JP2009123394A - Memory card socket - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a memory card socket capable of suppressing increase of manufacturing cost while preventing a contact from being damaged by insertion of a wrong memory card. <P>SOLUTION: Protective projecting parts 11a are protrusively provided in the vicinity of the front end parts of a plurality of contacts 10 respectively on the inner surface of a card insertion port 3a opened in the front of a socket body 3. Even when a wrong memory card which could be inserted in the card insertion port 3a is inserted in the card insertion port 3a, the wrong memory card MC' runs on to the upper side of the protective projecting part 11a. Thereby, the wrong memory card MC' is prevented from excessively pushing the contact 10 downward, and the contact 10 is prevented from being damaged. In addition, in comparison with the case in which a stopper to switch blocking of the memory card MC' and evacuation from the track of the memory card in accordance with the dimension of the inserted memory card is provided, increase of the manufacturing cost can be suppressed by simplifying the structure of this memory card socket. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a memory card socket.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided a memory card socket to which a memory card, which is a storage medium formed in a card shape, is detachably connected.

  Examples of this type of memory card socket include those shown in FIGS. In the following, the arrow ab direction in FIG. 4 is referred to as the up-down direction, the arrow cd direction in FIG. 4 is referred to as the left-right direction, and the arrow ef direction in FIG. However, the above directions are for convenience of explanation, and do not necessarily match the directions in the actual use state.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the memory card socket is flattened up and down with the card insertion slot 3 a into which the memory card MC is inserted with the thickness direction being directed up and down, and the front is opened as a whole. A rectangular parallelepiped socket body 3 is provided. That is, the direction in which the memory card MC is inserted is the backward direction, and the direction in which the memory card MC is removed is the forward direction.

  The memory card MC used in the present embodiment is an SD memory card (registered trademark), has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the thickness direction, and is inserted so as to translate in the longitudinal direction with respect to the card insertion slot 3a. Is done. To explain using the direction in the correct insertion posture, nine input / output terminals (not shown) are provided side by side at the rear end of the lower surface of the memory card MC. Each input / output terminal is exposed on the inner bottom surface of a connection recess (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the memory card MC and opened rearward. Further, a locking notch 101 that is recessed in a rectangular shape is provided on the right edge of the memory card MC. Further, a reverse insertion preventing inclined portion 102 is formed by dropping the right rear corner portion and inclining the rear surface forward toward the right. Further, on both the left and right side portions on the lower surface side of the memory card MC, step portions 103 are formed which have a lower surface width narrower than the upper surface width. Further, on the left edge of the memory card MC, there is provided a write protect switch 100 that can be manually slid back and forth to switch whether data can be written or not. The write protect switch 100 includes a switch recess 105 and a knob 104 that can be displaced back and forth within the switch recess 105 by receiving an operating force.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the socket body 3 includes a base shell 1 and a cover shell 2 each formed by punching and bending a thin stainless steel plate. The base shell 1 and the cover shell 2 are rectangular as a whole when viewed in the vertical direction. The base shell 1 constitutes the upward inner surface of the card insertion slot 3a, and the cover shell 2 faces downward of the card insertion slot 3a. Constitutes the inner surface. Further, between the base shell 1 and the cover shell 2, a contact block 4 having nine contacts 10 which are in one-to-one contact conduction with the input / output terminals of the memory card MC inserted into the card insertion slot 3a, and the card A return spring comprising a slider 5 that can be displaced back and forth with respect to the socket body 3 inside the insertion port 3a, and a compression coil spring whose axial direction is directed in the front-rear direction, and biases the slider 5 forward with respect to the contact block 4. 14 and a U-shaped cam pin 16 in which a guided portion 16a made of a rod-like member and engaged with the slider 5 and a shaft portion 16b connected to the base shell 1 project downward are arranged. . The slider 5, the return spring 14, and the cam pin 16 constitute a memory card MC insertion / extraction mechanism, which will be described later.

  Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail. The contact block 4 is made of a synthetic resin molded product, and includes a base body 7 holding nine contacts 10 side by side as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (c). The base body 7 constitutes the socket body 3 together with the base shell 1 and the cover shell 2, and a body portion 7 a constituting the rear surface of the socket body 3 by closing the rear end of the card insertion slot 3 a long in the left and right directions; It has a side part 7b protruding forward from the left end part of the main body part 7a, and has an L shape as a whole. On the front surface of the right end portion of the main body portion 7a, a spring receiving convex portion 7c that protrudes forward is formed in a cylindrical shape with the axial direction directed in the front-rear direction and inserted into the rear end portion of the return spring 14. Further, the right end portion of the side portion 7b is provided with a step portion 7d located on the lower side of the step portion 103 of the memory card MC with the upper surface positioned below the left portion.

