JP4429876B2 - Card connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a card connector provided in an electronic device such as a mobile phone, a PC, a PDA, a digital camera, and a digital audio device.

  This type of card connector includes a housing part having a slot into which a memory card can be inserted and removed, and a card contactable position in the housing part, and slides from the card ejection position to the card insertion position together with the memory card. A slider that moves, a spring that urges the slider in the card ejection direction, and a lock mechanism that maintains the slider in a state where the slider is held at the card insertion position. There is a structure in which the slider moves together with the memory card by the force, and the memory card is thereby ejected.

  Since such a card connector has a configuration in which the memory card is ejected by the biasing force of the spring, there is an essential problem that the memory card pops out of the slot of the housing portion when the card is ejected. . One that can solve such a problem is one provided with card pop-out prevention means. Specifically, a lock spring provided on a slider or the like at a card discharge position is engaged with a recess provided on a side surface of the memory card, and an elastic body that presses the memory card against the bottom surface of the slot of the housing part. And the like (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-94713 A

  However, the card pop-out preventing means using the lock spring cannot be used depending on the size of the recess of the memory card. Further, if the spring force of the lock spring is large, the memory card itself may be damaged. On the other hand, if the spring force of the lock spring is small, the memory card M may not be prevented from popping out. In addition, the state in which the lock spring is engaged with the recess of the memory card cannot be released, and the memory card may be jammed in the slot.

  The card pop-out preventing means using the elastic body may not be able to prevent the card from popping out or get caught in the slot due to the dimensional tolerance of the memory card or the surface roughness.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a card connector that can prevent the memory card from popping out when the card is ejected without damaging the memory card. There is to do.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a card connector according to the present invention is provided with a housing part having a slot into which a memory card can be inserted and removed, and a card contactable position in the housing part. a slider that slides from the position toward the card insertion position, a card connector having a spring for biasing the slider in the ejection direction of the card, the housing portion opposing portion of the slider, is rotating roller or inclined portion On the other hand, the slider facing portion of the housing portion is provided with an inclined portion or a rotating roller that can come into contact with the rotating roller or inclined portion of the slider. The slider is not in contact with the rotating roller, and the slider is removed from the card insertion position. It is characterized in that is inclined so as to come into contact with the rotating roller in the process of moving toward a position.

  In the case where the rotating roller has a plurality of rollers provided side by side, the inclined portions may have a plurality of inclined bodies that are different in shape from each other and that can contact each other.

  The rotating roller and / or the inclined portion can be made of an elastic material. Coating can be applied to the peripheral surface of the shaft hole of the rotating roller and / or the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roller. Similarly, the inclined portion of the housing portion and / or the shaft portion that pivotally supports the rotating roller provided on the slider can be coated.

In the card connector according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the slider is discharged by the biasing force of the spring, the rotating roller provided in the slider or the housing portion is inclined in the insertion direction provided in the housing portion or the slider. The rotating portion contacts the inclined portion while rotating, thereby reducing the discharge speed of the slider. That is, by bringing the rotating roller into contact with the inclined portion inclined in the insertion direction, the friction coefficient of the friction between the inclined portion and the rotating roller is increased, thereby reducing the kinetic energy for moving the slider in the discharging direction, and The discharge speed is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to stably prevent the memory card from popping out when the card is discharged. Moreover, since the rotating roller is in contact with the inclined portion, the memory card is not jammed in the slot as in the conventional example. Furthermore, since the memory card itself is not configured to contact the elastic body or the housing part, the memory card is not damaged or broken.

In the case of the card connector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of rollers provided in the process of ejecting the slider are brought into contact with the inclined bodies having different shapes. Compared with the case of contacting the inclined portion, the card slider discharge speed can be controlled in detail.

In the case of the card connector according to claim 3 of the present invention, the rotating roller and / or the inclined surface of the inclined portion is made of an elastic material. For this reason, since the addition which concerns on the slider at the time of card insertion and discharge | emission can be absorbed, it can be set as a connector which is hard to break.

In the card connector according to claim 4 or 5 of the present invention, the rotating roller provided on the peripheral surface of the shaft hole of the rotating roller and / or the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roller, or the inclined portion and / or the slider of the housing portion. By coating the shaft portion that supports the shaft, it is possible to adjust the friction coefficient between the rotating roller and the inclined portion and the friction coefficient between the rotating roller and the shaft portion. That is, since the slider discharge speed can be controlled in detail by coating, the memory card discharge speed can be controlled in more detail.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the inside of a card connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, and FIG. The figure which shows the state located in the discharge position, (b) is the figure which shows the state where the memory card is located in the card insertion position, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the X portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is the enlarged view of the Y portion of FIG. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a state in which the memory card is located at the card ejection position, FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a state in which the memory card is located at the card insertion position, and FIG. 5 is a design change example of the connector FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the portion X in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the portion X in FIG. 1 showing another design change example of the connector.

