JP3796581B2 - IC card adapter - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an IC card adapter that allows an IC card to be removably attached and can be connected to a PC card slot of an electronic device such as a personal computer in the same manner as a PC card.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In this type of IC card adapter, a circuit board having a contact terminal that contacts an electrode of the IC card is held on the frame, and the IC card is inserted from the rear side between the frame and the lower plate on the lower surface side. Can be plugged in.
[0003]
This type of IC card adapter should be able to be loaded without difficulty in the PC card slot according to the external dimensions of the target PC card, particularly within the standard of thickness. However, if a sticker is affixed to the adapter main body and the adapter main body becomes full of the standard value, the adapter card is forced into the PC card slot, and the adapter cannot be removed from the slot next time.
[0004]
Therefore, how to reduce the thickness of the adapter body with a margin is an issue. What is noticed is the material and shape of the lower plate that holds the IC card in combination with the frame.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In this regard, it is known that the lower plate is formed of a synthetic resin material. However, this is insufficient in material strength, and in order to compensate for this, the lower plate itself must be increased in thickness. Invite.
[0006]
On the other hand, it is known that the lower plate is formed of a thin metal plate. In this case, in order to obtain the shape accuracy of each part having a different thickness, it is necessary to adopt a form in which two thin metal plates are joined to each other. Can be secured, but the disadvantage of high manufacturing cost cannot be avoided.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to obtain an IC card adapter which can reduce the manufacturing cost while ensuring a large bending strength even when the lower plate is formed of a single metal sheet. . An object of the present invention is to obtain an IC card adapter to which an IC card can be smoothly attached and detached. An object of the present invention is to obtain an IC card adapter that can be easily inserted into and removed from a PC card slot.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As shown in FIG. 4, the present invention includes an IC card adapter having a connector 7 connected to a PC card slot S on the device side on the front surface and allowing an IC card 17 to be detachably attached. 2, the circuit board 3 having the contact terminals 15 that come into contact with the electrodes 18 of the IC card 17, the frame 1 that holds the circuit board 3, and a thin metal plate that is disposed on the lower surface side of the frame 1. The lower plate 4 is provided, the frame 1 and the lower plate 4 are connected at the front end side, and the IC card 17 can be inserted and attached between the rear sides 1 and 4 from the rear side. A ridge 22 having a recess 21 on the lower surface is formed by stamping upward so as to extend in the front-rear direction. In this case, the IC card / adapter simply sends the data from the device to the IC card 17 and also sends the data from the IC card 17 to the device as it is, or converts the data from the device into data suitable for the IC card 17. In this case, the data is sent to the IC card 17 and the data on the IC card 17 is converted into data suitable for the device and sent to the device.
[0009]
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of protrusions 22 are arranged on the lower plate 4 at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction.
[0010]
As a means for connecting the lower plate 4 to the frame 1, the frame 1 is a synthetic resin molded product, and has a synthetic resin rivet 27 fitted from a lower surface side to a through hole 23 provided in the lower plate 4. By ultrasonic welding the front end side of the rivet 27, the frame 1 and the lower plate 4 can be connected on the front end side. At this time, the through hole 23 of the lower plate 4 is formed in the protrusion 22, and the head 27 b of the rivet 27 is received in the recess 21 of the protrusion 22 so as not to protrude from the lower surface of the lower plate 4.
[0011]
A folded portion 30 is formed at the rear end of the lower plate 4. More specifically, the rear end of the lower plate 4 protrudes rearward from the frame 1, and the folded portion 30 can be formed in a curved shape on the upper surface side of the lower plate 4.
[0012]
The circuit board 3 is housed and arranged between the frame 1 and an upper plate 5 made of a metal plate attached to the upper surface side thereof, and the contact terminals 15 of the circuit board 3 are connected through a window 16 provided on the frame 1. It is possible to make contact with the electrode 18 of the IC card 17. In this case, the upper plate 5 is desirably made of a thin metal plate such as stainless steel.
