JP2010020482A - Memory card socket and electric equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To identify, in a simple composition, two or more types of memory cards with only partially different shapes. <P>SOLUTION: An identification means includes a switch mechanism comprising an elastic piece 11 which is deformed by being abutted to a projection 101 of a card body 100 when the card body 100 without an indention is held in a socket body 3 and not deformed when the card body 100 with the indention is held in the socket body 3 and a contact piece 12 which is insulated from the not deformed elastic piece 11 and carries out contact conduction with the deformed elastic piece 11. Which card, the memory card with the indention in the card body 100 (a high speed type SD memory card MC2), or a memory card without the indention in the card body 100 (a conventional SD memory card MC1), is held in the socket body 3 is, therefore, identified by the on/off state of the switch mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a memory card such as an SD memory card (registered trademark) or a multimedia card (MMC) or an SDIO card (registered trademark) having the same size and terminal arrangement as the SD memory card. The present invention relates to a memory card socket and an electric device equipped with such a memory card socket.

  Conventionally, an SD memory card has been provided as a small and large-capacity memory card. Such an SD memory card is attached to a memory card socket mounted on an electric device (hereinafter referred to as a host device) using the SD memory card. Attached and used (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  FIGS. 10A to 10C show a conventional SD memory card MC1 in which a non-volatile storage element such as a flash memory is accommodated in a rectangular card body 100. FIG. On one surface of the card body 100, nine contact pads P1 to P9 are arranged side by side in the short width direction on one side in the longitudinal direction (front side in the card insertion direction). Further, protrusions 101 are formed on both side edges along the longitudinal direction of the card body 100, and a notched portion 102 that is inclined obliquely is formed at one corner of the front side portion. An engagement recess 103 is formed on one side edge along the insertion direction of the card body 100 to engage an engagement claw of a memory card socket, which will be described later, and a write protect switch is formed on the opposite side edge. A recess 104 is provided in which the knob 105 is slidably disposed. A rib 106 for insulation is formed between the contact pads P1 to P8.

  The SD memory card MC1 can be used by switching the operation mode, and the functions of the contact pads P1 to P9 can be switched according to the operation mode. In the conventional SD memory card MC1, in a mode in which data can be transferred at high speed, data transfer is performed via four contact pads, and 4-bit data transfer is possible in one clock cycle.

  Such an SD memory card MC1 is used as a storage medium of a video recording device (electric device) such as a digital camera or a digital video camera, for example. With the recent increase in definition of video recording devices. Since the content stored in the storage medium is large, when the large-capacity data is recorded in real time or transferred to an external device such as a computer, the conventional SD memory card MC1 has a sufficient data transfer speed. It was not fast, but it took a relatively long time.

  Therefore, a high-speed SD memory card MC2 having a high data transfer speed has been conventionally provided. 11A to 11C are three views of the high-speed SD memory card MC2. In the high-speed SD memory card MC2, the contact pads P1, P2, P4 are arranged at the same position as the conventional SD memory card MC1. P5, P7 to P9 are provided. The front and rear dimensions of the contact pads P3 and P6 are shortened, the front end position is shifted to the rear side, and two contact pads P10 and P11 are arranged side by side at the front position of the contact pad P3. Two contact pads P12 and P13 are arranged side by side at the front position.

  The operation mode of such a high-speed SD memory card MC2 can be switched between an SD mode that performs the same operation as a conventional SD memory card and a high-speed mode that enables higher-speed data transfer. The functions of the contact pads P1 to P13 can be switched between the high-speed mode and the high-speed mode.

  In the high-speed mode, the contact pads P10 and P11 are paired to transmit / receive a 1-bit differential data signal, and the contact pads P12 and P13 are paired to transmit / receive a 1-bit differential data signal. . That is, in the SD mode described above, 4-bit data is transmitted / received using four contact pads, but in the high-speed mode, a pair of contact pads P10 and P11 and a pair of contact pads P12 and P13 are used. 2-bit data is transmitted and received. Here, the number of bits that can be transmitted in one clock cycle is smaller in the high-speed mode than in the SD mode, but the frequency of the operation clock can be set dramatically higher by transmitting / receiving differential data. High-speed data transmission can be realized compared to the mode.

