JP2007041986A - Card reader/writer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a card reader/writer that can be made compact without requiring soldering work. <P>SOLUTION: The card reader/writer comprises a holding member 4 having a card insertion slot formed on the front part, a card reception space formed inside while communicating with the card insertion slot, a chip mounting part 47 formed almost at a center part and a connector part 46 formed at the rear part; a plurality of card side contacts 5 mounted on the holding member 4 and brought into contact with card side terminals of an inserted memory card to be electrically connected, wherein card contact parts 5a of one end side project into the card reception space; a plurality of connector side contacts 6 mounted on the holding member 4, wherein connector contact parts 6a of one end side extend to the connector part 46; and one IC chip 8 having connection terminals 8a corresponding to the contacts of the card side and the connector side, wherein the connection terminals 8a are electrically connected to chip contact parts 5b and 6b of the contacts when mounted on the chip mounting part 47, and for controlling data to be read and written from/to the memory card. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a card reader / writer that accepts and holds a memory card and enables reading and writing of data.

  Memory cards are used as external storage media such as portable information terminals, mobile phones, and digital still cameras. However, the memory cards have been increased in capacity and reduced in size as the degree of integration of memory chips has increased. A card reader / writer is used to read / write data from / to this memory card by an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer.

  The card reader / writer has a card connector for receiving a memory card and an external connector (for example, a USB connector) for connecting to an information processing apparatus, and by an electronic component such as an integrated circuit or a capacitor attached on a circuit board, The memory card and the information processing apparatus are electrically connected, and the reading / writing of data is controlled (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Registered Utility Model No. 3108147 (2nd page, Fig. 1)

  However, even if the memory card itself is reduced in size, the card reader / writer needs the circuit board and the electronic components described above, so that the size of the card reader / writer is limited to the size of the circuit board. there were. Moreover, in order to attach an electronic component to a circuit board, soldering is necessary, and there is a problem that it may affect the environment.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a card reader / writer that can be miniaturized without requiring a soldering operation.

  In order to solve the above problems, a card reader / writer according to the present invention is formed in a card insertion slot formed in the front part, a card receiving space formed in the inside in communication with the card insertion slot, and formed in a substantially central part. A housing (for example, holding member 4 in the embodiment) having a chip mounting portion and a connector portion formed at the rear portion, and attached to the housing, and one end (for example, card contact portion 5a in the embodiment) is received by the card. A plurality of card-side contacts that protrude into the space and are electrically connected in contact with the card-side terminal of the memory card inserted from the card insertion slot, and one end (for example, the connector contact portion in the embodiment) 6a) corresponds to a plurality of connector-side contacts, card-side contacts and connector-side contacts extending to the connector section. The connection terminal has a connection terminal and is electrically connected to the other end of the card side contact and the connector side contact (for example, the chip contact portions 5b and 6b in the embodiment) when the connection terminal is attached to the chip attachment portion. It is composed of one IC chip that controls reading and writing of data with respect to the card.

  In the card reader / writer according to the present invention, the chip mounting portion is substantially the same size as the IC chip and is formed in a concave shape in the housing, and the other end of the card side contact is directed rearward from the front side surface of the chip mounting portion. It is mounted so that it protrudes, and the other end of the connector side contact is mounted so as to protrude forward from the rear side surface of the chip mounting portion, and when the IC chip is inserted into the chip mounting portion, the card Preferably, the other end of the side contact and the connector side contact is electrically connected to the connection terminal, and the IC chip is sandwiched and held by the other end of the card side contact and the connector side contact.

  In such a card reader / writer, the connector portion preferably constitutes a USB connector.

  When the card reader / writer according to the present invention is configured as described above, the number of electronic components is reduced by integrating the electronic components for controlling the reading and writing of data with respect to the memory card as an IC chip. The card reader / writer can be miniaturized as unnecessary.

  In addition, since the IC chip is held by the card side contact and the connector side contact, soldering is not required, so that the number of work steps can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and solder is not used. Thus, the influence on the environment can be eliminated.

  Furthermore, the application range of this card reader / writer can be expanded by using a USB connector as the connector portion.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a memory card is detachably held, and a card having an interface (in this embodiment, a case having a USB connector) for connecting to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer is described. The mode of a reader / writer is shown. As shown in FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the directions indicated by the arrows will be described as front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions.

