JP2003282203A - Card connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dual card connector which is compact, thin and excellent in use, capable of inserting two cards of different sizes to one opening (slot) common to both cards in the same direction. <P>SOLUTION: A movable body 20 which is pushed backward by a card being inserted is constantly resiliently energized in a forward direction. According to a set position of the card in a card insertion space S, an intermediate position is determined at the rear of the set position. The card insertion space S is formed such that a first card C1 and a second card C2 which are different in size can be selectively inserted in the same direction. The set position of the second card C2 is determined at the rear of the set position of the first card C1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a card connector,
In particular, two or more types of cards are provided with a common contact piece that is properly electrically connected to each electrode of two types of cards of different sizes or more types of cards. The present invention relates to a card connector which can be inserted through an insertion slot (slot) of the.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Countermeasures that have been conventionally taken to use two kinds of cards of different sizes in the same electric / electronic device are that each card is used individually.
The solution was to mount two card connectors on electrical and electronic equipment. In addition, a measure has been taken in which one card connector is mounted on an electric / electronic device, and another card can be used by mounting an adapter on the card connector (conventional example).

On the other hand, in the memory card connector described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-307801, two slots having card insertion directions orthogonal to each other are provided in one connector portion, and the connector portion is provided with one slot. The contact piece electrically connected to the electrode of the card inserted into the slot and the contact piece electrically connected to the electrode of the card inserted into the other slot are separately installed (Prior example 1). .

Further, the card connector described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-185286 can lock the card inserted in the card holding member at the set position (prior example 2).

[0005]

However, among the countermeasures of the conventional example, in the case of mounting two card connectors, a wide mounting space for the card connectors is required, and the electric and electronic equipment is downsized and thinned. However, in the case of using an adapter, it is necessary to attach / detach the adapter to / from the card connector according to the card used, and an extra adapter is required. There was a problem of high cost.

Further, in the prior art example 1, since the insertion directions of the two types of cards are orthogonal to each other, not only the degree of freedom of the mounting state of the connector with respect to the electric / electronic device is restricted, but also the contact pieces of each type However, there is a problem in that the number of parts increases and the price becomes higher.

Furthermore, in the case of the prior art example 2, only one type of card having a fixed size can be used.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems and circumstances, and allows two types of cards of different sizes to be inserted in the same direction from slots common to them.
Moreover, in addition to the contact piece being common to the two types of cards, it is an object of the present invention to provide a card connector capable of keeping a card inserted at a set position in a locked state at that position.

Further, according to the present invention, more than two types of cards of different sizes can be inserted in the same direction from the slots common to them, and the contact piece is common to the various types of cards. It is another object of the present invention to provide a card connector that allows a card inserted in a set position to be placed in a locked state in that position in addition to the above.

Further, the present invention provides a card connector in which a card is inserted into a set position, locked at the set position, and ejected by a two-time continuous push-in operation called a so-called push-push operation. You can insert two or many types of cards in the same direction from the slots common to them, and
It is an object of the present invention to provide a card connector that allows a card inserted in a set position to be placed in a locked state at that position, in addition to the contact piece being common to these various types of cards.

[0011]

In the card connector according to the present invention, the movable body pushed back by the card inserted into the card insertion space of the body is inserted into the card insertion space. It is attached to its body by being constantly urged in the forward direction so as to push each other.
Also, when the card is inserted while retracting the movable body to the relay position of the card which is set at a position near the rear of the card according to the setting position of the card in the card insertion space, the movable A stopper mechanism that exerts a stopper function to prevent the body from retreating, and when the card inserted into the relay position reaches the set position via the relay position by being pushed back by the movable body, A lock mechanism that exerts a lock function for positioning the movable body at that position, and a contact piece that is electrically connected to the electrode of the card are provided.

Therefore, in this card connector, the card inserted into the card insertion space reaches the set position via the relay position and is placed in the locked state at the set position.

In the present invention, the card insertion space is
It is formed so that a plurality of cards having different lengths can be selectively inserted in the same direction. Further, the set position includes a plurality of set positions which are arranged in the card insertion space in the card insertion space so as to correspond to each of the individual cards, and the set positions are the lengths. The position for the long card is located behind the position for the short card, and the relay position includes a plurality of relay positions defined in the vicinity of the rear of the relay position according to each of the set positions. include.

With this configuration, by setting the setting position of the card appropriately in accordance with the length of the card, a card having a short length is inserted into the card insertion space so that it cannot be pulled out. Situation,
It is possible to prevent the long card inserted in the set position from protruding unnecessarily long from the card insertion space, and regardless of the length of the card, It is possible to set a constant protrusion length from the card insertion space.
Therefore, it is possible to easily improve the usability of the card, even though it is intended to use many kinds of cards. Then, for example, when two cards with different lengths are used properly, the mutual distance between the setting position of the short card and the setting position of the long card should be given the same dimension as the difference in length between the short card and the long card. By placing them, the protrusion length from the body of those two cards becomes the same when they are inserted into the set position separately,
That helps improve usability.

