JP2006147215A - Connector device for memory card, and card reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To connect respective contact terminals of a connector device and electrodes of two kinds of memory cards having thickness and width equivalent to each other, and different length. <P>SOLUTION: The first and second contact terminals 14, 15 contactable with the respective electrodes of the two kinds of memory cards are sequential disposed in an insertion direction of the card inside a slot 16 of the contact device. When the first card having the short length is inserted, the electrode of the card contacts with the first contact terminal 14 close to an insertion port. When the second card 30 having the long length is inserted, a first movable piece 12 is pressed in the insertion direction by the card 30 to rotate a second movable piece 13. The second movable piece 13 discharges the first contact terminal 14 outside the slot, and the electrode of the second card 30 and the second contact terminal 15 contact with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a memory card connector device and a card reader (card reader / writer), and more particularly to a memory card connector device for electrically connecting to an electrode of a memory card or the like and a card reader having the memory card connector device.

  As card-type memory devices incorporating a semiconductor memory, IC cards, memory sticks and the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as memory cards) are increasingly used. There are various types of these memory cards, and it is convenient if a plurality of types of memory cards can be read and written by a card reader having one memory card connector device (hereinafter referred to as a connector device). However, different types of electrodes (contacts) are used in these multiple types of memory cards, and coupled with the difference in the card shape, this is an obstacle when the connector device reads and writes data from multiple types of memory cards. It was.

  Patent Document 1 describes a connector device in which a plurality of types of memory cards having different shapes and thicknesses can be inserted into a common housing, and a slider is disposed inside the housing. The slider is provided with an engaging portion at a position corresponding to the shape of a plurality of types of memory cards, and the slider moves forward and backward in conjunction with the insertion and removal when the memory card is inserted and removed. . A plurality of types of contact terminals to be locked or unlocked are arranged in accordance with the movement of the slider forward / backward movement, and the corresponding contact terminals are used in accordance with the electrodes of the plurality of types of memory cards.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707 describes that an insertion slot into which two types of memory cards having different shapes are selectively inserted is provided in the slot of the memory card connector device.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-317861 (FIG. 3, paragraph 0008) JP 2002-42931 A (paragraph 0017)

  The connector device described in Patent Document 1 employs a configuration in which each contact terminal is used for a corresponding memory card by the operation of a common slider, so that there is a problem that the structure of the slider becomes complicated.

  The connector device described in Patent Document 2 needs to make the user know in advance which insertion slot is applied for each specific memory card, and it is difficult for users who are unfamiliar with this connector device to use the connector device. Met.

  In view of the above, the present invention provides a memory card connector device (connector device) having a simple structure that can be applied to a plurality of types of memory cards having different electrode shapes and that can be used in common with an insertion slot. With the goal.

To achieve the above object, a memory card connector device according to the present invention includes a slot into which both a first memory card and a second memory card longer than the first memory card can be inserted, A first contact terminal that can be in contact with an electrode formed on one memory card; and a second contact terminal that can be in contact with an electrode formed on the second memory card. A memory card connector device arranged so as to be exposed in the slot sequentially along the insertion direction of the first and second memory cards,
When the first memory card is inserted, the first memory card is not engaged, and when the second memory card is inserted, the first memory card is engaged with the second memory card. And a control member arranged to be displaced by engagement with the second memory card to avoid contact between the first contact terminal and the electrode of the second memory card.

  A card reader according to the present invention includes the contact device for a memory card according to the present invention. In the present invention, the card reader is a concept including all of a card reader, a card writer, and a card reader / writer.

  In the connector device according to the present invention, when the first memory card is inserted into the slot, the data of the first memory card is read and written by the connector device by the contact between the electrode of the first memory card and the first contact terminal. it can. When the second memory card is inserted into the same slot, the data of the second memory card is read and written by the connector device by the contact between the electrode of the second memory card and the second contact terminal. Since the contact between the electrode of the second memory card and the first contact terminal is avoided, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the card reader having the connector device and damage to the second memory card. Further, since the control member is displaced only by the second memory card, the structure of the control member can be simplified.