  Each contact 10 is formed, for example, by punching and bending a metal plate, and has an elongated shape in the front-rear direction as a whole. Each contact 10 is held by the base body 7 so as to protrude forward and backward from the main body portion 7a of the base body 7 by being press-fitted into, for example, through holes formed in the main body section 7a of the base body 7 in the front-rear direction. A holding portion (not shown) held by the base body 7 and an L-shape that protrudes rearward from the holding portion and bends upward on the rear side of the base body 7 and bends rearward on the upper side of the base body 7. A terminal portion 10a, a spring portion 10b protruding forward from the held portion and elastically deformable so as to displace the front end up and down relative to the rear end; and a front portion protruding from the front end of the spring portion 10b in the front-rear direction And a contact portion 10c that is elastically contacted with the input / output terminals of the memory card MC (that is, contact conduction) on the upper surface that is bent so as to protrude upward from both front and rear end portions. The four contacts 10 at the left end and the third contact 10 from the right have the same size and shape, but the second contact 10 from the right has a shorter spring portion 10b, and conversely the fourth from the right. The fifth contact 10 has a longer spring portion 10b, and the rightmost contact 10 has the longest spring portion 10b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the base 7 is provided with the common contact plate 30 provided with the first fixed contact 41 a and the second fixed contact 42 a respectively, and the first fixed contact 41 a of the common contact plate 30. A switch for detecting the position of the knob 104 of the write protect switch 100 of the memory card MC together with the first movable contact plate 31A constituting the switch for recognizing the insertion of the memory card MC and the second fixed contact 42a of the common contact plate 30. The second movable contact plate 31B constituting each is held. On the upper surface of the side portion 7b of the base body 7, a press-fit groove 33 into which the front end portion of the common contact plate 30 is press-fitted, a press-fit groove 34 into which the front end portion of the first movable contact plate 31A is press-fitted, and a second movable member. A press-fitting groove 35 into which the front end portion of the contact plate 31B is press-fitted is provided. The press-fit groove 33 for holding the common contact plate 30 is open upward and rearward and the front end portion of the common contact plate 30 is press-fitted, and the rear end portion of the common contact plate 30 is opened upward and forward. Are provided with two press-fitting grooves 33. The press-fit grooves 34 and 35 that hold the movable contact plates 31A and 31B are opened upward and rearward, respectively.

  The common contact plate 30 and the movable contact plates 31A and 31B are formed by punching and bending a metal plate, respectively. First, the common contact plate 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, the common contact plate 30 has a shape that is long in the front-rear direction in the thickness direction in the left-right direction as a whole. 11 (a) to 11 (c) is provided with a terminal portion 30a that protrudes upward and has a tip bent leftward (upward in FIG. 11 (b)). Further, at the upper end portion of the common contact plate 30, the spring portions 41, 42 that can be elastically deformed so as to displace the front end portion to the left and right with respect to the rear end portion by separating the portions other than the rear end from other parts. Are arranged side by side. The first fixed contact 41 a protrudes rightward from the right surface of the front end portion of the rear spring portion 41, and the second fixed contact 42 a protrudes rightward from the right surface of the front end portion of the front spring portion 42. ing. Each of the fixed contacts 41a and 42a is formed as a spherical convex portion by, for example, embossing.

  Next, the movable contact plates 31A and 31B will be described. Each of the movable contact plates 31A and 31B is different only in the position in the front-rear direction, and has the same dimensional shape and orientation, so only the first movable contact plate 31A will be described with respect to the common parts. As shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, the first movable contact plate 31A includes a press-fit piece 31a that is press-fitted into the press-fit groove 34 of the base 7, and a rear side from the upper end portion of the press-fit piece 31a (see FIG. (a) to (c) on the right side) and is elastically deformable so as to displace the front end portion to the left and right with respect to the rear end portion, and above the center portion in the front-rear direction of the press-fit piece 31a. And an L-shaped terminal portion 31d having a tip portion bent to the left (upward in FIG. 12B). The rear end portion of the spring piece 31b is bent so that the right surface is a convex curved surface, and this convex curved surface protrudes into the card insertion slot 3a and elastically contacts the memory card MC. Further, a V-shaped groove 31c is provided at the rear end of the left surface of the spring portion 31b on the front side of the bent portion, and the inner surface of the V-shaped groove 31c is separated from the first fixed contact 41a. It is possible. Further, the press-fitting piece 31 a is provided with a biting convex portion 31 e that cuts and raises in the thickness direction by biting into the inner surface of the press-fitting groove 34 and improving the holding strength. In the second movable contact plate 31B, the press-fitting groove 35 into which the press-fitting piece 31a is press-fitted is in front of that of the first movable contact plate 31A, whereby the position of the V-shaped groove 31c is the second fixed contact. The first movable contact plate 31A is different from the first movable contact plate 31A only in that it is in a position where it can be separated from and attached to 42a, and the other points are common to the first movable contact plate 31A.

  Next, the base shell 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), the base shell 1 has side pieces 6a and 6b which are formed by bending upwards and are opposed to the left and right, respectively, and are formed in a U-shaped cross section as a whole. Has been. The left side piece 6b is divided into three pieces arranged in the front-rear direction, and one of the left side pieces 6b is mounted on the front end portion of the front side and the front end portion of the right side piece 6a. The convex part 6c is projected upward. Each of the placement convex portions 6 c has a front half protruding upward from the rear half, and the upper end of the rear half of the placement convex portion 6 c is located above the upper surface of the cover shell 2. The mounting convex portion 6c is mounted on the mounting surface such that the front half is inserted into a mounting surface (not shown) such as a printed wiring board and the upper end of the rear half is brought into contact with the mounting surface. The Each contact 10, fixed contact plate 30, and terminal portions 10a, 30a, 31d of each movable contact plate 31A, 31B are surface-mounted, for example, by soldering on the conductive patterns provided on the mounting surface. That is, the memory card socket is a so-called stand-off type.

