JP4835748B2 - Memory card connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a memory card connector that holds an inserted memory card at a mounting position and a removable position.
About.

  For example, as a recording medium for storing image data captured by a digital camera, a recording medium for storing digital music data reproduced by a portable music player, or a storage medium for storing created text data, a card type Memory cards are known.

  In general, a memory card contains a flash memory in a small resin package whose appearance is formed in a thin plate shape, and a plurality of electrodes that are electrically connected to end portions of the package are arranged in parallel. ing.

  The memory card configured as described above is attached to an electronic device to which a digital camera, a portable music player, a notebook personal computer, a mobile phone or the like is attached via a memory card connector.

  As a memory card connector, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, one having a lock mechanism for preventing an attached memory card from being dropped or pulled out is known.

  The lock mechanism of the memory card connector of Patent Document 1 is a slider that is pushed forward by a memory card inserted into the card receiving space from the insertion opening of the connector body, a lock claw provided on the slider, and a direction in which the slider is removed. And an ejecting coil spring that urges the slider and a lock pin that engages with a heart cam groove formed in the slider and holds the slider in the mounting position.

  In this configuration, when the memory card is inserted from the insertion slot, the slider is pushed in by the memory card, and moves in the insertion direction while being guided by the heart cam groove through the lock pin with the recess of the memory card engaged with the lock claw. To do. When the slider moves to the mounting position of the memory card, the memory card is held at the mounting position by the connector (push-in). Next, when the memory card attached to the connector is pressed again in the insertion direction, the slider is released from the card attachment position in the heart cam groove, releases the card attachment state, and is guided to the heart cam groove by the bias of the coil spring. Move in the removal direction. As a result, the slider pushes the memory card in the ejecting direction and ejects it (push-out). When the slider is positioned on the insertion slot side, the slider holds the memory card so that it can be removed (half-locked). This type of memory card connector is known as a push-in push-out type.

  In the push-in push-out type memory card connector, when pushing out the memory card, the memory card is slid through the slider by the repulsive force (biasing force) of the coil spring. For this reason, the moving speed of the slider holding the memory card via the lock claw increases, and the memory card may pop out.

  For this reason, the memory card connector of Patent Document 1 is provided with a leaf spring provided on the plate that forms the upper surface of the card housing space so as to protrude into the card housing space and presses the memory card that moves as the slider moves toward the lower surface. Have. The pressure of the memory card by the leaf spring reduces the speed at which the memory card is ejected, and prevents the memory card from popping out during push-out. In this configuration, since the leaf spring directly presses the memory card, there is a problem that if the pressing force is too strong, a pressing mark (scratch) remains in the memory card itself when the memory card is inserted or removed.

  On the other hand, as shown in Patent Document 2, a lubricant is applied to the lower surface of the slider arranged in the housing and the part where the slider slides, and the moving speed of the slider by the coil spring is lowered to push out. A configuration for preventing the memory card from popping out is known. The upper surface of the slider is a flat surface, and is opposed to the top surface of the shell covering the housing with a slight gap. In cooperation with the top surface, the slider itself is prevented from floating upward. Yes.

JP 2003-86293 A JP 2007-115623 A

  In the push-in push-out type memory card connector, in order to further prevent the memory card from popping out at the time of push-out, the lubricant is applied to the coil spring to further attenuate the speed of the slider biased by the coil spring. Can be considered.

  As shown in Patent Document 1, in a push-in push-out type memory card connector, a coil spring is disposed between the slider and the back side wall portion of the connector body to urge the slider. For this reason, a configuration is adopted in which the moving area of the slider and the area where the coil spring is disposed to expand and contract (hereinafter referred to as “expandable area”) overlap.

  For this reason, the lubricant applied to the coil spring adheres to the expansion / contraction region of the coil spring by sliding of the slider, and also adheres to the top surface of the shell covering the expansion / contraction region. The lubricant adhering to the top surface spreads like a capillary phenomenon in a slight gap between the slider upper surface, that is, a narrow gap, leaks from the upper surface of the slider into the card storage space, and the memory card. There is a risk of sticking to.

  The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector capable of suitably inserting and removing a memory card without contaminating the memory card itself.

