connector formed at the tip of the memory card is fitted with the connector on the main unit side. In this configuration, a memory card is mounted on a camera.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 4-155485 discloses a cover provided with a cover for covering a mounting portion of a memory card. The cover is released by operating a slide button, and further fitted and held by a pin connector. There is disclosed a configuration in which a memory card is slid out by operating the slide button.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
In a type in which a memory card is inserted into an insertion slot and mounted as disclosed in JP-A-83386,
As compared with the configuration including the lid member disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5485, the area occupied by the memory card mounting device in the camera appearance can be reduced, and the degree of design freedom is high.
There is an advantage that dust can easily be prevented from entering the electrical contact portion.

However, a memory card having a contact provided at the bottom of a concave portion formed on one of the front and back surfaces is used (generally, a configuration involving a small memory card is sometimes required), and the main body is used. When a conductive elastic member (generally, conductive rubber) provided on the side is pressed into contact with the contact to establish electrical connection, the conductive elastic member needs to enter the recessed portion and press the contact. Therefore, the conductive elastic member protrudes into the sliding space of the memory card, so
There is a problem that the mounting device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 386 cannot be applied as it is.

In the case of a memory card which can be electrically connected to the main body by fitting a pin connector and can be mechanically held, the memory card can be relatively stably fitted by fitting the pin connector. Although you can attach
In a memory card in which a contact is provided on one of the front and back surfaces, mechanical holding is not performed at a portion for electrical connection, and the elastic restoring force of the conductive elastic member is in the ejection direction of the memory card. Since it worked as force, there was a risk that the memory card could easily come off due to careless eject operation.

For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-155485, when a slide button is slid to an intermediate position, a lid is opened, and when the slide button is slid, a memory card is ejected. However, the memory card may be inadvertently ejected even if the slide button is operated slightly from the intermediate position.

Further, if the slide button disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-155485 is simply divided into a button for opening the lid and a card eject button, the possibility of erroneous operation remains. If the card eject button is operated by mistake in the closed state, the memory card may be detached from the conductive elastic member with the lid kept closed.

On the other hand, although careless ejection of the memory card is desired to be avoided as described above, the operation button for opening the lid and the card ejection button are shared,
There was also a demand to improve product appeal and operability. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a memory card provided with a contact on one of front and back surfaces, and a memory card for electrically connecting the contact with a conductive elastic member on a main body side by pressing the contact. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting device which can be mounted on a main body in a plug-in manner.

A memory card provided with a contact on one of the front and back surfaces, wherein the memory card is designed to be electrically connected by press-contacting the contact and a conductive elastic member on the main body side with a simple configuration and stable. Another object of the present invention is to provide a mounting device that can be mounted on a main body with good operability.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a contact provided on one of the front and back surfaces of a memory card is brought into pressure contact with a conductive elastic member on a main body side, so that the main body and the memory card are connected to each other. A memory card mounting device to be electrically connected, wherein the conductive elastic member is moved according to an operation of inserting the memory card into an insertion slot provided in a main body, and a contact of the memory card and the conductive elastic member are moved. And were pressed against each other.

According to this configuration, the conductive elastic member (generally, conductive rubber) waits at a position other than the position where the contact is pressed against the contact in the final mounting state of the memory card, and accompanying the operation of inserting the memory card into the memory card. Only after being moved, the conductive elastic member is located at the press-contact position, so that the conductive elastic member can be pressed against the contact while avoiding the conductive elastic member from being hindered at the time of insertion. Is formed at the bottom of the concave portion provided on the front and back surfaces, the electrical connection of the memory card can be achieved by the insertion operation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the conductive elastic member rotates around a rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal direction,
It was configured to move to the pressure contact position. That is, when the memory card is inserted, the conductive elastic member rotates from the standby position and presses against the contact point of the memory card. According to the third aspect of the present invention, a claw portion for rotating the holding member by contacting a leading end portion of the memory card is provided integrally with a holding member for rotatably holding the conductive elastic member, The holding member is driven to rotate via the claw portion by the insertion operation of the above, and the conductive elastic member is moved to the pressure contact position.

According to this configuration, when the memory card is inserted, the tip of the card comes into contact with the claw, and the holding member of the conductive elastic member provided with the claw is rotationally driven. Thereby, the conductive elastic member moves from the standby position to the pressure contact position in synchronization with the insertion operation of the memory card. Claim 4
In the invention described above, the conductive elastic member is configured to sequentially move to the press-contact position by moving in a bent state with one end in the longitudinal direction as the head.

That is, the remaining unpressed portion is bent and positioned at the standby position with respect to the portion of the conductive elastic member that has been pressed first, and is sequentially pressed against the contact with the one end at the head. In the invention according to claim 5, the contact point of the memory card is provided along the insertion direction, and the conductive elastic member is provided with the one end in the longitudinal direction at the top according to the insertion operation of the memory card. Then, the conductive elastic member which is moved integrally with the memory card in the insertion direction and is bent and retracted from the insertion space of the memory card is sequentially pressed from the contact point on the insertion tip side.

According to such a configuration, the conductive elastic member is extended along the insertion direction and made to stand by, and when the memory card is inserted, first, one end of the conductive elastic member is connected to the contact tip end side of the contact. Is pressed against the part. At this time, the remaining portion of the conductive elastic member is bent and retracted from the insertion space. Further, when the memory card is inserted, the conductive elastic members are sequentially pressed from the insertion end side of the contact point, and the memory card is finally finished. When the conductive elastic member is inserted to the proper mounting position, the pressure contact of the conductive elastic member to the contact is completed.