  As described above, the high-speed SD memory card MC2 can transfer data at a higher speed than the conventional SD memory card MC1, but there are already many host devices that use the conventional SD memory card MC1 as a bridge medium. Has been produced. Since these host devices employ memory card sockets (hereinafter referred to as conventional sockets) that are compatible with conventional SD memory cards, the high-speed SD memory card MC2 is attached to the conventional socket. Therefore, it is required to enable data transfer.

  Therefore, the high-speed SD memory card MC2 is formed in the same external shape and dimensions as the conventional SD memory card MC1 except for the notch 107 provided at the front corner of the card body 100. The notch 107 is provided continuously with the first notch 108 that contacts the front surface of the card body 100 at the same position as the conventional SD memory card MC1 and the second notch 108, and is in contact with the side surface of the card body 100. And a notch 109. The second notch 109 is provided by translating the first notch 108 backward by a distance d, and a step (recess) is provided between the first notch 108 and the second notch 109. .

  Thus, in the high-speed SD memory card MC2, the first cutout portion 108 and the second cutout portion 109 having different depths are provided at the front corner of the card body 100, and the card body 100 is inserted into the memory card socket. In the conventional socket, the first notch 108 of the card body 100 abuts against the slider of the memory card socket, whereas the memory card socket corresponding to the high-speed SD memory card MC2 (hereinafter referred to as the high-speed compatible type). In this case, the memory card MC2 is inserted to a deeper position when the second notch 109 of the card body 100 abuts the slider. That is, when the memory card is inserted into the conventional socket, the insertion position of the SD memory card MC2 is shallower than when the memory card is inserted into the high-speed compatible socket, and both sockets are arranged inside the socket. The position where the contact contacts the I / O contact surface can be varied.

Therefore, in the conventional socket, the contacts arranged inside the socket do not come into contact with the contact pads P10 to P13 provided on the front side positions of the contact pads P3 and P6, and there are nine contacts as in the conventional SD memory card MC1. Only the pads P1 to P9 can be brought into contact with the contact on the socket side, and compatibility with the conventional socket can be provided.
JP 2004-71175 A JP 2003-249290 A

  By the way, some types of memory card sockets do not have a slider, and in such types of memory card sockets that do not have a slider, the insertion positions of the conventional SD memory card MC1 and the high-speed SD memory card MC2 are different. I can't make it different. Therefore, in this type of memory card socket, the insertion positions of the two types of memory cards MC1 and MC2 are the same, but contact with the pair of high-speed mode contact pads P10 and P11 provided in the high-speed SD memory card MC2. When the four contacts corresponding to the pair of pads P12 and P13 come into contact with the contact pads P3 and P6 of the conventional SD memory card MC1, the signal transmission characteristics of the SD mode may change and the prescribed transfer speed may not be reached. There is. Therefore, when the conventional SD memory card MC1 is inserted, the contact for the high speed mode provided in the high speed compatible socket, the pair of the contact pads P10 and P11 for the high speed mode, and the pair of the contact pads P12 and P13. Measures must be taken so that and are separated electrically or mechanically. As a premise for taking such means, it is necessary to identify whether the memory card inserted into the high-speed compatible socket is the conventional SD memory card MC1 or the high-speed SD memory card MC2.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a memory card socket and an electric device that can identify a plurality of types of memory cards having different shapes only with a simple configuration. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a rectangular plate-shaped card body containing a rewritable nonvolatile memory element, and a plurality of contact pads arranged in parallel on the one end surface side of the card body. A memory card socket in which a memory card is detachably inserted, a socket body in which a card insertion slot into which a memory card is inserted opens on one side, and a memory card inserted from the card insertion slot, and a socket There are a plurality of contacts that are in contact with each contact pad of the memory card held in the main body, a memory card having a recess on the front end side of the card body in the insertion direction into the socket body, and a recess in the card body. Discriminating means for discriminating the memory card, and the discriminating means is a device whose relative position with respect to the card body changes depending on the presence or absence of a recess. Characterized in that it has a.

  According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to identify which one of the memory card having a recess in the card body and the memory card having no recess in the card body is held by the socket body. As a result, it is possible to provide a memory card socket that can identify a plurality of types of memory cards that differ only in part (with or without recesses) with a simple configuration.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the holding body for holding the contact is provided in the socket body, and the mechanism of the identification means is provided in the holding body.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the assemblability is improved by providing the holding member with the mechanism of the identification means.

