JP2000082537A - Connector for pc card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the occurrence of an electric/mechanical drawback by reducing a load acting on the connector part of a connector for a PC card as well as to improve strength and reliability of the connector for a PC card by improving yield strength of a lock mechanism to external force. SOLUTION: A card side connector 10 of a connector for a PC card is arranged inside a connector receiving opening arranged in the side surface end part of the PC card, and a cable side connector 20 is inserted inside the PC card when connected with the card side connector 10 to be connected by fitting/ holding a connector body 21 in a connector holder 11 of the card side connector. The card side connector has a spring 13 for biasing the cable side connector in the pushing-out direction, and has respectively a lock claw 15 for locking/ holding the cable side connector against the spring 13 force and the cutout part 25. The cable side connector has a slider 30 for releasing locking by the lock claw 15, and the operation part of the slider 30 is arranged outside the receiving opening of the PC card.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a PC card, an IC,
The present invention relates to a connector between a card and a cable of a card-type information recording / transmission medium such as a card, and more particularly to a card connector for providing a cable pull-out direction in which damage to a connector portion is suppressed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Card-type information recording and transmitting media such as PC cards and IC cards are used as recording media (memory) for personal computers, especially portable terminals, and for connecting personal computers and other peripheral devices. Many types of information transmission media (for example, interfaces with FAX modems, printers, scanners, and the like) have been supplied to the market and are being generally used.

[0003] In particular, the use of PC card type information recording / transmission media, which connects a personal computer to other peripheral devices and has an extended function, has been rapidly expanding with the recent miniaturization and mobileization of information processing terminals. Information processing terminal and P
Detachable from C card or PC card and peripheral device
It has become a situation that connector cables connected via I / O cables are frequently attached and detached.

A PC card for performing I / O (information transmission) with such a peripheral device is provided with a pin connector which is inserted into a personal computer and connected to the computer at one side end surface. The PC card and the personal computer transmit information via this pin connector. The other side end face opposite to the side end face having the pin connector is partially inserted from the PC card mounting section even when the PC card is inserted into the PC card mounting section of the personal computer and the pin connector is connected. A connector (hereinafter, referred to as a PC card connector) for detachably connecting a cable 56 for connecting the PC card 51 to a peripheral device as shown in FIG. 7, for example, is provided on the side end surface. Provided.

[0005] Among the PC card connectors, the card side connector 54 provided on the PC card side is provided on the side end face 52 facing the pin connector connected to the personal computer as described above. In order to protect the connector, a method of forming a slightly concave shape from the side end surface and forming an electrical contact portion of the connector in the concave portion 53 is often used. The cable-side connector 55 connected to the card-side connector 54 and communicating information with an external peripheral device is provided in the recess 53 of the card-side connector.
And the connector body portion to which the cable is connected protrudes from the PC card body to the outside. Further, in order to prevent accidental detachment of the connector, there has been used one provided with a locking claw that opens the claw in the recess and locks and holds the cable side connector in the recess.

[0006]

By the way, in a situation where a PC card is attached and detached or a PC card connector is attached and detached on a daily basis as described above, the attachment and detachment (insertion) of the PC card to the information processing terminal are performed. , Withdrawal) and PC
The attachment / detachment of the cable connector for connecting the card to the peripheral device is performed by a human hand using the PC card, and the projection / removal of the PC card itself is limited, so that it is difficult to insert / pull out. In part, these operations tend to place an excessive load on the connections of thin and precisely formed cable connectors, and as a result,
There has been a problem that inconveniences such as poor contact and mechanical damage are likely to occur at the connection portion of the connector.

In addition, for example, when an external force (particularly, an external force in a direction orthogonal to the connector insertion direction) is applied via a connected cable in addition to the acting force at the time of attachment / detachment, the entire connector body is shaken. That means
Since the PC card itself is thin and forms a locking mechanism in the above-mentioned slight recess, it is difficult to provide sufficient strength in directions other than pulling out. The external force in the orthogonal direction acts, and the locking portion is mechanically damaged, and the electrical contact portion of the connector is broken to damage the connector portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and reduces the load acting on the connector portion of a PC card connector to prevent electrical and mechanical problems from occurring. It is an object of the present invention to improve the strength and reliability of a PC card connector by improving the resistance of a lock mechanism against external force.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, a PC card connector according to the present invention has a connector receiving opening formed on a side end surface of a PC card for receiving a cable side connector, A card-side connector (for example, the card-side connector 10 in the embodiment) provided inside the connector-receiving opening, and a cable side inserted into the PC card from the connector-receiving opening and fitted and held in the card-side connector. And a connector (for example, the cable-side connector 20 in the embodiment).