In the invention according to claim 6, the conductive elastic member is arranged such that one end, which is a leading end when moving, is located at the insertion port side of the memory card, and the other end side is extended along the insertion direction. Stand by, when inserting the memory card, reverse the moving direction of the conductive elastic member near the insertion slot,
The configuration is such that the conductive elastic member is sequentially pressed against the contact point of the memory card.

According to such a configuration, when the conductive elastic member is retracted from the insertion space and made to stand by, there is no need to extend the conductive elastic member from the insertion opening in the direction opposite to the insertion direction (the direction in which the memory card is taken out). It can be kept waiting within the space where the memory card is inserted. In the invention described in claim 7, the conductive elastic member is configured to move to the press-contact position by moving in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

According to such a configuration, the conductive elastic member is configured to move in a direction orthogonal to the front and back surfaces of the memory card, and when the memory card is inserted to the intended mounting position, the contact at the mounting position is changed. The conductive elastic member, which has been aligned at the position and kept waiting, is moved in parallel in a direction approaching the memory card, and the contact and the conductive elastic member are pressed against each other.

According to the present invention, an elastic member for urging the holding member for holding the conductive elastic member in the direction of the pressed position, and engaging the holding member to stop the holding member at the non-contact position. A stopper member for causing the stopper member and the holding member to be disengaged by the insertion operation of the memory card, and the holding member to be moved in parallel by the urging force of the elastic member, so that the contact of the memory card and the conductive elastic The members were configured to be in pressure contact with each other.

According to this configuration, when the memory car is inserted to a predetermined position, the stopper is released and the conductive elastic member is moved toward the contact by the elastic urging force, so that the conductive elastic member is pressed against the contact. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the holding member for movably holding the conductive elastic member is provided with a determination key for determining the type of the memory card.

According to this configuration, the fitting state of the discrimination key provided on the holding member and the memory card can be changed.
It is possible to distinguish whether or not the memory card is scheduled to be used, so that mounting of an unscheduled memory card can be avoided. On the other hand, the invention according to claim 10 includes a card fixing claw that engages with a memory card, a card fixing mechanism that fixes the memory card at a mounting position, and an openable / closable lid member that covers a mounting position of the memory card. And a lid locking mechanism for holding the lid member in a closed state, and a lid opening button for opening the lid member by moving the lid locking claw. A card eject button for moving the card fixing claw to release the fixed state of the memory card is provided on a portion covered by the lid member, while being provided on the external part.

According to such a configuration, the card eject button cannot be operated until the lid member is opened by operating the lid release button. According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the configuration in which the card eject button is provided in a portion covered by a lid member, the operation surface of the card ejection button and the operation surface of the lid release button are close to each other in substantially parallel and close to each other. It was made the structure provided.

That is, when the lid member is closed,
Although the card eject button is covered with the lid member, when the lid release button is operated and the lid member is opened, the card eject button appears at a position near the same plane as the lid release button. The invention according to claim 12, further comprising a card fixing claw that engages with the memory card, a card fixing mechanism that fixes the memory card at a mounting position, and an openable / closable lid member that covers a mounting position of the memory card. And a lid locking mechanism for holding the lid member in a closed state, wherein the lid locking claw is moved to open the lid member, and the card fixing claw is provided. In order to release the fixed state of the memory card by operating the common operation button, and to operate the button for releasing the fixed state of the memory card, and to open the lid member. The button is operated in a different direction.

According to this configuration, the ejection of the memory card and the opening of the lid member can be performed by a common operation button. However, the operation directions are different from each other, and both the opening of the lid member and the ejection of the memory card are performed. To do so, it is necessary to operate the operation buttons in two directions. In the invention according to claim 13, in the configuration in which the lid is opened and the card is ejected in different operation directions by the common operation button, the card fixing mechanism rotatably supports the card fixing claw with respect to a shaft member. And
The fixed state of the memory card is released by rotating the card fixing claw around the shaft member, and the lid member is provided with a lid locking claw in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft member. The lid locking claw and the operation button are integrally supported movably in the axial direction with respect to the shaft member, and the lid locking is performed by sliding the operation button. The lid is opened by moving the claw integrally in the axial direction of the shaft member, and the operation button and the card fixing claw are engaged by pressing the operation button. The memory card is rotated integrally and the fixed state of the memory card is released.

According to this configuration, while the lid member is opened by the sliding operation of the operation button, when the operation button is pressed, the memory card is ejected. In the invention according to claim 14, in the configuration including the common operation button, only when the operation button is slid to a position where the lid member is opened, a fixed stopper that allows a pressing operation of the operation button is provided. It was configured to be formed.

According to this configuration, at the operation button position where the lid member is held in the closed state, the operation button engages with the fixed stopper, so that the operation button cannot be pressed and the lid member is opened to the position where the lid member is opened. When the operation button is slid, the lid member is first opened, and when the operation button is pressed at that position, the memory card is ejected.

In the invention according to claim 15, in the configuration including the common operation button, while pressing operation of the operation button in a state where the lid member is closed is restricted, when the lid member is opened, In addition, a movable stopper that allows the operation button to be depressed while retracting from the regulation position is provided. According to this configuration, since the movable stopper that allows the pressing operation of the operation button is retracted from the position that functions as the stopper when the lid member is actually opened, the operation button can be slid to operate. However, unless the lid member is actually opened, the operation of pressing the operation button, that is, the ejection of the memory card cannot be performed.

