JP4001122B2 - Memory card connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to memory card connectors.

  Memory cards are well known and include intelligence in the form of memory circuits or other electronic programs. A form of card reader reads information stored on a memory card. Such cards are in today's electronic society such as video cameras, digital still cameras, smart phones, PDAs, music players, ATMs, cable television, coders, toys, games, PC adapters, multimedia cards and other electronic applications. Is used in many applications. Memory cards typically have contacts or terminal arrays for connection to a card reader system and to external devices via a card connector. The connector easily accepts card insertion and removal and provides quick access to card information and programs. The card connector includes a terminal for elastically engaging a memory card contact array.

  Memory card connectors are often attached to printed circuit boards. The memory card itself can be written or read via a connector and transmitted between electrical devices such as word processors, personal computers, personal data assistants and the like.

  Some memory card connectors are provided with a write protection function by a pair of resilient conductive terminals forming a control switch. Two resilient terminals are attached to one side of the connector and their respective resilient arms are placed close to each other and moved into mutual engagement by the memory card, closing the control switch.

  When the write protection switch is turned off, the memory card pushes one of the elastic arms of the switch to engage the other elastic arm and electrically connect those arms. Thereby, a signal can be transmitted between the memory card and the printed circuit board.

  When the write protection switch is turned on, the memory card has a void or depression and does not push one elastic arm into engagement with the other elastic arm. When the two elastic arms are separated as described above, a signal cannot be transmitted between the memory card and the printed circuit board.

  Unfortunately, there are problems with memory card connectors having such write protection functions. In particular, switch terminals are usually only attached to connectors by barbs or interference fits. If the memory card is repeatedly inserted into the connector and pulled out, the elasticity of the terminals is lost and often does not come into proper contact. The present invention is directed to solving these problems.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved memory card connector having the above-described features in which at least a pair of switch terminals are attached to a connector housing.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the connector has an internal cavity that receives the memory card. The insulating housing has a terminal mounted rear section at the rear of the cavity. A longitudinal sidewall section extends forward from one end of the rear section on one side of the cavity. The housing can be attached to the circuit board. A plurality of terminals are mounted on the terminal mounting rear section of the housing, and these terminals have contact portions for engaging appropriate contacts on the memory card. A pair of switch terminals are attached to the side wall section of the housing. The resilient contact arm of one of the switch terminals is engageable by a memory card received in the cavity and is movable to engage the contact arm of the other switch terminal. Complementary interengaging attachment means are provided between at least one of the switch terminals and the longitudinal side wall section of the housing, and there is an L-shaped lock boss outside the side wall section, the L-shaped One piece extends outward from the bottom of the longitudinal side wall section, and the other L-shaped piece extends from the end of the piece in the upper direction of the longitudinal side wall section so that the other piece has the longitudinal side wall section side. form of the field to lock space rearward, further, an opening is provided in the body portion of the at least one switch terminal, by inserting the locking boss to the opening, when positioned set above km Kkusupesu the body above The other piece can prevent the body portion from being pulled outwardly of the longitudinal side wall section. A soldering tab protrudes from the lower edge of the body portion for solder connection to the circuit board.

  As described herein, an opening is formed in the body portion of both switch terminals, which can engage a pair of L-shaped lock bosses provided in the side wall section. Both switch terminals have solder tabs that project outward from the lower edge of the body portion. The contact arms of both switch terminals are elastic.

  According to one feature of the invention, the at least one switch terminal has a locking tab protruding from the body portion, the locking tab engaging the locking shoulder of the side wall section so that the body portion is above the side wall section. To prevent being pulled. In a preferred embodiment, the locking tab is stamped and bent at the upper edge of the body portion. As described herein, the body portion is engaged with a retaining slot formed in the side wall section, and the locking tab is a pair of locking shoulders provided on either side of the retaining slot when the body portion is inserted into the slot. And snap-engaged.

  According to another feature of the invention, the resilient contact arm of one switch terminal has one end adjacent to the longitudinal side wall section of the housing. At the opposite end of the terminal is a second resilient contact arm near the terminal mounting rear section of the housing that engages the third switch contact in response to the memory card being inserted into the cavity. Combined. The terminal is generally L-shaped and defines two resilient contact arms.

