JP2006185677A - Slot for express card - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a slot for an Express Card with a guide mechanism which can be connected to a connector correctly without causing positional deviation, or does not cause connection failure of the connector when the narrow Express Card is inserted into the slot for the Express Card equipped with a common use connector. <P>SOLUTION: A guide member 11 in which a guide part 16 is formed at a position of width of the narrow Express Card from the guide part 8a of the connector 8 of a slot case frame 9 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 12 installed at the slot case frame 9. Usually, a winding spring 13 for closing the slot 3 excluding an inserting port 10 for the narrow Express Card in the slot by the guide member 11 is installed at the shaft 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an Express Card slot that allows use of narrow and wide Express Cards.

  Conventional PC cards were connected to card-compatible electronic devices using the PCI bus, but in December last year, PCI Express, which has a faster transfer speed than the PCI bus, was developed. In addition, a narrow Express Card and a wide Express Card were standardized by PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) and inserted into a common slot for use.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, there are two types of Express Cards, “Express Card / 34” 1a having a width of 34 mm and “Express Card / 54” 1b having a width of 54 mm, which are inserted into a common card connector 8 having a width of 54 mm. Used.

Therefore, when the Express Card 1a having a narrow width of 34 mm is connected to the connector 8, a space of W width is vacated between the Express Card 1a and the guide portion 8b of the connector 8 as shown in FIG. If the narrow Express Card 1a is not inserted into the slot provided with the connector 8 with care when connecting the connector 8, the Express Card 1a remains inclined as shown in FIG. There is a risk of poor contact with the terminals.
December 2003 Published by PCMCIA Express CARD Standard Release 1.0 (Document NO.1203-01-1500)

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a guide mechanism that, when inserting a narrow Express Card into an Express Card slot having a shared connector, can be correctly inserted without causing a positional shift and does not cause poor contact with the connector. It is an object to provide a slot for an attached Express Card.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the first invention is an Express Card slot that uses two types of Express Cards having different widths. The slot for the Express Card is provided with guide means that serves as an edge guide and is retracted upward or downward by being pushed away by the wide Express Card when a wide Express Card is inserted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Express Card slot characterized in that the guide means according to the first aspect of the present invention is hinged to the upper or lower portion of the slot device frame on the opening / closing lid.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Express Card slot characterized in that the guide means according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided rotatably at the upper or lower portion of the slot device frame.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Express Card slot characterized in that the guide means of the first aspect of the invention is provided so as to be able to protrude and retract into the slot from the upper part or the lower part of the slot device frame.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Express Card slot characterized in that a F-shaped leaf spring is used as the guide means of the first aspect.

  A sixth invention is an Express Card slot characterized in that the guide means of the first invention has an opening / closing lid shape hinged to the side of the slot, and a guide portion is provided at the inner free end.

  According to the present invention, the narrow Express Card / 34 can be securely connected to the connector without causing a positional shift by the guide means, and in the case of the wide Express Card / 54, the Express Card itself inserted into the slot. And can be retracted upward or downward and connected to the connector without any trouble.

  FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment when the present invention is applied to a notebook personal computer. Reference numeral 3 denotes a slot provided on a side surface 9 of a slot device frame incorporated in the notebook personal computer 2.

  FIG. 4A is a plan view of the Express Card 1a designed for this embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing its configuration. The Express Card slot 3 of the notebook computer 2 and USB 2.0 or PCI Express. As shown in FIG. 4B, it is configured to be used as a memory card adapter that can use a plurality of memory cards such as a memory stick 4, an MMC card 5, an SD card 6, and an XD card 7, for example. Yes.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the notebook computer 2, 3 is a slot provided in the slot device frame 9 incorporated in the notebook computer 2, 10 is an insertion slot for the narrow Express Card 1a, and 11 is the slot device. An open / close lid-shaped guide member hinged on the upper part of the frame 9 and opened backward. The guide member 11 is provided so as to close the slot except the insertion slot of the Express Card 1a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide member 11 is bent backward on both sides to form the guide portion 16 of the Express Card 1a on the insertion port 10 side of the Express Card 1a, and the upper portion of the slot device frame as shown in FIG. The shafts 12, 12 provided on the shaft 3 are rotatably mounted, and are usually mounted so that one side of the slot 3 is closed by a winding spring 13. Reference numeral 14 denotes a locking portion of the winding spring 13.

  Since it is configured as described above, when the narrow Express Card 1a is inserted into the slot 3, it is inserted into the insertion slot 10. In this case, the Express Card 1a is regulated and guided by the guide portion 16 of the guide member 11 as shown in FIG.