  The invention of claim 3 is the invention of claim 2, wherein the mechanism of the identification means is made of an elastic member having conductivity, and the card body having no recess is held by the socket body. An elastic piece that deforms in contact with a protrusion provided at a position corresponding to the recess of the card, and that is not deformed when the card body having the recess is held by the socket body, and an elastic piece that is not deformed are insulated. And a deformed elastic piece and a contact piece that is in contact and conduction.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the identification result of the memory card can be expressed by contact / non-contact between the elastic piece and the contact piece. As a result, it is easy to output the memory card identification result to the outside as an electrical signal.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the socket body is movably disposed in the front-rear direction along the insertion direction of the memory card, and abuts with the front end side of the memory card inserted from the card insertion slot. The slider that moves forward with the memory card in response to the pressing force from the memory card, the biasing spring that constantly biases the slider to the rear, and the pressing force of the memory card after the slider moves to the foremost position. A slider lock means for locking the slider at a predetermined position upon release, and releasing the lock when the slider is moved forward by applying a pressing force to the memory card after the lock, and the mechanism of the identification means includes a card in the slider When the card body having the recess is held in the socket body, it does not move with respect to the slider and does not have a recess. When the card body is held by the socket body, the card body is made up of a moving body that is pushed by the card body and moves forward with respect to the slider, and a conductive elastic member. An elastic piece that deforms in contact and does not deform when the moving body does not move, and a contact piece that is insulated from the undeformed elastic piece and is in electrical contact with the deformed elastic piece.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the identification result of the memory card can be expressed by contact / non-contact between the elastic piece and the contact piece. As a result, it is easy to output the memory card identification result to the outside as an electrical signal.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, switching means for switching availability of a part of contacts according to the identification result by the identification means is provided.

  According to the invention of claim 5, according to the identification result by the identification means, some contacts that are not suitable for reading and writing data to the memory card held in the socket body are disabled by the switching means, Appropriate data can be read and written according to the type of memory card.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the switching means selectively switches the contact and separation between some contacts and the contact pads of the memory card according to the identification result by the identification means. Features.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 5, wherein the switching means opens and closes the signal transmission paths of some contacts according to the identification result by the identification means.

  In order to achieve the above object, an eighth aspect of the present invention is an electrical apparatus having the memory card socket according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein data is read and written by performing signal transmission with the memory card through a contact. It is characterized by comprising a memory access means and a switching means for switching the availability of some contacts according to the identification result by the identification means.

  According to the invention of claim 8, some contacts that are not suitable for reading / writing data to / from the memory card mounted on the memory card socket according to the identification result by the memory card socket identification means cannot be used by the switching means. Therefore, it is possible to read and write appropriate data according to the type of memory card.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect of the invention, the switching means selectively switches the contact and separation between some contacts and the contact pads of the memory card according to the identification result by the identification means. Features.

  A tenth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the eighth aspect of the invention, the switching means opens and closes a signal transmission path between some of the contacts and the memory access means according to the identification result by the identification means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a memory card socket and an electric device that can identify a plurality of types of memory cards having different shapes only by a simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a memory card socket in which a conventional SD memory card MC1 and a high-speed SD memory card MC2 described in the prior art are identified and which can be adapted to both memory cards according to the identification result will be described. Will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 4, the memory card socket A of the present embodiment includes a flat rectangular box-shaped socket body 3 including a base shell 1 and a cover shell 2, and a contact block 4 that holds a plurality of contacts C <b> 1 to C <b> 13. As a main component. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the front / rear, top / bottom and left / right directions are defined in FIG.

  The base shell 1 is formed, for example, by punching and bending a rectangular stainless steel plate having a very thin thickness, and bending the left and right sides upward to form the side piece 1b (however, The left side piece is not shown), and the upper side and both front and rear sides are open.

  A plurality of projecting pieces 1 c projecting downward are formed at the front and right side of the base shell 1, and the projecting pieces 1 c are press-fitted into the lower surface of the base body (holding body) 6 of the contact block 4. The contact block 4 is press-fitted and fixed to the lower surface of the base shell 1 by being press-fitted into a groove (not shown). A plurality of through holes 7 for releasing the contacts C1 to C13 held by the contact block 4 are formed slightly behind the front end of the base shell 1.