  Another feature of the present invention includes the opening of the at least one switch terminal extending along the body portion through a joint between the body portion and the soldering tab. The lock boss is disposed outside the mounting post that projects downward from the side wall section. The body portion includes barbs that can engage the retention slots of the sidewall section.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, the memory card connector 10 of the present invention (FIGS. 1 and 2) includes a housing 12, a cover 14, and a plurality of terminals 16 attached to the housing. The housing is made of an insulating material such as molded plastic, and the cover is made of a metal such as a stamped sheet metal material.

  The cover and housing are joined to form a card receiving internal cavity 18 with an opening 18a in the front receptacle area of the connector. This mouth allows the memory card to be inserted into and removed from the cavity 18.

  The molded plastic insulation housing 12 of the connector 10 is generally U-shaped (as shown) or L-shaped (not shown). In any case, the housing includes a terminal mounted rear section 20 across the rear of the cavity 18 and a longitudinal sidewall section 22 (and 24) extending forward from one or both ends of the rear section and defining one or both sides of the cavity 18. ). In addition, the housing includes a lower plate 26 and the entire housing has a lower surface 28 for attachment to the upper surface of a printed circuit board (not shown). The side wall section 22 has first and second narrow slots 30 and 32 open at the top thereof. The terminal mounted rear section 20 has first and second narrow slots 34 and 36 open at the top thereof. The side wall section 22 has a pair of depending mounting posts 22a and the side wall section 24 has a pair of depending mounting posts 24a (only one is visible in the drawing). An L-shaped lock boss 39 projects outward from the outside of each mounting post 22a, and defines a lock space or slot 39a behind the boss.

  The terminals 16 are mounted in a plurality of through passages 38 (FIG. 1) provided in the terminal mounting rear section 20 of the housing. Each terminal includes a tail portion 40 that is generally flattened with the lower surface 28 of the housing for connection, such as by soldering, to appropriate circuit traces on the printed circuit board. The terminal 16 also has a contact portion 42 for engaging with an appropriate contact provided on the lower surface of the memory card, for example.

  The cover 14 of the connector 10 includes an upper wall 44, a hanging rear wall 46, and a hanging side wall 48. Upper wall 44 substantially covers the entire terminal contact array of the connector. The rear wall 46 hangs down the back of the rear section 20 of the housing. The brace portion 50 of the cover traverses the open mouth 18a of the cavity 18. The cover 14 is attached to the housing 12 simply by pushing the cover downward in the direction of arrow A (FIG. 1). The rear wall 46 and the side wall 48 of the cover have mounting holes 52 that are chamfered latch bosses 54 and snap latch engagements formed on the exterior of the rear section 20 and the side wall sections 22, 24 of the housing. Combined.

  The switching system of the connector 10 is implemented with a first switch terminal 56, a second switch terminal 58, and a third switch terminal 60. All switch terminals are stamped and formed from a conductive sheet metal material. The first switch terminal 56 includes a generally flat body portion 62 and a soldering tab 64 bent outward from its lower edge. A resilient contact arm 66 projects substantially horizontally from one side of the body portion. A pair of barbs 68 project outward from both side edges of the body portion. A lock opening 70 is stamped into the body portion 62 and extends along the body portion via a joint between the body portion and the soldering tab 64. Further, the locking tab 72 is stamped on the upper edge of the body portion 62 and bent outward therefrom.

  The first switch terminal 56 is attached to the sidewall section 22 of the housing 12 by pushing it down in the direction of arrow B (FIG. 1) and pushing the flat body portion 62 into the narrow retaining slot 30. The terminal is pushed down until the lock opening 70 moves onto the lock boss 39 and the body portion 62 of the terminal moves into the lock space or slot 39a behind the boss. Therefore, the terminal is prevented from being pulled out of the side wall section 22. When the main body portion rests behind the lock boss, the soldering tab 64 is in a flat position with the circuit board, and soldering is possible. The barbs 68 on the side edges of the body portion 62 bite into the plastic material of the housing within the retention slot 30. Further, as the terminal 56 is pushed down into the slot 30, the locking tab 72 snaps behind the pair of locking shoulders 74 on the side wall section 22 to prevent the body portion from being pulled above the side wall section.