[0029] In the invention according to claim 16, the claims 10 to
In the mounting device according to any one of 15, a contact is provided on one of the front and back surfaces of the memory card, and the conductive elastic member provided on the main body side and the contact are pressed into contact with each other,
The main body and the memory card are electrically connected. In the invention according to claim 17, a contact device provided on one of the front and back surfaces of the memory card is brought into pressure contact with the conductive elastic member on the main body side to electrically connect the main body and the memory card. And a pressing means for pressing the memory card against the conductive elastic member after inserting the memory card into the main body.

According to this configuration, at the time of the memory card insertion operation, the conductive elastic member is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the memory card, and after the insertion operation, the memory card and the conductive elastic member are brought into pressure contact with each other to make contact with the main body. Electrical connection with the memory card is achieved. That is, the operation of inserting the memory card into the main body and the operation of pressing the memory card and the conductive elastic member are separated from each other, thereby achieving simpler and more reliable pressing than the case of pressing the memory card along with the insertion operation. It is.

According to the present invention, the contact provided on one of the front and back surfaces of the memory card is brought into pressure contact with the conductive elastic member on the main body side to electrically connect the main body and the memory card. Detecting means for detecting that the memory card is inserted into the main body,
A configuration is provided in which pressing means is provided for pressing the memory card and the conductive elastic member in contact with each other in response to detection by the detection means.

With this configuration, when it is detected that the memory card has been inserted into the main body, an operation of pressing the memory card and the conductive elastic member is performed. In the invention according to claim 19, the pressing means presses the memory card toward the conductive elastic member. According to such a configuration, for the conductive elastic member on the fixed side,
By pressing the memory card as the movable side, mutual electrical connection is achieved.

In the invention according to claim 20, the pressing means presses the conductive elastic member toward the memory card. According to this configuration, the electrically conductive elastic member as the movable side is pressed against the fixed-side memory card, thereby achieving mutual electrical connection.

[0034]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the conductive elastic member is moved in accordance with the insertion operation of the memory card and brought into pressure contact with the contact, so that the conductive elastic member is retracted from the slide space of the memory card. In this case, there is an effect that it is possible to insert the memory card in a plug-in manner.

According to the second aspect of the invention, there is an effect that the conductive elastic member retracted from the insertion space of the memory card can be rotated and pressed against the contact.
According to the third aspect of the invention, there is an effect that the conductive elastic member is rotated and moved in a reliable manner in association with the insertion operation of the memory card, so that the contact of the memory card and the conductive elastic member can be pressed against each other.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the conductive elastic member which bends and retracts from the slide space of the memory card can be sequentially pressed against the contact according to the insertion operation of the memory card. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, when the contacts are provided along the insertion direction of the card, there is an effect that the contacts can be sequentially pressed from the leading end in the insertion direction according to the insertion operation of the memory card.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the contact is provided along the insertion direction of the card, the conductive elastic member which bends and retracts from the slide space of the memory card,
There is an effect that it can be efficiently accommodated. According to the seventh aspect of the invention, there is an effect that the conductive elastic member retracted from the insertion space of the memory card can be moved in parallel and pressed against the contact.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the contact can be pressed against the contact by the parallel movement of the conductive elastic member, reliably linked to the insertion operation of the memory card. According to the ninth aspect of the invention, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent unintended mounting of a memory card.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the eject button of the memory card is provided at a portion covered by the lid member, it is possible to reliably prevent the memory card from being ejected with the lid member closed. This has the effect. According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the configuration in which the eject button of the memory card is provided in a portion covered by the lid member, there is an effect that the ejection operation of the memory card after opening the lid member can be easily performed. is there.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the opening of the lid member and the ejection of the memory card can be performed by the common operation button, so that high operability can be realized, and
Since the operation direction when opening the lid member is different from the operation direction when ejecting the memory card, there is an effect that occurrence of erroneous operation can be suppressed. According to the thirteenth aspect, by causing the lid member to be opened by the sliding operation of the operation button and ejecting the memory card by the pressing operation of the operation button, there is an effect that occurrence of an erroneous operation can be suppressed.

According to the fourteenth aspect, the pressing operation for ejecting the memory card can be performed only at the position of the operation button where the lid member is opened, so that the ejection operation with the lid member closed can be reliably performed. There is an effect that can be avoided. According to the invention as set forth in claim 15, since the pressing operation for ejecting the memory card can be performed only in a state where the lid member is opened, an effect that the ejection operation in a state where the lid member is closed can be reliably avoided. is there.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the memory card in which the contact provided on one of the front and back surfaces and the conductive elastic member on the main body side are brought into pressure contact with each other to achieve electrical connection, the state in which the lid member is closed. In addition, there is an effect that the ejection can be avoided and the device can be stably attached to the main body. According to the invention according to claim 17, the press-contact operation between the memory card and the conductive elastic member and the insertion operation of the memory card are separated while allowing the memory card to be inserted into and attached to the main body of the memory card. There is an effect that electrical connection with the elastic member can be performed more easily and reliably.

According to the eighteenth aspect, there is an effect that the operation of pressing the memory card and the conductive elastic member can be accurately executed after the insertion of the memory card. According to the invention described in claim 19 or 20, by pressing one of the memory card and the conductive elastic member to the other side, there is an effect that electrical connection after the memory card is inserted can be achieved.

[0044]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic still camera to which a memory card mounting device according to the present invention is applied. A photographic lens 2 is attached to the front of the camera body 1, and an optical image is captured by the photographic lens 2 using a CCD (not shown).
An analog image signal photoelectrically converted by the imaging device is converted into a digital image signal and recorded on a memory card having a built-in semiconductor memory.