[0013]
[Effects of the invention]
In the IC card adapter of the present invention, since the reinforcing protrusion 22 is formed on the lower plate 4 made of a thin metal plate, the main portion of the lower plate 4 is made of a single thin metal plate and the thickness is reduced. However, sufficient bending strength can be secured. Therefore, the upper and lower thickness of the entire adapter is reduced, so that the adapter can be easily loaded into the PC card slot S, and the manufacturing cost of the lower plate 4 can be suppressed, while deformation and breakage of the lower plate 4 can be well prevented.
[0014]
The ridge 22 runs in the front-rear direction and is formed so as to be stamped on the upper surface side. Therefore, when the IC card 17 is inserted and removed between the frame 1 and the lower plate 4, the lower surface of the IC card 17 comes into partial contact without protruding onto the protruding upper surface of the protrusion 22, and the IC card with respect to the adapter main body. 17 can be attached and detached smoothly. If a plurality of protrusions 22 are arranged on the left and right sides of the lower plate 4, the cross-sectional area of the main surface plate portion of the lower plate 4 is increased by the increase in the number of protrusions 22, the reinforcing effect is excellent, and the IC card 17. In and out can be done stably.
[0015]
Even if the frame 1 is made of synthetic resin and the lower plate 4 is made of a thin metal plate, the rivet 27 made of synthetic resin is used, and the shaft portion 27a of the rivet 27 is inserted into the through hole 23 provided on the lower plate 24 from the lower surface side. When the tip of the shaft portion 27 a is ultrasonically welded to the frame 1, the front end side of the lower plate 4 can be reliably connected and fixed to the front end side of the frame 1 with the rivet 27. This means that the insertion length of the IC card 17 into the adapter main body can be sufficiently secured, and it still leads to an operational effect that the lower plate 4 and the lower plate 4 are not carelessly disconnected even when only the front end is connected.
[0016]
Further, when the rivet is fixed, the through hole 23 to be provided in the lower plate 4 is formed in the ridge 22, and the head 27 b of the rivet 27 is in the recess 21 of the ridge 22 from the lower surface of the lower plate 4. If the IC card adapter is placed so as not to protrude, the rivet head 27b does not get in the way when the IC card adapter is inserted into or removed from the PC card slot S, and this insertion / removal operation can be performed smoothly.
[0017]
If the rear end of the lower plate 4 is folded back to one of the upper and lower sides, it is possible to prevent a user's finger from being caught by the rear end edge of the lower plate 4 and to prevent injury. The bending strength in the left-right direction can be further increased.
[0018]
Further, when the rear end of the lower plate 4 protrudes further rearward than the rear end of the frame 1 and the folded portion 30 is bent so as to bend upward, the rear end of the lower plate 4 is picked with a finger. It becomes easy. Therefore, the user can easily pull out the IC card adapter from the PC card slot S by holding the folded portion 30 of the lower plate 4 with a fingertip.
[0019]
If the circuit board 3 is housed and arranged between the frame 1 and the upper plate 5 made of a metal plate, the upper plate 5 improves the structural strength of the entire adapter, and the electronic components placed on the circuit board 3 are externally impacted. Can be reliably protected from. Moreover, since the circuit board 3 is arranged on the upper surface side of the frame 1, there is a possibility that the circuit board 3 is rubbed and damaged by the IC card 17 inserted between the lower plate 4 and the frame 1. In this respect, the circuit board 3 can be reliably protected. Furthermore, since the contact terminal 15 of the circuit board 3 contacts the electrode 18 of the IC card 17 via the window 16 of the frame 1, data communication between the IC card 17 and the device can be performed reliably.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The drawing shows an embodiment of an IC card adapter K according to the present invention. The overall shape and dimensions of the IC card adapter K are shown in FIG. 4 and are attached to and detached from a PC card slot S provided in an electronic device (PC main body) such as a personal computer. It can be installed freely.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 2, the IC card adapter K includes a synthetic resin frame 1 formed in a flat plate shape, a circuit board 3 mounted in a recess 2 provided on the upper surface of the frame 1, A lower plate 4 made of a thin stainless steel plate is provided opposite to the lower surface side, and an upper plate 5 made of a thin stainless steel plate attached to the upper surface of the frame 1 so as to cover the upper side of the circuit board 3. That is, the circuit board 3 is positioned between the frame 1 and the upper plate 5 and is positioned and held in a manner described later.