  Further, four press-fitting protrusions 9 arranged in the left-right direction with the thickness direction set in the left-right direction are respectively provided on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the base shell 1 so as to project upward, and the left end portion of the base shell 1 Three press-fitting protrusions 9 arranged in the front-rear direction, each having a thickness direction in the front-rear direction, are projected upward from each other. On the lower surface of the base body 7 of the contact block 4, there are provided seven press-fit recesses 8 into which the above-mentioned seven press-fit convex portions 9 are press-fitted in a one-to-one relationship. The contact block 4 is mechanically coupled to the base shell 1 by being press-fitted.

  Further, at the rear end portion of the base shell 1, there are eight receding holes 11 each having a rectangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and the front end portion of the contact 10, that is, the contact portion 10 c and its vicinity when the contact 10 is elastically deformed. It is arranged side by side and up and down. The left withdrawal hole 11 corresponds to the two leftmost contacts 10, and the other withdrawal holes 11 correspond one-to-one to the remaining seven contacts 10, and each withdrawal hole 11 corresponds to a corresponding contact. Ten contact portions 10c are provided below.

  Further, a convex portion 1a that is located on the front side of the side portion 7b of the base body 7 of the contact block 4 and prohibits forward displacement of the contact block 4 with respect to the base shell 1 is bent at the left end portion of the front end of the base shell 1. Projecting upward.

  Next, the cover shell 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, at the rear end of the cover shell 2, a first coupling convex portion 19 protrudes downward by bending up. Further, at the rear end portion of the cover shell 2, three second coupling convex portions 20 arranged in the left and right directions are provided so as to protrude downward by being cut and raised. Further, a rectangular fitting hole 2b is vertically penetrated at the right rear end portion of the cover shell 2. In the base 7 of the contact block 4, a first coupling recess 7 e into which the first coupling projection 19 of the cover shell 2 is engaged is provided at the upper end of the rear surface of the body 7 a, and the upper end of the front surface of the body 7 a The unit is provided with three second coupling recesses 17 which are opened to the front and upward, respectively and into which the second coupling projections 20 of the cover shell 2 are respectively inserted, and are arranged side by side. A rectangular parallelepiped fitting convex portion 7e that fits into the fitting hole 2b of the cover shell 2 projects upward from the right end portion of the upper surface of 7a. That is, in the cover shell 2, the first coupling convex portion 19 and the second coupling convex portion 20 sandwich the upper end portion of the main body portion 7a of the base body 7 of the contact block 4 in the front-rear direction and contact the fitting hole 2b. The fitting projection 7e of the block 4 is mechanically coupled to the contact block 4 by fitting. Further, the cover shell 2 has a weld piece 20a that protrudes downward from the front end portion of the right end by bending and has a thickness direction directed in the left-right direction. At the right end portion of the front end of the base shell 1, a support piece 12 having an L-shaped cross section that protrudes upward and is bent backward is provided by bending, and the thickness direction of the support piece 12 is vertically changed. A welding convex portion 12b is projected to the right at the portion facing the surface, and the welding piece 20a of the cover shell 2 is fixed to the welding convex portion 12b of the base shell 1 by, for example, laser welding, thereby covering the cover shell. 2 is mechanically coupled to the base shell 1.

  In addition, two elastic contacts that are elastically deformable so that the rear end portion is displaced up and down with respect to the front end portion by separating the front end portion of the cover shell 2 from other parts. Spring pieces 21 are provided side by side on the left and right. Each elastic contact spring piece 21 has a rear end portion elastically protruding to the inside of the card insertion slot 3a, and elastically contacts the upper surface of the memory card MC to press the memory card MC downward. When the memory card MC is of a type having a ground terminal on the upper surface, each elastic contact spring piece 21 is brought into contact with the ground terminal.

  Next, the slider 5 will be described. The slider 5 is made of a synthetic resin molded product. As shown in FIGS. 15A to 15D, the main body 5a located on the right side of the memory card MC inserted into the card insertion slot 3a and the rear of the main body 5a. It has a contact portion 5b protruding leftward from the end portion and contacting the front end of the memory card MC, and is L-shaped as a whole. At the right end portion of the contact portion 5b, there is provided an inclined portion 5c whose front surface is inclined rearward toward the left and contacts the inclined portion 102 of the memory card MC. Further, a step portion 5d is provided at the left end portion of the main body portion 5a so that the upper surface is located below the other portions of the main body portion 5a and enters the lower side of the step portion 103 on the right side of the memory card MC. .

  Further, a spring receiving groove 26 having an arcuate cross section that is long in the front and rear direction and opened rearward is provided at the rear end portion of the lower surface of the main body portion 5a of the slider 5, and the spring receiving convex portion of the contact block 4 is provided at the rear end portion. 7c is inserted into the spring receiving groove 26, and the front end of the return spring 14 is brought into elastic contact with the front end (backward inner surface) of the spring receiving groove 26, so that the slider 5 contacts the contact block 4. It is biased forward.