  The card reader / writer 1 is configured so that the memory card 9 can be inserted and removed through a card insertion slot 21 opened on the front surface, and has a USB connector 30 extending rearward at the rear part. The card reader / writer 1 includes a case member 2, a shield member 3, a holding member 4, a plurality (eight in the case of the memory card 9 according to this embodiment), a plurality of card side contacts 5, and a plurality (in the case of this embodiment, USB). The connector side contact 6, the cover member 7, and the IC chip 8 are provided. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the memory card 9 attached to the card reader / writer 1 has a flat plate shape with a small thickness and a stamp size. A plurality of (in this case, eight) card-side terminals 9a are provided on the lower surface so as to be arranged side by side with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The card side terminal 9a is electrically connected to a memory mechanism (not shown) built in the memory card 9 so that data can be read and written.

  The holding member 4 is made of an insulating material such as resin, and the card receiving portion 42, the chip holding portion 43, and the connector portion 46 are integrally formed from the front to the rear. The card receiving portion 42 has a card receiving port 41 formed in the front, and a card receiving space 42 a communicating with the card receiving port 41 is formed inside. The chip holding portion 43 has substantially the same vertical thickness continuously from the card receiving portion 42. On the lower surface of the chip holding portion 43, a chip mounting portion 47 is formed which is opened downward and formed in a concave shape. The inner shape of the chip mounting portion 47 is substantially the same size as the outer shape of the IC chip 8. Is formed. The connector portion 46 includes a base portion 46a formed continuously from the chip holding portion 43 and a connection portion 46b extending rearward from the lower portion of the base portion 46a, and extends rearward in an L shape in a side view. Is formed. The left and right dimensions of the card receiving portion 42, the chip holding portion 43, and the connector portion 46 are formed to be substantially the same size.

  Further, on the lower surface side of the holding member 4, a plurality of card side contact mounting grooves 44 extending forward from the chip mounting portion 47 are formed in the chip holding portion 43 side by side in the left-right direction (the number of the card side contacts 5 is Similarly, a plurality of connector side contact mounting grooves 45 extending rearward from the chip holding portion 43 are formed side by side in the left-right direction (four corresponding to the connector side contacts 6). At this time, the horizontal spacing of the card side contact mounting grooves 44 is formed to be substantially the same as the horizontal spacing of the card side terminals 9a of the memory card 9, and the horizontal spacing of the connector side contact mounting grooves 45 is USB. It is formed at intervals according to the standard. The front side of the card side contact mounting groove 44 penetrates in the vertical direction and communicates with the card receiving space 42a. The connector-side contact mounting groove 45 passes through a base portion 46a of the connector portion 46 and communicates with a mounting groove (not shown) formed on the upper surface side of the connection portion 46b.

  The card-side contact 5 is formed by bending a conductive metal having elasticity, and is configured to be press-fitted and attached to the card-side contact attachment groove 44. The base portion to be press-fitted into the card-side contact attachment groove 44 5c, a card contact portion 5a that extends forward from the front portion of the base portion 5c and protrudes upward, and a chip contact portion 5b that extends rearward from the rear portion of the base portion 5c and is bent upward and has a tip portion protruding rearward. . Therefore, when the base portion 5c is press-fitted into the card side contact mounting groove 44, the card contact portion 5a protrudes into the card receiving space 42a, and the chip contact portion 5b extends upward from the lower end of the front side portion of the chip mounting portion 47. At the same time, the tip portion protrudes rearward from the front side portion into the chip mounting space 47 a surrounded by the chip mounting portion 47.

  The connector-side contact 6 is formed by bending a conductive metal having elasticity, and is configured to be press-fitted and attached to the connector-side contact attachment groove 45. 6c, a tip contact portion 6b that extends forward from the front portion of the base portion 6c and is bent upward, and a tip portion protrudes forward, and a connector contact portion 6a that extends rearward from the rear portion of the base portion 6c. Therefore, when the base portion 6c is press-fitted into the connector side contact mounting groove 45, the connector contact portion 6a passes through the base portion 46a of the connector portion 46 and is attached along the groove on the upper surface of the contact portion 46b, and the chip contact portion 6b is The rear side portion of the chip mounting portion 47 extends upward from the lower end, and the tip end portion projects forward from the rear side portion into the chip mounting space 47a.

