JP2717346B2 - Connector with switch - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector with a switch and, more particularly, to a connector with a switch having a mechanism for releasing a card such as an IC card or a memory card from a fitted state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a switch for short-circuiting or opening a circuit formed on one surface of a substrate (not shown) such as a printed circuit board, as shown in FIGS. 110, a switch knob 121 provided on one surface of the switch plate 120, and a conductive contact 130 provided on the other surface of the switch plate 120 opposite to the switch knob 121. Some have. The contact 130 is formed in a spring plate shape, and an intermediate portion thereof is fixed to the switch plate 120. Contact portions 131 are formed at both ends of the contact 130, respectively. Each contact portion 131 short-circuits or opens the circuit of the substrate as described above.

A switch plate 120 is attached to an exterior plate 110 of a device so as to be able to move in parallel with respect to the substrate surface. Each contact portion 131 short-circuits or opens a circuit formed on the substrate surface as described above. The contact portion 131 is connected to the circuit of the substrate on the substrate as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Pad portion 14 which is a conductive portion
1 slidably contacted.

Now, by sliding the switch plate 120 in parallel with the board surface, the circuit on the board is short-circuited and opened. That is, when the switch knob 121 is operated to slide the switch plate 120 to the position shown in FIG.
1 are in elastic contact with each other,
Since the circuit 141 is short-circuited, the circuit of the substrate is conducted, and a short-circuit state occurs. Further, when the switch plate 120 is slid to the position shown in FIG. 11, the conduction between the pad portions 141, 141 becomes non-conductive, and the circuit of the substrate is opened.

[0005]

In the above-described conventional switch, the switch plate 120 is moved in a direction parallel to the substrate surface to perform a short-circuit and an open operation. There is a restriction that they must be parallel. Therefore, for example, when the above-described switch function is provided in conjunction with a member that moves in the direction perpendicular to the substrate, there is a problem that it is difficult to apply the conventional structure.

Therefore, it is conceivable that a separate switch component for short-circuiting and opening the circuit by moving in a direction perpendicular to the substrate is incorporated in the exterior part 110 of the device, and the circuit is short-circuited and opened. However, in this case, there is a problem that the structure is complicated by the amount of the switch components and the cost is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector with a switch capable of short-circuiting and opening a switch in conjunction with a board and a member which moves vertically in an apparatus.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a frame in which the mating connector is fitted so that the mating connector can be moved in a direction in which the mating connector comes into contact with and detaches from the conductive mating contact. The frame includes a conductive contact connected to the mating contact, the contact,
An ejector capable of moving forward and backward in the detaching direction, a lever for moving the mating connector in a direction to disengage the mating contact from the contact by advancing operation of the ejector, and locking the ejector by engaging with the ejector A connector having a switch member and a conductive switch contact that short-circuits and opens in conjunction with the lock member, wherein the switch contacts are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the extension direction and the deformation direction. At least two contact spring pieces, a contact portion provided on the contact spring piece, and a state in which the frame is mounted on the board, and is connected to one end of the contact spring piece and electrically connected to the circuit of the board. A connecting portion, and an engaging portion provided at a free end of the contact spring piece. A switch which is movable in a vertical direction and has a cam portion which is engaged with the engaging portion of the contact spring piece by the movement of the lock member to deform the contact spring piece. A connector is obtained.

According to the present invention, the connection portion is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface, protrudes from the frame toward the substrate, and the frame is mounted on the substrate. A connector with a switch, characterized in that it is in elastic contact with the circuit and is electrically connected to the circuit on the substrate, is obtained.

[0010]

According to the switch-equipped connector of the present invention, when the mating connector is mounted, the lock member is moved downward from the unlocked position to the locked position, whereby the ejector is fixed and its sliding movement is restricted. At the same time, since the pressing of the lock member by the cam portion is released,
One of the contact spring pieces returns to its original position due to elasticity, thereby interrupting electrical conduction between the connection portions.

Further, in the above state, if the lock member is moved upward from the locked position to the unlocked position, the ejector is released from being fixed and can be slid. Further, the free end moves due to the pressing by the cam portion, the pair of contact spring pieces conduct, and the connection portions are short-circuited.
In this way, the switch contact can be short-circuited and opened by the vertical movement of the lock member.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a connector with a switch according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a connector with a switch is mounted on a substrate, and is connected to a conductive mating contact of a mating connector (see FIG. 3) 1. It has an electrically insulating frame body 20 into which the mating connector 1 is fitted so as to be able to move in the direction of contact and detachment. The frame main body 20 is provided with a lever 50 pivotally attached to the frame main body 20 and is capable of moving forward and backward in the direction of coming into contact with and releasing from the frame main body 20,
An ejector 40 for moving the partner contact in a direction in which the other contact is detached by advancing operation; a lock member 30 also serving as a switch knob for locking the operation of the ejector 40;
A conductive switch contact 10 is provided.
The switch-equipped connector is used by being incorporated together with a substrate into a device body (not shown). The locking member is a mating connector 1 due to erroneous operation of the ejector
To prevent the electrical destruction of the switch contact 10 and to perform the short-circuit and open operation of the switch contact 10.

