JP2003036934A - Card connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a card connector, of which the composition is improved in contact reliability rather than that of the conventional one, and also, is improved in lock-holding power against shock, while using a card holder with which the card can be equipped certainly without damaging the card. SOLUTION: It has a base plate 10, in which contacts 30 are formed, and the cardholder 20, which has an inserting/extracting opening 26 of a card 80 in a front end side, and of which the back end side is supported by the base plate 10 so that it can be opened/closed with rocking movement. The cardholder 20 is supported so as to be possible to slide in front and back direction with a closed posture. And when sliding of the card holder 20 is carried out to transfer ahead with the closed posture, a holder-side lock arm 221 moves ahead to join with the plate-side lock arm 141, and the cardholder 20 is locked. Stoppers 27, which join to the end face of the card, are formed in the undersurface 1 of the cardholder, and slide movement of the card 80 is carried out to ahead with the cardholder 20 at the time of the above locking operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card connector for interposing information between a card such as a memory card on which information is recorded and an electronic device to enable transmission of information between them, and more particularly to attachment / detachment of the card. Relates to a card connector having a configuration in which a card holder is used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A memory card has a small IC chip inside and can record various information.
Memory cards are also used in small portable devices. For example, the standard mobile phone system GSM (Gl
SIM for obal Systems for Mobile communication)
A small memory card called a (Subscriber Identification Module) card is used, and information transmission is performed with an electronic device or the like via a card connector mounted on a substrate.

Various types of card connectors have been conventionally devised as card connectors used in portable devices. For example, a card mounting space is provided inside the back cover of the device, and the card is mounted so that the terminals of the memory card (hereinafter referred to as the card) come into contact with the contacts at the back of the mounting space. It is known that the back cover of the above is attached. Although the card connector with such a configuration is simple in configuration, it has the drawback that it is difficult to attach / detach the card, and when the card is attached / detached too strongly, or when the card is rubbed in the direction orthogonal to the contact extension direction. In addition, there is a problem that the terminals and contacts may be damaged.

On the other hand, in order to deal with the above problem, the card user does not directly handle the card to bring the terminals into contact with each other, but once the card is attached to the card holder and the card holder is swung to contact the terminals. There is known a card connector configured to contact with. FIG. 8A is a first example of a card connector having such a card holder, and has a configuration in which the card holder 120 is openably and closably attached to the base plate 110 provided with the contacts 130. In order to mount the card 80 on the card connector 100, the card holder 1 holding the card is first held by inserting the card 80 into the card insertion opening with the card holder 120 opened.
The card holder 120 is slid down to a state parallel to the base plate 110, and then the card holder 120 is slid with respect to the base plate 110 so that the tip of the card holder 120 is engaged with the base plate 110 and locked to the base plate. As a result, the terminal 82 of the card 80 is brought into abutting contact with the contact portion 132 of the contact 130 with an appropriate contact pressure, and retained on the base plate 110. When the card 80 is removed, the card holder 120 is slid in the opposite direction to that when the card 80 is attached to unlock the card holder 120, so that the card holder 120 is opened by the contact pressure of the contact and the card 80 can be taken out.

FIG. 8 (b) shows a second example of a card connector having a card holder. In this card connector 200, a card holder 220 is openably and closably attached to a base plate 210. When the card holder 220 in which a card 80 is inserted is closed with respect to the base plate 210, the lock release button 250 avoids swinging and is automatically operated. The terminal 82 of the card 80 is configured to come into contact with the contact portion 232 of the contact 230 with an appropriate contact pressure at this time. When the card 80 is taken out, the lock is released by pressing the lock release button 250, and the card holder 220 is opened by the contact pressure of the contact so that the card 80 can be taken out.

[0006]

In the card connectors 110 and 120 using the card holder as described above, the card 80 itself is basically swung when it is attached or detached.
The terminal 82 and the contacts 132 and 232 are configured so that relative sliding displacement does not occur except for partial displacement during the swing transition period. Therefore, there is an advantage that the terminals and the contacts can be brought into contact with each other with a predetermined contact pressure without applying an excessive force. On the other hand, on the other hand, since relative sliding does not take place at the contact point between the terminal and the contact, the so-called wiping effect (self-cleaning effect) is low, and foreign matter adheres to the surface of the terminal or contact when the card is mounted. There is a problem that foreign matter may be caught and contact failure may occur.