In the present invention, the contact piece is provided on the movable body, and the contact piece comes into contact with the electrode of the card against which the movable body presses. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a contact piece for each card having a different length, and it is possible to handle all cards having a different length only by the contact piece provided on the movable body.

In the present invention, the card insertion space is a plurality of cards having different widths and lengths, and the length of the wide card is longer than that of the narrow card. It is desirable that they are formed so that they can be selectively inserted in the same direction. This allows the use of many types of cards with different widths.

In the present invention, the card insertion space is
Two types of cards, the first card and the second card, which is longer than the first card and whose setting position is set posterior to the setting position of the first card, can be selectively inserted in the same direction. Is formed in the set position, the first
Two set positions, that is, a first set position of the card and a second set position of the second card that is behind the first set position are included, and the relay position is set to the relay position according to the first set position. Two relay positions are included: a first relay position defined in the vicinity and a second relay position defined in the vicinity of the first relay position behind the first relay position according to the second set position. It may be one. According to this, it is possible to provide a so-called dual type card connector in which two types of cards having different lengths are used.

In the present invention, the card insertion space is
It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the first card and the second card wider and longer than the first card are formed so that they can be selectively inserted in the same direction. Thus, it is possible to provide a so-called dual type card connector that is intended for use with two types of cards having different widths.

In the present invention, the stopper mechanism includes a pair of elastically warp-deformable arms arranged along the card insertion direction on both sides of the insertion path of the wide second card in the card insertion space. A pair of arms formed in the longitudinal intermediate portions of each of the arms so as to face each other and the facing distance is equal to or wider than the width of the first card having a narrow width and narrower than the width of the second card. And a first card that is provided on at least one of the pair of arms and is inserted between the pair of projections to the first relay position, and is pushed back by the first card. A first engaging portion that engages with the movable body to prevent the movable body from retreating, and the pair of arms elastically warp and deform so that the first
The second card, which goes over the pair of protrusions and is inserted between the protrusions, while moving the engaging portion to the outside of the insertion path, is located behind the position of the first engaging portion. And a second engaging portion that engages with the movable body that has been pushed back by the second card and that prevents the movable body from retreating when the second relay position is inserted. It is possible to adopt.

According to this, a so-called dual type which is intended for use with two types of cards having different lengths or widths with a simple structure in which an arm having a protrusion and a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion are provided. It becomes possible to provide a mold card connector.

In the present invention, it is desirable that the second engaging portion is shared with the rear wall portion formed integrally with the body at the same portion. According to this, the second engaging portion is formed. Since it is not necessary to use an extra component for doing so, the number of components can be reduced accordingly.

In the present invention, it is possible to adopt a structure in which the soldering terminal extending from the contact piece is soldered to the soldering area of the flexible wiring board fixed to the movable body. According to this, the movable body can be moved forward and backward smoothly due to the flexibility of the flexible wiring board. This action is such that the second engaging portion is a rear wall portion integrally formed with the body, and the flexible wiring board is inserted into an opening formed in the rear wall portion so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. It is also demonstrated by adopting the configuration.

According to the present invention, the contact piece provided on the movable body is provided with a sliding electrode that slides on the electrode surface fixedly provided on the bottom surface of the body. Good. In this case, a soldering terminal to be soldered to a soldering area of a wiring board on which the body is mounted may be provided in series on the electrode surface. This also allows the movable body to move forward and backward smoothly by sliding between the sliding electrode and the body-side electrode surface.

According to the present invention, the stopper mechanism and the lock mechanism guide the tip of the guide pin in only one direction, and have a recessed portion at the point where the forward end point and the return path start point coincide with each other, and the guide pin is located at the recessed point. A cam unit formed by arranging two cam patterns each having an endless loop-shaped guide groove having a pin locking portion for positioning the front end portion of the same in the front-rear direction, and the cam pattern on one side of the cam unit. The return path of the guide groove is joined to the return path of the cam pattern on the other side, the cam unit is provided on one side of the body and the movable body, and the guide pin is provided on the other side.

The first set position is related to the locking portion between the pin locking portion and the guide pin of the cam pattern on one side, and the first relay position is at the beginning of the recessed portion of the cam pattern on one side. In addition to being related to each other, the second set position is related to the locking position between the pin locking portion of the cam pattern on the other side and the guide pin, and the second relay position is the above-mentioned position of the cam pattern on the other side. By adopting a configuration in which it is related to the beginning of the recessed portion, the first set position and the second set position, and the first relay position and the second relay position corresponding to each of the two types of cards are set. It can be formed by one cam unit.

In the present invention, it is desirable that the cam unit is formed of synthetic resin integrally with the movable body. According to this, it is not necessary to provide a separate component as the cam unit, so that the number of components can be reduced. It is possible to keep the price low.

[0027]

1 is a plan view of a so-called dual type card connector according to an embodiment of the present invention with a cover removed, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cam unit 30, and FIG. 3 is III of FIG. -III line sectional drawing, FIG. 4 is IV-I of FIG.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V, FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the relationship between the movable body 20 and the arm 50, FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 1, and FIG. Sectional views for explaining the action of FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 to FIG.
Is an operation explanatory view.