The frame body 20 includes a guide frame 21
And a contact frame 22 connected to the guide frame 21. Guide frame 21
Are provided with first and second guide frame portions 211 and 212 which are arranged at intervals in parallel with each other,
And a holding frame portion 213 to which one end of each of the guide frame portions 211 and 212 is connected. The guide frame 21 includes first and second guide frame portions 211 and 21.
2 and the holding frame portion 213 are formed in a substantially U-shaped plane.

The contact frame 22 includes first and second contact frames.
The first and second guide frames 211, 212 have one end faces opposite to each other so as to come into contact with the other end, and the first and second guide frames 211, 212 extend in parallel with each other at intervals like the first and second guide frames 211, 212, respectively. Contact frame portions 221 and 222.

The guide frame 21 and the contact frame 22 are separated from each other by first and second guide frame portions 211 and 211.
A pair of engaging pieces 21a extending along the outer wall surfaces of the first and second contact frame portions 221 and 222 from the respective other end surfaces of the first and second contact frame portions 12, and the outer wall surfaces of the first and second contact frame portions 221 and 222 Are engaged with each other by mutually engaging a pair of engagement grooves 22a formed at the same time.

As described above, when the guide frame 21 and the contact frame 22 are connected to each other,
A hollow portion 23 large enough to accommodate a thin card-shaped mating connector 1 such as an IC card or a memory card.
Are formed.

The first and second guide frame portions 211,
The guide 212 has guide portions 21 b and 21 c having concave cross sections for slidably receiving both side edges of the mating connector 1 and guiding the same to the hollow portion 23. In addition, the guide part 2
1b and 21c are the first and second guide frame portions 21
The first and second contact frame portions 221 and 222 which are connected to each other are formed continuously.

The first and second guide frame portions 211,
An insertion port 24 for inserting the mating connector 1 toward the hollow portion 23 or pulling out the mating connector 1 from the hollow portion 23 is provided at one end of the 212, that is, at the portion where the holding frame portion 213 is located. Is formed. A holder 21d that slidably holds the ejector 40 along the guide 21c is formed on the outer wall surface near the other end of the second guide frame 212.

As shown in FIG. 2 only, a ground lug 61 and a grounding lug 62 are attached to the first guide frame 211. The ground lug 61 and the grounding lug 62 are electrically connected to the ground conductive portion and the ground conductive portion of the board (see FIG. 5) when the board is mounted on the frame body 20 and fixed to the board. Things.

Further, a large number of conductive contacts 22b such as pin contacts are fixed to the contact frame 22 side by side in the same direction as the first and second contact frame portions 221 and 222. A space 22c for receiving the distal end of the mating connector is formed on the opposite side of the contact frame 22 opposite to the insertion end surface of the mating connector. The space 22c is a portion surrounded by the guide portions 21b and 21c of the first and second contact frame portions 221 and 222 and the upper and lower two plate members 22e constituting the contact frame 22. Further, a lever 50 is attached to the contact frame 22 near the base of the one guide portion 21c. The rotating shaft 53 is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the lever 50. The rotating shaft 53 is rotatably fitted in a bearing hole 22d formed in the two plate members 22e. further,
The lever 50 includes an extruding portion 54 extending in one direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 53 and a pressing portion 52 extending to the other end in the direction opposite to the one direction and pressed by the distal end portion 41 of the ejector 40. Have.

FIG. 3 shows a state where the mating connector 1 is inserted. When the locked state of the lock member 30 is released in this state, the ejector 40 can be slid, and the ejector 40 is slid and the pressing portion 52 is pressed by the distal end portion 41. By this operation, the lever 5
0 rotates about the rotation axis 53. At this time, the mating connector 1 is slightly pushed out of the space 22c within the rotation range of the pushing portion 54 by the pushing portion 54. Therefore, the mating contact of the mating connector 1 and the contact 22b can be brought into a non-contact state.

The lever 50 has two upper and lower rotating shafts 5.
3, a recess 55 is formed. The recess 55 prevents contact between the corner of the distal end side of the mating connector 1 fitted to the frame 20 and the lever 50. further,
The size of the rotating shaft 53 is defined so that even if a part of the rotating shaft 53 is located in the space 22c, the entry of the mating connector into the space 22c is not prevented.

