JP2001326025A - Card connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a card connector that can prevent the card from flipping out by causes other than an ejecting operation. SOLUTION: The card connector 1 is equipped with an insulator 10 in which a card 5 is inserted and an ejecting mechanism by which the card 5 is ejected from the insulator 10. The ejecting mechanism comprises an ejecting bar 30 which is provided to make the insulator slide, an ejecting button 50 which is fixed to the ejecting bar 30 at the back end part of the sliding direction of the card 5, and a rotating plate 20 which is installed on the insulator 10 rotatably and pushes forward the card 5 inside the insulator in the ejecting direction of the card by rotating in accordance with the movement of the ejecting bar 30 in the inserting direction of the card. After the card 5 is inserted into the insulator 10, a driving member 60, which is mounted rotatably on the ejecting button 50, is made to rotate and a slider 70, which is mounted between the ejecting button 50 and the driving member 60, is moved linearly to the card insertion opening 18 side of the insulator 10 through a cam mechanism.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a P
The present invention relates to a card connector for receiving a card such as a C card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a notebook personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a notebook personal computer) has a built-in card connector capable of receiving a PC card (hereinafter referred to as a card).

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views of a conventional card connector in a card inserted state.

The card connector 101 is a card 1
05 and the card 10
And an eject mechanism for allowing the ejector 5 to escape from the insulator 110.

[0005] The insulator 110 is formed of a non-conductive resin and includes a pair of guide grooves 111 and a bridge 112 for integrally connecting the pair of guide grooves 111.

The bridge 112 has a pin contact 18
0 is fixed.

The eject mechanism includes an eject bar 130.
, A rotation plate 120 and an operation unit 140.

[0008] The eject bar 130 is the insulator 1
10 is slidably held in the card insertion / removal direction.

[0009] The rotating plate 120 is provided with the insulator 1
The ten bridge portions 112 are rotatably supported.

The rotating plate 120 rotates clockwise in FIG. 8 in response to the movement of the eject bar 130 in the card insertion direction, and the card 105 in the insulator 110 is moved out of the insulator 110 by the contact portion 122 of the rotating plate 120. Extruded.

The operation unit 140 includes an eject button 150
And a rotating member 160 rotatably supported by the eject button 150 via a shaft 153.

When the card 105 is inserted into the insulator 110, the rotating member 160 protrudes out of the housing (not shown) of the notebook computer (see FIG. 9).

Thereafter, the rotating member 160 is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the card inserting / removing direction so as to prevent the force in the card inserting direction from being erroneously applied to the rotating member 160 and accommodated in the housing (see FIG. 8).

When the card 105 is disengaged from the card connector 101, the rotating member 160 is rotated to make it parallel to the card insertion / removal direction, and then the rotating member 160 is pushed in the card insertion direction.

The force pressing the rotating member 160 is transmitted to the rotating plate 120 via the eject bar 130, and the rotating plate 120 rotates. When the rotating plate 120 rotates, the card 105 is pushed in the card escape direction by the contact portion 122, and the fitted state between the card 105 and the contact 180 is released.

In this manner, the card 105 can be pulled out of the card connector 101.

[0017]

However, in the card connector 101, since the card 105 is held only by the force of engagement with the contact 180, for example, when the notebook personal computer is carried in a bag and carried, some sort of operation is required. Due to the cause, the rotating member 160 is pushed in the card insertion direction,
There has been a problem that the fitted state between the card 105 and the contact 180 is released, and the card 105 may come off.

When the notebook computer is dropped by mistake, the impact of the impact on the card 105 and the contact 180
Is released, and the card 105 may come off.

Further, when a cable (not shown) is provided at the rear end face of the card 105 such as with a fax modem function, the card 105 is connected to the network using a cable in order to exchange data with devices in the network. In such a case, there is a problem that the card 105 may be accidentally hooked on the cable and slip out.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a card connector that can prevent a card from coming out due to a cause other than an eject operation.

[0021]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an insulator for inserting a card, and an eject mechanism for ejecting the card from the insulator, wherein the ejector mechanism comprises: An eject bar slidably mounted on the insulator, an eject button fixed to a rear end portion of the eject bar in a card insertion direction, and an eject bar mounted rotatably on the insulator to allow the eject bar to move in a card insertion direction. A card connector including a rotating member that rotates as it moves and pushes the card in the insulator in a card escape direction, wherein a lock member rotatably mounted on the eject button; and a lock member rotatably mounted on the eject button. A slider mounted in between, and a rotation of the lock member. Characterized in that it comprises a cam mechanism for linearly moving conjunction with the slider to the card insertion port side of the insulator to.

When the lock member is rotated in a state where the insertion of the card is completed, the slider moves linearly toward the card insertion opening side of the insulator.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the card connector according to the first aspect, the cam mechanism includes a groove provided on the slider substantially parallel to a card insertion direction.
A protrusion provided on the lock member and eccentric to the center of rotation thereof; and a guide groove provided on the eject button and guiding the slider to the card insertion slot, wherein the protrusion is slidable in the groove. Is engaged.