  Further, an L-shaped support piece 8 is bent at the left end of the rear edge of the base shell 1 so as to protrude downward from a position outside the passing position of the memory cards MC1 and MC2 and further protrude forward. Is formed.

  The cover shell 2 is formed by punching and bending a rectangular stainless steel plate having a very thin thickness, and a bent piece (not shown) protruding upward from the front edge of the cover shell 2. It is bent and formed. The cover shell 2 is formed with a plurality of protruding pieces (not shown) protruding upward at a position slightly closer to the rear end than the bent piece. Thus, the cover shell 2 is placed on the lower side of the base shell 1 on which the base 6 of the contact block 4 is fixed on the lower surface, and the projecting piece of the cover shell 2 is provided in the base 6 of the contact block 4. The cover shell 2 is attached to the base shell 1 and the contact block 4 by press-fitting (not shown) and welding the contact portion between the peripheral portion of the cover shell 2 and the base shell 1 by a method such as laser welding. Thus, a flat box-shaped socket body 3 having a card insertion slot 3a opened on the front surface is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the contact block 4 includes a base 6 made of a resin molded product having a substantially U-shaped plan view in the vertical direction. The base body 6 is disposed along the front side of the base shell 1 and the cover shell 2, and protrudes rearward from the left and right side portions of the side portion 6 a and the side portion 6 a that closes the front surface of the socket body 3. It is comprised with a pair of side part 6b, 6c arrange | positioned along the side piece 1b.

  Further, on the side portion 6a of the base 6, there are 13 contacts that individually contact and conduct with a plurality of contact pads P1 to P13 (I / O contact surfaces) formed in parallel with the front back surface of the high-speed SD memory card MC2. C1 to C13 are integrally held by press-fitting or simultaneous molding. Each of the contacts C1 to C13 has a contact-side spring portion projecting toward the rear surface side (card insertion port 3a side) of the side portion 6a, and the soldering terminal 18 projecting upward from the front surface of the side portion 6a.

  Next, the identification means that is the gist of the present invention will be described. The identification means in this embodiment is turned off when the high-speed SD memory card MC2 provided with a recess in the card body 100 is held (attached) to the socket body 3, and the card body 100 is provided with a recess. It comprises a switch mechanism that is turned on when a conventional SD memory card MC1 that is not held is held in the socket body 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this switch mechanism is made of a conductive band plate-like elastic member, and is an elastic piece held on the side portion 6 a of the base 6 of the contact block 4 in the same manner as the contacts C <b> 1 to C <b> 13. 11 and the contact piece 12 which consists of an elastic member of the same strip | belt shape which has electroconductivity, is hold | maintained at the side part 6a, and contact-conducts the elastic piece 11 so that contact / separation is possible.

  The elastic piece 11 is bent into a semicircular arc shape whose front end (rear end) is curved upward (downward in FIG. 1), and is the same as the soldering terminal 18 of the contacts C1 to C13 from the front side of the side portion 6a (see FIG. The soldering terminal 11b protrudes on the lower side in FIG. In addition, the semicircular-arc-shaped front-end | tip part of the elastic piece 11 is called the engaging part 11a. In the state where the high-speed SD memory card MC2 is held by the socket body 3, the engaging portion 11a is a recess provided in the card body 100 of the high-speed SD memory card MC2 (the first notch 108 and the first notch It is in the position of the step provided between the two notches 109 (see FIG. 1B).

  The contact piece 12 is located on the outer side (left side in FIG. 2) with respect to the elastic piece 11, and a rectangular flat contact plate 12a that overlaps with the elastic piece 11 in the vertical direction is provided at the tip (rear end) portion. Similar to the solder terminals 18 of the contacts C1 to C13, the solder terminals 12b protrude from the front surface of the side portion 6a to the upper side (lower side in FIG. 1). A contact point 12c that protrudes in a direction approaching the elastic piece 11 (downward in FIG. 1) is formed on the opposing surface (lower surface in FIG. 1) of the contact plate 12a that faces the elastic piece 11 in the vertical direction.