  The memory card connector of the present invention includes a flat plate-like connector main body that accommodates a memory card inserted from an insertion slot, a contact terminal that is provided on the connector main body and contacts a terminal of the memory card, And a slider that is movably disposed along the insertion / removal direction of the memory card on the side of the storage area of the memory card, and that is moved by being pressed by the memory card, and the insertion direction from the slider within the connector body And a biasing member that biases the slider 120 in a direction opposite to the insertion direction, locks the slider that is pressed and moved by the memory card at a card mounting position, and inserts the memory card. The slider is unlocked by moving in the direction, and the spring is biased by the biasing force of the biasing member. Locking means for moving the lid in the opposite direction to eject the memory card, and the biasing member is provided with a lubricant that attenuates the biasing force, and the slider includes the slider. The notch part which opens to the said inner surface side and the said urging | biasing member side is taken in the opposing surface facing the inner surface of the said connector main body which guides an insertion / extraction direction.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suitably insert and remove a memory card without making the memory card itself dirty.

The perspective appearance figure showing the composition of the memory card connector concerning one embodiment of the present invention The top view of the housing of the state which removed the shell in the memory card connector which concerns on one embodiment of this invention Left side view of the housing shown in FIG. 2 is a plan view of the housing with the coil spring removed in the housing shown in FIG. Bottom view of the housing shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating a heart cam groove part, and the partial expanded perspective view which looked at the heart cam part from back The figure which shows the height relationship in the vertical direction of the memory card connector between the stepped slope in the heart cam groove part shown in FIG. 6, and a step part. The perspective view of the shell of the memory card connector which concerns on this Embodiment The memory card connector which concerns on this Embodiment WHEREIN: The figure which shows the spreading of the lubricant adhering to a top-plate part by the movement of a slider

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective external view showing a configuration of a memory card connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the memory card connector 100 is shown in a state where the shell 120 constituting the upper surface portion is seen through for convenience. Further, in the memory card connector 100 shown in FIG. 1, the coil spring 160 (see FIG. 2) that biases the slider 150 when the memory card 200 is ejected is omitted for convenience.

  The memory card connector 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a push that inserts or ejects the card 200 itself by pressing the memory card 200 that is removably inserted from the card insertion slot 102 toward the back side (insertion direction A) of the connector. This is an in-push-out type connector. Hereinafter, the memory card connector 200 is also referred to as a “connector”, and the memory card 200 is also referred to as a card 200.

  Specifically, the connector 100 of the present embodiment has a thin plate shape that is substantially rectangular in a plan view, and includes a housing portion 104 that houses the card 200 inside the connector body.

  It is assumed that the shape of memory card connector 100 in the present embodiment corresponds to the size and shape of card 200 to be inserted. The card 200 is formed in a size and shape determined for each type. Here, the card 200 has a rectangular plate shape with an outer dimension of about 11 mm in width × length in the front-rear direction (total length) of about 15 mm × thickness of about 1 mm, and the width on the front side is larger than the width on the rear side of 11 mm A plurality of electrodes are arranged on the lower surface in a narrower (shorter length).

  Further, the card 200 to be mounted on the connector 100 of the present embodiment has an engagement recess that opens to one side (right side) on one side surface (right side with the insertion direction as viewed from the card 200). 220 is formed. In addition, a protrusion 230 that forms a side wall portion on the distal end side of the engagement recess 220 is formed on one side surface of the card 200. The outer surface on the distal end side of the protrusion 230 is an inclined surface 231 that rises to the right from the distal end side to the proximal end side of the card 200. With this configuration, in the rectangular plate-shaped card, the lateral width on the distal end side Is shorter than the width on the rear end side.

  The connector main body of the connector 100 is a conductive material (both sides are bent in an L shape in a rectangular housing 110 formed of an insulating material (here, an insulating synthetic resin material)). Here, it is formed by covering a shell 120 formed of a metal plate.

  2 is a plan view of the housing with the shell removed in the connector according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a left side view of the housing shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 110 includes a bottom plate portion 112 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view in which contacts 130 are disposed, a guide side wall portion 113, a side wall portion 114, and a rear end wall portion 115. Have.

  The guide side wall portion 113 and the side wall portion 114 are erected from both side portions orthogonal to the front side portion 112 a that forms part of the opening edge of the card insertion slot 102 in the bottom plate portion 112, and face each other. The rear end wall portion 115 is erected from the rear side edge portion opposite to the card insertion slot 102 in the bottom plate portion 112.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom plate portion 112 of the housing 110 is provided with a lock mechanism portion (lock means) 140 that holds or ejects the inserted card 200 via a slider 150 that is movable in the insertion direction. ing. The lock mechanism portion 140 is disposed in the bottom plate portion 112 on the side of the region serving as the accommodating portion 104 and along the side wall portion 114. Further, between the lock mechanism portion 140 and the back side portion of the guide side wall portion 113, it faces one side surface (right side surface) of a memory card (hereinafter simply referred to as “card”) 200 to be inserted, and A small guide wall portion 116 with which the rear end portion of the slider 150 moved rearward to the deepest portion abuts is provided.