[0010] The PC card connector thus configured includes a connector connection portion and the cable side connector is a PC card connector.
Since the PC card is fitted and held inside the PC card, even if the PC card is attached or detached or the PC card connector is attached or detached manually, or even if some external force acts via a connected cable, the PC card The side receiving portion serves as a guide, and no unreasonable external force acts on the connection portion of the connector in the insertion or withdrawal direction, that is, the direction other than the connector joining direction (for example, twisting or the direction perpendicular to the connector joining direction).

The card-side connector is provided with an urging means (for example, an embodied device) for urging the cable-side connector in a direction to push out the cable-side connector from the connector receiving opening in the PC card-side end face when the cable-side connector is inserted and both connectors are fitted. Locking means (for example, lock claw 15, notch 25, etc. in the embodiment) for locking and holding the cable side connector in the PC card against this urging means. The cable-side connector is provided with one or both connectors, and the cable-side connector is provided with a lock release means for releasing the lock-hold of the cable-side connector when the cable-side connector is locked and held in the card-side connector. Lever 3 of the slider 30 in the form
5), and it is preferable that this operation section (for example, the operation section 31 of the slider 30 in the embodiment) is arranged so as to protrude outside from the receiving opening of the card-side connector.

[0012] With this configuration, the cable-side connector is locked and held substantially inside the PC card except for the operation part for releasing the lock. An external force acting on the lock mechanism for locking and holding the side connector in a direction other than the connector joining direction can be further reduced.

The card side connector is provided with biasing means for biasing the cable side connector in the direction of pushing the cable side connector out of the connector receiving opening, and the other cable side connector is provided with locking release means for releasing locking. ing. And
The cable-side connector is unlocked by operating the unlocking operation portion protruding from the connector receiving opening of the PC card, and the connector is disengaged by the urging means and floats up. Even in this case, no excessive force acts on the connector connection part.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a PC card connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of a card side connector 10 of the PC card connector according to the present invention, and FIG.
(a) and (b) show a front view (partial sectional view) and a rear view of the cable side connector 20, respectively, and the structure of the PC card connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to these figures.

Of these, first, the card-side connector 10
As shown in FIG. 1, a cable-side connector 20 is inserted into a connector receiving opening 5 provided in the side end face 2 of the PC card.
A connector housing 11 that slidably receives the
A connector pin 12 for transmitting information by being electrically connected to the contact of the cable-side connector 20 is provided at the back of the connector housing 11. Note that the card-side connector 10 is fixed to the PC card by fixing means (not shown), and the other end of the connector pin is connected to an information transmission processing circuit (for example, a printed circuit board) in the PC card.

The connector housing 11 is provided with a spring 13 as a biasing means for biasing the mating cable side connector 20 in a direction of pushing the cable side connector 20 out of the connector receiving opening 5 and a spring 13 biased by the spring 13. 13 is provided with a plunger 14 slidably disposed in the axial direction. When the two connectors are fitted together, the cable-side connector 2 resists the spring force.
As a locking means for locking and holding 0 in the connector housing, a leaf spring-shaped lock claw 15 projecting obliquely from a side surface inside the housing toward the back of the housing is provided.

On the other hand, a cable-side connector 20 which fits with the card-side connector 10 and transmits information to external peripheral devices.
As shown in FIG. 2, a contact 22 for transmitting information by joining to a connector pin of a card-side connector is provided at one end, and a cable C for transmitting this information to an external peripheral device is provided at the other end. It is formed with a connector body 21 for mechanical holding.

The connector body 21 comes into contact with a plunger 14 provided on the card-side connector, and a projection (hereinafter referred to as a pusher) for pressing the plunger at the time of fitting.
24 are provided on the card-side connector so as to be locked and held in the connector holder 11 against the spring force of the card-side connector 10 when both connectors are fitted. It has a notch 25 (locking means) that engages with the locking claw 15.

The two connectors are fitted into the connector body 21, and the lock claws 15 of the connector holder protrude into the notches 25 of the connector body to engage with each other.
When the connector body 21 is locked and held in the connector holder 11, a slider 30 for releasing the engagement is provided.

The slider 30 is provided with a rectangular projection 36 having a convex cross section on its front and back surfaces.
The connector body 21 holding the slider 30 is provided with a groove 26 having a concave cross section for receiving the convex rectangular projection 36 so that the slider 30 is slidable in the groove direction. Has been established. The slider 30 is provided with an operating portion 31 for operating the slider and a lever 35 for releasing the locking of the lock claw 15.
A relief portion 28 is formed on the connector body side so that the connector body does not come into contact with the lever 35 when the connector body floats up at the time of unlocking, and both of them are provided with a slider falling-off prevention mechanism (not shown).