On the upper surface of the camera body 1, a release button 3, a power button 4 and the like are provided. On the back of the camera body 1, a finder 5, a liquid crystal display 6, an operation button 7, and the like are provided. A battery box 8 is attached to the right side surface of the camera body 1 in FIG.

Further, a communication port 9 and an external power input 10 are provided on the left side surface of the camera body 1 in FIG. 1, and an insertion slot (slot) 11 for the memory card is opened. As shown in FIG. 2, a recess 12a is formed in the lower surface of the memory card 12 inserted into the insertion slot 11 along the longitudinal direction, and the bottom of the recess 12a is electrically connected to the main body. There is provided a contact 13 for making a simple connection and transmitting and receiving data. The memory card 12 can be inserted into the camera body 1 by being inserted into the insertion slot 11 with the short side direction as the insertion direction (the direction A in FIG. 2) with the recess 12a first. Has become.

On the side of the memory card 12, a write protect switch (erase inhibit switch) 12c is provided. By setting the write protect switch 12c in advance, careless data erasure can be avoided. Has become. Further, at the tip in the insertion direction in FIG.
A card discrimination key 12b is formed, and a card power
A card detection contact 13a is provided.

On the camera body 1 side, a conductive rubber (conductive elastic member) is provided which is electrically connected to the contact 13 by pressure contact. The conductive rubber is pressed against 13 as described below. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the pressure contact structure between the contact 13 and the conductive rubber.

In FIG. 3, a pair of arms 22a and 22b are rotatably supported at both ends of a rotating shaft 21 supported by the camera body 1, and conductive tips are provided at the ends of the arms 22a and 22b. A holding member 23 holding a conductive rubber (rubber contact) 14 is rotatably supported at both ends by the arms 22a and 22b. The conductive rubber 14 and the substrate fixed to the main body are connected by a flexible substrate 24. Reference numeral 25 denotes a connector for connecting the flexible board 24 and a board fixed to the main body.

The arms 22a and 22b are elastically urged clockwise in the figure, and when the memory card 12 is not inserted,
A stopper is provided so as to wait at a predetermined initial position. Then, with the insertion operation of the memory card 12, the memory card 12 can be rotated counterclockwise against the elastic urging force. On the other hand, the holding member 23 is elastically urged counterclockwise in the figure, and a stopper is provided so that the conductive rubber 14 is positioned on the insertion slot 11 side when the memory card 12 is not inserted. . Then, with the insertion operation of the memory card 12, the memory card 12 can be rotated clockwise against the elastic urging force.

Further, the holding member 23 has a pair of claw portions 26a, 26b with which the leading end of the inserted memory card 12 abuts.
Is erected. In such a configuration, the memory card
When the memory card 12 is inserted through the insertion slot 11, the tip of the memory card 12 comes into contact with the claw portions 26a and 26b, so that the holding member 23 rotates clockwise with the insertion of the memory card 12, and The held conductive rubber 14 rotates around a rotation axis parallel to its longitudinal direction. And memory card
The conductive rubber 14 which has been retracted from the slide space 12 is pressed against the contact 13 of the memory card 12 when the memory card 12 is inserted to an intended mounting position with the rotation of the holding member 23. And is pressed against the contact 13 by a clockwise urging force on the arms 22a and 22b (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

Here, a slide button 27 urged in a direction to close the insertion slot 11 is provided, and the slide button 27 is
By sliding upward as shown in FIG.
The memory card 12 can be configured to be ejected by a counterclockwise urging force with respect to. An inclined portion 27a is formed at the tip of the slide button 27, and when the tip of the memory card 12 abuts on the inclined portion 27a, the movement of the memory card 12 in the insertion direction moves upward of the slide button 27. When the memory card 12 is inserted from the insertion slot 11, the insertion can be performed without operating the slide button 27. When the lower end of the slide button 27 is slid in contact with the upper surface of the memory card 12 and the memory card 12 is inserted to a position where the conductive rubber 14 is pressed against the contact 13, the rear end of the memory card 12 is moved. Part is a slide button 27
, The slide button 27 moves downward by the elastic urging force and crosses the slide space. Thereby, the movement of the memory card 12 in the pulling-out direction is restricted, and even if the memory card 12 is urged leftward in FIGS. 4 and 5 by the counterclockwise urging force on the holding member 23. When the rear end of the memory card 12 contacts the slide button 27, the ejection of the memory card 12 is prevented. When the memory card 12 is to be ejected, the slide button 27 is slid upwardly in FIG. 5 against the elastic urging force, so that the counterclockwise urging force against the holding member 23 causes the slider button 27 to move leftward in FIG. The activated memory card 12 will be ejected.

Further, the biasing force of the holding member 23 in the counterclockwise direction is set to be relatively weak so that the holding member 23 does not rotate counterclockwise unless a force is applied to the memory card 12 in the pulling-out direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the rear end of the memory card 12 may be set to protrude from the camera body 1 in the mounted state, and the rear end of the memory card 12 may be gripped and pulled out. In this case, the eject mechanism using the slide button 27 can be omitted.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 26c denotes a main body side card discrimination key fixed to the main body side, and when the memory card 12 to be used is mounted, the front end portion of the main body side card discrimination key 26c. Is inserted into the card discrimination key 12b of the memory card 12 and is allowed to be inserted, but an unscheduled memory card 12 (a card in which the card discrimination key 12b is not formed at a position corresponding to 26c) is inserted. The insertion end of the memory card 12 is brought into contact with the main body side card discrimination key 26c to prevent the card from being inserted. As a result, it is possible to prevent an unexpectedly unusable memory card 12 from being incorrectly mounted.