[0022]
The frame 1 and the lower plate 4 are connected only on the front end side, and the IC card 17 can be detachably inserted into the gap between the both 1 and 4 from the rear side. In this mounted state, the IC card 17 and the electronic device perform data communication, and data stored in the IC card 17 is read out to the electronic device, or data from the electronic device is stored in the IC card 17. .
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 2, a notch 6 is provided between the left and right sides at the front end of the frame 1, and a connector 7 mounted on the front side of the circuit board 3 is held in a state of fitting into the notch 6. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, the front surface of the connector 7 is exposed on the front outer surface of the adapter body, and the connector 7 can be connected to the connector P on the PC card slot S side.
[0024]
The connector 7 is sandwiched between the front end portion 4a of the lower plate 4 and the front end portion 5a of the upper plate 5 from the vertical direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of left and right engaging projections 8 and 8 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the connector 7, and engaging grooves 9 and 9 are provided on the left and right opposing surfaces of the notch 6 of the frame 1. The engaging projections 8 and 8 are fitted into the grooves 9 and 9. Thus, the connector 7 is positioned and held with respect to the frame 1 so as not to move up and down and back and forth.
[0025]
A peripheral wall 11 is integrally formed on the left and right and rear three-side rims of the recess 2 of the frame 1, and a number of locking holes 12 are provided outside the peripheral wall 11 (see FIG. 5). Corresponding to this, a large number of locking pieces 13 are bent downward on the left and right and rear three-side edges of the upper plate 5.
[0026]
Thus, the upper plate 5 is placed on the upper surface of the frame 1 and the locking pieces 13 are fitted and locked in the locking holes 12 to fix the upper plate 5 to the frame 1 in a retaining manner. As a result, a gap corresponding to the height of the peripheral wall 11 is formed between the frame 1 and the upper plate 5, and electronic components (not shown) on the circuit board 3 are damaged by the pressure deformation of the upper plate 5. We prevent receiving.
[0027]
In the recess 2 of the frame 1, as shown in FIG. 3, there is provided a window 16 where the contact terminal 15 provided on the circuit board 3 protrudes to the lower surface side of the frame 1. The electrode 18 (see FIG. 6) on the side of the IC card 17 that has been inserted comes into contact with the electrode 18 and becomes conductive.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 3, the front end surface of the IC card 17 abuts between the notch 6 and the window 16 on the front end side of the lower surface of the frame 1, and a step portion 20 that restricts the insertion limit when the IC card 17 is mounted. Projectingly formed. Using this stepped portion 20, the front end side of the lower plate 4 is fixed to the front end side of the frame 1.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 1, left and right four protrusions 22 having a trapezoidal recess 21 on the lower surface are formed on the lower plate 4 so as to project upward. The four ridges 22 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction, and the two ridges 22 on the left side and the two ridges 22 on the right side have a triangular shape at the front. It is connected via the connecting portion 22a.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 2, a through hole 23 is provided in each connecting portion 22 a of the protrusion 22. As shown in FIG. 3, fitting portions 25 to which the connecting portions 22 a of the protrusions 22 are fitted are respectively formed on the left and right sides of the lower surface of the step portion 20 of the frame 1, and the fitting portions 25 are fitted into the fitting portions 25. A hole 26 is formed in a recess.