  Further, on the lower surface of the main body portion 5a of the slider 5, a guide groove 27 is provided on the left side (the right side in FIG. 15A) of the spring receiving groove 26, which is long in the front and rear directions and opened on both the front and rear sides. On the upper surface of the right end portion of the base shell 1, two guide projections 13 that are inserted in the guide grooves 27 of the slider 5 long in the front-rear direction are projected upward by, for example, louvering, and each guide projection 13 Are positioned in the guide grooves 27, so that the slider 5 is guided to be slidable back and forth with respect to the base shell 1. Further, the vertical displacement of the slider 5 such that the guide convex portion 13 falls off from the guide groove 27 is prohibited by the slider 5 being sandwiched between the base shell 1 and the cover shell 2 in the vertical direction. Further, the slider 5 is prevented from falling backward by the contact block 4, and the slider 5 is prevented from falling forward by the support piece 12 of the base shell 1.

  Further, on the lower surface of the abutting portion 5b of the slider 5, two grooves 28 that are opened in the front-rear direction and avoid one contact portion 10c of the two rightmost contacts 10 are provided side by side. ing.

  Here, on the upper surface of the support piece 12 of the base shell 1, a bearing hole 12 a into which the shaft portion 16 b of the cam pin 16 is inserted is provided vertically. Further, a retaining piece 22 that elastically protrudes downward and elastically contacts the upper surface of the cam pin 16 to prevent the shaft portion 16b from coming off from the bearing hole 12a is cut and raised at the right front end portion of the cover shell 2. ing. As described above, the cam pin 16 is pivotally attached to the base shell 1 in a plane viewed from the vertical direction by inserting the shaft portion 16b into the bearing hole 12a from above.

  A guide groove 15 into which the guided portion 16a of the cam pin 16 is movably engaged is provided on the upper surface of the main body portion 5a of the slider 5. A heart cam 15 a having a concave portion 15 b on the front surface is projected upward on the bottom surface of the guide groove 15, and the guided portion 16 a of the cam pin 16 is counterclockwise when the periphery of the heart cam 15 a is viewed from above with the operation of the slider 5. Displace to rotate around. Further, the rear end portion can be elastically displaced up and down with respect to the front end portion at the right end portion of the cover shell 2 on the rear side of the retaining piece 22 by cutting away from the other portions except for the front end portion. A holding piece 23 is provided. The pressing piece 23 has a T-shape in which the rear end portion has a larger width dimension (left and right dimensions) than other parts. The rear end portion of the pressing piece 23 is in elastic contact with the upper surface of the cam pin 16 near the guided portion 16a and presses the cam pin 16 downward, whereby the cam pin 16 always keeps the lower end of the guided portion 16a at the bottom surface of the guide groove 15. It is made to contact | abut (upward inner surface).

  In addition, the cover shell 2 is cut and raised at the right end of the cover shell 2 so that the thickness direction is directed to the left and right, and other than the rear end is separated from other parts, so that the front end is separated from the rear end. A lock piece 24 that is elastically deformable so as to be displaced left and right is provided. The lock piece 24 has a rear end portion connected to another portion of the cover shell 2 and a lever portion 24a that is inclined to the left as a whole, and a forward projection from the front end portion of the lever portion 24a. And an engaging portion 24b bent in an arc shape to the left. A lock groove 25 in which a part of the lock piece 24 is accommodated is provided on the upper surface of the main body 5 a of the slider 5. The lock groove 25 is opened rearward and leftward, and a drive convex portion 29 is provided on the inner surface facing leftward of the lock groove 25 so as to be inclined so as to increase the protruding dimension toward the left. When the slider 5 is displaced rearward against the spring force of the return spring 14, the drive projection 29 presses the right surface of the lever portion 24a, so that the engaging portion 24b protrudes to the left side of the lock groove 25. ing.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the memory card socket when the memory card MC is inserted and removed will be described. When the memory card MC is not inserted, the slider 5 causes the front end of the body portion 5 a to abut against the support piece 12 by the spring force of the return spring 14, and the guided portion 16 a of the guide pin 16 is located behind the guide groove 15. It is engaged in a long linear part (A in FIG. 15A) before and after the end part. In this state, the drive convex portion 29 of the lock groove 25 is elastically restored without being pressed by the lock piece 24, and the engaging portion 24b is housed in the lock groove 25 and protrudes into the card insertion slot 3a. do not do. Further, the spring portions 31b of the movable contact plates 31A and 31B are all separated from the fixed contacts 41a and 42a of the common contact plate 30, and the terminal portions 30a of the common contact plate 30 and the terminal portions of the movable contact plates 31A and 31B. There is no conduction with 31d.