Further, the claws 26a and 26b shown in FIG. 3 may be used as a main body side contact for supplying power and / or detecting a card by contacting a card power supply and a card detection contact 13a of the memory card 12. . Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the pressure contact structure between the contact 13 and the conductive rubber 14. In the second embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the memory card 12 is inserted into the insertion slot 11 with the longitudinal direction of the memory card 12 as the insertion direction, in other words, the arrangement direction of the contacts 13 as the insertion direction.

On the other hand, the moving structure of the conductive rubber is shown in FIGS.
It is configured as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a claw portion 31 that moves the conductive rubber 14 in conjunction with the memory card 12 by being brought into contact with the tip of the memory card 12 is attached to one end in the longitudinal direction of the conductive rubber 14, The claw portion 31 is supported so as to be movable in the insertion direction of the memory card 12.
The other end of the conductive rubber 14 is connected to the substrate of the main body via the flexible substrate 24, and when the memory card 12 is not inserted, the conductive rubber 14 following the claw portion 31 reverses direction. Extending in the insertion direction.

Then, the flexible substrate made of the conductive rubber 14
A tension spring 32, one of which is connected to the main body 1, is connected to a rear end portion connected to the main body 1. When the memory card 12 is not inserted, the tension spring 32 applies a tensile force to the main body 1.
The claw portion 31 returns to the initial position closest to the insertion slot 11. In the vicinity of the initial position of the claw portion 31, a rotating shaft is provided.
A roller driving unit 34 is provided to be supported by the main body 1 and has a rotating shaft 33 interposed therebetween, one of which is in contact with the memory card 12 to obtain a counterclockwise rotational force in the figure, and the other is a conductive rubber 14.
The arm 36 provided with the roller 35 around which the
33 supported rotatably with respect to the memory card 12
When the arm 36 rotates counterclockwise in the figure while contacting the roller drive unit 34, the roller 35 moves upward in the figure, and the conductive rubber 14 that has been retracted from the sliding space of the memory card 12 until then is moved. Lift the inserted memory card 12
The conductive rubber 14 is pressed against the concave portion 12a of FIG.

That is, when the memory card 12 is inserted, the memory card 12 comes into contact with the roller drive unit 34 and the arm 36 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, so that the roller 35 moves upward in the figure and The leading portion of the elastic rubber 12 is pressed against the insertion tip side of the contact 13. Subsequently, when the memory card 12 is further inserted, the claw portion 31 is pushed by the tip of the memory card 12 and moves to the back side, and the conductive rubber 14 is successively rolled by the roller 35.
Thus, when the memory card 12 is inserted to a desired position, all the conductive rubbers 14 are pressed against the contacts 13.

Here, a force in the pulling-out direction is applied to the memory card 12 by the elastic urging force of the tension spring 32. However, a slide button 27 similar to that shown in the first embodiment is provided, and the memory card 12 is provided. When the rear end of the card 12 contacts the slide button 27, the ejection of the memory card 12 is prevented. Therefore, when the slide button 27 is operated upward in FIG. 10, the memory card 12 is ejected by the elastic biasing force of the tension spring 32.

8 to 10, reference numeral 37 denotes a roller for moving and guiding the conductive rubber 14 together with the roller 35. Also,
8 to 10, at the end of the insertion space,
A detection switch 38 for the memory card 12 is provided so that the mounting / non-mounting of the memory card 12 can be detected from the signal of the switch 38.

Further, in FIGS. 8 to 10, reference numeral 39 denotes a card power supply provided at the front end of the memory card 12 on the insertion side.
This is a main body side contact that detects the memory card 12 in the middle of mounting by contacting the card detection contact 13a. 8 to FIG.
In the configuration shown in FIG. 10, in order to more reliably press the conductive rubber 14 against the contact 13, a plurality of rollers urged upward in FIG. The conductive rubber 14 is provided by the plurality of rollers.
May be pressed against the contact 13 side. If the roller is provided, the pressure contact with the contact 13 can be performed more reliably, and the conductive rubber 14 can be moved more smoothly.

Next, a third embodiment of the pressure contact structure between the contact 13 and the conductive rubber 14 will be described. Also in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the longitudinal direction of the memory card 12 is set as the insertion direction.
In other words, the insertion direction is the insertion direction of the contact 13
It shall be inserted at 11. In the third embodiment, FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the pressing member 41 holding the conductive rubber 14 is moved upward in FIG.
It is urged in the direction of pressing against. Further, the pressing member
A key groove 41a is formed at an end of the key groove 41.
A key 44 (stopper member) urged by a coil spring 43 in the direction in which the memory card 12 is pulled out is fitted into 41a.

When the key 44 is fitted in the key groove 41a, the conductive rubber 14 is retracted from the sliding space of the memory card 12, and the memory card 12 is inserted to the final position, and the leading end thereof is Presses the key 44, the keyway 41a
Then, the conductive rubber 14 moves upwardly in parallel with the pressing member 41 due to the urging force of the coil spring 42, and presses against the contact 13 of the inserted memory card 12. That is, the key 44 functions as detecting means of the memory card 12, and the pressing member 41 as pressing means presses the conductive rubber 14 against the fixed-side memory card 12 in response to the detection of the key 44. is there.