In FIG. 1, there are left and right long slit-shaped openings 12 which serve as slots at the front end of a body 10 made of a synthetic resin integrated molding which is long in the front-rear direction and which is substantially rectangular in plan view.
There is a rear wall portion 13 at the rear end. The body 10 forms a card insertion space S in cooperation with a cover (not shown) attached to the body 10, and is a slider that slides on the bottom surface 14 of the body 10 and can move in the front-rear direction D. The arm-shaped movable body 20 is arranged so as to cross the card insertion space S.

A cam unit 30 is integrally formed of synthetic resin at one end of the movable body 20 in the left-right direction, and the cam unit 30 and the wall portion 1 connected to one end of the rear wall portion 13 are connected to each other.
A spring body 16 formed of a coil spring is interposed between the cam unit 30 and the movable body 20, and the cam unit 30 and the movable body 20 are constantly elastically biased in the forward direction by the elastic biasing force of the spring body 16. Therefore, when the card C is inserted into the card insertion space S from the opening 12, the tip of the card C abuts on the movable body 20 and pushes the movable body 20 to retract the movable body 20. Further, the movable body 20 holds a required number of contact pieces 21 ... Which form multiple poles, and these contact pieces 21 ... Are inserted into the card insertion space S, and the tips thereof abut the movable body 20. A plurality of electrodes (not shown) formed on the surface of the card C are individually contacted. In addition, each contact piece 21 ...
The soldering terminals 22 ... Protruding to the rear of the movable body 20 are separately provided in series, and these soldering terminals 22 ...
It is soldered to a soldering area 24 of a strip-shaped flexible wiring board (hereinafter referred to as “FPC”) 23 inserted in an opening (not shown) formed in the rear wall portion 13 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The opening formed in the rear wall portion 13 is formed in a slit shape by the cooperation of the wiring board and the rear wall portion 13 when the body 10 is mounted on the wiring substrate (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the two cam units 30 are arranged side by side in the front-back direction.
Cam pattern 3 with endless loop-shaped guide groove
1 and 32, the first cam pattern 31 is arranged behind the second cam pattern 32 (front in the card insertion direction).

The guide groove 33 of the first cam pattern 31 is formed in an elongated heart shape in the front-rear direction, and has a recessed portion s at the point of coincidence between the outward path end point and the return path start point, and the recessed area s.
Is provided with a pin locking portion 35 formed by a stepped rising surface. Further, the outward route start point and the return route end point are located in the same section a. As shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the boundary point between the outward section c and the subsequent section d,
A step is formed at a boundary point between the outward path and the recessed portion s and at a boundary point between the recessed portion s and the return path to prevent the backward movement of the tip end portion 42 of the guide pin 30 described later. . The section b forming the outward path and the section f forming the return path are slopes having an upward slope. On the other hand, the extension path 39 formed by the section d continuous with the starting point s ′ of the recessed portion s of the first cam pattern 31 is connected to the outward path of the guide groove 34 of the second cam pattern 32. Further, the return path of the guide groove 34 of the second cam pattern 32 is connected to the return path of the first cam pattern 31 at the end point s ″ of the recessed portion s of the first cam pattern 31. The second cam pattern 32 is also provided. Like the first cam pattern 31, it is formed in a long and thin heart shape in the front-rear direction, and has a recessed portion s1 at the point of coincidence between the forward path end point and the return path start point, and is formed by a stepped rising surface at the recessed point s1. 3 or 4, the boundary points of the sections a1, c1, d1 forming the outward path, the outward path and the recessed portion s1 are formed. A step is formed at each of the boundary points of the above, and the boundary points between the recessed portion s and the return path, so as to prevent the backward movement of the tip end portion 42 of the guide pin 40 described later. Section b1 is up Has become inclined surface. The connection point of the forward guide grooves 34 of the extended path 39 (the compartment d) second cam patterns 32 P
1 is provided with a bypass path 37 for continuing the return path of the first cam pattern 31 at the end point s ″ of the recessed part s of the first cam pattern 31, and the guide groove of the second cam pattern 32 at the connection point P1. The guide pin tip portion 42 passing through the forward path of the guide pin 34 in the opposite direction
There is provided a step 38 that guides to the bypass 37. Further, a mountain-shaped cam surface 90 is provided in the extension path 39 so as to get over the guide pin tip portion 42 passing through the extension path 39.

On the other hand, the guide pin 40 has a support shaft portion 41 rotatably supported by the wall portion 15 of the body 10 at the base portion thereof, and a tip portion 42 thereof, as can be seen by analogy with FIG.
Is bent and the cam grooves 33, 34 of the cam unit 30 are bent.
Is relatively slidably engaged (see FIG. 6).

In the card insertion space S of the body 10, a card insertion path having a width substantially the same as that of the opening 12 as a slot is formed. The card insertion path is provided on both sides of the card insertion path along the card insertion direction. A pair of arms 50, 50 made of a synthetic resin molded body capable of elastic warp deformation are provided. A spring plate portion 51 provided at the base of each of these arms 50 is fitted and supported in a recess 17 provided at the front end side of the body 10, and at the tip end thereof a first engagement protruding inwardly. The portion 52 is integrally provided with a protrusion 53 protruding inward at an intermediate portion thereof.