In addition, in the card connector 100 of the first example, when the card holder 120 is closed without fully inserting the card 80 into the card holder 120, the swing end of the card 80 and the upper end of the base plate 110 are separated from each other. Cannot contact the card 80 well, and if the card holder 120 is pressed from above in this state, the card 80 itself, the card holder 120, and the base plate 11
There is a problem that 0 etc. may be damaged.

Further, in the conventional card connector locking mechanism, the protrusion formed on the card holder is projected into the recess on the base plate side, and the spring force (contact pressure) of the contact attempts to open the card holder upward. The contact surface between the upper surface of the projection portion and the lower surface of the recessed portion receives and locks the card, and the configuration is mainly for restricting the movement of the card holder in the swinging and developing direction. Such a conventional lock mechanism has a large reaction force for restricting the upward movement of the card holder (hereinafter, referred to as "expansion reaction force" for convenience), but the card holder is in the unlocking direction. Drag force that regulates the movement in the sliding direction when trying to slide on the slide (hereinafter referred to as "slide drag force" for convenience.
Say. ), Had a relatively small drag that is incidental to the deployment drag. In other words, the sliding reaction force is only the frictional force generated between the abutting surfaces of the protrusion and the recess due to the upward biasing force that acts on the card holder, so that when the impact force acts in the unlocking direction, the card holder will There is a problem in that the card holder may be opened due to the sliding movement and disengagement.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and uses a card holder that can be securely mounted without applying an external force to the terminals and contacts of the card.
Improves contact reliability against foreign matter such as dust and dust, and increases operability by expanding the tolerance for the card insertion position. At the same time, it also has lock holding force (impact resistance) against impact force. It is an object of the present invention to provide a card connector that can be improved.

[0010]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a base plate provided with contacts, a card insertion / removal opening on the front end side, and a rear end side capable of swinging up and down on the base plate. With a supported card holder, the card holder receives and holds the card from the insertion slot in the open position with the card holder open to the base plate, and the card holder holding the card is laid down to cover the upper surface of the base plate. It is a card connector in which terminals and contacts provided on the card are brought into abutting contact with each other in a closed closed position. In addition, in the card connector according to the present invention, the swing fulcrum of the card holder is configured to be slidable in the front-back direction with respect to the base plate, and the card holder is laid down between the base plate and the card holder and slid forward. When locked, the locking means locks the card holder in the closed posture position by locking the card holder in the front-rear direction by engaging with each other (for example, the plate-side lock arm 1 in the embodiment).
4l and a holder-side lock arm 22l), and when the card holder holding the card is laid down and slid forward, the card slides with the card holder relative to the base plate,
The locking means locks and holds the base plate in the closed position.

In the card connector of this structure, the swing fulcrum of the card holder is arranged so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the base plate, and when the card holder holding the card is laid down on the base plate and slidably moved. In addition, the card is slidably moved with respect to the base plate together with the card holder, and is locked and held on the base plate. Therefore, like the conventional card connector using the card holder, the card can be surely attached and detached without applying an excessive external force to the terminals and contacts of the card, and the contact pressure of a certain level when the card holder is laid down. Since the terminal and the contact are slid relative to each other below, a high wiping effect can be provided at the contact point, thereby improving contact reliability with respect to foreign matter such as dust and dirt.

Since the card is slid together with the card holder and then slid, the card swings even if the card is laid down in an incompletely inserted state where it is not completely inserted into the card holder. It is less likely that the end portion and the upper surface of the base plate are brought into contact with each other, and it is possible to allow the card insertion position to have a variation corresponding to the dimension corresponding to the slide movement amount. Therefore, it is possible to prevent damage to the card and the card connector when the card is mounted, and to increase the tolerance of the card insertion position to improve operability.

The locking means of this card connector is
When the card holder is laid down and slid forward, it engages with each other to regulate the movement of the card holder in the front-rear direction, and locks and holds the card holder in the closed posture position. Since it has a lock structure that mainly resists the force of sliding movement in the unlocking direction, the slide resistance against the impact force acting in the unlocking direction is improved, and the lock holding force is improved. You can

The base plate has a guide portion (for example, the guide surface 14 in the embodiment) that guides the card holder so that the card holder slides forward of the base plate when the card holder is biased in the fall direction.
f) and a protrusion or a recess (for example, in the embodiment) that mutually engages with the recess or the protrusion (for example, the holding groove 13h in the embodiment) provided in the card holder when the card holder is slid along the guide portion. With the protruding end portion 23h), when the card holder is laid down, the card holder is guided by the guide portion and slides forward of the base plate, and the projection or depression provided on the card holder is provided on the base plate. It is preferable to configure the card connector so that the card connector is fitted in the depression or the projection and temporarily held in the laid-down posture.