  When the memory card MC is inserted in the correct direction, and the slider 5 is displaced rearward (upward in FIG. 15A) against the spring force of the return spring 14 by pressing the contact portion 5b against the memory card MC. The guided portion 16a of the guide pin 16 extends from the above-described linear portion A to a portion (B in FIG. 15A) that is provided on the front side and is inclined leftward toward the front on the left side of the heart cam 15a. enter in. The inner bottom surface of the portion B is inclined upward toward the front. In FIG. 15A, there appears to be a portion branched to the right side of the heart cam 15a (F in FIG. 15A). The inner bottom surface of this portion F is the inner bottom surface of the linear portion A described above. Since there is an upward step between these portions A and F, the guided portion 16a of the guide pin 16 is located on the right side of the heart cam 15a in the process of inserting the memory card MC. Never enter F. Further, when the memory card MC is pushed in and the slider 5 is displaced rearward to a position where it abuts against the contact block 4, the guided portion 16a of the guide pin 16 is provided on the front side of the portion B and forwards to the right. Guided by the inclined inner surface, it reaches a position on the front side of the heart cam 15a (C in FIG. 15A). Here, when the pushing force to the memory card MC is released, the slider 5 is displaced forward by the spring force of the return spring 14, whereby the guide pin 16 is provided on the front surface of the heart cam 15a as shown in FIG. It enters into the locking recess 15b (D in FIG. 15A). In this state, the guided portion 16a of the guide pin 16 is locked to the heart cam 15a, so that the forward displacement of the slider 5 relative to the socket body 3 is prohibited regardless of the spring force of the return spring 14. On the contrary, dropout of the guided portion 16 a of the guide pin 16 from the locking recess 15 b of the heart cam 15 a to the front is prevented by the spring force of the return spring 14. Further, the contact portion 10c of each contact 10 is brought into contact with the input / output terminal of the memory card MC. Further, the first movable contact plate 31A is elastically deformed so that the rear end portion of the spring portion 31b is pressed by the memory card MC to displace the rear end portion to the left, and is brought into contact with the first fixed contact 41a. . That is, the memory card MC can be inserted by detecting continuity between the terminal portion 30a of the common contact plate 30 and the terminal portion 31d of the first movable contact plate 31A by an external detection circuit (not shown). The completion can be detected. Further, when the knob 104 of the write protect switch 100 of the memory card MC is at a position where the spring portion 31b of the second movable contact plate 31B rides up, the second movable contact plate 31A also contacts the common contact plate 30. Based on this, the write detection state of the memory card MC can be detected by an external detection circuit (not shown). Further, the lock piece 24 is elastically deformed so that the rear end portion is displaced leftward when the right surface of the lever portion 24 a is pressed by the driving convex portion 29 of the slider 5. That is, the engaging portion 24b of the lock piece 24 protrudes into the card insertion slot 3a from the opening on the left side of the lock groove 25 and engages with the lock notch 101 of the memory card MC, thereby the memory card from the card insertion slot 3a. MC is prevented from falling off. Furthermore, in this state, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C and FIG. 6, the front end portion of the memory card MC projects forward from the front end of the socket body 3.

  When removing the memory card MC, the memory card MC is once pushed further into the card insertion slot 3a (ie, rearward) against the spring force of the return spring 14. Then, the guided portion 16a of the guide pin 16 is guided by an inclined surface provided on the front side of the locking recess 15b and inclined rightward toward the front, thereby being a front end portion of the guide groove 15 and a heart cam 15a. It enters the part on the right side (E in FIG. 15A). Here, among the front portions C and E of the heart cam 15a in the guide groove 15, the left portion C that is passed when the memory card MC is inserted is located on the upper side with respect to the portion D in the locking recess 15b. Since there is a step between them, the guided portion 16a of the guide pin 16 does not enter the left portion C at the time of the above operation of removing the memory card MC. Then, when the memory card MC is pushed in as described above and the pushing force to the memory card MC is released when the guided portion 16a of the guide pin 16 reaches the right side of the heart cam 15a, the slider 5 moves the return spring 14 By being displaced forward by the spring force, the guided portion 16a of the guide pin 16 returns to the rear end portion A of the guide groove 15 through the right portion of the heart cam 15a (F in FIG. 15A) in the guide groove 15. To do. In this process, the lock piece 24 is restored, and the engaging portion 24b can be removed from the locking notch 101 so that the memory card MC can be extracted, and the memory card MC is pushed out from the card insertion slot 3a by the slider 5. A portion D in the locking recess 15b of the heart cam 15a and a rear end portion of the guide groove 15 that is on the right side of the heart cam 15a are directed upward toward the portion D in the locking recess 15b. Since there is a step, the guided portion 16a of the heart cam 15a does not return to the portion D in the locking recess 15b of the heart cam 15a when the pressing force on the memory card MC is released as described above.

  Here, if the regular memory card MC is inserted in the correct orientation as described above, each contact 10 contacts the input / output terminal in the connection recess of the memory card MC, so that each contact 10 is excessively deformed. There is no. However, when the memory card MC is inserted in such a direction that the position of the contact 10 does not correspond to the position of the connection recess, the memory card MC presses the front end of the contact 10 without running over the contact 10, If the contact portion 10c of the contact 10 is excessively pushed downward, the contact 10 may be excessively bent and plastically deformed (that is, damaged).

  In order to prevent the contact 10 from being damaged due to the erroneous insertion as described above, the following configuration is employed in the memory card socket.