The card connector of this embodiment is a so-called dual type card connector, and has a short length and a narrow first width.
Two types of memory cards having different sizes from the card C1 and the second card C2 which is longer and wider than the first card C1 are used. Therefore, body 10
The opening 12 and the card insertion space S are formed according to the size of the second card C2. Specifically, the opening 12
The width of the card insertion space S is set to a dimension that allows the second card C2 to be inserted. Therefore, two types of cards C1 and C2 can be selectively inserted into the card insertion space S in the same direction. In addition, the set position of the second card C2 is set posterior to the set position of the first card C1, and for each set position,
A relay position is set in each of the vicinity in the rear. Each set position and each relay position will be described later.

Here, the mutual interval of the pair of protrusions 53, 53 provided on the pair of arms 50, 50 separately facing each other is equal to the width of the first card C1, as can be seen in FIG. Alternatively, it is wider than that and narrower than the width of the second card C2. Also, those arms 50, 50
The pair of first engaging portions 52, 52 provided separately on the movable body 20 that is retracted by being pushed by the first card C1 inserted through the pair of protrusions 53, 53 is inserted. The movable body 20 can be engaged to prevent the movable body 20 from retracting. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the arms 5 are provided on both sides of the tall portion 25 provided on the movable body 20.
0, 50 are provided, and the movable body 20 is retracted, so that the pair of first engaging portions 52, 5 are attached to the tall portion 25.
2 can be engaged to prevent the movable body 20 from retracting.

On the other hand, when the second card C2 is inserted into the card insertion space S, the second card C2 goes over the pair of protrusions 53, 53, so that the pair of arms 50, 50 are connected to the spring plate portion 51 ,. The arm 51 is expanded and deformed by the bending deformation of the arm 51, and the pair of first engaging portions 52 and 52 escape to the outside of the insertion path of the second card C2 by the warp deformation operation of the arms 50 and 50. Then, the movable body 20, which is hit by the tip of the second card C2 and pushed back by the second card C2 and retracted, hits the rear wall portion 13 of the body 10.

Next, the operation of inserting the first card C1 and the like will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.

In this embodiment, in the card non-insertion mode, the cam unit 30 is biased by the spring body 16,
The position shown in (2), that is, the initial position where the front wall portion 18 of the body 10 is abutted is located.

From this state, when the first card C1 is inserted into the card insertion space S through the opening 12 by the first push operation, the first card C1 is paired with the pair of protrusions 5.
It passes between 3, 53, and the tip thereof abuts on the movable body 20 as shown in FIG. 8 (A). As a result, the contact piece 21 comes into contact with the electrode of the first card C1. Further, since the cam unit 30 is stopped, the guide pin tip portion 42 is
As shown in FIG. 3B, the first cam pattern 31 is located in the section a of the guide groove 33 (see FIGS. 2 to 4).

When the first card C1 is further inserted by the first push operation, the tip of the first card C1 pushes the movable body 20, so that the movable body 20 moves to the first card C1.
9A while retracting together with the cam unit 30 against the bias of the spring body 16, as shown in FIG.
Engage with the first engaging portions 52, 52 to prevent their retreat. The position of the first card C1 at this time is defined as the first relay position. Therefore, when the first card C1 is inserted to the first relay position, the cam unit 30
Are retracted by the same distance as the movable body 20. Then, in the process of retracting the cam unit 30, the guide pin tip portion 42 reaches the section d from the section a of the guide groove 33 of the first cam pattern 31 through the sections b and c, and FIG.
Is located on the side of the starting point s'of the recessed portion s (see FIGS. 2 to 4). As a result, the first relay position is associated with the beginning of the recessed portion s of the guide groove 33 of the first cam pattern 31.

At this point, as can be seen in FIG. 9 (A),
Since the rear end of the first card C1 is close to the position close to the opening 12 of the body 10, further push operation becomes impossible. When the first push operation is completed in this way, the force for inserting the first card C1 is released, so that the movable body 20 moves forward together with the cam unit 30 by the bias of the spring body 16 (see FIG. 1). So the first
The card C1 is pushed back by the movable body 20 via the first relay position. As the cam unit 30 advances at this time, the movable body 20 moves to the first engaging portion 5 as shown in FIG.
2 and the guide pin tip 42 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), it enters the recessed portion s and engages with the pin locking portion 35, and the first card C1 is placed in a locked state. The position of the first card C1 at this time is the first set position.
As a result, the first set position is set to the first cam pattern 3
This means that the pin locking portion 35 and the guide pin tip portion 42 of FIG. Further, when the first card C1 is located at the first set position, the rear end of the first card C1 is slightly separated from the opening 12 of the body 10.

Signal transmission / reception between the electrode of the first card C1 and the contact piece 21 is performed in a state where the first card C1 is located at the first set position.