The pressing member 41 has an eject button 45
When the eject button 45 is pressed, the pressing member 41 descends against the urging force of the coil spring 42, so that the memory card 12 can be pulled out. The key 44 is again inserted into the key groove 41a.
And enters the insertion standby state. In FIGS. 11 and 12,
The main body side card discrimination key 46 is formed integrally with the pressing member 41, and when the intended memory card 12 is attached, the main body side card discrimination key 46 is provided at the discrimination key 12b of the card 12. By entering, the pressing member 41 is allowed to rise, so that the conductive rubber 14
It will be pressed against 13 but different types of memory card
12, in other words, the memory card 12 whose discrimination key does not match
When the is attached, the main body side card discrimination key 46 is
By contacting the lower surface of the memory card 12, the conductive rubber 14
Is pressed against the contact 13.

As a result, the conductive rubber 14 can be prevented from touching the unusable memory card 12, so that the protection of the components and the long life can be achieved. In FIGS. 11 and 12, reference numeral 47 denotes a card power supply and a card detection contact provided on the main body side, which are provided integrally with the pressing member 41 and contact the power supply and the detection contact 13a of the memory card 12.

In this embodiment, the conductive rubber 14 is not moved with the insertion operation of the memory card 12 as in the second embodiment,
Since the pressure contact operation between the conductive rubber 13 and the conductive rubber 14 is separated, electrical connection can be achieved more easily and reliably. FIG. 13 shows a fourth embodiment of the pressure contact structure between the contact 13 and the conductive rubber 14. In FIG. 13, a structure similar to that of the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is used. After the memory card 12 is inserted, the memory card 12 is pressed toward the conductive rubber 14 on the fixed side, so that electrical connection between the conductive rubber 14 and the contacts 13 of the memory card 12 is achieved.

That is, in the fourth embodiment, the conductive rubber 14 is fixed above the pressing member 41, and when the memory card 12 is inserted to the final position and its tip presses the key 44, the key is pressed. The key 44 comes out of the groove 41a, the urging force of the coil spring 42 causes the pressing member 41 to press the memory card 12 upward, and the contact 13 of the inserted memory card 12 is pressed against the conductive rubber 14 fixed above. I do.

Next, instead of the plug-in type mounting structure described above, the memory card is mounted so as to cover the fixed conductive rubber, and the end of the mounted memory card is fixed with a nail. An embodiment of the mounting device configured as described above will be described. FIG. 14 is an external perspective view of the electronic still camera, and a memory card 12 is used instead of the insertion slot 11 of FIG.
And a slide button 52 for opening the cover member 51.

The mounting portion covered by the lid member 51 is configured as shown in FIG. In FIG. 15, the memory card 12 has the contact side facing the main body 1, the end on the side where the contact is provided is inserted into the gap 53 provided near the hinge of the lid member 51, and the other end is electrically conductive. The rubber 14 is mounted so as to be crushed and pressed against the main body.

On the other end of the memory card 12, a card fixing claw 54 urged clockwise in the figure by a spring (not shown) is rotatably supported. When the memory card 12 is inserted in the expected position after being pushed counterclockwise and retracted once, it rotates clockwise again, and the claw 54 engages with the memory card 12 and the conductive The memory card 12 is fixed in the mounted state against the elastic urging force of the rubber 14.

The card fixing claw 54 is formed integrally with an eject button 54a.
When the operation of pressing the 54a is performed, the engagement between the memory card 12 and the claw 54 is released by rotating the claw 53 counterclockwise, and the memory card 12 is ejected. On the other hand, a locking claw 51a is integrally formed on the back side of the distal end portion of the lid member 51 urged in the opening direction.
An engaging portion 52a (lid locking claw) that engages with the locking claw 51a is integrally formed, and is urged by a spring 55 in a direction in which the locking claw 51a and the engaging portion 52a are engaged. ing. When the lid member 51 is occupied, after the slide button 52 is once pushed by the locking claw 51a to open the lid and then returned by the urging force of the spring, the locking claw 51a and the engaging portion 52a are engaged. In this case, the lid member 51 is locked in a closed state. When opening the lid,
By sliding the slide button 52 rightward in FIG. 15, the engagement between the locking claw 51a and the engaging portion 52a is released, and the lid member 51 is opened.

Here, the slide button 52 is provided on the exterior of the camera as shown in FIG. 14, while the eject button 54a is covered by the cover member 51 as shown in FIG. 16 (FIG. 16). (Indicated by the oblique lines), and can be operated only when the lid member 51 is opened. Therefore,
With the lid closed, the eject button 54a is not operated, thereby preventing the memory card 12 from being erroneously ejected.

Since the eject button 54a and the slide button 52 are provided on the same side of the camera with their operation surfaces substantially parallel and close to each other, the opening operation of the lid and the ejection of the memory card 12 are continuously performed. The operability when performing the operation is good, and the operation parts can be compactly assembled. Next, the lid can be opened and the card can be ejected by operating the common operation button in different directions while having the card fixing mechanism and the lid locking mechanism having the same configuration as that shown in FIG. FIG. 17 shows an embodiment in which
It will be described according to.

In FIG. 17, a cover member is provided at a portion of the rotating shaft 54b which rotatably supports the card fixing claw 54, between the claw 54.
A slide button 60 having an engaging portion 52a for locking the 51 is rotatably supported. Further, the slide button 60 is urged to the left (in the direction in which the lid is locked) by interposing a coil spring 61 with the claw 54 that does not move in the axial direction as a fixed end.

Accordingly, the lid can be opened by sliding the slide button 60 rightward in the figure, as in the above embodiment. Here, when the slide button 60 is located at a position where the lid is locked without sliding the slide button 60, the pressing operation of the slide button 60 is performed by engagement with the fixed stopper 63 provided on the main body side. However, when the slide button 60 is slid in the cover opening direction, the engagement between the fixed stopper 63 and the slide button 60 is released, and the pressing operation of the slide button 60 is allowed.