  That is, the distance between the base portion 7 of the contact block 4 and the step portions 5d and 7d of the slider 5 is slightly larger than the left and right (short direction) dimensions below the step portion 103 of the memory card MC, and It is smaller than the left and right dimensions above the step 103 of the memory card MC. As a result, when the memory card MC is turned upside down (that is, upside down) and inserted into the card insertion slot 3a, the step 7d of the base 7 of the contact block 4 or the step 5d of the slider 5 is obtained. Are brought into contact with the front end of the memory card MC, thereby preventing the insertion of the memory card MC.

  Further, in the base shell 1, protective convex portions 11 a are protruded from the right and left sides of the front end portion of the right end retreat hole 11 by cutting upward and raising the thickness direction as the left and right directions, respectively. The front end of each protection convex part 11a is located in front of the front end of the right-end contact 10 corresponding to the retraction hole 11, respectively. Each of the protective convex portions 11a has a size and an arrangement that are introduced into the connection concave portion at the right end of the memory card MC when the memory card MC is inserted in a normal direction. That is, when the memory card MC is inserted in the opposite direction with respect to the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction), that is, when the inclined card 102 or the input / output terminal side is inserted forward, the rear end of the memory card MC (regular insertion direction) The front end portion of the memory card MC abuts the front end of each protective convex portion 11a, so that the insertion of the memory card MC up to the position where it contacts the contact 10 is prevented. This prevents the contact 10 from being damaged by inserting the memory card MC in the wrong direction.

  However, although the contact 10 can be prevented from being damaged by inserting the normal memory card MC in the wrong direction in the above configuration, it can be inserted into the card insertion slot 3a (that is, in the longitudinal direction) although it is different from the normal memory card MC. Therefore, it is impossible to prevent the contact 10 from being damaged due to insertion of an incorrect memory card (for example, MEMORY STICK (registered trademark)).

Therefore, when an incorrect memory card smaller than the regular memory card MC is inserted, the stopper is kept on the track of the memory card to prevent the memory card from being inserted, and when the regular memory card MC is inserted. Has proposed a memory card socket provided with a mechanism for preventing erroneous insertion, in which a stopper is retracted from the track of the memory card MC to enable insertion of the memory card MC (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-62500 A

  However, when the mechanism as in Patent Document 1 is provided, there is a problem that a structure for operating the stopper according to the size of the inserted memory card is necessary, the structure becomes complicated, and the manufacturing cost increases. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object thereof is to provide a memory card socket capable of suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost while preventing damage to a contact due to erroneous insertion of a memory card. There is.

  The invention according to claim 1 is provided with at least one connecting recess that is rectangular when viewed from the thickness direction and is open to one end in the thickness direction and one side in the length direction at one end in the length direction. A memory card socket to which a memory card having at least one input / output terminal exposed on the inner bottom surface of each connection recess is detachably connected, and the memory card extends in the longitudinal direction with the connection recess side as a rear side. Insert the card into the socket body where the card insertion slot is open on the front and the memory card inserted into the card insertion slot in the direction intersecting the thickness direction and the front-rear direction. A plurality of contacts that are in contact with the input / output terminals of the memory card inserted into the opening, and a front end of each contact is inserted into the card insertion slot. A contact portion which is a surface in the thickness direction of the Ricardo and has a convex curved surface on the inner side of the card insertion slot and elastically protrudes to the inner side of the card insertion slot and elastically contacts the input / output terminal of the memory card on the convex curved surface Near the contact portion of at least two contacts on the inner surface of the card insertion slot that faces the contact surface of the memory card in the thickness direction of the memory card. Each has a portion that protrudes inward of the card insertion slot in front of the front end of the neighboring contact in front of the front end of the neighboring contact, and the protrusion dimension inward of the card insertion slot is in the vicinity. There is a protective convex part that is smaller than the contact part of the contact and is introduced into the connection concave part of the memory card when a normal memory card is inserted into the card insertion slot in the normal direction. And wherein the are.

  According to the present invention, even when an erroneous memory card having a smaller size and shape than that of a regular memory card is inserted into the card insertion slot, the memory card rides on the upper side of the protective projection, and the front end of the contact Does not touch. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the contact from being excessively deformed and broken by being pushed backward by the memory card by the wrong memory card or excessively pushed downward. In addition, since the structure is simplified compared to the case of providing a stopper that switches between blocking the memory card and retracting the memory card from the track according to the size of the inserted memory card, an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the front surface of each protective convex portion is inclined backward in the protruding direction of the protective convex portion.

  According to the present invention, when an incorrect memory card is inserted, the memory card rides on the upper side of the protective convex portion along the inclination of the front surface of the protective convex portion. Compared to the case where the protective convex portion is rectangular, the protective convex portion is not easily damaged by an incorrect memory card.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the socket body has a base shell that is formed of a metal plate and forms a surface on which a protective projection protrudes from the card insertion slot. Each of the convex portions is formed by cutting and raising a part of the base shell.

  According to this invention, compared with the case where each protection convex part is each comprised with a synthetic resin, it is hard to generate | occur | produce the damage of a protection convex part.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, each protective projection is cut and raised in a direction in which the thickness direction is orthogonal to the direction in which the memory card is inserted into the card insertion slot. It is characterized by.

  According to this invention, the plastic deformation of each protective convex portion is less likely to occur than when the thickness direction of each protective convex portion is the front-rear direction.