When the second push operation is performed from the state where the first card C1 is located at the first set position,
Since the first card C1 retracts the movable body 20 to the position where the movable body 20 engages with the first engaging portions 52, 52, the cam unit 30 also retracts by the same distance. Therefore, the guide pin tip portion 42 passes through the end point s ″ of the recessed portion s of the guide groove 33 of the first cam pattern 31 and exits into the section e. At this point, if the second push operation is released, The cam unit 30 moves forward together with the movable body 20 by the biasing force of the spring body 16, and the guide pin tip portion 42 passes through the return path of the guide groove 33 of the first cam pattern 31 in the order of sections e, f, and g to section a. 8A and 8B, the rear end of the first card C1 is the body 1 in this state.
The first card C1 can be pulled out by grasping the first card C1 with a hand because it is long protruding from the opening 12 of 0.

Next, the operation when the second card C2 is inserted will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13 and 2 to 4.

In the card non-inserted mode, the cam unit 3
0 is located at the position shown in FIG. 1, that is, at the initial position where it hits the front wall portion 18 of the body 10 due to the urging of the spring body 16, and from this state, the second push operation is performed.
When the card C2 is inserted into the card insertion space S through the opening 12, the second card C2 has a pair of protrusions 53, 5
Get over three. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11A, the pair of arms 50, 50 are expanded and deformed by the bending deformation of the spring plate portions 51, 51, and the pair of first arms 50, 50 is warped and deformed. The engaging parts 52, 52 escape to the outside of the insertion path of the second card C2. Then, the tip of the second card C2 hits the movable body 20. As a result, the contact piece 21 comes into contact with the electrode of the first card C1.
Further, since the cam unit 30 is stopped, the guide pin tip portion 42 is located in the section a of the guide groove 33 of the first cam pattern 31 as shown in FIG. ~ See Figure 4).

When the second card C2 is further inserted by the first push operation, the second card C2 passes between the pair of first engaging portions 52, 52 and the tip thereof is movable. Since 20 is pushed, the movable body 20 is the second card C.
The movable body 20 is retracted together with the cam unit 30 against the bias of the spring body 16 while pressing the movable body 20 and the movable body 20 is shared by the same portion as the rear wall portion 13 of the body 10 as shown in FIG. The second engaging portion 13a is engaged and its retreat is blocked. The position of the second card C2 at this time is defined as the second relay position. Therefore, the second card C2
When is inserted to the second relay position, the cam unit 30 is retracted together with the movable body 20 by the same distance. Then, in the process of retracting the cam unit 30, the guide pin tip portion 42 reaches the section d1 from the section a of the guide groove 34 of the second cam pattern 32 through the sections b, c, d, a1, b1 and c1. , Located on the side of the starting point of the recessed portion s1 as shown in FIG. 12B (see FIGS. 2 to 4). As a result, the second relay position is set at the guide groove 34 of the second cam pattern 32.
Is related to the beginning of the recessed portion s1.

At this point in time, as can be seen from FIG. 12A, the rear end of the second card C2 is close to the position close to the opening 12 of the body 10, so that further push operation becomes impossible. . When the first push operation is completed in this way, the force for inserting the second card C2 is released, so that the movable body 20 moves forward together with the cam unit 30 by the bias of the spring body 16 (see FIG. 1). , The second card C2 is pushed back by the movable body 20 via the second relay position. As the cam unit 30 advances at this time, the movable body 20 moves to the second engaging portion 13 as shown in FIG.
13a, and the guide pin tip 42 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), it enters the recessed portion s1 and engages with the pin locking portion 36, and the second card C2 is placed in a locked state. The position of the second card C2 at this time is the second set position. As a result, the second set position is associated with the engagement portion between the pin engagement portion 36 of the second cam pattern 31 and the guide pin tip portion 42. When the second card C2 is located at the second set position, the second card C2
The rear end of 2 is slightly separated from the opening 12 of the body 10.

Signal transmission / reception between the electrode of the second card C2 and the contact piece 21 is performed in a state where the second card C2 is located at the second set position.

When the second push operation is performed from the state where the second card C2 is in the second set position,
Since the second card C2 retracts the movable body 20 to the position where it is engaged with the second engagement portion 13a, the cam unit 30 is also retracted by the same distance. Therefore, the guide pin tip portion 42 has the guide groove 34 of the second cam pattern 32.
It goes out to the section e1 from the recessed part s1. At this point, the second
When the second push operation is released, the cam unit 30 moves forward together with the movable body 20 due to the urging of the spring body 16, so that the guide pin tip portion 42 divides the return path of the guide groove 34 of the second cam pattern 32 into the sections e1 and f1. After passing through the sections f and g in this order and returning to the section a,
The states of (A) and (B) are obtained. In this state, since the rear end of the second card C2 projects from the opening 12 of the body 10 for a long time, the second card C2 can be grasped by hand and pulled out.

When the second card C2 is inserted by the first push operation, the guide pin tip portion 42 is moved to the second position.
When the push operation is stopped when the cam pattern 32 reaches an intermediate position on the outward path, for example, when the guide pin tip portion 42 reaches the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 11B, the spring body 16 is urged. Because the cam unit 30 is pushed back by the forward movement, the guide pin tip end portion 32 is inserted into the cam groove 3
After hitting the step 38 formed at each boundary point of the sections d and a1 on the outward path of No. 4, the step 38 guides the person to the bypass path 37, and then the bypass path 37, the section e,
After passing through f and g in this order to reach the section a, the cam unit 30 returns to the initial position. Therefore, at the stage where the second card C2 is pushed to some extent by the first push operation, even if the push operation is stopped midway, the cam unit 30 returns to the initial position and the second card C2 reaches the initial insertion stage position. Pushed out. Due to the action exerted by the bypass path 36, the first card C1
Even if the second card C2 is inserted by mistake when the second card C should be inserted, the second card C2 is not pushed again.
2 can be extracted.

In the card connector according to the above-described embodiment, the first card C1 is the movable body 20 which is pushed back by the first card C1 which has been subjected to the first push operation. Since the first card C1 is located at the first relay position when engaged with the mating portion 52, a stopper mechanism that prevents the movable body 20 from retracting when the first card C1 is inserted to the first relay position is provided. , The first engaging portion 52 provided on the arm 50. In addition, the first card C1 inserted to the first relay position by the first push operation on the first card C1,
When the spring body 16 is pushed back by the movable body 20 to reach the set position via the first relay position, the guide pin tip 42 is recessed in the guide groove 33 of the first cam pattern 31. Entering s, pin locking part 3
5, the movable body 20 is positioned at that position by the locking, so that when the first card C1 reaches the set position via the first relay position, the movable body 20 is positioned at that position. The lock mechanism that exerts the lock function includes the cam unit 30 including the pin locking portion 35.

Similarly, for the second card C2, the first card
Since the second card C2 is located at the second relay position when the movable body 20 pushed and retracted by the second card C2 on which the second push operation has been performed engages the second engaging portion 13a, A stopper mechanism that prevents the movable body 20 from retracting when the second card C2 is inserted to the second relay position is configured by the second engaging portion 13a. Also, the second card C
The second card C2, which has been inserted to the second relay position by the first push operation with respect to 2, is pushed back to the movable body 20 by the urging of the spring body 16,
When it reaches the set position via the relay position, the guide pin tip portion 42 causes the guide groove 3 of the second cam pattern 32 to move.
4 enters the recessed portion s1 and is locked by the pin locking portion 36, and the movable body 20 is positioned at that position by the locking, so that the second card C2 moves to the set position via the second relay position. The lock mechanism that exerts the lock function of positioning the movable body 20 at that position when the movement reaches the position includes the cam unit 30 including the pin locking portion 36.

In this embodiment, since the chevron cam surface 90 is provided in the extension path 39, the feel of the guide pin tip portion 42 over the chevron cam surface 90 is obtained as a click feeling. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is possible to know that the guide pin tip portion 42 has moved beyond the recessed portion s of the first cam pattern 31 by the click feeling.

In the above embodiment, FIG. 13 (B)
If the same dimension L as the difference in length between the two types of cards C1 and C2 having different lengths is given to the mutual distance L between the pin engaging portions 35 and 36 shown in (1), the first card C1 is set to the set position. The length protruding from the opening 12 of the body 10 is the same when the card is inserted and when the second card C2 is inserted in the set position, which helps improve the usability.

By the way, the above-mentioned first card C1 is of a type whose length and width are shorter than those of the second card C2. In some cases, it is desired that the first card C1 be thinner than the second card C2. When the thickness of the first card C1 is smaller than that of the second card C2, the body 10
If the height of the card insertion space S is set according to the second card C2, there is a possibility that a large rattling may occur when the first card C1 is inserted. Therefore, in the above embodiment, in consideration of the case where the thickness of the first card C1 is smaller than the thickness of the second card C2, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 19 is opened in the bottom wall of the body 10, and a push-up spring 61 made of a leaf spring supported by the body 10 in a shoulder is provided in the opening 19 and inserted into the card insertion space S. The first card C1 or the second card C2 is pushed up by the push-up spring 61 and slidably pressed against the cover 70. By doing so, not only for the second card C2 but also for the first card C1,
The inside of the card insertion space S will not rattle.

Here, in the illustrated example, the contact piece 21 is adapted to elastically contact the electrode of the first card C1 or the second card C2 from below, but this point is changed to change the contact piece 21.
Is elastically contacted with the electrodes of the first card C1 or the second card C2 from above, the electrodes of the first card C1 or the second card C2 pushed up by the push-up spring 61 have the same height level. , The feel of the push operation is the same for the first card C1 or the second card C2,
The usability is improved accordingly. Further, instead of providing the push-up spring 61 in the opening 19 of the body 10, a part of the cover 70 is cut and raised to form a spring plate (not shown), and the spring plate inserts the first card into the card insertion space S. C
When the first card C1 or the second card C2 is slidably pressed against the bottom surface 14 of the body 10, even if the first card C1 or the second card C2 has different thicknesses, the contact is made from below the electrodes provided on them. Since the pieces 21 come into contact with each other at a constant height level, the feel at the time of the push operation is the same for the first card C1 or the second card C2 as in the above, and the usability is improved.

In the above embodiment, the soldering terminal 22 of the contact piece 21 held by the movable body 20 is soldered to the soldering area 24 of the FPC 23 fixed to the movable body 20, and the FPC 23 is mounted on the body. Since the movable body 20 is inserted into an opening (not shown) formed in the rear wall portion 13 of the FPC 23 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, the movable body 20 can be moved forward and backward smoothly by the front-back movement or the flexibility of the FPC 23.

In FIG. 14, the FPC 23 is omitted, and instead, a plurality of electrode surfaces 81 are formed on the bottom surface 14 of the body 10 so as to be insulated from each other, and a plurality of contact pieces 21 are provided on each of the electrode surfaces 81. 3 shows an example in which the sliding electrodes 26 each having a spring property and individually connected to each other are elastically contacted. According to this, even if the movable body 20 moves forward or backward, the sliding electrode 26 always contacts the electrode surface 81, and
The movable body 20 is moved forward and backward smoothly by sliding between the sliding electrode 26 and the electrode surface 81. In the illustrated example, the electrode surface 8
If the soldering terminals to be soldered are continuously provided in the soldering area of the wiring board (not shown) on which the body 10 is mounted, there is an advantage that the wiring space can be narrowed.

In the above embodiment, the dual type card connector intended to use the first and second two cards C1 and C2 manufactured in different sizes has been described. It is also possible to use many different size cards. In that case, the card insertion space of the body needs to be formed so that a plurality of cards having different lengths can be selectively inserted in the same direction. In addition, corresponding to each individual card, a plurality of set positions are arranged by arranging in the card insertion direction in the card insertion space, and those set positions are set to a set position for a long card. Position it behind the set position for short cards. Further, a plurality of relay positions are set in the vicinity of the rear position according to each set position.
Figure 2 shows the set and relay positions for each card.
According to the cam unit 30 described above, it is possible to easily set the cam patterns for the number of cards by arranging them side by side in the front-rear direction, and by doing so, positioning the cards here to the set position. A lock mechanism of the movable body 20 for performing the operation is formed. Further, by providing the protrusions 53 having different heights and the first locking portions 52 having different protrusion widths at the front and rear portions of the arm 50, the warp deformation width of the arm and the second engaging portion 52 may be changed according to the width of the card. Since the escape width of the card insertion path to the outside can be changed, the relay position can be individually determined for a plurality of cards of different sizes. In the card insertion space, select multiple cards with different widths and lengths in which the length of the wide card is longer than the length of the narrow card in the same direction. It is desirable that it be insertable.

The configuration of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the cam unit 30 is integrally provided on the body 10 side and the guide pin 40 is attached to the movable body 20 side.

[0061]

According to the card connector of the present invention, it is possible to insert two or more kinds of cards of different sizes in the same direction from one opening (slot) common to them. Not only does the card connector become smaller and the mounting space is smaller, but it also increases the degree of freedom in attitude and orientation when mounting on electrical and electronic equipment. There is an advantage that it becomes easier and it is not necessary to provide many slots in the electric / electronic device corresponding to cards of different sizes. In addition, the card connector of the present invention is compatible with two or more different types of cards of different sizes, and is compatible with only one type of card while facilitating downsizing and thinning. Since it has a stopper mechanism and a lock mechanism as seen in the conventionally known card connector, it has an excellent usability (usability) that each card can be used without a feeling of strangeness.

In particular, the card connector according to the present invention is a card connector in which the card is inserted into the set position, locked at the set position, and ejected by the two consecutive push-in operations which are so-called push-push operations. In addition to the fact that two kinds or many kinds of cards can be inserted in the same direction from the slots common to them as described above, and the contact piece is common to those kinds of cards, Thus, it becomes possible to provide a card connector capable of keeping a card inserted in a set position in a locked state at that position.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a card connector according to an embodiment of the present invention with a cover removed.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cam unit shown with a partially enlarged view.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a relationship between a movable body and an arm.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a portion taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the action of a push-up spring.

FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram of an initial stage of inserting the first card,
FIG. 7B is a state explanatory view of the cam unit at that stage.

FIG. 9A is an explanatory diagram of a stage in which the first card is inserted to a first relay position, and FIG. 9B is a state explanatory diagram of the cam unit at that stage.

FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram of a stage in which the first card is inserted to the first set position, and FIG. 10B is a state explanatory diagram of the cam unit at that stage.

FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram of the initial stage of inserting the second card,
FIG. 7B is a state explanatory view of the cam unit at that stage.

FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of a stage in which a second card is inserted to a second relay position, and FIG. 12B is a state explanatory diagram of a cam unit at that stage.

FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram of a stage in which a second card is inserted to a second set position, and FIG. 13B is a state explanatory diagram of a cam unit at that stage.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the card connector according to another embodiment with a cover removed.

[Explanation of symbols]

C card C1 first card C2 second card S card insertion space s recess 10 body 13 Rear wall 13a Second engaging portion 14 Bottom 20 Movable body 21 contact piece 22 Solder terminal 23 Flexible wiring board 24 Soldering area 26 Sliding electrodes 30 cam unit 31 1st cam pattern 32 Second cam pattern 33, 34 Guide groove 35, 36 pin locking part 40 guide pins 42 Tip of guide pin 50 arms 52 First Engagement Part 81 Electrode surface

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5B058 CA04 CA13 KA24                 5E021 FA05 FA11 FB01 FB02 FB18                       FC31 FC36 FC40 HC12 HC36                       HC37                 5E077 BB11 BB23 BB31 BB32 CC26                       DD01 GG01 HH07 JJ05 JJ11                       JJ20

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A movable body, which is pushed back by a card inserted into a card insertion space of a body, is constantly elastically urged in a forward direction so as to push against the card inserted into the card insertion space. And is attached to the body, and the card retreats the movable body to the relay position of the card defined in the vicinity of the rear of the card according to the setting position of the card in the card insertion space. The stopper mechanism that exerts a stopper function to prevent the movable body from retracting when being inserted while being pushed through the relay position by pushing the card inserted to the relay position back to the movable body. A locking mechanism that exerts a locking function to position the movable body at the set position when it reaches the set position and electrical connection is made to the electrodes of the card. And a contact piece that is formed so that a plurality of cards having different lengths can be selectively inserted in the same direction in the card insertion space. It contains multiple set positions that are arranged side by side in the card insertion direction in the card insertion space, and those set positions are located behind the set position for long-length cards relative to the set position for short-length cards. And the relay position includes a plurality of relay positions defined in the vicinity of the rear of the relay position according to the individual set positions, and the contact piece is provided on the movable body. But,
A card connector characterized in that the movable body comes into contact with the electrodes of the above-mentioned card which are pressed against each other. 2. The card insertion space is the same for a plurality of cards having different widths and lengths, wherein the length of the wide card is longer than the length of the narrow card. It is formed so that it can be selectively inserted in any direction.
Card connector described in. 3. The card insertion space has a first card and a second card having a length longer than that of the first card and a set position of which is set posterior to the set position of the first card. A type of card is formed so that it can be selectively inserted in the same direction, and a first set position of the first card and a second set of the second card rearward of the first set position are provided at the set position.
Two set positions including a set position are included, and the relay position includes a first relay position defined in a vicinity thereof according to the first set position and the first relay position behind the first relay position. The card connector according to claim 1, further comprising two relay positions, a second relay position defined in the vicinity of the two set positions, and a second relay position. 4. The card insertion space is formed so that the first card and the second card which is wider and longer than the first card can be selectively inserted in the same direction. Card connector. 5. The stopper mechanism is provided on elastic warp-deformable arms provided along the card insertion direction on both sides of the insertion path of the second card having a wide width in the card insertion space. A first engaging portion that engages with the movable body pushed back by the first card inserted to the first relay position to prevent the movable body from retracting, and escapes to the outside of the insertion path of the second card The second card inserted into the second relay position behind the position of the first engaging portion after passing through the first engaging portion is engaged with the movable body that is retracted by the second card. The 2nd engaging part which prevents retreat of a movable body, The card connector of Claim 3 or Claim 4 provided. 6. The second engaging portion is shared with the rear wall portion formed integrally with the body at the same portion.
Card connector described in. 7. The soldering terminal extending from the contact piece is soldered to a soldering area of a flexible wiring board fixed to the movable body.
The card connector described in any one of 1. 8. The second engagement portion is a rear wall portion formed integrally with the body, and the flexible wiring board is inserted into an opening formed in the rear wall portion so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The card connector according to claim 7. 9. The contact piece provided on the movable body,
The card connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a sliding electrode that slides on an electrode surface fixedly arranged on the bottom surface of the body is provided. 10. The card connector according to claim 9, wherein a soldering terminal to be soldered to a soldering area of a wiring board on which the body is mounted is continuously provided on the electrode surface. 11. The stopper mechanism and the lock mechanism,
An endless loop that guides the tip of the guide pin in only one direction, and has a recessed portion at the point where the forward path end point and the return path start point coincide, and a pin locking portion that positions the guide pin tip end portion in the recessed point The cam unit is formed by arranging two cam patterns each having a shaped guide groove in the front-rear direction, and the return path of the guide groove of the cam pattern on one side of the cam unit merges with the return path of the cam pattern on the other side. In addition, the cam unit is provided on one side of the body and the movable body, and the guide pin is provided on the other side of the body and the movable body. The first relay position is related to the locking position with the pin, the first relay position is related to the beginning of the recessed part of the cam pattern on one side, and the second set position is The second interlocking position is associated with the start of the recessed portion of the cam pattern on the other side, and the second relay position is associated with the engagement portion between the pin engaging portion of the cam pattern on the other side and the guide pin. The card connector according to any one of claims 3 to 10. 12. The card connector according to claim 11, wherein the cam unit is made of synthetic resin integrally with the movable body.