At the time of the slide operation of the slide button 60,
The surface of the slider portion 54c provided integrally with the claw 54 and the slide button 60 move while sliding, and the lid is opened at the position where the fixed stopper 63 and the slide button 60 are engaged. When the slide button 60 is pressed at the disengaged position, the claw 54 rotates counterclockwise following the counterclockwise rotation of the slide button 60, and the memory card 12 is ejected.

Therefore, the memory card 12 cannot be ejected unless the cover is slid to the position where the cover is opened, and the common slide button 60 is used to open the cover and eject the card. Even if there is, the card can be prevented from being ejected with the lid closed. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 18 includes a movable stopper 64 that moves between a restricted position and a non-restricted position by opening and closing the lid member 51, instead of the fixed stopper 63, as a stopper that regulates the pressing operation of the slide button 60. It is provided.

The movable stopper 64 is urged clockwise in the figure. When the lid member 51 is closed, the movable stopper 64 is pressed against the urging force by a pressing portion 51b formed on the back side of the front end of the lid member 51. Then, it rotates counterclockwise to enter the back side of the slide button 60, and blocks the pressing operation of the slide button 60. When the lid member 51 is opened, it rotates clockwise due to the urging force, retreats from the back side of the slide button 60, and enters a state where the pressing operation of the slide button 60 is allowed. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 18, if the lid member 51 is open, it is not necessary to slide the slide button 60 to the right and then perform the pressing operation, and perform the pressing operation as it is in the state where the slide button 60 is located at the left end. Then, the slide button 60 and the claw 54 rotate integrally, and the memory card 12 can be ejected.

By the way, in each of the above embodiments, the memory card 12, which is electrically connected by using the conductive rubber, is configured to be directly mounted on the camera body. However, as shown in FIG. Card adapter which can attach 12
The memory card 12 may be indirectly attached to the camera body 1 by attaching the memory card 71 to the camera body 1.

The mounting of the memory card 12 to the camera body may be performed by fitting a pin connector, so that the camera using the pin connector type memory card uses the contact type memory card 12. It can also be done. In the one shown in FIG. 19, an insertion port 72 is formed in the base end face of the card adapter 71,
For example, by providing a structure in which the conductive rubber is rotated and pressed against the contacts as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the contact on the card adapter 71 side with respect to the contacts provided on the lower surface of the inserted memory card 12 is provided. What is necessary is just to make it the structure which press-contacts a conductive rubber.

Also, on the upper surface of the card adapter 71, FIG.
The structure in which the memory card 12 mounted from above is fixed by the card fixing mechanism using the card fixing claw 54 shown in FIG. Here, a lid member may be provided to cover the mounting portion provided on the upper surface of the card adapter 71, and the configuration shown in FIG. 17 or FIG. 18 may be used to open the lid and eject the memory card 12. .

A plurality of insertion slots 72 may be provided, and a plurality of memory cards 12 may be inserted into the memory card 12, respectively. In addition, by adopting a configuration as shown in FIGS. The insertion direction of the memory card 12 may be different from the case shown in FIG. Also, the card adapter shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 75 indicates that a pin connector type memory card 76 can be mounted together with the contact type memory card 12, and the memory card 12 is inserted by a card fixing mechanism as shown in FIG. 15, and the memory card 76 is inserted. It is configured to be mounted by fitting a pin connector by insertion into the opening 77.

When a plurality of memory cards are mounted via a card adapter as shown in FIG. 19 or FIG. 20, an interface 81 is provided on the card adapter 80 as shown in FIG. , B insertion detection and file management, and a card adapter from the CPU of the camera body 1
It is preferable that a single memory card having a directory (contents of the memory card A) and a B directory (contents of the memory card B) be recognized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic still camera according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a memory card.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the plug-in type mounting device.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an insertion direction common to the second and third embodiments which are insertion type mounting devices.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a second embodiment of the plug-in type mounting device.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a second embodiment of the plug-in type mounting device.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a second embodiment of the plug-in type mounting device.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the plug-in type mounting device.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the plug-in type mounting device.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the plug-in type mounting device.

FIG. 14 is an external perspective view of an electronic still camera according to an embodiment including a lid member that covers a mounting unit.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a fifth embodiment of a mounting device provided with a lid member.

FIG. 16 is a front view for explaining the arrangement of operation buttons according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a sixth embodiment of the mounting device provided with the lid member.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a seventh embodiment of the mounting device provided with the lid member.

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment using a card adapter.

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment using a card adapter.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an embodiment using a card adapter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Camera body 11 Insertion slot 12 Memory card 13 Contact 14 Conductive rubber 23 Holder 26 Claw 31 Claw 33 Rotary shaft 34 Roller drive 35 Roller 41 Pressing member 41a Key groove 42,43 Coil spring 44 Key 45 Eject button 51 Lid member 52 Slide button 54 Card fixing claw 54a Eject button 60 Slide button 63 Fixed stopper 64 Movable stopper