  The small guide wall portion 116 restricts the card 200 (see FIG. 1) inserted into the housing portion 104 from being inserted into the heart cam groove portion 180 of the lock mechanism portion 140.

  The guide side wall portion 113, the bottom plate portion 112, the lock mechanism portion 140, and the small guide wall portion 116 form a concave shape opened to the upper surface side of the housing 110, and constitute both side surfaces and a bottom surface of the housing portion 104.

  An opening 115e communicating with the accommodating portion 104 in the insertion direction is formed at a substantially central portion of the rear end wall portion 115, and wall portions 115a and 115b forming the rear end side corner portions of the housing 110 on both sides of the opening 115e. Is arranged.

  Of these walls 115a and 115b, a wall 115b on the lock mechanism 140 side is formed with a guide piece 115c standing on the bottom plate 112 and protruding forward.

  The guide piece 115 c is disposed on the bottom plate portion 112 at a position closer to the guide side wall portion 113 than the lock mechanism portion 140 disposed along the insertion direction, and accommodates one side edge portion on the front end side of the card 200. Here, according to the shape of the card 200 to be inserted, the distance from the guide side wall 113 is arranged to be narrower than the distance from the guide side wall 113 to the lock mechanism 140.

  The lateral width on the front end side of the card 200 is regulated by the guide side wall 113 and the guide piece 115c. Thereby, alignment of the electrode of the card | curd 200 and the contact 130 by the side of the housing 110 arrange | positioned at the baseplate part 112 can be performed correctly.

  A contact (such as a cantilever contact) 130 is provided so as to protrude from the bottom plate portion 112 of the housing 110 into the housing portion 104. A plurality of contact portions 132, which are tip portions of the contacts 130, are arranged facing the card insertion slot 102, and are in electrical contact with the electrodes of the card 200 accommodated in the accommodating portion 104.

  Here, the contact 130 is a leaf spring contactor. In the contact 130, the contact portion 132 extends along the insertion direction of the card 200 to be inserted, and is formed at the tip of an arm portion 134 that protrudes from the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 112 in the insertion direction. . The arm portion 134 is disposed on the bottom plate portion 112 in a state where the front contact portion 132 is aligned on the rear end wall portion 115 side of the housing 110 and in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the card 200.

  Here, the contact 130 is formed by processing a long strip-shaped metal plate processed into a V shape or a U shape in plan view with the arm portion 134 as one side. Further, the contact 130 is integrally formed with the housing 110 by insert molding. The arm part 134 of the contact 130 is connected to one end part of the fixed piece 136 on the base end side fixed to the bottom plate part 112. The fixed piece 136 is disposed on the bottom plate portion 112 along the bottom surface, and the other end 138 of the fixed piece 136 projects outward (rearward) from the rear end surface of the rear end wall portion 115. The protruding other end portion 138 becomes a lead portion joined to the mounting substrate by solder or the like.

  The lock mechanism 140 includes a slider 150, a lock claw 155 that is formed on the slider 150 and engages with the engagement recess 220 of the inserted card 200, a coil spring 160, a lock pin 170, and a heart cam groove 180. And have.

  The slider 150 is movable between the bottom plate portion 112 and the top plate portion 121 of the shell 120 from the position on the insertion port side (near the insertion port) to the back side, and can swing at the position on the insertion port side. It is attached to the housing 110 so as to be.

  The slider 150 engages the lock claw portion 155 with the engagement recess 220 of the card 200 at the insertion port side position (position near the card insertion port 102 in the connector 100), which is the position when the slider 150 moves to the foremost side. Thus, the card 200 is held (half-locked) so that it can be inserted and removed. Hereinafter, this position is also referred to as a half-lock position. The slider 150 is biased in the anti-insertion direction (withdrawal direction) side of the card 200 by a coil spring 160 that is a biasing member, and the lock claw portion 155 is engaged with the engagement recess 220 of the card 200. Move in the insertion direction from the half-lock position to the back side.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the housing shown in FIG. 2 with the coil spring 160 removed, and is a diagram for explaining a state in which the slider 150 is retracted from the engagement position with the card 200. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the housing shown in FIG. The slider 150 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is tilted, and the lock claw portion 155 is disposed at a position where it is retracted from the engagement position with the engagement recess 220 of the card 200.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the slider 150 includes a slider main body 152 disposed on the bottom plate portion 112, a neck portion 153 protruding forward from the slider main body 152, and a front portion protruding from the neck portion 153. And a lock claw portion 155 formed so as to project to the housing portion 104 side.