  The card connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a connector into which a memory memory card M having an engagement recess 10 formed on one side is inserted, and a housing part 100 having a slot 110 into which the memory card M can be inserted. And a slider 200 which is disposed at a position where the card can be brought into contact in the housing portion 100 and slides together with the memory card from the card discharge position α to the card insertion position β, and urges the slider 200 in the card discharge direction. And a spring 300. Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail. Note that the memory card M has a plurality of contact portions (not shown) on the lower surface of the front end portion, and a recess 20 is provided at one end portion of the front end portion (location where the slider 200 abuts).

  The housing portion 100 is a rectangular box, and includes wall portions 101 and 102 provided at both ends thereof, a slot 110 provided therein, and a slot 110 provided along the wall portion 102. The groove portion 120 communicates with each other, and a plurality of contact terminals 130 arranged on the bottom surface on the insertion side of the slot 110 as desired inside the slot 110. The slider 120 and the spring 300 are accommodated in the groove 120. That is, the slider 200 slides in the groove 120 from the card discharge position α to the card insertion position β.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, an inclined portion 140 is provided on the inner wall surface of the wall portion 102 at a location facing the tip end portion of the slider 200 when the slider 200 is positioned at the card insertion position β. It has been. The inclined portion 140 is inclined in the insertion direction. Specifically, when the slider 200 is located at the card insertion position β, the rotation roller of the slider 200 does not contact the rotation roller 230 of the slider 200 and the slider 200 moves from the card insertion position β to the card discharge position α. It inclines so that it may contact 230.

  The contact terminal 130 has a front end protruding into the slot 110 and contacting a contact portion of the inserted memory card M, while a rear end protrudes from the housing portion 100 and is electrically connected to an electronic device provided with a card connector. It is possible. In this way, the electronic device and the memory card M are electrically connected.

  The spring 300 is a coil spring, and is between the wall on the insertion side of the walls at both ends in the length direction of the groove 120 and the rear end of the slider body 210 of the slider 200 accommodated in the groove 120. Thus, the slider 200 is urged in the discharging direction. Due to the urging force of the spring 300, the slider 200 moves from the card insertion position β to the card discharge position α, and the memory card M is discharged from the slot 110 accordingly.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the slider 200 includes a slider main body 210 that slides in the groove 120, an overhang portion 220 that protrudes from the slider main body 210, and a tip portion of the slider main body 210. A rotating roller 230 provided on the slider facing portion and a lock spring 240 attached to the slider body 210 are provided. The slider body 210 is provided with a substantially circular fitting portion 211 into which the rotating roller 230 is fitted. A shaft portion 211 a of the rotating roller 230 is projected from the approximate center of the fitting portion 211. An attachment portion 212 for attaching the lock spring 240 is provided on the rear portion of the slider main body 210 in the insertion / removal direction of the fitting portion 211. The attachment portion 212 is a recess into which the lock spring 240 is fitted, and an engagement portion 212 a for engaging the rear end portion of the lock spring 240 is provided.

The rotating roller 230 is a ring-shaped member that is rotatably attached to the shaft portion 211 a of the slider 200. Regarding the material constituting the rotating roller 230, the inclined portion 140 of the housing portion 100, and the shaft portion 211a of the slider 200, the friction coefficient of the friction generated between the rotating roller 230 and the inclined portion 140 of the housing portion 100 and the rotating roller 230 and An appropriate selection is made according to the friction coefficient of the friction generated between the slider 200 and the shaft portion 211a. Regarding the friction coefficient, when the slider 200 is ejected together with the memory card M by the urging force of the spring 300, the friction coefficient is necessary to stably eject the memory card M without jumping out of the slot 110. To do. Specifically, the combination of the frictional force F (inclination) generated by the rotating roller 230 and the inclined portion 140 and the frictional force F (axis) generated by the rotating roller 230 and the shaft portion 211a is the spring 300. Is set to be smaller than the minimum discharge force F (SP_min). That is, the friction coefficient between the rotating roller 230 and the inclined portion 140 and the friction coefficient between the rotating roller 230 and the shaft portion 211a are determined so that the following formulas are satisfied, and the material of each part is appropriately selected. The minimum ejection force of the spring 300 is a force generated in the spring 300 when the memory card M is located at the card ejection position α.

  An elastic body such as silicon rubber can be used as the material of the rotating roller 230. Also in this case, the materials of the inclined portion 140 and the shaft portion 211a are appropriately selected so that the above mathematical formula is satisfied. Note that the inclined portion 140 of the housing portion 100 can also be made of an elastic body such as silicon rubber.