In such a card connector, when the card holder is biased in the falling direction, the card holder is slid forward by being guided by the guide portion of the base plate, and at this time, the projection or the depression provided in the card holder. Is fitted into a recess or a protrusion provided on the base plate, and the card holder is temporarily fixed and held in a lying posture. For this reason, the card holder does not open even if you release it after placing your finger on the position where it is easy to lay down, and then remove the card holder that is supported in the laid posture. It can be slid in a finger posture that is easy to slide and locked in the closed posture position by the locking means. Therefore, it is possible to improve operability when the card is mounted. In addition, the structure having the protrusion and the recess that engage with each other can increase the locking holding area together with the above-mentioned lock mechanism to improve the deployment drag force, and further, the impact force acts on the card connector and the card Even when the holder slides, the card holder comes into contact with the guide portion to generate a sliding reaction force, so that the overall lock holding force can be significantly improved as compared with the conventional card connector.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a card connector 1 according to the present invention as a perspective view, and FIGS. 2 (a), 2 (b) and 2 (c) show a plan view, a side view and a front view of the card connector 1, respectively. Also, V in FIG. 1 (a)
A side sectional view taken along the line I-VI is shown in FIG. 6, and a partial sectional view taken along the line VII-VII is shown in FIG. In the present specification,
For convenience of explanation, the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction will be defined and described so that the coordinate axes and directions are additionally shown in FIG.

The card connector 1 comprises a rectangular flat plate-shaped base plate 10, a card holder 20 supported by the base plate so as to be swingable and slidable, and a plurality of contacts 30 press-fitted and fixed to the base plate 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the card holder 20 is received and held in the open position where the card holder 20 is opened with respect to the base plate 10, and the card 80 is laid down and closed so as to cover the upper surface of the base plate 10. Closed posture position (Fig. 4
In (c), the card connector is in a form in which the terminal 82 provided on the card 80 and the contact 30 are brought into contact with each other.

The base plate 10 includes a rectangular flat plate portion 11, shaft support portions 12 and 12 formed on the left and right sides of the rear end side of the plate portion 11, and front holding portions formed on the left and right sides of the front end side of the plate portion 11. 13L and 13R, central overhanging portions 14 and 14 standing on the left and right side portions of the plate portion 11, positioning pins 18a and 18b formed on the lower surface of the plate portion 11, and the like, for example, liquid crystal polymer (LCP). ) Or polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) polyamide imide (PAI) or the like, and is integrally molded into the shape shown by a molding means such as injection molding using an electrically insulating resin material.

At the center of the plate portion 11, the plate portion 1
1 is a slotted contact slot 11 extending in the front-back direction.
Four a are formed side by side in four rows on the left and right, and a dovetail-shaped contact holding groove 11b for holding the contact 30 is formed between the contact slot 11a and the front and rear side end surfaces of the plate portion 11. Has been done.

The contact 30 has a contact holding groove 11
a base portion 31 fixed to b, a contact arm portion 32 extending from the base portion 31 in a slender finger shape and partly bent upward, and a circular arc shape formed at the tip of the contact arm portion 32 and protruding upward. Contact portion 33 and a lead portion 34 that is bent downward and horizontally folded back from the base portion 31 and extends in the opposite direction to the contact arm portion 32. For example, a conductive metal material such as beryllium copper or stainless steel for springs is used. The thin plate is processed and formed by a forming means such as a fine blanking press to form the shape shown in the drawing.

Each contact 30 is inserted from the contact holding groove 11b formed in the front and rear of the plate portion 11 toward the contact slot 11a, and the base 31 is press-fitted into the contact holding groove and attached to the base plate 10. When the base 31 is fixedly held in the contact holding groove 11b, the contact 30 has a contact slot 11a.
The contact arm portion 32 protruding to the above acts like a cantilevered leaf spring, and the contact portion 33 at the tip of the arm is swingably supported in the vertical direction.