  The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that in the invention of claim 4, at least one contact is provided with two protective projections facing each other across the contact.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the contact of at least two contacts on the inner surface of the card insertion slot and the surface where the contact portion of each contact protrudes among the surfaces facing one surface in the thickness direction of the memory card. In the vicinity of the contact portion, each has a portion that protrudes more inward of the card insertion slot than the front end of the neighboring contact, and is located on the front side of the front end of the neighboring contact. Is smaller than the contact portion of a nearby contact, and when a regular memory card is inserted into the card insertion slot in a regular orientation, a protective projection is provided that is introduced into the connection recess of the memory card. Even if an incorrect memory card with a smaller size and shape than a regular memory card is inserted into the card slot, the memory card rides over the protective projection and contacts In the front end does not abut. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the contact from being excessively deformed and broken by being pushed backward by the memory card by the wrong memory card or excessively pushed downward. In addition, since the structure is simplified compared to the case of providing a stopper that switches between blocking the memory card and retracting the memory card from the track according to the size of the inserted memory card, an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the front surface of each protective convex portion is inclined rearward in the protruding direction of the protective convex portion, the memory card is inserted when an erroneous memory card is inserted. Will ride on the upper side of the protective convex part along the inclination of the front surface of the protective convex part, so that the protective convex part by the wrong memory card is compared with the case where the protective convex part is made rectangular without providing the above inclination. Is less likely to break.

  According to invention of Claim 3, a socket main body has a base shell which comprises the surface which the protective convex part protruded in the card insertion slot which consists of metal plates, and each protective convex part is respectively a base shell. Since it is formed by cutting up a part, the protection projections are less likely to be damaged than when each protection projection is made of a synthetic resin.

  According to the invention of claim 4, each protective convex portion is cut and raised in a direction in which the thickness direction is orthogonal to the direction in which the memory card is inserted into the card insertion slot. Compared to the case where the thickness direction of each of the protective projections is the front-rear direction, plastic deformation of each protective projection is less likely to occur.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the memory card socket shown in FIGS. 4 to 16 (hereinafter referred to as “conventional example”). Is omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  Whereas the conventional memory card socket is a stand-off type, the present embodiment is a surface-mounted type in which the socket body 3 is located closer to the mounting surface. 30, the projecting dimensions of the terminal portions 10a, 30a, 31d of the movable contact plates 31A, 31B to the upper side of the socket body 3 are smaller than those of the conventional example. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the base shell 1 is arranged on the front side (lower side in FIG. 2A) of the left side piece 6b instead of the placement convex portion 6c. One rear end portion and a front end portion of the right side piece 6a are each provided with a fixing piece 6d that protrudes outward in the left-right direction and whose thickness direction is directed in the up-down direction. Each fixed piece 6d is provided with a semi-circular cutout 6e that is opened on the outer side in the left-right direction and on the upper and lower sides, respectively, and this embodiment is screwed to the mounting surface by screws inserted into the cutout 6e. It is possible. The fixed piece 6d can also be used as a terminal for electrically connecting the base shell 1 to the ground in the same manner as the conventional mounting projection 6c.

  Further, the protective convex portion 11 a is provided for the contacts 10 other than the contact 10 at the right end. Specifically, protection is provided respectively on the right side of each retraction hole 11 corresponding to the fourth, seventh, and eighth contacts 10 from the right and on the left side of the retraction hole 11 corresponding to the fifth contact 10 from the right. Protrusions 11a are provided. Each of the protective convex portions 11a has the same configuration as the protective convex portion 11a provided to the contact 10 at the right end. That is, each of the protective convex portions 11a is formed by cutting up a portion that exists inside the retraction hole 11 before processing so that the thickness direction is the left-right direction. Further, the projecting dimension of each protective convex portion 11a upward from the upward inner surface of the card insertion slot 3a is smaller than the contact part 10c of the nearby contact 10, and the regular memory card MC is inserted into the card insertion slot 3a in the regular direction. In this case, each of the protective convex portions 11a is introduced into the connection concave portion of the memory card MC, and does not become an obstacle to insertion of the memory card MC or an obstacle to contact with the input / output terminal of the contact 10. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, each of the protective convex portions 11a is in front of the front end (the left end in FIG. 1) of the contact 10 corresponding to (that is, located in the vicinity) of the retracting hole 11 that the protective convex portion 11a faces. 1 has a portion located above the front end of the contact 10.

  Moreover, the front surface of each protection convex part 11a inclines back (right in FIG. 1) toward the upper direction which is a protrusion direction, respectively.

  According to the above configuration, even if an incorrect memory card MC ′ having a smaller size and shape than the regular memory card MC is inserted into the card insertion slot 3a as shown in FIG. It rides on the upper side of the protective convex portion 11a, so that the front end of the contact 10 is not pushed backward and the contact portion 10c of the contact 10 is not pushed excessively downward. That is, the contact 10 is prevented from being excessively deformed and damaged by the wrong memory card MC '. Further, as compared with the case of the memory card socket of Patent Document 1, the structure is compared with the case where a stopper for switching between blocking the memory card MC ′ and retracting from the track of the memory card MC according to the size of the inserted memory card is provided. Since it is simplified, an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  Further, since each protective convex portion 11a is formed by cutting and raising the metal base shell 1, the protective convex portion 11a is damaged as compared with the case where each protective convex portion 11a is made of synthetic resin. It has become difficult.