The slider is moved in the direction of the card insertion slot while the projection slides along the groove in conjunction with the rotation of the lock member.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a card connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The card connector 1 includes an insulator 10, a rotating plate (rotating member) 20, an eject bar 30, and an operation unit 40.

The insulator 10 is formed of a non-conductive resin and includes a pair of guide grooves 11 parallel to each other and a bridge 12 for integrally connecting the pair of guide grooves 11.

A card insertion slot 18 is formed in the pair of guide grooves 11 on the side opposite to the bridge.

The bridge portion 12 has a plurality of holes 13 for fixing a plurality of pin contacts 80 to be fitted with the card 5 (see FIGS. 3, 5 and 6) as a mating connector.

The pin contact 80 is made of metal. The pin contact 80 includes a contact portion 81, a press-fit portion 82, and a connection portion 83.

The pin-shaped contact portion 81 fitted to the card 5 is connected to a crank-shaped connection portion 83 via a flat press-fit portion 82. The connection portion 83 is soldered to a printed circuit board (not shown).

A shaft portion 14 for rotatably supporting the rotating plate 20 is provided on the upper surface of the bridge portion 12.

The guide groove 11 has a U-shaped cross section, and the plate-like card 5 is inserted and withdrawn by being guided by the guide groove 11.

A support portion 15 for supporting the eject bar 30, a support portion 16 for supporting an eject button 50 described later, and a flange portion 17 are provided on the outer surface of the guide groove portion 11.

The support portions 15 and 16 have a T-shaped cross section and are arranged in the card insertion / removal direction a with the flange portion 17 interposed therebetween.

The card connector 1 is mounted on the flange 17.
A screw hole 17a is formed for passing a screw (not shown) for fixing the screw to the printed circuit board.

A connecting portion 31 is formed at a leading end of the eject bar 30 in the card insertion direction, a press-fitting portion 32 is formed at a rear end, and a mounting groove 33 is formed at an intermediate portion.

The mounting groove 33 of the eject bar 30 is engaged with the support portion 15, and the eject bar 30 is inserted in the card insertion / removal direction a.
Can slide to

At one end of the rotary plate 20, an engaging portion 21 that engages with the connecting portion 31 of the eject bar 30 is provided, and at the other end, a contact portion 22 that contacts the front end surface of the card 5 inserted into the insulator 10 is provided. Each is provided. A shaft hole 2 that engages with the shaft portion 14 is provided at an intermediate portion of the rotating plate 20.
3 are provided.

When the eject bar 30 moves in the card insertion direction, the contact portion 22 moves in the direction opposite to the insertion direction (escape direction) to cause the card 5 inserted in the insulator 10 to escape from the insulator 10.

The operation unit 40 is provided at the rear end of the eject bar 30 in the card insertion direction.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of the operation unit.
2B is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

The operation section 40 has an eject button 50, a driving member 60 and a slider 70.

Insulator 1 of eject button 50
A groove 51 having a T-shaped cross section is formed on a side surface opposing 0. The groove 51 is engaged with the support portion 16, and the eject button 50 is guided in the card insertion / removal direction a.

A hole 52 having a rectangular cross section is formed at one end of the eject button 50. The press-fit portion 32 of the eject bar 30 is press-fitted into the hole 50.

At the other end of the eject button 50, a plate portion 56 is provided.
And a groove (guide surface) 54 and a wall (guide surface) 55.

Concentric shaft portions 53 are provided on both sides of the plate portion 56, and are rotatably supported by the rotation holes 61 of the driving member 60.

The groove 54 has a sliding portion 71 of a slider 70.
Are engaged, and the groove 54 guides the slider 70 to the card insertion slot 18 side.

The wall 55 of the slider 70 abuts against the wall 55, and the wall 72 guides the slider 70 to the card insertion slot 18 side.

The driving member 60 has a driving member main body 62 and a holding plate 63.

An operation surface 62a for pressing the driving member 60 in the card insertion direction is formed at one end of the driving section main body 62.

The holding plate 63 is formed at the other end of the driving member 60 and includes a pair of plates 63a and 63b that sandwich the plate 56 of the eject button 50. A pair of plate portions 63a, 6
3b, a rotation hole 61 is formed, and projections 64 eccentric to the rotation hole 61 are provided.

The slider 70 is mounted between the eject button 50 and the driving member 60.

The slider 70 includes an upper plate 73 and a lower plate 74 having a slide portion 71 and a wall 72, respectively, and a side plate 75 connecting the upper plate 73 and the lower plate 74.

The upper plate 73 and the lower plate 74 have elongated holes (grooves) 7 extending in the card insertion / removal direction a and slidably supporting the projections 64.
6 are formed respectively. The projection 64 and the long hole 76 constitute a cam mechanism.

When the driving member 60 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the slider 70 linearly moves toward the card insertion slot 18 of the insulator 10 in conjunction with the rotation of the driving member 60.