  The second switch terminal 58 is generally L-shaped and includes an L-shaped body portion 76 and first and second resilient contact arms 78 and 80 extending perpendicular to each other. A soldering tab 82 projects outward from the lower edge of the body portion. Further, thorns 84 project outward from both edges of the main body portion. Similar to the switch terminal 56, the body portion 76 of the switch terminal 58 includes a locking opening 85 that extends along the body portion through a joint between the body portion and the soldering tab 82. This second switch terminal 58 is attached to the housing 12 in the direction of arrow C (FIG. 1), so the L-shaped body portion 76 is narrow in the housing until the soldering tab 82 is flat with the circuit board. Pushed into slots 32 and 34. When the switch terminal 58 is pushed downward, the lock opening 85 is moved onto the lock boss 39 outside each mounting post 22a, and the body portion 76 is moved into the lock space or slot 39a behind the boss. . This prevents the switch terminal 58 from being pulled out of the side wall section 22. The barbs 84 bite into the plastic material of the housing in the slot 32.

The third switch terminal 60 includes a body portion 86 attached to the narrow slot 36 of the rear section 20 of the housing. A resilient contact arm 88 projects from the body portion and is cantilevered at the rear of the cavity 18. A soldering tab 90 projects outward from the lower surface of the body portion 86 and is soldered to the circuit board.
The soldering tabs 64 and 90 of the switch terminals 56 and 60 are connected to appropriate signal circuit traces on the printed circuit board by soldering or the like. For example, the soldering tab 82 of the switch terminal 58 is connected to a ground circuit trace of the printed circuit board by soldering or the like.

  FIG. 4 shows that the resilient contact arm 80 of the switch terminal 58 and the resilient contact arm 88 of the switch terminal 60 are relatively close together. These two resilient contact arms are cantilevered at the rear of the cavity 18 and are typically kept apart until the memory card is fully inserted into the cavity. When fully inserted, the front edge of the memory card engages the resilient contact arm 88 and pushes it back in the direction of arrow D, and eventually the contact arm engages with the resilient contact arm 80 of the switch terminal 58. Match. This closes the circuit and the memory card can function with its writing or reading capability via the connector 10. Such switches provided by contact arms 80 and 88 of terminals 58 and 60 are often referred to as position setting end switches or card detection switches.

  FIG. 4 also shows that the resilient contact arm 78 of the switch terminal 58 and the resilient contact arm 66 of the switch terminal 56 are relatively close together. It is clear that these resilient contact arms are normally open without engaging each other when there is no memory card in the cavity 18. These resilient contact arms of switch terminals 56 and 58 form a write protection switch for connector 10.

More specifically, in a writable state, the memory card pushes the resilient contact arm 78 outwardly to engage the resilient contact arm 66 and electrically connect the two resilient contact arms. Therefore, a signal can be transmitted between the memory card and the printed circuit board.
In the write protected state, the void or indentation of the memory card is aligned with the contact portion 78a of the resilient contact arm 78 so that the resilient contact arm 78 does not engage the resilient contact arm 66. When the two elastic contact arms are separated, signal transmission between the memory card and the printed circuit board is prohibited.

  FIG. 3 shows how to securely lock the first switch terminal 56 to the side wall section 22 of the housing 12. More specifically, this switch terminal cannot move downward in the direction of arrow E. This is because the body portion 62 of this terminal is engaged with the lock boss in the lock space 39a (FIG. 1) behind the lock boss 39, preventing the body portion and the switch terminal from being pulled outwardly of the side wall section. Because it does. Also, this terminal cannot move upward in the direction of arrow F. This is because the locking tab 72 of the terminal interengages behind the locking shoulder 74 of the side wall section. Eventually, the switch terminals cannot move back and forth substantially parallel to the printed circuit board because the barbs 68 bite into the plastic material of the housing within the retention slots 30. Therefore, it is clear that the switch terminal 56 is securely locked in a certain strict position in all directions, preventing the terminal from loosening even if the memory card is repeatedly inserted into or pulled out of the connector cavity 18. is there. The switch terminal 58 also includes a lock opening 85 that is interengaged behind the lock boss 39, and the switch terminal 58 also has a lock barb 84, the functions of which have been described above.