  The IC chip 8 has functions of a plurality of electronic components that perform control for reading and writing data with respect to the memory card 9 in a single chip. The same number as the side contacts 5 and the same number as the card side contact mounting grooves 44 and the same number as the card side contact mounting grooves 44 and the connector side contacts 6 and the connector side contact mounting. It has connector side connection terminals (not shown) arranged at the same horizontal spacing as the groove 45. The IC chip 8 is inserted and attached to the chip attachment portion 47 of the holding member 4 so that the card side connection terminal 8a contacts the chip contact portion 5b of the card side contact 5, and a connector side connection terminal (not shown) is connected to the connector side. The IC chip 8, the card side contact 5, and the connector side contact 6 are electrically connected in contact with the chip contact portion 6 b of the contact 6. In the state where the IC chip 8 is attached to the chip attachment portion 47, the chip contact portions 5b and 6b of the card side contact 5 and the connector side contact 6 are pushed forward in the front-rear direction, so that the chip contact portion 5b. 6b is urged to the IC chip 8 and is held by the urging force, and the IC chip 8 is held in a state where it is mounted in the chip mounting portion 47.

  The cover member 7 is formed of an insulating material and is attached to the lower surface of the holding member 4. The card side contact 5, the connector side contact 6, and the IC chip 8 attached to the holding member 4 are attached to the cover member 7. It is configured to cover from below. As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the cover member 7 is swingably attached to a shaft portion 48 protruding in the left-right direction from the rear side portion of the chip holding portion 43, and the cover member 7 is swung forward. Then, the claw portion 49 formed to protrude in the left-right direction on the front side portion of the chip holding portion 43 and the engagement hole 71 formed on the front side portion of the cover member 7 are engaged and fixed to the holding member 4. It is configured to be. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover member 7 can be configured to be mounted by swinging in the left-right direction. Alternatively, the cover member 7 can be configured by a single plate as shown in FIG. good. In the case of a single plate as shown in FIG. 7, the cover member 7 is sandwiched and held between the shield member 3 and the holding member 4 as will be described later.

  The shield member 3 is configured such that a rigid metal material is formed in a cylindrical shape having a rectangular cross section penetrating in the front-rear direction, and the holding member 4 is inserted and held therein. The shield member 3 includes a connector side portion 31 that covers the connector portion 46 of the holding member 4 and a card side portion 32 that covers the card receiving portion 42 and the chip holding portion 43 of the holding member 4. Further, the inner dimension of the connector-side holding section 31 of the shield member 3 in the left-right direction cross section is formed to be substantially the same as the outer dimension of the connector section 46 (base 46 a) of the holding member 4. The inner dimension of the side holding part 32 is formed to be approximately the same as the outer dimension of the card receiving part 42 of the holding member 4 and is formed in an L shape in a side view. Moreover, the front-rear direction dimensions of the shield member 3 and the holding member 4 are formed to be substantially the same size.

  Then, the holding member 4 is inserted into the rear end portion of the shield member 3 from the front end portion, and the holding member 4 is attached to the shield member 3. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the front and rear ends of the shield member 3 and the holding member 4 coincide with each other in plan view. Further, a connector receiving space 47 is formed which is surrounded by the upper surface of the contact portion 46b of the connector portion 46 constituting the holding member 4 and the inner peripheral surface of the connector side holding portion 31 of the shield member 3 and is opened to the rear side. The connector side holding portion 31 and the contact portion 46b constitute a USB connector (female connector) 30. The shield member 3 shields the card-side contact 5, the connector-side contact 6, the IC chip 8, and the card memory 9 mounted in the card receiving space 42a from external noise. It is formed by bending a plate.