The ejector 40 is, as shown in FIG.
Outside the guide portion 21c, the second guide frame 212
Along to the side of the contact frame 22. The tip 41 of the ejector 40 is in contact with the pressing portion 52 of the lever 50. A coil-shaped spring member 43 is interposed between a mounting piece 42 formed at an intermediate portion of the ejector 40 and a locking piece 21e formed at an intermediate portion of the second guide frame 212. ing. Then, in a state where the mating connector 1 is accommodated in the space 22c, the ejector 40 is pressed in the II direction shown in FIG. 3 to rotate the lever 50 counterclockwise in FIG. 54, mating connector 1
Is extruded. When the pressing is released, the lever 50 returns to the original position by the elasticity of the spring member 43.

The lock member 30 is inserted into a recess 21f (see FIG. 1) provided at one end of the second guide frame portion 212 in the thickness direction of the mating connector 1 (I direction in FIG. 6). It is fitted so that it can move to. In this fitted state, the lock member 30 faces the base 44 of the ejector 40. An engagement portion 32 is provided below the lock member 30. The engaging portion 32 engages with the concave portion 45 inside the base portion 44 of the ejector 40 when the lock member 30 is in the lock position (the lower position in FIG. 6), thereby preventing the ejector 40 from sliding. In the locked state. When the lock member 30 is in the unlocked position (the upper position in FIG. 6), the ejector 40 is slidable because the engaging portion 32 is not engaged with the recess 45.

The movement of the lock member 30 between the locked position and the unlocked position may be manually performed by an operator, or may be electrically or mechanically interlocked with a switch of the device main body to which the connector is attached. It is good also as a structure which performs.

The lock member 30 has a cam portion 31 for elastically deforming the switch contact 10 on the side opposite to the engagement portion 32 to cause the switch contact 10 to short-circuit and open.
have. Further, an opening / closing member 33 having one end fixed to the lock member 30 is attached to the lock member 30. The other end of the opening / closing member 33 extends so as to face the insertion port 24, and when the lock member 30 is in the lock position, as shown best in FIG. Is closed. When the lock member 30 is in the unlocked position, the insertion port 24 is released.

The switch contact 10 has two contact spring pieces 11 and 12 of approximately the same shape made by appropriately bending two elongated conductive plates, and one end of each of the contact spring pieces 11 and 12. It has connection parts 14a and 14b connected. The contact spring pieces 11 and 12 are formed with contact portions 11a and 12a that come into contact with and separate from each other. Connection part 14a,
14b are insulated. The contact portion 12a of one contact spring piece 12 comes into contact with and separates from the contact portion 11a of the other contact spring piece 11 by a cam portion 31 that moves as the lock member 30 moves. This switch contact 10
The two contact spring pieces 11 and 12 are
12 are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the extension direction and the deformation direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the switch contact 10 is assembled and fixed from a surface (a lower surface in FIG. 1) opposite to the substrate surface on which the frame body 20 is mounted on the substrate 2.

The connection portions 14a and 14b are connection portions connected to the circuit of the board 2, and as shown in FIG.
From the lower surface of the guide frame part 212 toward the substrate 2 side. When the frame main body 20 is mounted on the substrate, the connection portions 14a and 14b are elastically deformed, and the flat portions at the tips of the connection portions 14a and 14b elastically contact conductive portions such as pads and contacts on the substrate 2. The connection portions 14a, 14
b may be fixed to the substrate 2 with screws at a plane portion that is in contact with the substrate 2. Or, the connection part 14
The plane portions a and b may be connected to the substrate 2 by soldering.

When the lock member 30 is in the lock position below, as shown in FIG.
In FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 7, the contact portions 11a and 12a are separated from each other, and the connection portions 14a and 14b are not conducted.
On the other hand, when the lock member 30 is pulled up from the locked position to the unlocked position, the free end 13 of the contact spring piece 12 pressed by the cam portion 31 of the lock member 30 moves. The contact 12 is elastically deformed, and the contact portions 11a and 12a come into contact as shown in FIG. Therefore, conduction is established between the connection portions 14a and 14b. In this example,
The connection portions 14a and 14b are connected to the power supply of the device main body, and when the connection portions 14a and 14b are non-conductive (the state where the switch contact 10 is disconnected), the power supply is turned on,
The connection is made so that the power is turned off when the connection portions 14a and 14b are electrically connected (when the switch contact 10 is closed). Therefore, the power can be turned on and off by operating the lock member 30. The power may be turned on when the switch contact 10 is short-circuited, and turned off when the switch contact 10 is opened.