  It will be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or central characteristics. Therefore, the examples shown here are merely illustrative of the present invention in all respects and do not limit the present invention in any way.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a memory card connector according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows a connector in an assembly state. It is a side view of a connector in the state where a cover was removed. It is a top view of a connector in the state where a cover was removed.

Claims (12)

In a memory card connector having an internal cavity for receiving a memory card,
Which has a terminal mounting rear segment to the rear of said inner cavity, and at least one insulating housing having a longitudinal side wall sections extending forwardly from one end of the terminal mounting rear segment on one side of said inner cavity, attached to the circuit board An insulating housing capable of
A plurality of terminals attached to the terminal mounting rear section of the insulating housing, the terminal having a contact portion for engaging with an appropriate contact on the memory card;
A pair of switch terminals attached to the longitudinal side wall section of the insulating housing, the resilient contact arm of one of the switch terminals being engageable by a memory card received in the internal cavity, the other A pair of switch terminals movable to engage the contact arms of the switch terminals;
Complementary interengaging attachment means provided between at least one of the switch terminals and the longitudinal side wall section of the insulating housing, wherein an L-shaped lock boss is provided outside the longitudinal side wall section. The L-shaped piece extends outwardly from the lower part of the longitudinal side wall section, and the other L-shaped piece extends from the end of the one piece toward the upper side of the longitudinal side wall section. defining a lock space behind the longitudinal side wall segment side pieces, further opening is provided in the body portion of the at least one switch terminal, by inserting the locking boss to the opening, the upper Symbol the body portion and complementary interengaging mounting means body portion can be prevented from being pulled to the outside of the longitudinal side walls divided by the other piece when the position setting in the b Kkusupesu,
And the at least one switch terminal has a soldering tab protruding from a lower edge of the main body portion for solder connection to the circuit board.   2. The memory card connector according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the at least one switch terminal extends along the main body portion through a joint between the main body portion and the soldering tab. The at least one switch terminal has a locking tab projecting from the body portion, the locking tab engaging a locking shoulder of the longitudinal side wall section, and the body portion being above the longitudinal side wall section. The memory card connector according to claim 1, wherein the memory card connector is prevented from being pulled. The body portion is engaged with the retention slots formed in the longitudinal side walls partition, and said locking tab, said body portion of the pair provided on both sides of the holding slot when inserted into the retaining slots 4. The memory card connector according to claim 3, wherein the memory card connector is snap-engaged with the lock shoulder.   4. The memory card connector of claim 3, wherein the at least one switch terminal is stamped and formed from sheet metal material, and the lock tab is punched and bent on the upper edge of the body portion. The body portion of the at least one switch terminal is engaged with a retention slot formed in the longitudinal sidewall section, and the body portion includes a barb that can engage with the slot of the longitudinal sidewall section. Item 1. A memory card according to item 1. The memory card connector according to claim 1, wherein the lock boss is disposed outside a mounting post protruding downward from the longitudinal side wall section.   2. The memory card connector according to claim 1, wherein both of the switch terminals have the opening in the main body portion, which can be engaged with a pair of the L-shaped lock bosses provided in the side wall section.   9. The memory card connector according to claim 8, wherein each of the switch terminals has a soldering tab protruding outward from a lower edge of the main body portion.   2. The memory card connector according to claim 1, wherein the contact arms of both the switch terminals are elastic. The resilient contact arm of one of the switch terminals above has one end, the insulation adjacent to the longitudinal side wall section of the housing, and the opposite end of one of the switch terminals above the terminal mounting rear section of the insulating housing 2. A memory according to claim 1, wherein there is a second resilient contact arm in the vicinity of the memory switch, which is engaged with a third switch terminal in response to the memory card being inserted into the internal cavity. Card connector.   The memory card connector according to claim 11, wherein the one switch terminal is substantially L-shaped.

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