  The peripheral surface of the shaft hole of the rotating roller 230 and / or the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roller 230 can be coated. That is, by coating the peripheral surface of the shaft hole of the rotating roller 230 and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roller 230, the surface state is changed, and the friction coefficient of the friction generated between the inclined portion 140 of the housing unit 100 and the slider 200. It is possible to adjust the friction coefficient of the friction generated with the shaft portion 211a. The coating can be similarly applied to the inclined portion 140 of the housing portion 100 and the shaft portion 211a of the slider 200.

  The lock spring 240 is a substantially S-shaped leaf spring, and its rear end is engaged with the engagement portion 212 a of the attachment portion 212 of the housing portion 100. The distal end portion of the lock spring 240 has a convex portion 241 that is bent into a substantially square shape. The convex portion 241 of the lock spring 240 can be displaced from a protruding position protruding from the mounting portion 212 of the housing portion 100 into the slot 110 of the housing portion 100 to a receiving position where the convex portion 241 is accommodated in the mounting portion 212 of the housing portion 100. That is, when the memory card M is inserted, the convex portion 241 of the lock spring 240 is pressed by the memory card M, whereby the convex portion 241 is displaced from the protruding position to the receiving position. Then, when the memory card M is further inserted and the engaging recess 10 of the memory card M moves to a position facing the convex portion 241, the convex portion 241 of the lock spring 240 is displaced from the accommodation position to the protruding position, thereby the convex portion. The part 241 fits into the engaging recess 10 of the memory card M.

  The overhanging portion 220 has a shape that fits into the recess 20 of the memory card M. The overhanging portion 220 is provided with a cam groove 221 that constitutes a heart cam mechanism together with a pin 150 (see FIG. 2) attached to the housing portion 110. This heart cam mechanism is a well-known heart cam mechanism, and the pin 150 is engaged with the engaging portion of the cam groove 221 by further pushing the memory card M inserted into the slot 110 in the insertion direction at the card insertion position β. The slider 200 moved together with the memory card M is locked at the card insertion position β, and the pin 150 is released from the engagement of the engaging portion of the cam groove 221 by being pushed again, and the lock is released. ing.

  Hereinafter, a method of using the card connector configured as described above will be described, and operations of each unit will be described. First, the memory card M is inserted into the slot 110 of the housing unit 100, and the memory card M is pushed into the slot 110 against the urging force of the spring 300. In this process, the protruding portion 220 of the slider 200 is fitted into the concave portion 20 of the memory card M, and the convex portion 241 of the lock spring 240 is fitted into the engaging concave portion 10 of the memory card M. When the slider 200 moves together with the memory card M from the card discharge position α to the card insertion position β, the rotating roller 230 contacts the discharge-side wall portion 102 and the inclined portion 140 of the housing portion 100 while rotating, so that the slider 200 moves. When positioned at the card insertion position β, the rotation roller 230 is positioned so as not to contact the discharge-side wall portion 102 and the inclined portion 140. When the memory card M is further pushed in the insertion direction while the slider 200 is positioned at the card insertion position β, the slider 200 is locked at the card insertion position β by the heart cam mechanism.

  Thereafter, when the memory card M is pushed in the insertion direction, the heart cam mechanism is unlocked. When the lock is released, the slider 200 moves together with the memory card M from the card insertion position β to the card discharge position α by the urging force of the spring 300. In this process, the rotating roller 230 of the slider 200 contacts the inclined portion 140 of the housing portion 100 and the discharge-side wall portion 102 while rotating. At this time, the friction coefficient of the friction generated between the rotating roller 230 and the shaft portion 211a and the friction coefficient of the friction generated between the rotating roller 230 and the inclined portion 140 are increased, and the spring 300 is extended, whereby the slider 200 is expanded. The kinetic energy that moves in the discharge direction is reduced. In this way, the discharge speed of the slider 200 is reduced. When the slider 200 and the memory card M are decelerated and the card ejection position α is located, the protrusions 241 of the lock spring 240 of the slider 200 and the engagement recesses 10 of the memory card M project from the slot 110 of the memory card M. Is prevented. Thereafter, the memory card M is pulled out from the slot 110 of the housing part 100. In this way, the memory card M can be taken out.