  When the wide Express Card 1b is inserted into the slot 3, the guide member 11 is pushed away as shown in FIG. 8B, retracted upward, and connected to the connector 8 without any trouble. When the Express Card 1 b is pulled out from the slot 3, the guide member 11 is returned by the winding spring 13 to close one side of the slot 3.

  The advantage of this embodiment is that one side of the slot 3 is closed and the insertion slot of the narrow Express Card 1a becomes clear at a glance, so that the user can insert the Express Card 1a without losing the insertion position. is there. In this embodiment, the guide member 11 is configured to retract upward when the Express Card 1b is inserted, but may be retracted downward.

  9 to 12 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a front view, FIG. 10 is a plan view, and FIG. 11 is a plan view, front view, and side view showing the structure of a guide member. .

10 and 11, 17 is a slot device frame, 18 is a slot, 19 is a guide member, 20 and 20 are stoppers provided on the upper portion of the guide member, and 21 is a retraction of the guide member 19 provided on the slot device frame 17. As shown in FIG. 11, the guide member 19 is provided with stoppers 20, 20, a shaft hole 22, and a swing-promoting inclined portion 23, and the shaft hole 22 is connected to a shaft 24 provided in the slot device frame 17. It is worn.

  9 and 10, the guide member 19 is provided at a position away from the guide portion 8a of the connector 8 by the width of the Express Card 1a, that is, a position that restricts the insertion of the Express Card 1a. When inserted, both ends are guided by the guide portion 8a and the guide member 19 of the connector 8 as shown in FIG. Since the Express Card 1a after being inserted is held between the guide portion 8a and the guide member 19, no positional deviation occurs.

  Next, when the wide Express Card 1b is inserted into the slot 18, the Express Card 1b presses the inclined portion 23 of the guide member 19 to rotate the guide member 19 upward about the shaft 24 as shown in FIG. The guide portion 19 escapes to the retraction hole 21 and can be connected to the connector 8 without hindering insertion of the Express Card 1b. When the Express Card 1b is pulled out from the slot 18, the guide member 19 returns to the state shown in FIG. 12A due to its own weight, and the guide member 19 is locked to the upper surface of the slot device frame 17 by the stopper 20, and FIG. ) Does not rotate downward from the position shown in FIG.

  13 to 16 show an embodiment of the third invention of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a front view, FIG. 14 is a plan view, and FIG. 15 is a plan view, front view, and side view showing the structure of a guide member. It is.

In this embodiment, the guide member is swung in the second embodiment, but it is an elevating type, and the position where the guide member is provided is the same, but the structure of the guide member and its elevating chamber are provided. The point is different.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a lifting chamber 30 is provided on the upper surface of the slot frame 25, and a guide member 27 as shown in FIG.

13 to 15, 25 is a slot device frame, 26 is a slot, 27 is provided with swinging portions 28 and 28 projecting from the upper part of both sides, and the swinging portions 28 and 28 are provided in the lifting chamber 30. The guide member engaged with the grooves 30a, 30a is provided with a sliding promotion inclined portion 29.

  Since it is configured as described above, when the Express Card 1a is inserted into the slot 26, both ends of the Express Card 1a are guided by the guide portion 8a and the guide member 27 of the connector 8 as shown in FIG. Since the Express Card 1a is sandwiched between the guide portion 8a and the guide member 27, it is not misaligned.

  Next, when inserting the wide Express Card 1b into the slot 26, the Express Card 1b presses the inclined portion 29 of the guide member 27 as shown in FIG. By sliding and pushing up, the Express Card 1b can be inserted without interfering with the insertion and connected to the connector 8. When the Express Card 1b is pulled out of the slot 26, the guide member 27 is lowered by its own weight and returns to the state shown in FIG. The sliding portions 29 of the guide member 27 are locked at the bottom of the guide groove 30a, and the guide member 27 never falls below the position shown in FIG.

  17 to 20 show an embodiment of the fourth invention of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a front view, FIG. 18 is a plan view, and FIG. 19 is a plan view, front view, and side view showing the structure of a guide member. It is.

  In the fourth embodiment, the guide members in all of the first to third embodiments are movable, whereas the F-shaped plate spring is fixed as a guide member.

That is, when the F-shaped plate spring 33 as shown in FIG. 19 is fixed to the top of the inner surface of the slot device frame 31 and the Express Card 1a having a narrow side surface is inserted as shown in FIG. When the wide Express Card 1b is inserted, the inclined hanging portion 34 of the leaf spring 33 can be pushed away and inserted.

According to this structure, it is possible to provide a slot that solves the problem at low cost because it has the same functions as those of the first to third embodiments and has a simple structure.

  21 and 22 are views showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a transverse plan view, and FIG. 22 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view showing the structure of the guide member.