At this time, the wall 55 of the eject button 50
And the wall 72 of the slider 70 are in contact with each other, and the rotation of the slider 70 is prevented.

At one end of the side plate 75, a wall 77 having a J-shaped cross section is formed which extends vertically toward the card insertion slot 18 and prevents the card 5 from coming out.

Next, the operation of the card connector 1 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the card connector showing a state in which the card is fitted to the contact, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the operation unit.

The card 5 is inserted into the insulator 10 until it is firmly fitted to the contact 80.

When the card 5 is inserted, the front end face of the card 5 pushes the contact portion 22, so that the rotating plate 20 rotates.

As a result, the eject bar 30 is pushed by the rotating plate 20 and moves in the card escape direction, and the drive member 6
Zero is also extruded.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the card connector showing a state in which the card is prevented from being removed, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the operation unit.

The driving member 60 is moved around the projection 64 in FIG.
In the clockwise direction (side without the card insertion slot 18).

When the driving member 60 is rotated, the projection 64
Tries to rotate the slider 70, but the slider 70
Is restricted by the wall 55 of the eject button 50, the slider 70 is inserted into the card slot 1 as shown by the arrow b.
Move to the 8 side.

From the position of the projection 64 in the initial state, the rotation hole 6
The distance to the position where the projection 1 is rotated around the rotation center 1 (see FIG. 2) is the amount of movement of the projection 64, which determines the length of the long hole 76.

When the driving member 60 is rotated by 90 degrees, the driving member 60 is accommodated in a case of a notebook personal computer (not shown), and the slider 70 linearly moves by a distance corresponding to the length of the long hole 76. Faces the rear end face of the card 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the card connector showing a state where the card has escaped from the contact.

When the card 5 is removed from the card connector, the drive member 60 is rotated to the original position, and the drive member 60 is made to protrude from the housing of the notebook computer. At this time, the driving member 60 is parallel to the card insertion / removal direction a, and the slider 70 linearly moves to a position farthest from the card insertion slot 18.

The driving member 60 protruding from the housing of the notebook computer is pushed in the card insertion direction.

When the driving member 60 is pushed in the card insertion direction, the card ejection is transmitted to the rotating plate 20 via the eject bar 30, and the front end face of the card 5 is brought into contact with the contact portion 22 of the rotating plate 20 by the rotating plate 20. When pressed, the card 5 moves in the card escape direction.

As a result, the card 5 can be pulled out from the card connector 1 by holding the rear end of the card 5.

According to this embodiment, when an impact is applied to the operation unit 40 or the card 5 due to any cause and a force in the escape direction is applied to the card 5, the rear end face of the card 5 contacts the wall 77 of the slider 70. The card 5 is regulated and escape of the card 5 is prevented.

At this time, a force in the card escape direction acts on the slider 70, but the wall 78 of the slider 70 abuts against the wall 65 of the drive member 60, and the slider 70 is prevented from moving in the card escape direction.

At the same time, a rotational force around the projection 64 acts on the slider 70, but the wall 72 of the slider 70 hits the wall 55 of the eject button 50, and the rotation of the slider 70 is prevented.

Therefore, the card 5 does not fall out of the connector 1 even when the fitted state of the card 5 and the contact 80 is released.

[0079]

As described above, according to the card connector of the first or second aspect of the present invention, the slider moves to the position facing the rear end face of the card, and the contact between the contact and the card is caused by impact or the like. Even when the fitted state is released, the card can be prevented from coming out of the connector.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a card connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of an operation unit, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the arrow in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the card connector showing a state where the card is fitted to the contact.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of an operation unit.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the card connector showing a state in which the card is prevented from coming out.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of an operation unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the card connector showing a state where the card has escaped from the contact.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional card connector in a card inserted state.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional card connector in a card inserted state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Card connector 5 Card 10 Insulator 18 Card slot 20 Rotating plate (rotating member) 30 Eject bar 50 Eject button 54 Groove (guide surface) 55 Wall (guide surface) 60 Drive member 64 Projection 70 Slider 76 Slot (groove)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An insulator, into which a card is inserted, and an eject mechanism for ejecting the card from the insulator, wherein the ejector mechanism comprises: an eject bar slidably mounted on the insulator; An eject button fixed to a rear end portion of the card in the card insertion direction; a rotation that is rotatably mounted on the insulator, rotates as the eject bar moves in the card insertion direction, and pushes the card in the insulator in a card exit direction. A card connector including a member, a driving member rotatably mounted on the eject button, a slider mounted between the eject button and the driving member, and interlocking with rotation of the driving member. Slide the slider on the card insertion port side of the insulator. The card connector is characterized in that it comprises a cam mechanism for linearly moving. 2. A cam mechanism comprising: a groove provided on the slider substantially parallel to a card insertion direction; a projection provided on the drive member, eccentric to a rotation center thereof; The card connector according to claim 1, further comprising a guide surface provided to guide the slider to the card insertion slot, wherein the protrusion is slidably engaged with the groove.