  A guide protrusion 151 (see FIG. 5) is formed on the lower surface of the slider body 152 so as to protrude downward. The guide projection 151 is loosely fitted in a slit 117 formed in the bottom plate 112 so as to be freely movable.

  The guide protrusion 151 is formed on a protrusion extending in the insertion direction (front-rear direction) on the lower surface of the slider main body 152, and is longer in the front-rear direction than the length of the lower surface of the slider main body 152 in the width direction. The guide protrusion 151 moves in the housing 110 while being guided by the slit 117 in the slit 117 extending in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the slit 117 in which the guide protrusion 151 is loosely fitted extends in the bottom plate portion 112 in the front-rear direction of the housing 110, and at the end on the card insertion slot 102 side, It is formed so as to spread on the opposite side.

  Here, in the slit 117, the tip end portion 117a on the card insertion slot 102 side has a fan-like shape that expands toward the side, and when the guide projection portion 151 is located at the fan-like tip end portion 117a, the guide projection portion 151 is formed. Is swingable about the base end side.

  An elongated hole portion 117b is formed continuously from the fan-shaped tip portion 117a, and the guide protrusion 151 moves linearly to the back side of the slit 117 along the elongated hole portion 117b. In addition, the guide protrusion 151 is restricted from moving toward the proximal end as well as in the left-right direction at the end on the back side of the elongated hole portion 117b.

  The slider main body 152 that moves on the bottom plate portion 112 as the guide projection 151 moves along the slit 117 opens on the top surface and the top plate portion 121 side as shown in FIGS. The main body 152 has a notch 154 that opens on the base end side.

  The notch portion 154 includes a bottom surface 154 a that is separated from the back surface of the top plate portion 121, and the housing portion 104 side is partitioned by a partition wall portion 157 that rises from a side portion on the housing portion 104 side on the top surface of the slide body 152. .

  The notch 154 is formed so as to extend from the upper surface of the slide main body 152 to the upper surfaces of both the neck portion 153 and the lock claw portion 155, and is formed so as to open also at the distal end side of the lock claw portion 155. . That is, the notch 154 extends along the moving direction of the slider 150 on the opposite surface (the upper surface of the slide main body) facing the back surface of the top plate 121 that is the inner surface of the connector main body in the slide main body 152. . Further, the bottom surface of the notch 154 is a plane that is separated from and parallel to the top plate 121.

  On the upper surface side of the slider 150, the top plate portion 121, the partition wall portion 157 that partitions the accommodating portion 104 side, the guide wall 159, and the distal end portion (the lock claw portion) from the proximal end portion (the proximal end portion of the slider main body 152) side. A space (notch portion 154) is formed by the bottom surface 154a of the notch portion 154 extending to the tip portion of 155). As will be described later, this space functions as a lubricant channel or a lubricant storage space after the lubricant used in the lock mechanism portion 140 adheres to the top plate portion 121.

  The lock claw portion 155 has a side surface 155a that is positioned closer to the housing portion 104 than the side surface 153a of the neck portion 153 on the housing portion 104 side. The rear end of the side surface 155a and the side surface 153a on the accommodating portion 104 side of the neck portion 153 are continuous by the inclined surface 155b.

  The inclined surface 155b intersects both the side surfaces 155a and 153a, and when the card 200 is inserted, the side surface of the card 200 smoothly slides in the order of the side surface 155a, the inclined surface 155b, and the side surface 153a from the front end side. . When the side surface 155 a is located in the engagement recess 220 of the card 200, the lock claw 155 is engaged with the engagement recess 220.

  A spring receiving projection 158 that receives a coil spring 160 (see FIG. 2) and a pin holding portion 156 that holds the lock pin 170 are provided at the rear end of the slider body 152.