Next, the operation of the PC card connectors 10, 20 according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. Here, FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show an operation state when the cable-side connector 20 is connected to the card-side connector 10 in the PC card 1, and FIG. 3 shows the operation of each part of the two connectors in the connected state (locked state) of the two connectors connected by the operation of No. 3.

A card-side connector 10 is provided inside the PC card 1, and the cable-side connector 20 is
A connector receiving opening 5 is provided in the side end surface 2 of the PC card for insertion into the C card and connection with the card side connector 10 (FIG. 3A). The cable-side connector 20 inserted from the connector receiving opening 5 is guided by the connector body 11 of the card-side connector 10 and is allowed to enter only in the connection axis direction of the connector (the axis direction of the connection pin 12). Plunger 1 in which pusher 24 is urged by spring 13 inside body 11
4 and receives the drag of the spring.

In this state, the lock claw 15 of the connector housing has not yet been engaged with the cutout portion 25 of the cable-side connector, and since the lock claw 15 is formed in the shape of a leaf spring, the connector body 21 cannot be moved. It is in a state of being pressed and supported from the side. Here, when the insertion flange 27 of the cable side connector 20 is further pushed in against the spring force acting on the pusher 24 (FIG. 3 (b)), the connection pin 12 of the card side connector and the contact 22 of the cable side connector are connected. When the connector housing is electrically connected and further pushed in, the locking claw 15 of the connector housing projects into the notch 25 of the connector body 21 due to its spring property, and engages with the notch 25 at its end to resist the spring force. Thus, the cable-side connector body 21 is locked and held in the card-side connector holder 11 (FIGS. 3C and 4).

Most of the cable-side connector 20 fitted and locked and held as described above, except for the insertion flange 27 and the operation portion 31 of the slider 30, is inside the card-side connector 10, and the card-side connector holder is provided. 11 is in a state where the connector body 21 on the cable side is fitted and supported. For this reason, even if some external force acts through the cable C, the cable side connector 20 is not shaken or twisted (relative to the card side connector), and accordingly, the electrical connection portion 11 of the connector, An excessive load or an unbalanced load is not applied to 21. In addition, since the external force acting only on the locking claw 15 and the notch 25 to be locked and held is only in the pulling-out direction, an unbalanced load is not applied to these parts similarly to the electrical connection part.

Next, the connection of the PC card connector connected as described above is released, and the cable side connector 2 is disconnected.
The operation of detaching the connector 0 from the card-side connector 10 and the operation of each part at this time will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. Here, FIGS. 5 (a), (b), and (c)
Release the lock of the locking claw 15 and release the cable side connector 20.
FIG. 6 shows an operation state of each part of both connectors in a state (FIG. 5B) in which the lock release operation shown in FIG. 5A is performed (FIG. 5B).

When both connectors are fitted together, the card-side connector 1
In a state where the cable-side connector 20 is locked and held in the socket 0, the lock claw 15 projects and engages with the notch 25 of the connector body 21 as shown in FIG. At this time, the positional relationship between the lock claw 15 and the lever 35 of the unlocking slider is such that the end of the lever 35 comes into contact with an intermediate portion of the plate-claw-shaped lock claw 15 that projects obliquely to the notch 25. Has been placed.

Here, when unlocking is performed, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the operating portion 31 of the slider 30 projecting outside the connector receiving opening 5 provided in the PC card 1 is connected to the PC.
Press in the direction of the card. Then, the lever 3 shown in FIG.
5 slidably pushes the intermediate portion of the lock claw 15 to push the claw out of the notch 25 of the connector body 21 to release the lock engaged at the end of the lock claw 15.

The unlocked cable side connector is
Due to the spring force of the spring 13 acting via the plunger 14 which comes into contact with the pusher 24, the spring 13 is slightly pushed out (discharged) from the connector receiving opening 5 and lifted up to release the electrical connection (FIG. 5 (b), FIG. 6). Here, a relief portion 28 for receiving the lever 35 is formed in the connector body 21. For this reason, when the lever 35 pushes the lock claw 15 out of the notch 25 and the lock is released as described above, the connector body 21 is kept in a state where the operation portion 31 of the slider is pushed (the slider position is kept as it is). Is pushed out by the spring force of the spring 13 and lifted up.

In this state, the connection as the connector is released, but most of the connector body 21 is still supported in the connector holder 11. Then, the card-side connector 10 and the cable-side connector 20 are separated from the floating state by grasping the insertion flange 27 of the cable-side connector and pulling it out in the connection axis direction, thereby completing the removal.