Therefore, the contact portion 33 is positioned so as to project from the contact slot 11a to the upper surface of the plate portion 11 when there is no load, but when pressed from above, the contact arm portion 32 elastically deforms and swings downward. The contact arm portion 32 including the contact portion 33 is dynamically displaced and is housed so as to be pressed and sunk into the contact slot 11a (see FIG. 6). The lead portion 34 that is bent downward and horizontally folded back from the base portion 31 is located at substantially the same height as the lower surface of the plate portion 11 in the contact mounting posture.
Positioning pins 18a, 18b protruding to the lower surface of the plate portion
The lead part 3 aligned with the circuit pattern of the mounting board
4 is soldered to the circuit pattern on the board (surface mount).

In this embodiment, the contact 30 is press-fitted and fixed to six terminals for the main functions of the card connector except the two terminals for the additional functions of the card 80 in the card connector composed of all eight terminals. There is.

The card holder 20 includes a rectangular flat plate-shaped cover portion 21, rear projections 22 and 22 formed on the left and right sides of the rear end side of the cover portion 21, and a front side formed on the left and right sides of the front end side of the cover portion 21. The protrusions 23, 23, the stoppers 27, 27, and the like formed at the rear end side of the cover portion 21 at the central portion on the rear end side of the cover portion 21 are integrally formed by using the same resin material as that of the base plate 10.

The front protrusions 23, 23 provided on the left and right of the front end side of the cover portion 21 are formed in the shape of "U" opened to the inside of the left and right in a front view, respectively, and have a card insertion opening at the front end. The card 80 inserted from 26 is guided by the side walls 23a, 23a facing each other on the left and right and the support sides 23b, 23b arranged in parallel with the cover 21 so that the card 80 can be smoothly inserted. . In addition, rear overhang portions 22, 2 provided on the left and right of the rear end side of the cover portion 21.
2, the side wall surface 22a and the support side portion 22b are formed similarly to the front projecting portion 23, so that the card 80 inserted from the card insertion opening 26 can be inserted into the card holder inner portion without tilting. invite.

A stopper 2 is provided behind the card holder 20.
7 and 27 are provided so as to project downward, and the tip of the card 80 inserted into the card holder 20 (the end on the side inserted into the card holder 20) hits these stoppers 27 from the front. By touching, card holder 2
Positioned within 0. As shown in FIG. 1, a tapered portion 81a for clarifying the orientation of the card 80 is formed at one corner of the main body 81 of the card 80. The card 80 has the tapered portion 81a. It is inserted into the card holder 20 in a posture in which it is located on the rear right side with respect to the insertion direction (at this time, the terminal 82 on the back surface of the card becomes the lower surface in the fall direction).

The rear end portions of the left and right rear overhang portions 22, 22 are separated from the cover portion 21 and extend rearward in an arm shape.
Semi-cylindrical shaft portions 22a, 22a projecting inward in the left-right direction are formed at the tip portions thereof.

On the other hand, the shaft support portions 12, 12 on the base plate 10 side for receiving and supporting the left and right shaft portions 22a, 22a.
Is formed in the front and back as shown in FIGS. 7 (a), (b), and (c) with a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 1 (a) together with the position change of the card holder 20. Slide regulation surface 12a, 1
2b, a downwardly convex cylindrical cam surface 12c, and a clearance surface 12d that smoothly connects the front slide restricting surface 12a and the cam surface 12c, and the like. Shaft support space 1 opened to the left and right
2s are formed. Between the rear slide restricting surface 12b and the cam surface 12c, a "U" -shaped card holder mounting opening that opens to the left and right in plan view is formed (see FIG. 1 (a)). The shaft portion 22c on the side is press-fitted from above the mounting port in a mounting posture in which the card holder 20 is vertical (the flat surface of the shaft portion 22c is in contact with the cam surface 12c), and is inserted into the shaft support space 12s.

In the shaft support space 12s, the downwardly convex cam surface 12c and the upwardly convex shaft portion 22c face each other, and the cylindrical surfaces are always in contact with each other. In addition, the distance between the front and rear slide regulating surfaces 12a and 12b in the shaft support space 12s is determined by the shaft portion 22c.
The diameter is set to be larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 22c, and the shaft portion 22c can move back and forth in the shaft support space 12s. Therefore, the card holder 20 is opened to the base plate 10 in the open position, and the cover portion 21 has the contact 30,
It is possible to swing (open and close) up and down between a closed posture position in which it is closed on the base plate 10 so as to cover 30, ... It is possible to slide.