  In the case of such a card connector, the rotating roller 230 is brought into contact with the inclined portion 140 inclined in the insertion direction, and the friction coefficient of the friction generated between the rotating roller 230 and the shaft portion 211a and the rotation roller 230 and the inclined portion 140 are The friction coefficient of the friction generated between them is increased, thereby reducing the kinetic energy for moving the slider 200 in the discharging direction to reduce the discharging speed of the slider 200. For this reason, it is possible to stably prevent the memory card M from popping out when the card is ejected. In addition, since the rotation roller 230 is in contact with the inclined portion 140, the memory card M is not jammed in the slot 110. Further, since the sub memory card M itself is not configured to contact an elastic body or the like provided in the housing portion as in the conventional example, the memory card M can be prevented from being damaged or broken. In particular, when the card connector is provided in a portable electronic device such as a digital camera, a digital video camera, a game machine, or a mobile phone, it is possible to prevent the memory card M from popping out due to an inadvertent operation when going out. The loss of the memory card M can be prevented.

  The card connector is disposed in a housing part having a slot into which the memory card can be inserted and removed, and a card contactable position in the housing part. The card connector slides from the card ejection position to the card insertion position together with the memory card. And a spring for urging the slider in the card ejection direction. A rotating roller or an inclined portion is provided at the housing portion facing portion of the slider. The slider facing portion is provided with an inclined portion or a rotating roller that can come into contact with the rotating roller or inclined portion of the slider, and the inclined portion can be redesigned as long as it is inclined in the insertion direction. It doesn't matter.

  The rotating roller 230 is provided on the slider 200, but may be provided on the housing unit 100 as shown in FIG. In this case, the slider 200 is provided with an inclined portion 140. Moreover, although the rotation roller 230 is provided along the horizontal direction, it is naturally possible to provide the rotation roller 230 so as to be orthogonal to the horizontal direction. In this case, the inclined portion 140 is provided in the groove portion 120 of the housing portion 100. Furthermore, although the number of the rotating rollers 230 is one, a configuration having a plurality of rollers may be employed. In this case, the inclined portion 140 has a plurality of inclined bodies that are different in shape from each other and can contact each of the rollers. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when two rollers 231 and 232 provided together are used, inclined bodies 141 and 142 that can contact the rollers 231 and 232 are provided on the wall portion 102 of the housing portion 100. The inclined bodies 141 and 142 have different shapes. In this way, by bringing the rollers 231 and 232 into contact with the inclined bodies 141 and 142 having different shapes, the discharge speed of the slider 200 is more detailed than when the single rotating roller 230 is brought into contact with the single inclined portion 140. Can be controlled.

  The lock spring 240 is optional whether or not provided. In particular, when the discharging force of the slider 200 by the spring 300 is weak, the lock spring 240 may not be provided. When the lock spring 240 is provided, the lock spring 240 may have any shape as long as it can function in the same manner as described above.

  The inclined portion 140 may have any shape as long as it is inclined toward the insertion direction. That is, as described above, a configuration having a plurality of inclined bodies is possible.

  Any heart cam mechanism may be used as long as the same function can be realized.

It is the perspective view which the inside of the card connector which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention permeate | transmitted. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, wherein (a) shows a state where the memory card is located at the card ejection position, and (b) shows a state where the memory card is located at the card insertion position. It is. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a Y portion in FIG. 2, where (a) shows a state where the memory card is located at a card ejection position, and (b) shows a state where the memory card is located at a card insertion position. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion X in FIG. 1 showing a design change example of the connector. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. 1 showing another design change example of the connector.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Housing part 102 Wall part 120 Groove part 140 Inclination part 200 Slider 230 Rotating roller 300 Spring M card 10 Engagement recessed part

Claims (5)

A housing portion having a slot into which a memory card can be inserted and removed;
A slider which is disposed at a position where the card can be contacted in the housing portion and slides along with the memory card from the card discharge position to the card insertion position;
In a card connector having a spring that biases the slider in the card ejection direction,
A rotating roller or an inclined portion is provided at the housing portion facing portion of the slider, while an inclined portion or rotating roller that can contact the rotating roller or the inclined portion of the slider is provided at the slider facing portion of the housing portion. Provided,
The inclined portion does not contact the rotating roller when the slider is located at the card insertion position, and inclines so that the slider contacts the rotating roller in the process of moving from the card insertion position to the card ejection position. card connector, characterized in that there. The card connector according to claim 1, wherein
The rotating roller has a plurality of rollers attached thereto,
2. The card connector according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion has a plurality of inclined bodies that are different in shape from each other and can contact the roller . The card connector according to claim 1, wherein
The card connector, wherein the rotating roller and / or the inclined portion is made of an elastic material . The card connector according to claim 1, wherein
A card connector, wherein a coating is applied to a peripheral surface of a shaft hole of the rotating roller and / or an outer peripheral surface of the rotating roller . The card connector according to claim 1, wherein
A card connector, wherein the inclined portion of the housing portion and / or the shaft portion that pivotally supports the rotating roller provided on the slider is coated .

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