  The case member 2 is made of an insulating material such as resin or plastic, and includes an upper case half 2a and a lower case half 2b. The case member 2 is attached so as to cover the front side of the card side holding portion 32 and the connector side holding portion 31 of the shield member 3 with the upper and lower case halves 2a and 2b, and the case member 2 is attached. In this state, the card insertion slot 21 formed in the front part and the card receiving slot 41 are configured to coincide with each other, and the connector side holding part 31 protruding rearward from the case member 2 constitutes the USB connector 30. To do.

  When the memory card 9 is inserted into the card reader / writer 1, the card contact portion 5a of the card side contact 5 in which the card side terminal 9a of the memory card 9 inserted into the card receiving space 42a protrudes into the card receiving space 42a. The card side terminal 9a and the card side contact 5 are electrically connected. When the USB connector 30 is connected to the USB socket of the information processing apparatus, the connector side contact 6 is electrically connected to the contact in the USB socket of the information processing apparatus. Then, the IC chip 8 performs control to read / write the memory card 9 based on a control signal transmitted from the information processing device via the connector side contact 6.

  The main effects of the card reader / writer 1 configured as described above can be summarized as follows. First, the number of electronic components can be reduced and the card reader / writer 1 is made unnecessary by reducing the number of electronic components by integrating the electronic components for controlling reading and writing of data with respect to the memory card 9 into the IC chip 8. Can be downsized. As shown in the present embodiment, when the USB connector 30 is connected to the information processing apparatus, the horizontal dimension of the card reader / writer 1 is changed to the USB connector 30 when the horizontal dimension of the memory card 9 is reduced. The size can be reduced to substantially the same size as the horizontal dimension (about 10 mm).

  Second, the card reader / writer is not required for the electrical connection of the card side contact 5, the connector side contact 6, and the IC chip 8, and also for the mounting to the holding member 4. The number of assembling steps of 1 can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the influence on the environment can be eliminated by not using solder.

  If the card reader / writer 1 has a USB interface (USB connector 30) as shown in the above embodiment, the card reader / writer 1 is connected to many information processing apparatuses and the data in the memory card 9 is stored. However, the present invention is not limited to the specifications of this connector, and the information processing apparatus is provided with another interface (for example, IEEE 1394). Even if it is configured to be connected, the same effect can be obtained.

1 is a perspective view of a card reader / writer according to the present invention. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the shield member and the holding member from the lower side. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the lower side in the state which attached the contact in FIG. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the lower side when a case member is removed from a card reader / writer. It is a sectional side view of the said card reader / writer. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the shield member and holding member from the lower side at the time of comprising a cover member so that rocking in the left-right direction was carried out. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the shield member and holding member at the time of comprising a cover member with one board from the lower side.

Explanation of symbols

1 Card reader / writer 4 Holding member (housing)
5 Card side contact 5a Card contact part 5b Chip contact part 6 Connector side contact 6a Connector contact part 6b Chip contact part 8 IC chip 9 Memory card 9a Card side terminal 21 Card insertion slot 30 USB connector 42a Card receiving space 46 Connector part 47 Chip Mounting part

Claims (3)

A housing having a card insertion slot formed in the front part, a card receiving space formed in the interior in communication with the card insertion slot, a chip mounting part formed in a substantially central part, and a connector part formed in the rear part When,
A plurality of card side contacts attached to the housing, one end projecting into the card receiving space, and being electrically connected in contact with a card side terminal of a memory card inserted into the card receiving space from the card insertion slot When,
A plurality of connector-side contacts attached to the housing and having one end extending to the connector portion;
It has a connection terminal corresponding to the card side contact and the connector side contact, and when connected to the chip mounting portion, the connection terminal is electrically connected to the other end of the card side contact and the connector side contact A card reader / writer comprising a single IC chip that controls reading and writing of data with respect to the memory card. The chip mounting portion is substantially the same size as the IC chip and is formed in a concave shape in the housing,
The other end of the card side contact is attached so as to protrude rearward from the front side surface of the chip attachment portion,
The other end of the connector-side contact is configured to be attached so as to protrude forward from the rear side surface of the chip attachment portion,
When the IC chip is inserted into the chip mounting portion, the other end of the card side contact and the connector side contact is electrically connected to the connection terminal, and the card side contact and the connector side contact The card reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein the IC chip is sandwiched and held by the other end of the card reader / writer.   The card reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein the connector portion constitutes a USB connector.

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