[0030]

As described above, the PC according to the present invention is used.
In a card connector cable, a card connector provided inside a connector receiving opening formed on a side end face of a PC card, and a card connector inserted into the PC card through the connector receiving opening and fitted and held by the card connector. And a cable-side connector. In such a configuration, since the cable side connector including the electrical connection portion of the connector is fitted and held inside the PC card,
Even if the attachment / detachment of the C card or the attachment / detachment of the PC card connector is frequently performed manually, or even if some external force is applied via a connected cable, the receiving portion on the PC card side serves as a guide, and the connection of the connector is performed. No excessive external force acts on the portion in the insertion or withdrawal direction, that is, the direction other than the connector joining direction (for example, twisting or the direction orthogonal to the connector joining direction). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconveniences such as poor contact or mechanical damage at the connector connection portion due to the external force as described above.

When the cable side connector is fitted to the card side connector, the cable side connector is connected to the PC.
The cable-side connector has an urging means for urging in a direction of pushing out from the connector receiving opening on the card side end face, and a locking means for locking and holding the cable-side connector in the PC card against the urging means. The connector has locking release means for releasing the locking and holding, and this operating portion is disposed so as to protrude from the connector receiving opening of the PC card to the outside, thereby forming a PC card connector.

[0032] With this configuration, the cable-side connector is locked and held substantially inside the PC card except for the operation part for unlocking, so that the connector connection part and the cable can be connected. An external force acting on the lock mechanism for locking and holding the side connector in a direction other than the connector joining direction can be further reduced. Also,
Since the cable side connector is unlocked by performing the unlocking operation and the connector is disengaged and lifted up by performing the unlocking operation, the connector is connected even when the connector is frequently attached and detached. No excessive force acts on the part. Therefore, mechanical damage and electrical damage of the connector can be further reduced, and reliability of the PC card connector can be improved.

Further, in the above configuration, most of the locking means for locking and holding the cable-side connector to the card-side connector, the urging means for discharging the cable-side connector, and the unlocking means are provided inside the PC card. And P
Only the insertion pressing portion (insertion flange) of the cable-side connector and the operation portion of the unlocking means can protrude from the connector receiving opening of the C card. Moreover,
For example, as shown in the present embodiment, the unlocking operation is performed by pressing the operating portion in the connector connection axis direction to release the locking, so that the operation is performed in comparison with the conventional arm type unlocking method. The protrusion amount of the portion can be minimized. For this reason, the protrusion of the connector from the PC card can be minimized, which can contribute to downsizing of the entire information processing apparatus including the connector.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a structure of a card-side connector of a PC card connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view (a) (partial sectional view) showing a structure of a cable-side connector of the PC card connector according to the present invention;
And a rear view (b).

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation state when the cable-side connector is connected to the card-side connector.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection state (an engagement holding state) between the card-side connector and the cable-side connector.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation state when removing the cable-side connector from the card-side connector.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state in which the connection between the card-side connector and the cable-side connector is released (an unlocked state).

FIG. 7 is an external view (connected state) of a conventional PC card connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 C cable 1 PC card 2 PC card side end face 5 Connector receiving opening 10 Card side connector 20 Cable side connector 13 Spring (biasing means) 14 Plunger (biasing means) 15 Lock claw (locking means) 25 Notch Stopping means) 30 Slider (lock release means) 31 Slider operation part (lock release means) 35 Slider lever (lock release means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5E021 FA05 FA11 FB10 FB18 FC07 FC09 FC36 HB15 HC14 HC31 HC36 5E023 AA04 AA13 AA21 BB02 BB05 BB19 DD19 EE02 GG02 GG10 GG15 HH21 HH22

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A PC card which is detachably provided in a computer main body and transmits information to and from the computer main body, and a cable which connects the PC card to a peripheral device provided outside to transmit information. An information processing apparatus comprising: a PC card connector that detachably connects the PC card and the cable; a card-side connector provided inside a connector receiving opening formed on a side end surface of the PC card; A connector for a PC card, comprising: a cable-side connector inserted into the PC card from the connector receiving opening and fitted and held in the card-side connector. 2. The card-side connector includes a biasing means for biasing the cable-side connector in a direction of pushing the cable-side connector out of the connector receiving opening when the cable-side connector is inserted and fitted, and Locking means for locking and holding the cable-side connector against the urging means in a state where the cable-side connector is inserted and fitted into the side connector, wherein the cable-side connector is provided with the cable by the locking means. 2. The locking device according to claim 1, further comprising: an unlocking unit that unlocks and retains the side connector, wherein an operation unit of the unlocking unit protrudes outward from the connector receiving opening. 3. PC card connector.