  Furthermore, since the thickness direction of each protection convex part 11a is set to the left-right direction which is a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction (front-back direction) of the memory card MC to the card insertion slot 3a, respectively, it shows in FIG. Thus, compared with the case where the thickness direction of each protective convex portion 11a is set to the front-rear direction (that is, when the protective convex portion 11a is bent from the front end of the retraction hole 11), the plastic deformation (sagging) of each protective convex portion 11a is smaller. It is hard to occur.

  Further, since the front surface of each protective convex portion 11a is inclined, when an incorrect memory card MC ′ is inserted, the memory card MC ′ is located above the protective convex portion 11a along the above-described inclination. Therefore, the protection convex portion 11a is more unlikely to be damaged by the wrong memory card MC ′ as compared with the case where the protective convex portion 11a is rectangular without providing the above-described inclination.

  In the present embodiment, the protective convex portions 11a are provided on the right side of the respective retraction holes 11 corresponding to the fourth, seventh, and eighth contacts 10 from the right and the retraction holes corresponding to the fifth contacts 10 from the right. In total, six left and right sides of the retraction hole 11 corresponding to the contact 10 at the right end are provided, but the number and arrangement of the protective convex portions 11a are not limited to the above. However, when the assumed wrong memory card MC ′ is inserted in any expected form, including when it is inserted obliquely (that is, the longitudinal direction is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction). However, it is desirable that the number and arrangement be such that the memory card MC ′ can be prevented from reaching the front end of the contact 10.

It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of embodiment of this invention. (A) (b) is a figure which shows the same base shell, respectively, (a) is a top view, (b) is a rear view. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of a comparative example same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the socket for memory cards. (A)-(e) is a figure which shows the state in which the memory card was connected to each same, (a) is a top view, (b) is a right view, (c) is a left view, (d) Is a rear view, and (e) is a front view. It is a bottom view which shows the state in which the memory card was connected to the same as the above. (A) (b) is a perspective view which respectively shows the same as above, (a) (b) shows the state seen from a different direction, respectively. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the same as the above. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the contact block same as the above, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is the perspective view seen from the direction different from (a), (c) is a rear view. is there. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part same as the above. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the common contact plate same as the above, respectively, (a) is a right view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a left view. (A)-(c) is a figure which respectively shows the 1st movable contact plate same as the above, (a) is a right view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a left view. (A) (b) is a figure which respectively shows the same base shell, (a) is a top view, (b) is a perspective view. (A) (b) is a perspective view which respectively shows the cover shell same as the above, (a) (b) shows the state seen from a different direction, respectively. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the slider same as the above, respectively, (a) is a top view, (b) is a left view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a perspective view. It is a top view which shows the state from which the cover shell was removed in the same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base shell 3 Socket body 3a Card insertion slot 10 Contact 10c Contact part 11a Protection convex part MC (regular) memory card MC '(wrong) memory card

Claims (5)

At least one connection recess that is rectangular when viewed from the thickness direction and is open to one end in the thickness direction and one side in the length direction at one end in the longitudinal direction is provided. A memory card socket to which a memory card with at least one input / output terminal exposed is detachably connected,
A socket body in which a card insertion slot into which a memory card is inserted in the longitudinal direction with the connection recess side as the rear side is opened on the front surface;
The memory card inserted in the card insertion slot is arranged in a direction intersecting the thickness direction and the front-rear direction, and the rear end is held in the socket body and is in contact with the input / output terminal of the memory card inserted in the card insertion slot. With a plurality of contacts,
The front end of each contact is a surface in the thickness direction of the memory card that is inserted into the card insertion slot, and the surface facing the inside of the card insertion slot is a convex curved surface that is elastic to the inside of the card insertion slot. And a contact portion that elastically contacts the input / output terminal of the memory card at the convex curved surface,
Of the inner surface of the card insertion slot that faces one surface in the thickness direction of the memory card, the surface where the contact portion of each contact protrudes is adjacent to the contact portion of at least two contacts. A portion having a larger projecting dimension to the inside of the card insertion slot than the front end of the contact is located in front of the front end of the neighboring contact, and the projecting dimension to the inner side of the card insertion slot is larger than the contact part of the neighboring contact. A memory card socket characterized in that a protective convex portion is provided which is introduced into a connection concave portion of a memory card when a small and regular memory card is inserted into a card insertion slot in a normal orientation.   2. The memory card socket according to claim 1, wherein the front surface of each protective convex portion is inclined backward in the protruding direction of the protective convex portion. The socket body has a base shell that is formed of a metal plate and forms a surface on which each protective projection protrudes from the card insertion slot.
3. The memory card socket according to claim 1, wherein each of the protective convex portions is formed by cutting and raising a part of the base shell.   4. The memory card socket according to claim 3, wherein each of the protective projections is cut and raised in a direction in which a thickness direction is orthogonal to a direction in which the memory card is inserted into the card insertion slot.   5. The memory card socket according to claim 4, wherein each of at least one contact is provided with two protective projections opposed to each other with the contact interposed therebetween.

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