  In the connector device of the present invention, the control member is pressed in the insertion direction by the first movable member that is pressed in the insertion direction of the card by the insertion of the second memory card. And a second movable member that pushes the first contact terminal out of the slot in a direction crossing the insertion direction. In this case, it becomes easy to change the movement at the time of insertion of the memory card into the movement of the first contact terminal by the cooperation of the first movable member and the second movable member.

  The second movable member may have an engagement portion that is pressed in the insertion direction by the first movable member, and may rotate about an axis by movement of the engagement portion in the insertion direction. Alternatively, the second movable member has a slope that is pressed in the insertion direction by the first movable member, and the control member is further pressed by the slope of the second movable member in the insertion direction. It is also possible to provide a guide mechanism for guiding the second movable member in the thickness direction of the card when the first movable member is engaged, or the first movable member engages with the second movable member and is second. And the control member is configured such that when the inclined surface of the first movable member is further pressed in the insertion direction, the second movable member is inserted into the thickness of the card. Equipped with a guide mechanism to guide in the direction It may be with. In any case, the control of discharging the first contact terminal out of the slot is performed satisfactorily.

  The connector device of the present invention is preferably used for connection to first and second memory cards having substantially the same width and thickness but different lengths. For example, when the first memory card is a miniSD card and the second memory card is a Memory Stick Duo, or when the first memory card is an SD card and the second memory card is a memory stick. It can be particularly suitably used.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In all of these drawings, similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals. 1A is a plan view of the connector device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1A, and FIG. The 2nd movable piece is shown and it is an arrow line view in the figure (a).

  The connector device 10 includes a housing 11, a slot 16 formed in the housing, first and second movable members 12 and 13 constituting a control member disposed in the slot 16, and a memory card in the slot 16. A first contact row, a second contact row, and an elastic member (spring) (not shown) that urges the first movable member in a direction opposite to the insertion direction. Is provided. The first contact row includes a plurality of contact terminals 14 arranged in the width direction of the slot 16, and the second contact row includes a plurality of second contact terminals 15 arranged in the width direction of the slot 16. The connector device 10 is used, for example, for a card reader, and the contact terminals 14 and 15 are connected to a signal processing unit of a card reader (not shown).

  The first movable piece 12 is configured as a rod-like member that extends in the insertion direction of the memory card and has substantially the same thickness as the memory card, and has a protrusion 12 a that protrudes in the width direction of the slot 16 at the tip. The first movable piece 12 is disposed in the vicinity of one side wall of the slot 16 and is movable in the slot 16 in the front-rear direction along the card insertion direction. As shown in detail in FIG. 1C, the second movable piece 13 includes a shaft portion 13a extending in the width direction of the slot 16, and a card insertion direction by the first movable piece 12 fixed to the shaft portion 13a. And an engaging portion 13b that rotates the shaft portion 13a, and an action portion 13c that pushes down the first contact terminal 12 when the shaft portion 13a rotates by the pressing of the engaging portion 13b. In the second movable piece 13, both ends of the shaft portion 13 a are pivotally supported in the groove on the side wall of the slot 16.

  FIG. 10 shows a miniSD card 20 which is a first card inserted into the connector device 10. FIG. 11 shows a memory stick duo (MS-Duo) card 30 which is a second memory card inserted into the connector device 10. Each of the miniSD card 20 and the MS-Duo card 30 has a strip-shaped electrode 21 arranged in the width direction of the card on the lower surface of the tip in the insertion direction. Moreover, it has the notches 22 and 32 by which the edge of the front-end | tip was partly notched, and the shape of the notch 22 of the miniSD card 20 is suitable for the shape of the protrusion 12a of the 1st rod-shaped member 12. FIG. . The miniSD card 20 and the MS-Duo card 30 have substantially the same thickness and width, and the MS-Duo card 30 has a longer dimension in the insertion direction into the slot than the miniSD card 20. The difference in length is such that when both are overlapped, the portion where the electrode 31 of the MS-Duo card 30 is disposed protrudes completely from the tip of the miniSD card 20.