A central overhanging portion 14 protruding upward from the plate portion 11 is provided between the front overhanging portion 22 and the rear overhanging portion 23 of the card holder 20 which is swingably and slidably supported in this manner. Is aligned and cut out,
A locking mechanism having a detent structure is provided between the rear part of the central overhanging part 14 and the front part of the rear overhanging part 22.
A guide mechanism is provided between the front part of the front part and the rear part of the front overhang part 23.

The lock mechanism comprises a plate-side lock arm 141 formed at the rear of the left and right central overhangs 14 and a holder-side lock arm 22l formed at the front of the rear overhang 22. The plate side lock arm 14l is
A downwardly convex arcuate projection is formed on the rear end side of the arm portion projecting rearward from the upper rear portion of the central overhanging portion 14, and the holder-side lock arm 22l extends from the lower front portion of the rearward extending portion. An arc-shaped projection that is convex upward is formed on the front end side of the arm portion that projects forward.

Both the lock arms 14l and 22l are in the open / close position where the card holder 20 is opened / closed (specifically, the shaft portion 22c).
Is located on the rear slide regulation surface 12b side, as shown in FIG.
(See (a)), the card holder 20
Are laid down and slid forward, the arcuate projections of the holder-side lock arm 22l move over the arcuate projections of the plate-side lock arm 14l and engage with each other, so that the card holder 20 moves in the front-rear direction. Regulate free movement. Further, in the engaged state, the upper and lower arm portions restrain the card holder 20 from swinging in the opening direction.

When the card holder 20 is slid forward, the shaft portion 22c of the card holder 20 rides over the cam surface 12c in the shaft supporting space 12s of the base plate 10 and comes into contact with the front slide regulating surface 12a. It is moved (see FIG. 7 (c)). When the card 80 is attached to the card holder 20, the spring force of the contact 30 urges the entire card holder 20 upward, and the shaft portion 22c is attached to the front by the action of the upper and lower cylindrical surfaces that abut each other. The cam surface 12c and the front slide regulation surface 12 are biased.
It is positioned so as to be sandwiched between a and a. For this reason,
In this case as well, the card holder 20 is restricted from freely moving in the front-rear direction, and a strong locking mechanism is configured against impacts in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction.

The guide mechanism is formed at the front edges of the left and right central overhanging portions 14, and is formed by a slanted guide surface 14f that obliquely descends from the upper end surface of the central overhanging portion 14 toward the base plate 11. . On the card holder 20 side, a slanted slide surface 23f formed downward is formed at the rear edge of the front protruding portion 23, and when the card holder 20 is laid down and biased downward, the slide surface 23f is formed. Comes into contact with the guide surface 14f and slides on this surface, and the card holder 20
Guides to smoothly slide in front of the base plate 10.

Front holding portions 13L and 13R are provided at the front end portion of the base plate 10 so as to be divided into left and right sides, and support bottom portions 23b formed to project and extend toward the front end side of the card holder 20 on the bottom surface side portions, respectively. Projecting ends 23h, 2 of 23b
Holding grooves 13h and 13h for receiving 3h are formed.

The holding groove 13h on the side of the base plate 10 and the projecting end 23h on the side of the card holder 20 are arranged so that the card holder 20 is laid down and the card holder 20 is guided by the guide surface 14f.
The protruding end 23h of the card holder is guided and fitted into the holding groove 13h of the base plate at the same time when it is slid forward of the base plate 10 while being guided and swung. Then, when the card holder 20 is slid further forward in the laid-down posture, the projecting end portion 23h slides to the inner portion of the holding groove 13h and engages with each other. As a result, many holding portions are formed together with the lock mechanism described above, and the card holder 2
Hold 0 so that it does not swing in the opening direction (Figs. 5 (a)-(f)).
reference).

Of the left and right front holding portions 13L and 13R, the left front holding portion 13L is provided with a card holding wall 13La facing the front end face of the card 80 held in the closed position, and the right front holding portion. 13R is provided with a card holding wall 13Ra facing the taper portion 81a formed at the right corner of the card 80 held by the card holder 20. These card holding walls 13L and 13R hold the card 80 in the front-rear direction between the card holder 20 and the stoppers 27, 27 on the rear end side of the card holder in the closed position where the card holder 20 is closed, and the impact force in the front-rear direction. When the force acts, the card 80 that is slidingly moved by the reaction force is abutted and supported to prevent the card 80 from falling off.