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04N 5/781

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A memory card mounting device for electrically connecting a main body and a memory card by pressing a contact provided on one of front and rear surfaces of the memory card and a conductive elastic member on a main body side. And mounting the memory card by moving the conductive elastic member in accordance with an operation of inserting the memory card into an insertion hole provided in the main body to press the contact of the memory card with the conductive elastic member. apparatus. 2. The memory card mounting device according to claim 1, wherein said conductive elastic member is configured to move to a pressure contact position by rotating about a rotation axis parallel to a longitudinal direction. 3. A memory card insertion operation in which a holding member for rotatably holding the conductive elastic member is integrally provided with a claw for driving the holding member to rotate when the tip of the memory card abuts. 3. The memory card mounting device according to claim 2, wherein the holding member is driven to rotate via the claw portion, and the conductive elastic member is moved to a pressing position. 4. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the conductive elastic member moves in a bent state with one end in the longitudinal direction as a head, so that the conductive elastic member sequentially moves to a press-contact position. Mounting device. 5. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the contact points of the memory card are provided along the insertion direction, and the conductive elastic member is integrated with the memory card with one end in the longitudinal direction at the top according to the insertion operation of the memory card. 5. The memory card mounting device according to claim 4, wherein the conductive elastic member which is moved in the insertion direction in the insertion direction of the memory card and which is bent and retracted from the insertion space of the memory card is successively pressed from the contact on the insertion front end side. 6. An electroconductive elastic member, wherein one end, which is the leading end when moving, is positioned on the side of the insertion slot of the memory card, and the other end side is extended along the insertion direction to be on standby.
6. The mounting of a memory card according to claim 5, wherein when the memory card is inserted, the direction of movement of the conductive elastic member is reversed near the insertion slot so that the conductive elastic member is sequentially pressed against the contact of the memory card. apparatus. 7. The memory card mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive elastic member moves to a pressure contact position by moving in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. 8. An elastic member for urging a holding member for holding the conductive elastic member in a pressing position direction, and a stopper member for engaging with the holding member to stop the holding member at a non-pressing position. The engagement between the stopper member and the holding member is released by the insertion operation of the memory card, the holding member moves in parallel by the urging force of the elastic member, and the contact of the memory card and the conductive elastic member are pressed against each other. The memory card mounting device according to claim 7, wherein the device is configured. 9. A memory device according to claim 1, wherein said holding member for movably holding said conductive elastic member is provided with a discrimination key for discriminating a memory card type. A memory card mounting device as described in the above. 10. A card fixing mechanism that includes a card fixing claw that engages with a memory card, and that fixes the memory card at a mounting position, and a lid that engages with an openable and closable lid member that covers a mounting position of the memory card. A lid locking mechanism that includes a locking claw and holds the lid member in a closed state; and a lid release button that opens the lid member by moving the lid locking claw is provided on an external portion of the main body. A card eject button for releasing the fixed state of the memory card by moving the card fixing claw, provided at a portion covered by the lid member. 11. An operation surface of the card eject button,
11. The memory card mounting device according to claim 10, wherein an operation surface of the lid release button is provided substantially parallel to and close to each other. 12. A card fixing mechanism for engaging a memory card with a card fixing claw, the card fixing mechanism for fixing the memory card at a mounting position, and a lid engaging with an openable and closable lid member for covering a mounting position of the memory card. A lid locking mechanism that includes a locking claw and holds the lid member in a closed state; and an operation of opening the lid member by moving the lid locking claw and moving the card fixing claw to store the memory. The operation for releasing the fixed state of the memory card and the operation direction of the button for opening the lid member are configured such that the operation of releasing the fixed state of the card can be performed by a common operation button. And a memory card mounting device characterized in that: 13. The fixed state of the memory card, wherein the card fixing mechanism rotatably supports the card fixing claw with respect to a shaft member, and rotates the card fixing claw around the shaft member. Configured to be released,
The lid member is configured to be opened by movement of the lid locking claw in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft member, and the lid locking claw and the operation button are integrally formed with respect to the shaft member. A configuration in which the lid member is opened by moving the lid locking claw integrally in the axial direction of the shaft member by sliding the operation button so as to be movably supported in the axial direction, 13. The memory according to claim 12, wherein the operation button and the card fixing claw are engaged with each other by the pressing operation of the operation button to rotate integrally and release the fixed state of the memory card. Card mounting device. 14. The memory according to claim 13, wherein a fixed stopper is formed to permit a pressing operation of the operation button only when the operation button is slid to a position where the lid member is opened. Card mounting device. 15. While restricting the pressing operation of the operation button in a state where the lid member is closed, when the lid member is opened, retreat from the restriction position and permit the pressing operation of the operation button. 14. The memory card mounting device according to claim 13, further comprising a movable stopper that performs the operation. 16. A contact is provided on one of the front and back surfaces of the memory card, and the conductive elastic member provided on the main body is pressed against the contact to electrically connect the main body and the memory card. Claim 10-characterized by the structure
16. The device for mounting a memory card according to any one of 15. 17. A memory card mounting device for electrically connecting a main body and a memory card by pressing a contact provided on one of the front and back surfaces of the memory card and a conductive elastic member on a main body side. A memory card mounting device, comprising: pressing means for pressing the memory card against the conductive elastic member after inserting the memory card into the main body. 18. A memory card mounting device for pressing a contact provided on one of the front and back surfaces of a memory card and a conductive elastic member on a main body side to electrically connect the main body and the memory card. A memory for detecting that the memory card has been inserted into the main body, and pressing means for pressing the memory card and the conductive elastic member in contact with each other in response to the detection by the detecting means. Card mounting device. 19. The device according to claim 17, wherein the pressing unit presses the memory card toward the conductive elastic member.
Or the memory card mounting device according to 18. 20. The device according to claim 17, wherein the pressing unit presses the conductive elastic member toward the memory card.
Or the memory card mounting device according to 18.