  Next, the identification operation of the two types of memory cards MC1 and MC2 by the identification means will be described. Both types of memory cards MC1 and MC2 are inserted into the socket body 3 from the card insertion slot 3a with the front-rear direction and the front-back direction facing the normal direction, and the front end (front end) of the card body 100 is the rear end surface of the side portion 6a. Is held by the socket main body 3 at a position where it abuts (regular insertion position). When the high-speed SD memory card MC <b> 2 is held by the socket body 3, the engaging portion 11 a of the elastic piece 11 is not engaged with the card body 100 because it is in the recessed position of the card body 100. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), a certain insulation distance is maintained between the elastic piece 11 and the contact point 12c of the contact piece 12, and the switch mechanism is turned off.

  On the other hand, the card body 100 of the conventional SD memory card MC1 has no recess (the step between the first notch 108 and the second notch 109), and the recess of the high-speed SD memory card MC2 does not exist. At the position, the tip portion of the protrusion 101 formed along the longitudinal direction of the card body 100 is positioned (see FIG. 10). Therefore, when the conventional SD memory card MC1 is held by the socket body 3, the engaging piece 11a is engaged with the protrusion 101 of the card body 100 as shown in FIG. Due to elastic deformation, the elastic piece 11 and the contact point 12c of the contact piece 12 are brought into contact and conduction, so that the switch mechanism is turned on.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the electric device M on which the memory card socket A is mounted. The electrical device M includes a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as “microcomputer”) 200 that reads / writes data from / to the memory card MC1 or MC2 mounted in the memory card socket A. In the microcomputer 200, contacts C1 to C9 among the contacts C1 to C13 of the memory card socket A are electrically connected via a first signal line Ls1 made of a conductive pattern formed on a printed wiring board (not shown). Some (remaining) contacts C10 to C13 used only in the high-speed mode are electrically connected via a second signal line Ls2 made of a conductive pattern which is also formed on the printed wiring board. Further, the elastic piece 11 and the contact piece 12 constituting the switch mechanism are electrically connected to the microcomputer 200 via a detection signal line Ls3 made of a conductive pattern formed on the printed wiring board. Furthermore, a control line (consisting of a conductive pattern formed on a printed wiring board) Ls4 for switching control of a switch (which may be a relay) inserted in the middle of the second signal line Ls2 is electrically connected to the microcomputer 200. Has been.

  Thus, the microcomputer 200 fetches the identification result (switch mechanism on / off) by the identification means of the memory card socket A via the detection signal line Ls3, and the switch mechanism is on, that is, the memory card socket A is mounted. If the existing memory card is the conventional SD memory card MC1, the contacts C10 to C13 of the memory card socket A are electrically disconnected from the second signal line Ls2 by turning off the switch SW via the control line Ls4. Therefore, even if the contacts C10 to C13 are in contact with the contact pads P3 and P6 of the conventional SD memory card MC1, the signal transmission characteristics in the SD mode hardly change. Therefore, the microcomputer 200 performs data transfer at the prescribed transfer speed in the SD mode. Can read and write. On the other hand, if the switch mechanism is off, that is, if the memory card installed in the memory card socket A is the high-speed SD memory card MC2, the microcomputer 200 turns on the switch SW via the control line Ls4 to turn on the memory card. The contacts C10 to C13 of the socket A are electrically connected to the second signal line Ls2. Therefore, the microcomputer 200 can read / write data from / to the high-speed SD memory card MC2 in the high-speed mode.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a memory card having a recess in the card body 100 (high-speed SD memory card MC2) and a memory card having no recess in the card body 100 (conventional SD memory card MC1). Which is held by the socket body 3 can be identified by the identification means. As a result, a memory card socket A that can identify a plurality of types of memory cards (conventional SD memory card MC1 and high-speed SD memory card MC2) having different shapes only in part (with or without recesses) with a simple configuration. Can be provided. Further, the identification means of the present embodiment contacts the protrusion 101 provided at a position corresponding to the recess of the card body 100 when the card body 100 having no recess is held by the socket body 3. When the card body 100 which is deformed in contact and is held in the socket body 3 is held by the socket body 3, the elastic piece 11 which is not deformed and the non-deformed elastic piece 11 are insulated from the deformed elastic piece 11 and brought into contact with the deformed elastic piece 11. Since the switch mechanism including the piece 12 is provided, the identification result of the memory cards MC1 and MC2 can be expressed by the contact / non-contact of the elastic piece 11 and the contact piece 12, and as a result, the memory cards MC1 and MC2 can be identified. It is possible to easily output the identification result as an electric signal to the outside (in the present embodiment, the microcomputer 200 of the electric device M). Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the elastic piece 11 and the contact piece 12 of the switch mechanism are provided on the holding body (base 6 of the contact block 4) that holds the contacts C1 to C13, the switch mechanism is assembled to the contact block 4 at the same time. As a result, the assemblability is improved.

  Further, in the electric device M equipped with the memory card socket A of the present embodiment, the microcomputer 200 as the switching means is connected to the memory card MC1 mounted in the memory card socket A according to the identification result by the identification means of the memory card socket A. Since the signal transmission path (second signal line Ls2) between some of the contacts C10 to C13 and the memory access means (microcomputer 200) that is not suitable for reading / writing data to / from the memory is opened, the memory card MC1 cannot be used. , MC2 can read and write appropriate data according to the type of MC2. However, in this embodiment, the microcomputer 200 serving as the switching unit cannot be used by electrically disconnecting some of the contacts C10 to C13 of the memory card socket A from the second signal line Ls2. When it is identified that the SD memory card MC1 is installed in the memory card socket A, a structure in which some contacts C10 to C13 of the memory card socket A are mechanically separated from the contact pads P10 to P13 of the memory card MC1. You may provide in the electric equipment M. Alternatively, a configuration in which some of the contacts C1 to C13 are electrically or mechanically separated may be provided in the memory card socket A instead of the electric device M.

(Embodiment 2)
The memory card socket A of the present embodiment is disposed in the socket body 3 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction along the insertion direction of the memory cards MC1, MC2 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and inserted from the card insertion slot 3a. The slider 5 which collides with the leading end side of the memory cards MC1 and MC2 and receives the pressing force from the memory cards MC1 and MC2 and moves forward together with the memory cards MC1 and MC2, and the slider 5 at the rear (card insertion slot 3a Urging spring (coil spring) 17 that constantly urges the slider 5 to the front side, and the slider 5 is moved to a predetermined position (FIGS. 6 and 7) when the pressing force of the memory cards MC1 and MC2 after the slider 5 is moved to the frontmost position. The slider lock is released when the slider 5 is moved forward by applying a pressing force to the memory cards MC1 and MC2 after the lock. Point and a stage is different from the first embodiment. However, since the slider 5 and the coil spring 17 and the slider locking means for locking the slider 5 are well-known techniques as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, detailed illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  The slider 5 is made of a synthetic resin molded product, and protrudes to the right from the strip-shaped side portion 5a that moves in the front-rear direction along the left edge of the memory cards MC1 and MC2, and the front end portion (front end portion) of the side portion 5a. The cutout portion 102 of the card body 100 and the side portion 5b that contacts the first cutout portion 108 are integrally formed. Thus, when the conventional SD memory card MC1 is inserted into the memory card socket A, the notch 102 of the SD memory card MC1 collides with the inclined surface of the side portion 5b, and the high-speed SD memory card MC2 is inserted. In this case, the first cutout portion 108 of the high-speed SD memory card MC2 collides with the inclined surface of the side portion 5b, and the slider 5 moves forward by receiving the pressing force from the memory cards MC1 and MC2. It will be. In addition, on one surface (the surface in FIGS. 6 and 7) of the side portion 5 b facing the contacts C <b> 1 to C <b> 13, there are three grooves 5 c in order to escape the contacts C <b> 1 and C <b> 2 and the elastic piece 11 when the slider 5 is moved. Is recessed.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the high-speed SD memory card MC2 is held by the socket body 3 (when the slider 5 is locked by the slider lock means), the elastic as shown in FIG. Since the engaging portion 11a of the piece 11 does not engage with the card body 100, the switch mechanism is turned off because the elastic piece 11 and the contact point 12c of the contact piece 12 do not contact each other. On the other hand, when the conventional SD memory card MC1 is held by the socket body 3 (when the slider 5 is locked by the slider lock means), the engaging portion 11a is a protrusion of the card body 100 as shown in FIG. Since the elastic piece 11 is elastically deformed by engaging with 101 and the elastic piece 11 and the contact point 12c of the contact piece 12 are brought into contact and conduction, the switch mechanism is turned on.

  Even in the memory card socket A of the present embodiment having the slider 5 and the like as described above, a memory card (high-speed SD memory card MC2) having a recess in the card body 100 and a memory card having no recess in the card body 100. Which of the (conventional SD memory card MC1) is held in the socket body 3 can be identified by the identification means.

(Embodiment 3)
FIGS. 8 and 9 are plan views of main parts of the memory card socket A of the present embodiment. However, since the basic configuration of the memory card socket A of the present embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  The memory card socket A of the present embodiment is different from that of the second embodiment in the structure in which the elastic piece 11 is deformed by engaging with the engaging portion 11a of the elastic piece 11 in the switch mechanism. That is, the slider 5 is provided at a position corresponding to a recess of the card body 100 (a step provided between the first cutout portion 108 and the second cutout portion 109) (a base portion of the side portion 5b). When the card body 100 having the recesses is held by the socket body 3, it does not move with respect to the slider 5, and when the card body 100 having no recess is held by the socket body 3, it is pushed by the card body 100. A movable body 50 that moves forward with respect to the slider 5 is provided, and the engaging portion 11 a of the elastic piece 11 is engaged with the movable body 50 that has moved forward with respect to the slider 5.

  The moving body 50 has left and right side edges along the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIGS. 8 and 9; the same applies hereinafter) parallel to the moving direction of the slider 5, and the front and rear edges are on the slider 5 side. It consists of a rhombus-shaped synthetic resin molded product that is parallel to the front edge and the rear edge of the portion 5b. On the side portion 5b of the slider 5, a groove 5d into which the movable body 50 is movably fitted in the front-rear direction is recessed in a surface (hereinafter referred to as "surface") facing the elastic piece 11. However, the length dimension along the front-rear direction of the moving body 50 is larger than the length dimension along the front-rear direction of the side part 5b, and the side part 5b is placed outside in the front-rear direction when fitted in the groove 5d. A part of the moving body 50 protrudes.

  Further, both ends of a return spring 51 made of a leaf spring are fixed to the left and right sides of the groove 5d on the surface of the side portion 5b. And the center part of the return spring 51 is being fixed to the surface of the mobile body 50, and when the return spring 51 is not bent, the rear end portion of the mobile body 50 protrudes rearward of the side portion 5b (FIG. 9). reference).

  Next, the identification operation of the two types of memory cards MC1 and MC2 by the identification means will be described. When the slider 5 is locked and the high-speed SD memory card MC2 is held by the socket body 3, the moving body 50 projecting rearward from the side portion 5b of the slider 5 is recessed in the card body 100 as shown in FIG. (The step provided between the first notch part 108 and the second notch part 109), and the moving body 50 does not move relative to the side part 5b of the slider 5. If the moving body 50 does not move, the engaging portion 11a of the elastic piece 11 does not engage with the moving body 50, so that a constant insulation distance is maintained between the elastic piece 11 and the contact 12c of the contact piece 12. Therefore, the switch mechanism is turned off.

  On the other hand, when the slider 5 is locked and the conventional SD memory card MC1 is held in the socket body 3, the moving body 50 protruding rearward from the side portion 5b of the slider 5 as shown in FIG. The moving body 50 moves forward against the spring force of the return spring 51, and a part of the moving body 50 protrudes forward from the side portion 5 b of the slider 5. And if the mobile body 50 protrudes ahead from the front end of the side part 5b, the elastic piece 11 will be elastically deformed by the engaging part 11a engaging with the mobile body 50, and the contact 12c of the elastic piece 11 and the contact piece 12 will be carried out. And the switch mechanism is turned on. When the conventional SD memory card MC1 is pulled out from the socket body 3, the moving body 50 is returned to the original position (position where a part projects rearward from the side portion 5b) by the spring force of the return spring 51.

  Thus, also in the memory card socket A of the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, a memory card (high-speed SD memory card MC2) having a recess in the card body 100 and a memory card having no recess in the card body 100 Which of the (conventional SD memory card MC1) is held in the socket body 3 can be identified by the identification means. Although illustration and description are omitted, the memory card socket A of the second and third embodiments may be mounted on the electric device M of the first embodiment.

1 shows Embodiment 1 of a memory card socket according to the present invention, in which (a) is a partially omitted cross-sectional view showing a state of holding a conventional SD memory card, and (b) is a view of holding a high-speed SD memory card. FIG. It is the top view which abbreviate | omitted a part of the state holding the high speed type | mold SD memory card same as the above. It is the top view which abbreviate | omitted a part of the state holding the conventional SD memory card same as the above. It is an external appearance perspective view same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows embodiment of the electric equipment which concerns on this invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the memory card socket according to the present invention, with a part of the state holding the high-speed SD memory card omitted. It is the top view which abbreviate | omitted a part of the state holding the conventional SD memory card same as the above. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a third embodiment of the memory card socket according to the present invention, with a part of the state holding the high-speed SD memory card omitted. It is the top view which abbreviate | omitted a part of the state holding the conventional SD memory card same as the above. The SD memory card used for this embodiment is shown, (a) is the top view seen from the back side, (b) is a left view, (c) is a right view. The high-speed SD memory card used for this embodiment is shown, (a) is a plan view seen from the back side, (b) is a plan view seen from the front side, and (c) is a side view seen from the card insertion direction.

Explanation of symbols

A Memory card socket 3 Socket body 3a Card insertion slot 6 Base (holder)
6a Side part 11 Elastic piece 11a Engagement part 12 Contact piece 101 Projection part 102 Notch part 108 1st notch part 109 2nd notch part

Claims (10)

A memory card socket in which a rectangular plate-shaped card body containing a rewritable nonvolatile memory element and a memory card in which a plurality of contact pads are arranged in parallel on the one end side of the card body are detachably mounted. There,
The card insertion slot into which the memory card is inserted opens on one side, the socket body that holds the memory card inserted from the card insertion slot, and the plurality of contacts that are in contact with each contact pad of the memory card held in the socket body And an identification means for identifying a memory card provided with a recess on the front end side of the card body in an insertion direction into the socket body and a memory card not provided with a recess in the card body,
The memory card socket characterized in that the identification means has a mechanism in which a relative position with respect to the card body changes depending on the presence or absence of a recess.   2. The memory card socket according to claim 1, wherein a holding body for holding the contact is provided on the socket body, and the mechanism of the identification means is provided on the holding body.   The said mechanism of an identification means consists of the elastic member which has electroconductivity, and when the card body which does not have a recess is hold | maintained at the socket main body, the protrusion provided in the position corresponding to the recess of the said card body An elastic piece that does not deform when the card body having a recess is held by the socket body, and a contact piece that is insulated from the undeformed elastic piece and is in contact with the deformed elastic piece. 3. The memory card socket according to claim 2, further comprising: It is placed in the socket body so that it can move in the front-rear direction along the direction of insertion of the memory card. It collides with the tip of the memory card inserted from the card insertion slot and receives the pressing force from the memory card together with the memory card. A slider that moves forward, an urging spring that constantly urges the slider to the rear, and a slider that locks in place when the pushing force of the memory card is released after moving the slider to the foremost position. Slider locking means for releasing the lock when the slider is moved forward by applying a pressing force to the card,
The mechanism of the identification means is provided at a position corresponding to the recess of the card body in the slider. When the card body having the recess is held by the socket body, the mechanism does not move with respect to the slider and has a recess. When the card body is not held by the socket body, the card body is pushed by the card body and moves forward with respect to the slider, and a conductive elastic member. 2. An elastic piece which is deformed by contact and does not deform when the moving body does not move, and a contact piece which is insulated from the undeformed elastic piece and is in contact with the deformed elastic piece. Memory card socket.   5. The memory card socket according to claim 1, further comprising switching means for switching whether or not some of the contacts can be used in accordance with an identification result by the identification means.   6. The memory card socket according to claim 5, wherein the switching means selectively switches contact and separation between a part of the contacts and the contact pads of the memory card according to the identification result by the identification means.   6. The memory card socket according to claim 5, wherein the switching means opens and closes the signal transmission paths of some contacts according to the identification result by the identification means.   5. An electric device having a memory card socket according to claim 1, wherein a memory access means for reading and writing data by performing signal transmission with a memory card through a contact, and a part according to a result of identification by the identification means An electrical device comprising switching means for switching whether or not the contact of the contact can be used.   9. The electrical apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the switching unit selectively switches contact and separation between a part of the contacts and the contact pads of the memory card according to the identification result by the identification unit.   9. The electric apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the switching means opens and closes a signal transmission path between some contacts and the memory access means according to the identification result by the identification means.

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