It should be noted that in the cover portion 21 located immediately above the contact portion 33 of the contact in the closed posture position with the card holder 20 closed, oblong holes penetrating the front and back sides corresponding to the contacts 30, 30 ... .. are provided (see FIG. 1 (a)). For this reason, for example, when the card connector 1 is mounted on a board of an electronic device and a functional test is performed, the card holder 20 is not opened and inspected one by one, and the card holder 20 is closed from above the cover portion. A contact probe for inspection can be brought into contact with the contact portions 33, 33 ... Through the hole portion 21a for inspection, and whether or not the contact 30 is correctly press-fitted by the number of pins according to specifications, for example, the card 80. It is possible to optically check whether or not is attached.

Now, the procedure for attaching the card 80 to the card connector 1 constructed as described above and the operation of each part will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. Of these, FIGS. 3A and 3B show the card 80 with the card holder 20 opened.
Figure 4 (a), (b), (c) shows the procedure until it is inserted and held in
3B shows the mounting procedure after the card holder 20 holding the card 80 is laid down on the base plate 10 following FIG. 3B. Further, FIGS. 5A to 5F show, in a time series, a state in which the card holder 20 holding the card 80 is laid down and locked. Note that the card 80 is omitted in FIG.

When the card 80 is attached, first, the card 80 is opened in the open position with the card holder 20 opened upward.
The front end of the card is inserted into the card insertion opening 26 in parallel with the cover 21 (FIG. 3 (a)). The card 80 includes side wall surfaces 23a, 23a and supporting side portions 23b, 23b of the left and right front protrusions.
Is guided to the inside of the card holder smoothly and is further guided to the side wall surfaces 22a, 22a of the rearward projecting portion and the supporting side portion 22.
b, 22b is guided to the back of the card holder without tilting, and the front end face of the card 80 is guided by the guides 27, 27.
It is held by the card holder 20 at the position where it comes into contact with the ... (FIG. 3 (b)).

Next, the card holder holding the card 80 is attached to the base plate 10 with the shaft portion 22c as the swing center.
Lie down to cover the upper surface of. In the lodging process,
First, the back surface of the card on the rocking base end side comes into contact with the rear contacts 30, 30 ... Which are located above the plate portion 11 so as to project upward, and the spring force (biasing force upward) of each contact 30 causes the card holder 20 to move. The front end is in an upright posture. At this time, the slide surface 23f of the front overhanging portion 23 is located above the guide surface 14f of the central overhanging portion 14, and the lock arm 22l of the rear overhanging portion 22 and the lock arm 14l of the central overhanging portion are still separated from each other. Located in a state.
(See also FIG. 4 (a) and FIG. 5 (a), FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 7 (a)).

From this state, the rear contacts 30, 30
When the card holder 20 is laid down downward against the spring force of ..., the front contacts 30, 30 come into contact with the terminals 82, 82 on the back surface of the card, and then the left and right front protrusions 23 slide. The surface 23f is the guide surface 1 of the central overhanging portion 14.
It comes into contact with 4f (Fig. 5 (b)). At this time, the card holder 2
The position of 0 in the front-rear direction is on the rear end side, and the front end portion of the card 80 and the left and right front holding portions 13L, 1L of the base plate.
Since there is a clearance larger than the sliding amount of the card holder 20 between the card 80 and the 3R, the card 80 has
It is gently pushed down without contacting L and 13R.

With the slide surface 23f of the front protruding portion abutting on the guide surface 14f of the central protruding portion, the card holder 2
When 0 is further urged downward, the card holder 20 is guided by the guide surface 14f, and slid downward along the slope (FIGS. 5B to 5D).

At this time, the protruding end portion 2 at the front end of the card holder
3h is inserted into the holding grooves 13h of the front holding portions 13R and 13L so as to be guided and sunk, and when the slide surface 23f slides down the guide surface 14f, the front end side of the protruding end portion 23h is partially in the holding groove 13h. It is in the entered position. Further, on the rear end side of the card holder 20, the shaft portion 22
c is moved forward in the shaft support space 12s, and the cylindrical surface of the shaft portion 22c is in a position of contacting the substantially top portion of the cam surface 12c. Therefore, when the finger is released from the card holder to release the pressing force, the card holder 20 tries to float upward due to the spring force of the contact 30 acting via the card 80. 23h is locked in the holding groove 13h and cannot move upward, and the card holder 20 is temporarily fixed and held in the lying posture (FIG. 4 (b), FIG. 5 (d) and FIG. 6 (b)).