  The spring receiving projection 158 is provided so as to protrude rearward from the rear end portion of the slider body 152, and one end portion of a coil spring 160 (see FIG. 2) is externally fitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the coil spring 160 is a compression coil spring. The other end of the coil spring 160 is externally fitted to a protruding portion 115g protruding forward from the rear end wall portion 115b, and the coil spring 160 is interposed between the slider 150 and the rear end wall portion 115b. Are arranged along the insertion direction.

  As a result, the slider 150 is always urged forward, and when the card 200 is not inserted into the housing portion 104, the lock claw portion 155 is placed in the housing portion 104 at the half-lock position, which is the frontmost movement end position. It is arranged in a state protruding in the direction, that is, in a state along the insertion direction.

  2 and 4, a hole is formed on the upper surface of a portion protruding from the slider main body 152 toward the accommodating portion 104. In the pin holding portion 156 shown in FIGS. The other end portion (tip portion) 174 of the lock pin 170 having one end portion (base end portion) 172 connected to the heart cam groove portion 180 is rotatably inserted into the hole portion. The lock pin 170 is formed in a U shape by bending both ends of a round bar at a right angle. Here, in the lock pin 170, a bending shaft forming one end portion (base end portion) 172 is movably disposed in the heart cam groove portion 180, and a bending shaft forming the other end portion (tip end portion) 174 is a pin holding portion. A hole 156 is rotatably inserted. The lock pin 170 is pressed toward the heart cam groove 180 by the pin pressure contact pieces 124 and 126 (see FIG. 8) of the shell 120.

  Further, the pin holding portion 156 is formed to project from the side surface on the accommodating portion 104 side at the rear end portion of the slider body 152 toward the accommodating portion 104 side, and on the card insertion slot 102 side, the inclined surface 231 of the protruding portion 230 of the card 200. Is formed with an inclined portion 156a.

  The inclined portion 156a is an inclined surface that intersects with the insertion direction, and is pressed in the insertion direction by the card 200 inserted into the housing portion 104. As a result, simply inserting the card 200 into the back side of the storage unit 104, the slider 150 itself follows the back side of the storage unit 104, that is, the card mounting position where the card 200 is stored in the storage unit 104. Moved to.

  The lock pin 170 is a follower of the heart cam groove 180, and the slider 150 and the lock pin 170 are displaced relative to each other by following the locus of the heart cam groove 180. That is, the base end portion 172 of the lock pin 170 moves in the heart cam groove portion 180 as the slider 150 moves in the insertion / extraction direction.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the heart cam groove portion 180, and is a partially enlarged perspective view of the heart cam portion as viewed from the rear. FIG. 7 is a stepwise slope in the heart cam groove portion 180 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the height relationship in a perpendicular direction.

  The bottom surface of the heart cam groove portion 180 has a plurality of stepped slopes and step portions so that the base end portion 172 of the lock pin 170 having the distal end portion 174 rotatably connected to the slider 150 is guided in a predetermined direction. 182a to 182h are formed to constitute a so-called heart lock cam mechanism. The height relationship between the slopes 182a to 182h from the base end 172 of the lock pin 170 starting from the half-lock position to returning to the half-lock position through the card mounting position is formed as shown in FIG. Has been.

  Here, the slope and the step portions 182a to 182h are formed so that the other end portion of the abutting lock pin 170 does not draw a reverse locus.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the bottom surface 182 a that is the starting point of the locus in the heart cam groove 180 is a plane that is parallel to the bottom surface of the slider 150. A slope 182b is formed as a slope so as to rise from the bottom surface 182a.

  After the slope 182b, which is the bottom surface as an inclined surface, the bottom surface 182c has a flat surface higher than the bottom surface 182a. After passing through the bottom surface 182c, a step is formed, resulting in a bent bottom surface 182d having a lower plane than the bottom surface 182c.

  That is, the base end portion 172 of the lock pin 170 slides in the order of the bottom surface 182a, the slope 182b, the bottom surface 182c, the bottom surface 182d, and the bottom surface 182e in the process in which the slider 150 moves from the half lock position to the card mounting position. When it reaches the bottom surface 182d, it cannot return to the bottom surface 182c. Then, after passing through the bottom surface 182d, a step is formed, resulting in a bottom surface 182e having a lower plane than the bottom surface 182d.

  The bottom surface 182e forms a V-shaped groove by an inner wall that is V-shaped in plan view and protrudes toward the card insertion slot 102. The base end 172 of the lock pin 170 cannot return to the bottom surface 182d when it reaches the bottom surface 182e in the process in which the slider 150 moves from the half-lock position (card insertion slot side position). The state where the base end portion 172 reaches the bottom surface 182e of the V-shaped groove 34 is a locked state or a mounted state of the card 200. In this way, the locus where the base end portion 172 reaches the bottom surface 182e from the bottom surface 182a is the locus of the forward path.