  In the fifth embodiment, the guide member is provided so as to be opened on the inner upper side of the slot device frame, whereas it is opened on the inner side toward the guide portion of the connector. .

  In FIG. 21, 35 is a slot device frame, 36 is a slot, 37 is a guide member provided with a guide portion 38 at its end, 42a and 42b are guide portions of the connector 42, 39 is a shaft hole provided in the guide member 37, 41 Is a winding spring, and 43 is a recess in which a guide member 37 provided in the guide portion 42b of the connector 42 is retracted.

  The guide member 37 is hinged so that the shaft 40 provided in the slot device frame 35 is inserted into the shaft hole 39 provided on the outer side so as to open to the inside of the slot device frame 35. It has a structure that closes one side.

  As described above, when the narrow Express Card 1a is inserted into the slot 36, the guide portions 38 of the guide member 37 together with the guide portions 42a of the connector 42 guide both sides of the Express Card 1a. 42 is connected correctly.

  When inserting the wide Express Card 1b into the slot 36, the Express Card 1b pushes the guide member 37, the guide member 37 rotates about the shaft 40, and retracts into the recess 43 provided in the connector 42 to guide the guide member 37. 37 can be connected to the connector 8 without being obstructed.

  When the Express Card 1b is removed from the slot 36, the guide member 37 is returned to the position shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the first to fourth embodiments, the hinge portion of the guide member is provided on the upper surface of the slot device frame, but may be provided on the lower surface of the slot device frame. In this case, however, it is needless to say that an elastic member such as a spring that biases the guide member upward is required.

Explanatory drawing which showed the connection method of two types of Express Card and a connector from which width differs. It is explanatory drawing which shows the connection state of a narrow ExpressCard and a connector, (a) is a normal state figure, (b) is a position shift state figure. The perspective view of the Example at the time of applying 1st invention to a notebook personal computer. It is explanatory drawing which shows a narrow ExpressCard, (a) is a top view, (b) is a block diagram which shows an internal structure. The enlarged front view of the principal part in 1st Example of this invention. The structure of the guide member in 1st Example of this invention is shown, (a) is an enlarged plan view, (b) is an enlarged front view, (c) is an enlarged side view. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a first embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of the guide member in the 1st Example of this invention, (a) is a cutaway side view when the narrow Express Card 1a is inserted, (b) is the case where the wide Express Card 1b is inserted A cut-away side view. The front view of the 2nd Example of this invention. The top view of the 2nd Example of this invention. The structure of the guide member in the 2nd Example of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side view. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement state of the guide member in 2nd Example of this invention, (a) is a case where narrow ExpressCard1a is inserted, (b) is a case where wide ExpressCard1b is inserted. The front view of the 3rd Example of this invention. The top view of the 3rd Example of this invention. The structure of the guide member in the 3rd Example of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side view. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of the guide member in 3rd Example of this invention, (a) is a cutaway side view at the time of inserting the narrow Express Card 1a, (b) is the case where the wide Express Card 1b is inserted FIG. The front view of the 4th Example of this invention. The top view of the 4th Example of this invention. The structure of the guide member in the 4th example of the present invention is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side view. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of the guide member in 4th Example of this invention, (a) is a cutaway side view at the time of inserting the narrow Express Card 1a, (b) is the case where the wide Express Card 1b is inserted A cut-away side view. The cross-sectional top view of the 5th Example of this invention. The structure of the guide member in the 5th Example of this invention is shown, (a) is an enlarged plan view, (b) is an enlarged front view, (c) is an enlarged side view.

Explanation of symbols

1a, 1b Express Card
3 slots
8 Connector 8a, 8b, 16 Guide part
9 Slot frame
10 insertion slot
11 Guide members
12 axes
13 Winding spring
14 Locking part

Claims (6)

In an Express Card slot that uses two types of Express Cards with different widths, it serves as a guide for the inner edge when inserting a narrow Express Card, and when inserting a wide Express Card, A slot for an Express Card, characterized in that it is provided with guide means for being pushed away and retreated by the Card. 2. The slot for an Express Card according to claim 1, wherein the guide means is hinged to the upper or lower portion of the slot device frame in the shape of an open / close lid. 2. The slot for an Express Card according to claim 1, wherein the guide means is rotatably provided at an upper part or a lower part of the slot device frame. 2. The slot for an Express Card according to claim 1, wherein the guide means is provided so as to be able to protrude and retract into the slot from an upper part or a lower part of the slot device frame. 2. The slot for an Express Card according to claim 1, wherein a F-shaped leaf spring is used as the guide means. 2. The slot for an Express Card according to claim 1, wherein the guide means has an opening / closing lid shape hinged to the side of the slot, and a guide portion is provided at the inner free end.

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