[0031]
In order to attach the lower plate 4 to the frame 1, two synthetic resin rivets 27 are prepared. Each rivet 27 is fitted in the fitting hole 26 by inserting the shaft portion 27 a into the through hole 23. At this time, the head 27 b of the rivet 27 has a substantially triangular flat plate shape as shown in FIG. 1, and this head 27 b fits into the recess 21 of the connecting portion 22 a of the protrusion 22. That is, the head 27b of the rivet 27 is accommodated in the recess 21 so as not to protrude from the lower surface of the lower plate 4 as shown in FIG.
[0032]
By fitting the shaft portion 27a of the rivet 27 into the fitting hole 26 through the through hole 23 and ultrasonically welding the tip of the shaft portion 27a of the rivet 27 against the bottom of the fitting hole 26, The left and right front ends of the lower plate 4 are connected and fixed by rivets 27 to the left and right front ends of the frame 1.
[0033]
Note that a plurality of locking holes are provided at the left and right ends of the step portion 20 of the frame 1, and a plurality of these protruding holes project upward from the left and right front ends of the lower plate 4 shown in FIG. 2. The left and right ends of the lower plate 4 on the front end side are also positioned and fixed to the frame 1 by fitting and locking the protruding pieces 28.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 4, the rear end of the lower plate 4 extends so as to protrude rearward from the rear end edge of the frame 1 (left side in FIG. 4). In addition, the rear end portion of the lower plate 4 is folded upward so that the folded portion 30 is curved like a hairpin.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a bottom view of an IC card adapter according to the present invention as viewed from the lower surface side. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the IC card adapter. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state when an IC card is inserted into an IC card adapter.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Frame 3 Circuit board 4 Lower plate 5 Upper plate 7 Connector 15 Contact terminal 16 Window 17 IC card 18 Electrode 21 Recess 22 Projection 23 Through-hole 27 Rivet 27a Rivet shaft part 27b Rivet head 30 Lower plate folding part K IC Card adapter S PC card slot

Claims (7)

In an IC card adapter having a connector 7 connected to a PC card slot S on the front side and allowing an IC card 17 to be detachably mounted,
A circuit board 3 provided with contact terminals 15 that contact the electrodes 18 of the IC card 17, a frame 1 that holds the circuit board 3, and a lower plate 4 that is a metal thin plate that is disposed on the lower surface side of the frame 1. Has
The frame 1 and the lower plate 4 are connected to each other on the front end side, and the IC card 17 can be inserted and attached between the rear sides 1 and 4.
An IC card adapter, wherein a protrusion 22 having a recess 21 on the lower surface is formed on the lower plate 4 so as to extend in the front-rear direction. The IC card adapter according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of protrusions 22 are arranged on the lower plate 4 at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. Frame 1 is a synthetic resin molded product,
The through hole 23 provided in the lower plate 4 has a rivet 27 made of synthetic resin with which the shaft portion 27a is fitted from the lower surface side,
The IC card adapter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame 1 and the lower plate 4 are connected to each other on the front end side by ultrasonic welding of the front end side of the shaft portion 27a of the rivet 27 to the frame 1. A through hole 23 of the lower plate 4 is formed in the protrusion 22,
The IC card adapter according to claim 3, wherein the head 27 b of the rivet 27 is received in the recess 21 of the protrusion 22 so as not to protrude from the lower surface of the lower plate 4. 2. The IC card adapter according to claim 1, wherein a folded portion is formed at the rear end of the lower plate. The rear end of the lower plate 4 protrudes rearward from the frame 1,
The IC card adapter according to claim 5, wherein the folded portion 30 is folded in a curved shape toward the upper surface side of the lower plate 4. The circuit board 3 is housed and arranged between the frame 1 and an upper plate 5 made of a metal plate attached to the upper surface side thereof,
The IC card adapter according to claim 1, wherein the contact terminal 15 of the circuit board 3 can be brought into contact with the electrode 18 of the IC card 17 through a window 16 provided in the frame 1.

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