When the card holder 20 is slid further forward from this temporarily fixed state, the projecting end portion 23h moves to the inner part of the holding groove 13h, and the engagement and holding at the front is secured in a perfect state (Fig. 5 (d)-(f)). In the lock mechanism portion at the center of the left and right, the arcuate projection of the holder-side lock arm 22l abuts against the arcuate projection of the plate-side lock arm 14l to move over it. On the other hand, at the rear end of the card holder 20, the shaft portion 22c moves slantingly upward so as to slide on the cam surface 12c together with the engaging operation of the lock arm (see FIG. 7C), and the holder side lock arm 22
1 is moved diagonally upward toward the base end of the plate-side lock arm 141 to form a locked state in which the upper and lower lock arms are deeply assembled. Also, as mentioned above,
The shaft portion 22c moves the cam surface 12 by the spring force of the contact 30.
Since it is positioned so as to be sandwiched between c and the front slide restricting surface 12a, in addition to the movement restriction due to the engagement between the upper and lower lock arms, the movement restriction is also performed at the shaft support portion, and the impact in the front-back direction and the vertical direction is generated. A strong locked state is formed against.

Further, by the above-mentioned operation, when the arcuate projection of the holder side lock arm 22l gets over the arcuate projection of the plate side lock arm 14l, a click feeling is given to the operator to realize a light operability. ing.

In the process of sliding the card holder 20 to the lock position in this way, the card 80 held by the card holder 20 is pushed forward by the stopper 27 that abuts at the rear end of the holder, It is forcibly slid forward with the holder 20 (see FIGS. 6B to 6C). For this reason, the terminals 82,
82 and the contact portions 33, 33 of the contact are slid relative to each other in the front-rear direction in which each contact extends under a substantially constant and stable contact pressure due to the spring force of the contact, and a high wiping effect is exhibited every time a card is mounted. . As a result, even when dust, dust, or the like is attached to the terminals 82 and the contacts 30, poor contact is less likely to occur, and contact reliability is improved.

When the card 80 thus mounted is removed, the procedure is reversed. In particular,
First, while pushing the card holder 20 downward, the card holder 20 is slid backward to release the left and right locks (Fig. 5 (f)-
(d)), then the card holder 2 along the guide surface 14f
0 is slid backward to release the engagement between the projecting end portion 23h and the holding groove 13 (FIGS. 5D to 5C). When the protruding end 23h and the holding groove 13 are disengaged, the card holder 20 floats upward due to the spring force of the contact 30 (FIGS. 5 (c) to (a)). The card 80 may be gently swung out and pulled out gently (FIGS. 4B to 4A).

As described above, according to this card connector 1,
The card holder 20 can be used to attach and detach the card 80 without exerting an unreasonable external force on the terminals 82 and the contacts 30, and a high wiping effect can be obtained by sliding the card 80 together with the card holder 20 when the card 80 is attached. Can be demonstrated. In addition, the lock mechanism having the detent structure using the upper and lower lock arms 22l and 14l can provide a card connector that has good operability and has a strong lock holding force against impact force.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, the swing fulcrum of the card holder is configured to be slidable back and forth with respect to the base plate, and the shaft portion 22c provided in the card holder 20 is provided in the shaft support space 12s provided in the base plate 10. Although the supported form has been illustrated, conversely, the shaft part may be provided on the base plate side and the groove part for slidably supporting the shaft part may be provided on the card holder side.

Further, as an example of locking means, a plate side lock arm 14l provided on the base plate 10 and a holder side lock arm 2 provided on the card holder 20.
Although the lock mechanism in the form of being combined vertically with 2l has been illustrated, these may be a lock mechanism in the form of being combined in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the configuration in which the protrusion (projecting end portion 23h) provided on the card holder 20 is fitted into the recess (holding groove 13h) provided on the base plate 10 has been exemplified.
On the contrary, the recess provided in the card holder 20 may be fitted into the protrusion provided in the base plate 10.

In this specification, for convenience of description, the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions are defined as the coordinate axes are added to FIG. 1, but these directions are defined. It does not prescribe the mounting posture or the like when the connector is mounted, and even if the designations such as front, rear, left and right are changed by changing the posture for viewing the connector, it is not affected. Further, in the embodiment, the SIM card is illustrated as an example of the card-shaped recording medium, but the type and size of the card are not limited to the card, and the same applies to other types of card-shaped recording medium. The same effect can be obtained.