In the connector with a switch of this embodiment,
In a state where the lock member 30 is in the unlocked position and the opening / closing member 33 releases the insertion slot 24, the mating connector 1 is mounted by pushing the mating connector 1 from the insertion slot 24 into the hollow portion 23. You. At this time, the contact 22b of the contact frame 22 and the mating contact of the mating connector 1 come into contact with each other, and the two are electrically connected. When the lock member 30 is in the unlocked position, the free end portion 13 of the switch contact 10 is moved by being pressed by the cam portion 31 of the lock member 30, and the contact spring pieces 11, 12 are moved.
Is conducted, and the connection portions 14a and 14b are short-circuited.

In the mounted state of the mating connector 1, the locking member 30 is moved downward from the unlocked position to the locked position shown in FIG.
0 is fixed, and the slide movement is restricted. At the same time, the pressing of the lock member 30 by the cam portion 31 is released, so that the contact spring piece 12 returns to its original position by elasticity, thereby cutting off the electrical conduction between the connection portions 14a and 14b.

Further, in the above state, the lock member 3
If 0 is moved upward from the locked position to the unlocked position, the ejector 40 is released from being fixed, and can be slid. Further, the free end portion 13 is moved by the pressing by the cam portion 31, the contact spring pieces 11 and 12 are conducted,
A short circuit occurs between the connection portions 14a and 14b.

In this manner, the switch contact 10 can be short-circuited and opened by the vertical movement of the lock member 30.

[0035]

As described above, according to the connector with the switch of the present invention, there is provided the cam portion which engages with the engaging portion of the contact spring piece by the movement of the lock member to deform the contact spring piece. Therefore, in a state where the frame body is mounted on the board, the switch contact can be short-circuited and opened in conjunction with the lock member that moves in a direction perpendicular to the board.

Further, the connection portion protrudes from the frame body toward the board side, and is elastically contacted with the circuit body of the board in a state where the frame body is mounted on the board to conduct to the circuit of the board. No attachment is required. Therefore, the number of steps for mounting the frame body on the substrate can be reduced. In addition, since the work space by the soldering iron at the time of soldering becomes unnecessary, the restriction on the arrangement of the connection part is reduced,
The degree of freedom in arranging the connection portions on the substrate is increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a connector with a switch of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the guide frame of FIG. 1 and an ejector and a lock member provided on the guide frame.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state after assembling the connector with a switch of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state after the ejector and the lock member of FIG. 1 are assembled.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the switch-equipped connector of FIG. 3 as viewed from an insertion opening.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the switch contact in FIG. 3, and is a bottom view showing a state where a contact spring piece is opened.

8 is an explanatory view of the switch contact in FIG. 3, and is a bottom view showing a state where the contact spring piece is short-circuited. FIG.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a conventional connector with a switch.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part showing a state where the switch is short-circuited after assembling the connector with a switch of FIG. 9;

11 is a perspective view of a main part showing a state where a switch is opened after assembling the connector with a switch of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mating connector 2 Substrate 10 Switch contact 11, 12 Contact spring piece 11a, 12a Contact part 13 Free end part 14a, 14b Connection part 20 Frame main body 21 Guide frame 21d Holder part 22 Contact frame 23 Hollow part 24 Insertion opening 30 Lock member 31 cam part 40 ejector 41 tip part 43 spring member 50 lever 120 switch plate 131 contact part

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A frame for fitting the mating connector so that the mating connector can move in a direction of contacting and detaching from a conductive mating contact of the mating connector, and the frame is connected to the mating contact. An electrically conductive contact, an ejector capable of moving forward and backward in the contact and disengagement directions, and a lever for moving the mating connector in a direction to disengage the mating contact with respect to the contact by advancing operation of the ejector; A connector with a switch, comprising: a lock member that engages with an ejector to lock the ejector; and a conductive switch contact that short-circuits and opens in conjunction with the lock member. At least two contact spring pieces arranged at positions displaced from each other in the deformation direction; A contact portion provided on a piece, a connection portion connected to one end of the contact spring piece and electrically connected to the circuit of the board while the frame is mounted on the board, and a free end of the contact spring piece. An engagement portion provided in the portion, wherein the lock member is movable in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface, and is engaged with the engagement portion of the contact spring piece by movement of the lock member. A connector having a switch for deforming the contact spring piece. 2. The connecting portion is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, protrudes from the frame toward the substrate, and makes elastic contact with the frame mounted on the substrate. The connector with a switch according to claim 1, wherein the connector is electrically connected to the circuit on the substrate.