  Returning to FIG. 1, each first contact terminal 14 is disposed at a position in contact with each electrode 21 of the miniSD card 20 when the miniSD card 20 is completely inserted into the slot 16. Each second contact terminal 15 is disposed at a position in contact with each electrode 31 of the MS-Duo card 30 when the MS-Duo card 30 is completely inserted into the slot 16. The second contact terminal 15 is positioned more in the distal direction than the first contact terminal 14 as viewed in the card insertion direction.

  Each of the first and second contact terminals 14 and 15 is a belt-like piece having a spring structure, one end of which is fixed to the housing 11 below the slot 16, and from one end to the direction opposite to the card insertion direction and above The contact surface of the other end formed in a dogleg shape slightly protrudes into the slot 16. Each of the contact terminals 14 and 15 has a U-shape at the other end, so that when the memory card 20 or 30 is inserted, the contact terminals 14 and 15 are pressed downward by the memory card, and are elastically applied to the electrodes 21 and 31 of the memory card. By contact, it is electrically connected to each electrode.

  In the state where the memory card is not inserted, the first movable piece 12 is at a position closest to the slot 17 of the memory card in the slot, and the tip thereof faces the engaging portion 13b of the second movable piece 13. ing. In this state, the first movable piece 12 and the second movable piece 13 are in a free state, and therefore the first contact terminal 14 is also in a free state.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the miniSD card 20 is inserted into the slot 16 of the connector device 10 of the above embodiment. FIGS. 2A and 2B correspond to FIGS. 1A and 1B, respectively. FIG. 2B shows the first movable piece 12 except for a part of the miniSD card 20. ing. When the miniSD card 20 is inserted into the slot 16, the first contact terminal 14 is pressed downward on the lower surface of the tip portion of the miniSD card 20, and when the entire miniSD card 20 is inserted into the slot 16. , Contacts the electrode 21 of the miniSD card 20. As a result, information in the miniSD card 20 is read and written via the first contact terminal 14. When the miniSD card 20 is inserted, the state of the first and second movable pieces 12 and 13 does not change.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the MS-Duo card 30 is inserted into the connector device of the above embodiment, and FIGS. 3 (a) and (b) correspond to FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), respectively. . When the MS-Duo card 30 is inserted into the slot 16, the tip of the card 30 presses the protrusion 12a of the first movable piece 12 in the card insertion direction, so that the tip of the first movable piece 12 is the second. The engaging portion 13b of the movable piece 13 is pushed, and the second movable piece 13 is rotated by approximately 90 °. When the second movable piece 13 is rotated by 90 °, the first contact terminal 14 is pushed down by the action portion 13 c and discharged out of the slot 16. For this reason, the first contact terminal 14 allows the MS-Duo card 30 to pass through without contacting the MS-Duo card 30 and its electrode 31.

  When the MS-Duo card 30 is further inserted, the first movable piece 12 is pushed further by the MS-Duo card 30 and the front end thereof is positioned at the front end in the insertion direction in the slot 16. In this state, the second contact terminal 15 contacts the electrode 31 of the MS-Duo card 30, and information in the MS-Duo card 30 is read and written via the second contact terminal 15. When the MS-Duo card 30 is pulled out, the first movable piece 12 returns to the original position via the elastic member, and the tip of the first movable piece 12 passes through the engaging portion 13b of the second movable piece 13. Then, the second movable piece 13 also returns to the original state. As a result, the first contact terminal 14 also returns to the original state.

  As described above, when the MS-Duo card 30 is inserted, the first contact terminal 14 does not come into contact with the MS-Duo card 30. For this reason, the malfunction that a card reader causes malfunctioning by the misconnection of the MS-Duo card | curd 30 or the MS-Duo card | curd 30 is damaged by the 1st contact terminal 14 does not generate | occur | produce.

  FIG. 4A shows a plan view of the connector device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4B and 4C show a state in which a card is not inserted and an MS-Duo, respectively. The 1st and 2nd movable pieces 12 and 13 in the state in which the card | curd 30 was inserted are shown with the fragmentary sectional view. The second embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except for the configuration of the second movable piece 13. In the present embodiment, the second movable piece 13 is configured as a rod-like member having a trapezoidal cross section as a whole, and a slope 13d whose surface facing the first movable piece 12 is inclined upward in the insertion direction. Formed. The second movable piece 13 is supported by a guide groove 18 formed on the side wall of the slot 16 and extending in the card thickness direction so that the shaft portions 13e at both ends are slidable.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B show the operation at the time of inserting the miniSD card 20 in the second embodiment, similarly to FIGS. 2A and 2B. In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the miniSD card 20 is inserted, the first and second movable pieces 12 and 13 do not move, and the first contact terminal as in the first embodiment. 14 contacts the electrode 21 of the miniSD card 20.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B show the operation when the MS-Duo card 30 is inserted in the second embodiment, respectively, as in FIGS. 3A and 3B. When the MS-Duo card 30 is inserted, the first movable piece 12 is pushed in the insertion direction and presses the inclined surface 13d of the second movable piece 13, so that the second movable piece 13 extends along the guide groove 18. As a result, the whole slides downward and presses the first contact terminal 14 downward at the lower end of the inclined surface 13d. For this reason, the first contact terminal 14 is discharged out of the slot 16. Other operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B show a connector device according to the third embodiment of the present invention in the same manner as FIGS. 1A and 1B showing the first embodiment. Moreover, FIG.1 (c) has shown the structure of the 1st and 2nd movable member in CC cross section in the figure (a). This embodiment has the same configuration as the first and second embodiments except for the configuration of the first and second movable pieces 12 and 13.

  The first movable piece 12 is formed in a U shape by connecting a pair of rod-like pieces 12b by a rod-like piece 12c at the front end as a whole, and a groove 12d is formed on the side surface of the pair of rod-like pieces 12b, and the pair A side groove 12d at each tip 12e of the rod-like piece 12b is formed as a slant groove that rises forward along the card insertion direction. The first movable piece 12 is movable in the card insertion direction when the front-end bar-like piece 12c is pressed by the tip of the card. When the card is pulled out, the card can be moved in the opposite direction by the elastic member.

  The second movable piece 13 has a shape in which both ends of the rod-shaped piece are folded back, the folded portion 13g is engaged with the side groove 12d of the first movable piece 12, and the main body portion 13f of the rod-shaped piece is the first piece. The action part which presses down the contact terminal 14 of this is comprised. The side portions at both ends of the second movable piece 13 are accommodated in guide grooves 18 formed in the slots 16 and extending in the thickness direction of the card. The second movable piece 13 is accommodated in the card by the guide grooves 18. It can move in the thickness direction.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B show the operation at the time of insertion of the miniSD card 20 in the third embodiment, similarly to FIGS. 2A and 2B. In the present embodiment, as in the previous embodiment, when the miniSD card 20 is inserted, the first movable piece 12 does not move, and the first contact terminal 14 contacts the electrode 21 of the miniSD card 20.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B show the operation at the time of insertion of the MS-Duo card 30 in the third embodiment, similarly to FIGS. 3A and 3B. When the MS-Duo card 30 is inserted, the first movable piece 12 is pressed in the insertion direction, and the second movable piece 13 is guided by the folded portion 13g engaged with the side groove 12d of the first movable piece 12. It moves downward along the groove 18. For this reason, the second movable piece 13 presses the first contact terminal 14 downward by its action portion 13 f, and the first contact terminal 14 is discharged out of the slot 16. Other operations are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the second movable piece 13 is moved downward by the engagement of the side groove and the folded portion. However, a slope is formed on the pair of rod-like members 12b of the first movable piece 12, and the slope is formed by the slope. The second movable piece 13 may be moved downward.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the preferred embodiment, the memory card connector device of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made from the configuration of the above embodiment. Further, modifications and changes are also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, each configuration described as a preferred aspect of the present invention or each configuration described in the embodiment is preferably used together with the essential configuration of the present invention, but about a configuration that exhibits a beneficial effect even when used alone. However, it is not always necessary to use all the configurations described as the essential configurations of the present invention.

(A) is a top view inside the slot of the connector apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a BB arrow line view of (a), (c) shows a 2nd movable piece. CC sectional drawing. (A) And (b) is a figure similar to FIG. 1 (a) and (b) of the connector apparatus of FIG. 1, respectively with the miniSD card inserted. (A) And (b) is a figure similar to Fig.1 (a) and (b) of the connector apparatus of FIG. 1 in which the MS-Duo card | curd was inserted, respectively. (A) is a top view inside a slot of a connector device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention, and (b) and (c) are partial sectional views showing details of the 1st and 2nd movable pieces, respectively. (A) And (b) is the top view and sectional drawing inside the slot of the connector apparatus of FIG. (A) And (b) is the top view and sectional drawing inside the slot of the connector apparatus of FIG. 4 in which the MS-Duo card was inserted, respectively. (A) is a top view inside a slot of a connector device concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a BB arrow line view of (a), (c) is C- in figure (a). C sectional drawing. (A) And (b) is a figure similar to FIG. 7 (a) and (b) of the connector apparatus of FIG. 7, respectively with the miniSD card inserted. (A) And (b) is a figure similar to FIG. 7 (a) and (b) of the connector apparatus of FIG. 7, respectively with the MS-Duo card inserted. (A) And (b) is the top view and sectional drawing of a miniSD card, respectively. (A) And (b) is the top view and sectional drawing of a MS-Duo card, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10A, 10B: connector device 11: housing 12: first movable pieces 12a to 12e: first movable piece portion 13: second movable pieces 13a to 13g: second movable piece portion 14: first 1 contact terminal 15: second contact terminal 16: slot 17: card insertion slot 18: guide groove 20: miniSD card 21: electrode 22: notch 30: MS-Duo card 31: electrode 32: notch

Claims (8)

A slot into which both the first memory card and a second memory card longer than the first memory card can be inserted, and a first contact terminal that can contact an electrode formed on the first memory card And a second contact terminal that can come into contact with an electrode formed on the second memory card, the first and second contact terminals extending along the insertion direction of the first and second memory cards. A memory card connector device arranged so as to be exposed in the slot sequentially,
When the first memory card is inserted, it is not engaged with the first memory card, and when the second memory card is inserted, the first memory card is engaged with the second memory card. A memory card comprising a control member disposed and displaced by engagement with the second memory card to avoid contact between the first contact terminal and the electrode of the second memory card Connector device.   The control member includes a first movable member that is pressed in the insertion direction of the card by insertion of the second memory card, and a first contact that is pressed in the insertion direction by the first movable member. The memory card connector device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second movable member that pushes the terminal out of the slot in a direction intersecting the insertion direction.   The said 2nd movable member has an engaging part pressed in the said insertion direction by the said 1st movable member, and rotates around an axis | shaft by the movement to the said insertion direction of this engaging part. The memory card connector device according to claim 1.   The second movable member has a slope that is pressed in the insertion direction by the first movable member, and the control member further has a slope when the slope of the second movable member is pressed in the insertion direction. The memory card connector device according to claim 2, further comprising a guide mechanism that guides the second movable member in a thickness direction of the card.   The first movable member has an inclined surface that engages with the second movable member and is pressed in the insertion direction by a second memory card, and the control member further includes the first movable member. The memory card connector device according to claim 2, further comprising a guide mechanism that guides the second movable member in a thickness direction of the card when a slope is pressed in the insertion direction.   The memory card connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first memory card is a miniSD card and the second memory card is a memory stick duo.   The memory card connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first memory card is an SD card and the second memory card is a memory stick.   A card reader comprising the memory card connector device according to claim 1.

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