[0053]

As described above, the present invention includes a card holder swingably supported by a base plate provided with contacts, and a terminal provided on the card in a closed posture position with the card holder closed. In a card connector in a form of abutting contact with a contact, the swing fulcrum of the card holder is configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the base plate, and when the card holder is laid down and slid forward. Equipped with a lock mechanism that engages with each other to regulate the movement of the card holder in the front-back direction and locks and holds the card holder in the closed posture position.The card holder holding the card is laid down and slid forward. The card slides with respect to the base plate together with the card holder when the card is held, It is engaging held on the base plate.

Therefore, the card can be surely attached / detached without applying an unreasonable external force to the terminal / contact of the card, and the terminal / contact is relatively slid under a constant contact pressure with the card holder lying down. A high wiping effect can be exerted by moving it dynamically, thereby improving contact reliability with respect to foreign matter such as dust and dust. Further, since the card is slid down and then slid, the tolerance of the card insertion position into the card holder can be increased and the operability can be improved. Further, the locking means of this card connector has a locking structure that restricts the movement of the card holder in the front-rear direction and voluntarily resists the force of sliding the card holder in the unlocking direction. Therefore, the resistance against the impact force acting in the unlocking direction is improved, and it is possible to provide a card connector having an increased lock holding force.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a card connector according to the present invention together with a memory card attached to the card connector.

FIG. 2 shows the card connector with the card holder closed, and FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are a plan view, a side view, and a front view, respectively.

3A and 3B are perspective views showing a step-wise installation of a card in the card connector, where FIG. 3A is a step of inserting the card into the card holder in an open position, and FIG. 3B is a card holder holding the card. Show the steps to lie down.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing, in a stepwise manner, a state where a card is attached to the card connector subsequent to FIG. 3, where (a) is a state immediately after the card holder is laid down, and (b) is a temporary state of the card holder. The held state, (c) shows the state where the card holder is further slid and locked.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the states of (a) to (c) in FIG. 4 in more detail in stages (a) to (f).

6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 1, (a)
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the card holder lying down, FIG. 8B is a stage temporarily held by the base plate, and FIG.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 1, showing a state in the vicinity of the swing shaft of the card holder together with a card mounting step. Of these, (a) shows a state immediately after the card holder is laid down, (b) shows a state in which the card holder is further forcedly laid down, and (c) shows a lock completed state.

8A is a perspective view showing a first example of a conventional card connector together with a card, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing a second example of a conventional card connector together with a card.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 card connector 10 base plate 12 Shaft support (swing fulcrum) 13h Holding groove (dent) 14f guide surface 14l Plate side lock arm (locking means) 20 card holder 22c Shaft (swing fulcrum) 22l Holder side lock arm (locking means) 23h protruding end (protrusion) 26 slot 30 contacts 80 memory cards 82 terminal

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5B058 CA03 CA13 KA12                 5E021 FA05 FB02 FB18 FC08 FC36                       HA05 HB11 HC31                 5E023 AA04 AA16 AA21 BB19 BB22                       CC26 DD06 DD17 DD26 DD28                       EE07 GG03 GG09 HH08

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A base plate provided with a contact, and a card holder having a card insertion / removal opening on a front end side and a rear end side supported on the base plate so as to be vertically swingable. The card is received and held in the open posture position where the card holder is opened, and the card holder holding the card is laid down to cover the upper surface of the base plate and closed in the closed posture position. A contact provided between the terminal and the contact provided on the card holder, wherein the swing fulcrum of the card holder is configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the base plate, and Engage with the card holder when the card holder is laid down and slid forward When the card holder holding the card is laid down and slid forward, lock means for restricting the movement of the card holder in the front-back direction and locking and holding the card holder in the closed position is provided. In the card connector, the card slides together with the card holder with respect to the base plate, and is locked and held on the base plate by the locking means. 2. The base plate includes a guide portion that guides the card holder so that the card holder slides forward of the base plate when the card holder is biased in the fall direction. When the card holder is slid along the guide portion, it has a recess or a protrusion provided on the card holder and a protrusion or a recess that engages with each other. And is slid to the front of the base plate by being guided by a portion, and the protrusion or the depression provided on the card holder is fitted into the depression or the protrusion provided on the base plate to temporarily hold the card holder in the laid posture. The card connector according to claim 1, wherein: