JP2014137954A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector into which an insertion body, such as a card, is inserted, including a switch appropriate for reducing a size and height of the connector.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises: a slider 16' urged in an ejecting direction; a first elastic contact piece 41, in a cantilever shape, where an inclined plane 411 is formed; and a second elastic contact piece which forms a switch together with the first elastic contact piece 41. The second elastic contact piece, in a cantilever shape, has a free end located on a movement route of the slider. When an end portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece is pushed against the slider 16', the second elastic contact piece is elastically deformed, comes in contact with the inclined plane 411, and elastically deforms the first elastic contact piece 41. The slider 16' has: a contact surface 163 by which the slider 16' pushes the end portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece, by coming in contact with the end portion 421, to a rear side in an insertion direction; and reaction-force receiving surfaces 164a and 165 which prevent movement, given by reaction force received from the first elastic contact piece 41, of the end portion 421 in a direction away from the first elastic contact piece 41.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector into which an insert such as a mating connector or a card is inserted.

  In recent years, depending on the field of connectors, such as a connector of a type in which a memory card is inserted to access the memory card, miniaturization and low profile have been advanced. In the case of a connector into which a memory card is inserted, it is necessary to arrange switches such as a switch for detecting that the memory card has been inserted. As miniaturization and height reduction progress, it is necessary to devise miniaturization and space saving to arrange one switch.

  Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector having a switch plate and a contact blade that move in a direction perpendicular to the card insertion direction (specifically, downward) as the card is inserted.

Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2002-525827

  Considering the reduction in size and height of the connector, in the case of the connector structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the contact blade moves downward, the contact blade is attached to the circuit on the circuit board on which the connector is mounted. There is a risk of short circuit. If the switch is provided above the receiving space instead of providing the switch below like the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, this time, the switch may short-circuit to the shell covering the receiving space from above. There is.

  An object of this invention is to provide the connector provided with the switch suitable for size reduction and low profile in view of the said situation.

The connector of the present invention that achieves the above object is a connector having an insertion port into which an insert is inserted, and a receiving space for removably receiving the inserted insert,
A slider that is pushed by the insertion body inserted from the insertion opening and moves to the back side in the insertion direction, is urged toward the insertion opening and moves closer to the insertion opening when the insertion body is taken out,
It has a cantilever shape that extends in the insertion direction and has a free end on the back side in the insertion direction and a slope with a shape that enters the receiving space toward the back side in the insertion direction, and the slope has moved toward the insertion port. A first elastic contact piece disposed on the moving path of the slider on the back side of the slider in the insertion direction;
The free end has a cantilever shape that extends in the direction intersecting the insertion direction and the free end is positioned on the slider movement path, and the free end has a free end on the slider that has moved in the insertion direction as the insert is inserted. The first elastic contact piece is elastically deformed in the direction of pushing the first elastic contact piece out of the receiving space in contact with the slope, and the deformation is released by the movement of the slider in the extraction direction accompanying extraction of the insert. A second elastic contact piece constituting a switch with the first elastic contact piece spaced apart from the elastic contact piece,
The slider is in contact with the tip of the second elastic contact piece and pushes the tip toward the back in the insertion direction, and the first elasticity of the tip in the state of contact with the contact surface. And a reaction force receiving surface that prevents movement away from the first elastic contact piece due to a reaction force received from the contact piece.

  In the connector according to the present invention, since the first elastic contact piece and the second elastic contact piece are contacted and separated in the thickness direction of the connector, compared to the case where the two contact pieces are arranged in the direction of contacting and separating in the insertion direction of the insert. Contributes to downsizing. In the connector of the present invention, since the slider has a reaction force receiving surface, movement of the second elastic contact piece in a direction away from the inclined surface is restricted. Therefore, even if the connector has a reduced height, inconvenience such as inadvertent contact with the shell when the shell is provided is prevented.

  Here, in the connector according to the present invention, the slider projects from the edge of the contact surface on the side away from the first elastic contact piece to the back side in the insertion direction from the contact surface and faces the contact surface side. It is preferable to have a collar portion whose reaction force receiving surface is the surface that has been bent.

  By forming the flange portion, the movement of the second elastic contact piece in the direction away from the slope is surely prevented.

  Here, when the slider is provided with the flange portion, the slider protrudes toward the first elastic contact piece from the tip portion of the flange portion that protrudes toward the back side in the insertion direction, and the insertion body is removed. It is further preferable to further include a hanging portion that pulls back the tip in the extraction direction at the initial stage of movement of the slider in the extraction direction.

  When the insert is inserted and the slider is on the back side in the insertion direction, the tip of the second elastic contact piece is between the first elastic contact piece and the reaction force receiving surface formed on the flange portion of the slider. It is sandwiched and pushed toward the reaction force receiving surface by the first elastic contact piece. Then, consider the scene where the slider moves in the sampling direction. At this time, if the first elastic contact piece and the tip of the second elastic contact piece are slightly caught or the friction between them is large, the second elastic contact piece is left behind and the slider is left behind. It can be considered that only the first moves in the sampling direction. In this case, the tip end portion of the second elastic contact piece is separated from the slider and is slightly caught on the first elastic contact piece, and returns later than the slider. For example, if it is necessary to immediately stop the exchange of signals and power with the insertion body by detecting the movement of the insertion body at the very beginning of removal of the insertion body, even a slight delay may be fatal. obtain. Alternatively, in the worst case, it is also assumed that the second elastic contact piece does not return while the tip end portion of the second elastic contact piece is caught by the first elastic contact piece.

  Therefore, when the above-described hanging portion is formed on the slider, a force in a direction of forcibly returning to the tip end portion of the second elastic contact piece is applied when the slider moves in the extraction direction, and the second due to the above-described hooking is applied. Occurrence of a delay in the return of the elastic contact piece is prevented.

  In the connector of the present invention, the tip of the second elastic contact piece has a shape in which a plate is bent so as to form a convex contact surface toward the slope of the first elastic contact piece, and the reaction force The receiving surface bends backward from the contact surface in the direction of insertion of the slider and continues to the contact surface and enters the concave surface of the plate material to prevent the tip portion from moving away from the first elastic contact piece. It may be a surface to be used.

  Thus, you may form the reaction force receiving surface using the bending of a 2nd elastic contact piece.

  Note that either one of the reaction force receiving surface using the bending of the second elastic contact piece and the reaction force receiving surface provided on the above-described collar portion may be used, but both of these reaction force receiving surfaces are formed. It may be. In this case, the reaction force from the first elastic contact piece is more reliably received, and the second elastic contact piece is further reliably prevented from moving away from the first elastic contact piece.

  According to the present invention described above, a connector having a switch suitable for miniaturization and low profile is realized.

It is a top view of the card connector which is one Embodiment of the connector of this invention. It is the top view which showed the state which removed the shell from the card connector which shows a top view in FIG. It is a perspective view of a card connector in the state where a shell was removed. It is sectional drawing which follows the arrow XX shown in each of FIGS. It is a perspective view of a card connector in the state where a shell was removed. It is sectional drawing which follows YY shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the state which the slider moved to the insertion direction (arrow A direction) a little more than the position shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately after the slider moves further in the insertion direction (arrow A direction) than the position shown in FIG. 7 and the tip of the second elastic contact piece contacts the slope of the first elastic contact piece. is there. It is the perspective view which showed the state which the slider slid to the final position of the insertion direction (arrow A direction). It is sectional drawing of the card connector of the modification of the above-mentioned embodiment. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by a circle R in FIG. 10.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a card connector which is an embodiment of the connector of the present invention.

  This card connector is an example of a memory card connector into which a memory card (not shown) is inserted.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state where the shell is removed from the card connector whose plan view is shown in FIG. Here, for convenience of explanation, the one with the shell removed is also called a card connector.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the card connector with the shell removed.

  The card connector 10 shown here includes a housing 11 and a shell 12 (see FIG. 1). The shell 12 is made of a metal plate, and forms an insertion slot 13 into which a memory card is inserted between the housing 11 and allows the memory card inserted between the housing 11 and the shell 12 to be removed. A receiving space 14 for receiving is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the housing 12, the contact 15 that comes into contact with the inserted memory card and is in electrical contact with the memory card, or the insertion direction when pushed by the inserted memory card (FIG. 2). , A direction of arrow A shown in FIG. The slider 16 is biased by a coil spring 17 in the memory card removal direction (arrow B direction).

  In addition, a so-called heart cam groove 161 is formed in the slider 16, and a leading end portion 181 of the cam bar 18 enters the heart cam groove 161.

  When the slider 16 is pushed by the memory card inserted through the insertion slot 13 and moves in the insertion direction (the direction of arrow A), the tip 181 of the cam bar 18 enters the heart cam groove 161 at the final position in the insertion direction. Engage, thereby locking the slider 16 in place. When the memory card is pushed again in the insertion direction with the finger in the locked state, the lock is released. Thereafter, when the memory card is stopped from being pressed and the finger is released, the slider 16 is moved in the extraction direction (arrow B direction) by the urging force of the coil spring 17, and the memory card partially protrudes from the insertion slot 13. Extrude until. The memory card pushed out to that position is taken out from the card connector 10 with a tool such as a human fingertip or tweezers.

  Further, the slider 16 is a locking member that locks the memory card so that the inserted memory card does not move inadvertently while leaving the slider 16 in the recess formed on the side surface of the memory card. 162 is provided.

  Further, the card connector 10 is provided with three switches 20, 30 and 40.

  The first switch 20 is configured such that when the memory card is inserted to a predetermined position in the middle of insertion, one contact piece 21 is pushed by the memory card and comes into contact with the other contact piece 22. Is a switch for detecting that the battery has been inserted to the predetermined position.

  The second switch 30 is a switch for detecting that one of the contact pieces 31 is pushed by the memory card and is separated from the other contact piece 32, thereby inserting the memory card all the way in the insertion direction.

  When the memory card in the inserted state can be removed, it is necessary to immediately stop communication between the contacts 15 and the memory card at a stage where the contact 15 and the memory card are normally electrically connected.

  When the memory card is sufficiently moved in the removal direction, it is detected that the memory card is removed by the two contact pieces 31 and 32 of the second switch 30 coming into contact with each other. However, it is assumed that the detection timing is already too late. For this reason, the connector 10 is provided with another third switch 40 on the further back side than the second switch 30. In the connector 10, the third switch 40 detects the removal of the memory card at an extremely early stage.

  The third switch 40 is an example of a switch according to the present invention, and includes a first elastic contact piece 41 and a second elastic contact piece 42.

  The first elastic contact piece 41 has an inclined surface 411 that extends in the insertion direction (arrow A direction) and has a free end on the back side in the insertion direction (tip side in the arrow A direction) and enters the receiving space toward the back side in the insertion direction. It is the contact piece which has the formed cantilever shape. In the present embodiment, specifically, the slope 411 has a shape that is lifted upward toward the back in the insertion direction. The first elastic contact piece 41 has an inclined surface 411 on the back side in the insertion direction with respect to the slider 16 in a state where the inclined surface 411 has moved to the insertion port 13 (the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). Is placed on top.

  The second elastic contact piece 42 is a contact piece having a cantilever shape extending in a direction crossing the insertion direction and having a free end positioned on the slider movement path. As will be described in detail later, the second elastic contact piece 42 is elastically deformed when the free end side tip 421 is pushed by the slider 16 that has moved in the insertion direction along with the insertion of the memory card. Then, the second elastic contact piece 42 is in contact with the inclined surface 411 of the first elastic contact piece 41 and is elastically deformed in a direction in which the first elastic contact piece 41 is pushed out of the receiving space (specifically, in this embodiment, downward). When the memory card is removed, the second elastic contact piece 42 is separated from the first elastic contact piece 41 by the elastic deformation being released by the movement of the slider 16 in the removal direction accompanying the removal of the memory card.

  Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the third switch 40 and the interaction with the slider 16 will be mainly described.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrows XX shown in each of FIGS. Here, a cross section including the shell 12 is shown.

  4 shows the slider 16, the first elastic contact piece 41 and its inclined surface 411, and the tip end portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece 42 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), which are important for the following description. The slider 16 in FIG. 4 is in a state of being pushed by the coil spring 17 and moving toward the insertion slot 13 of the memory card. The slider 16 has a contact surface 163 on the tip side in the insertion direction (arrow A direction). The contact surface 163 contacts the tip 421 of the second elastic contact piece when the slider 16 slides in the insertion direction (arrow A direction), and the tip 421 is inserted (arrow A direction). It is the surface that pushes to the back side. Further, the slider 16 has a flange 164 that protrudes from the upper edge of the contact surface 163 to the back side of the contact surface 163 in the insertion direction (arrow A direction). Furthermore, the slider 16 has a lower surface 165 that is bent backward from the lower end edge of the contact surface 163 in the insertion direction (arrow A direction) and continues to the contact surface 163.

  The tip portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece has a shape in which the plate material is bent so as to form a convex contact surface 142 a toward the inclined surface 411 of the first elastic contact piece 41.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the card connector with the shell removed. However, in FIG. 5, the coil spring 17 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is not shown in order to make the sectional view to be described later easier to understand.

  FIG. 5 shows the slider 16 that has been slid to an intermediate position in the insertion direction (arrow A direction).

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY shown in FIG. This arrow YY has the same cross section as the arrow XX shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 except that the position of the slider 16 is different and the illustration of the coil spring 17 is omitted.

  In the middle stage where the slider 16 is at the position shown in FIG. 6, the slider 16 is still separated from the tip 421 of the second elastic contact piece. Here, the lower surface 164 a of the flange portion 164 of the slider 16 facing the first elastic contact piece 41 side is at a position slightly higher than the upper end edge 421 b of the tip end portion 421. Further, the lower surface 165 of the slider 16 that is continuous with the lower end edge of the contact surface 163 is slightly higher than the bottom surface 421c of the concave surface of the distal end portion 421.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the slider has moved in the insertion direction (arrow A direction) a little more than the position shown in FIG. Note that each figure after FIG. 7 corresponds to each figure. Illustration of perspective views as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 is omitted. In addition, the illustration of the coil spring 17 (see FIG. 4) is also omitted in the drawings after FIG.

  In addition to the overall cross-sectional view (A) of the connector 10, FIG. 7 also shows a cross-sectional view (B) of only the slider 16, the tip 421 of the second elastic contact piece, and the slider 16. The positional relationship between the slider 16 and the tip 421 of the second elastic contact piece is as described with reference to FIG. That is, the contact surface 163 and the lower surface 165 continuous with the lower end edge of the contact surface 163 enter the concave surface side of the distal end portion 421. Moreover, the collar part 164 will be in the state which covered on the front-end | tip part 421. FIG.

  When the state shown in FIG. 7 further moves in the insertion direction (arrow A direction), the second elastic member having a cantilever shape has its tip 421 pushed by the contact surface 163 of the slider 16. Elastically deforms.

  FIG. 8 shows a state immediately after the slider moves further in the insertion direction (arrow A direction) than the position shown in FIG. 7 and the tip of the second elastic contact piece contacts the slope of the first elastic contact piece. FIG.

  The contact surface 421a of the tip 421 of the second elastic contact piece is in contact with the inclined surface 411 of the first elastic contact piece 41. The contact surface 421a is formed as a convex surface formed by bending a plate material. For this reason, for example, compared to a structure in which the tip portion 421 is formed of a flat plate material standing up and down and the end surface is in contact with the inclined surface 411, the slider 16 extends from the position shown in FIG. 8 in the insertion direction (arrow A direction). Further, the friction between the inclined surface 411 and the tip 421 when moving is reduced. Therefore, the movement of the slider 16 and the elastic deformation of the second elastic member 42 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) are smoothly performed.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state where the slider is slid to the final position in the insertion direction (arrow A direction).

  In the state shown in FIG. 9, the first elastic contact piece 41 is pushed down by the slider 16 via the tip 421 of the second elastic contact piece and is elastically deformed. By this elastic deformation, the first elastic contact piece 41 and the tip end portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece 42 are surely electrically contacted. In this state, the tip 421 of the second elastic contact piece is lifted in a direction (upward) away from the first elastic contact piece 41 by receiving a reaction force from the first elastic contact piece 41 in an elastically deformed state. If the tip 421 is lifted while receiving the reaction force, the tip 421 may short-circuit with the shell 12 and malfunction.

  The lower surface 165 of the slider 16 following the contact surface 163 enters the concave surface of the tip portion 421, and the bottom surface 421 c of the concave surface hits the lower surface 165, whereby the tip portion 421 from the first elastic contact piece 41. Lifting due to reaction force is prevented.

  Further, the slide 16 is formed with a flange portion 164, and the upper end edge 421b of the distal end portion 421 that has received the reaction force abuts against the lower surface 164a of the flange portion 164, and also at this point, the distal end portion 421 is caused by the reaction force. It is prevented from being lifted.

  Thus, in the case of the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the tip end portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece is in contact with the first elastic contact on both the lower surface 165 following the lower edge of the contact surface 163 and the lower surface 164a of the flange portion 164. Lifting by the reaction force received from the piece 41 is prevented.

  In the present invention, the surface of the slider that receives the reaction force from the first elastic contact piece via the tip of the second elastic contact piece is referred to as a reaction force receiving surface. In the present embodiment, each of the lower surface 165 following the lower edge of the contact surface 163 and the lower surface 164a of the flange portion 164 corresponds to an example of the reaction force receiving surface referred to in the present invention.

  In the connector 10 of this embodiment, since the two reaction force receiving surfaces are provided as described above, the tip portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece is more reliably prevented from being lifted by the reaction force. However, two reaction force receiving surfaces are not necessarily provided, and either one may be provided. For example, when the tip portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece is bent as in the present embodiment, the flange portion 164 is not necessarily required, and the tip portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece is erected vertically, for example. Alternatively, in the case of having a simple flat plate shape spreading horizontally, only the lower surface 164a of the flange portion 164 may act as a reaction force receiving surface.

  The slider 16 remains in the position shown in FIG. 9 due to the engagement between the heart cam groove 161 of the slider 16 and the cam bar 18 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). When the memory card is pushed again in the direction of insertion, the slider 16 moves slightly in the insertion direction (arrow A direction), and the engagement is released by the movement. When this engagement is released, the slider 16 slides in the extraction direction (the direction of arrow B shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) by the action of the coil spring 17 and returns to the position shown in FIGS. At the same time, the second elastic contact piece 42 that has been pushed and elastically deformed by the slide 16 also returns to its original shape (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and is pushed by the tip 421 of the second elastic contact piece 42. The first elastic contact piece 41 that has been elastically deformed also returns to its original shape.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a card connector according to a modification of the above-described embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 9 in the above-described embodiment. Here, each element corresponding to each element of the card connector 10 of the above-described embodiment is denoted by the same reference numeral as that in each drawing of the above-described embodiment, and only differences will be described.

  FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by a circle R in FIG.

  In addition to the elements of the slider 16 of the card connector 10 of the above-described embodiment, the slider 16 ′ of the card connector 10 ′ shown in FIG. And a drooping portion 166 protruding toward the first elastic contact piece 41. The drooping portion 166 is hooked on the distal end portion 421 of the second elastic contact piece at the initial stage of movement in the withdrawal direction (arrow B direction) of the slider 16 ′ when the memory card is removed, and the distal end portion 421 is removed in the removal direction. I have a role to pull back to. As a result, the slider 16 ′ is removed in the direction in which the front end 421 is left behind even if there is a slight catch or a slight friction between the first elastic contact 41 and the front end 421 of the second elastic contact. The situation of sliding in the direction of arrow B) is prevented, and more reliable operation is realized.

  Here, the card connector into which the memory card is inserted has been described. However, the connector of the present invention is not limited to the card connector into which the memory card is inserted, but also into a mating connector or a connector into which a part thereof is inserted. It can be applied.

10, 10 'card connector 11 housing 12 shell 13 insertion slot 14 receiving space 15 contact 16, 16' slider 17 coil spring 18 cam bar 20, 30, 40 switch 21, 22, 31, 32 contact piece 41 first elastic contact piece 42 first 2 elastic contact pieces 161 heart cam groove 163 contact surface 164 flange 164a, 165 bottom surface 166 hanging part 411 slope 421 tip

Claims (4)

A connector having an insertion port into which an insert is inserted, and a receiving space for removably receiving the inserted insert,
A slider that is pushed by the insertion body inserted from the insertion opening and moves to the back side in the insertion direction, is urged toward the insertion opening and moves closer to the insertion opening when the insertion body is taken out;
The insertion direction has a cantilever shape in which the back side in the insertion direction is a free end, and a slope having a shape that enters the receiving space toward the back side in the insertion direction is formed. A first elastic contact piece disposed on the moving path of the slider on the back side in the insertion direction with respect to the slider in a state of being moved closer,
The free end has a cantilever shape extending in a direction crossing the insertion direction and having a free end positioned on the movement path of the slider, and the free end is moved to the slider that has moved in the insertion direction as the insert is inserted. The first elastic contact piece is elastically deformed so as to be in contact with the inclined surface and pushed out from the receiving space, and the slider is moved in the extraction direction when the insertion body is extracted. And a second elastic contact piece constituting a switch with the first elastic contact piece, the deformation of which is released and separated from the first elastic contact piece,
The slider is in contact with the tip of the second elastic contact piece and presses the tip toward the back in the insertion direction, and the first of the tip in the state of contact with the contact surface. A connector having a reaction force receiving surface for preventing movement in a direction away from the first elastic contact piece due to a reaction force received from the elastic contact piece.   A surface of the abutting surface, which protrudes from the edge of the abutting surface on the side away from the first elastic contact piece to the back side in the insertion direction from the corresponding contact surface and faces the corresponding contact surface side, is referred to as the reaction force receiving surface. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a flange portion.   The slider protrudes toward the first elastic contact piece from the front end portion of the flange portion protruding in the insertion direction, and at the initial stage of movement of the slider in the extraction direction when the insertion body is extracted. The connector according to claim 2, further comprising a hanging portion that pulls back the tip portion in the extraction direction. The tip portion of the second elastic contact piece has a shape in which a plate material is bent so as to form a convex contact surface toward the slope of the first elastic contact piece,
The reaction force receiving surface bends backward from the contact surface in the insertion direction of the slider, continues to the contact surface, enters the concave surface of the plate, and moves away from the first elastic contact piece at the tip portion. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is a surface that prevents the movement of the connector.

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