  A step is formed between the bottom surface 182e and the bottom surface 182f, and the bottom surface 182f is a surface lower than the bottom surface 182e. Continuing from the bottom surface 182f, a bottom surface (slope) 182g, which is a slope inclined to the card insertion direction so as to rise from the bottom surface 182f, is formed. A bottom surface 182h having a flat surface higher than the slope 182g is formed on the insertion port side of the slope 182g. A step is formed on the bottom surface 182h on the card insertion slot 102 side, and a bottom surface 182a having a lower plane than the bottom surface 182h is disposed.

  Therefore, when the card 200 is further inserted into the back side of the connector 100, that is, the rear side against the biasing force of the coil spring 160, the base end portion 172 of the lock pin 170 is released from the V-shaped groove 34, and the bottom surface 182e. The bottom surface 182f, the slope 182g, and the bottom surface 182h slide in this order and return to the bottom surface 182a.

  As described above, the heart cam groove portion 180 is formed so that the contact point of the lock pin 170 sliding on the bottom surface draws a heart-like plane locus, and a partially irreversible locus in the height direction.

  Further, in the connector 100, the heart cam groove portion 180 is inserted in the insertion direction along the front end portion of the card accommodated in the accommodating portion 104 and one side surface of the connector 100 (the right side surface when the card insertion slot 102 is viewed from the front). It arrange | positions between the coil springs 160 extended in this.

  That is, in the connector 100, the housing portion 104 and the lock mechanism portion 140 including the coil spring 160 and the heart cam groove portion 180 that urges the slider 150 are accommodated and rationally arranged on the housing 110.

  Therefore, in the connector 100, the lateral width of the connector 100 is formed to be a length approximate to the total width of the lateral width of the card 200 itself and the lateral width of the lock mechanism portion 140, and the miniaturization is achieved. Thus, space saving of the mounting space is achieved.

  The slider 150 disposed on the bottom plate portion 112 of the housing 110 having the above-described configuration is restricted from moving in the vertical direction by the top plate portion 121 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the shell 120 that covers the housing 110 from above. It is movable only in the front-rear direction and in the horizontal direction on the tip 117a of the slit 117.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the shell of the connector according to the present embodiment.

  The top plate 121 of the shell 120 is formed with a notch 122a (see FIGS. 1 and 8) in a portion of the slider 150 located at the half-lock position facing the slider main body 152. A tongue piece 122 that is flush with the plate portion 121 is provided.

  Further, pin pressure contact pieces 124 and 126 are formed on the top plate portion 121 of the shell 120 at portions facing the heart cam groove portion 180 in the upper part. The pin pressure contact pieces 124 and 126 apply pressure from above to the lock pin 170 (see FIG. 2) that moves in conjunction with the slider 150, and press the lock pin 170 against the heart cam groove portion 180, thereby Slide. The claw pressing piece 128 is a long belt-like elastic member (plate spring) obtained by processing a part of the side surface portion of the shell 120, and the slider 150 that the coil spring 160 presses forward at the half-lock position is used. Press toward the housing 104 side.

  That is, the slider 150 located at the half-lock position is in a state of being swingably disposed against the pressing force of the claw pressing piece 128 with the lock claw portion 155 protruding into the housing portion 104. Yes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the card 200 is inserted into the housing portion 104 in a state where the slider 150 is located at the half-lock position, the protruding end of the lock claw portion 155 that is elastically deformed becomes the engagement recess 220 of the card 200. The card 200 can be removably engaged with the card 200 and can be held (half-locked).

  In the memory card connector 100 configured as described above, a lubricant is applied to a portion where the card 200 is moved for mounting or half-locking, in this case, the coil spring 160.

  The lubricant is preferably a semi-solid lubricant (grease), and is applied to the movable part including the sliding part of the coil spring 160 and the like. Thereby, the urging force of the coil spring 160 is attenuated, and the moving speed of the slider 150 moved in the discharging direction (the B direction shown in FIG. 1) by the urging force of the coil spring 160 is decreased. Specifically, the lubricant is applied to the entire coil spring 160 in the stretched state in the spring expansion / contraction region.

  When the card 200 is ejected, the lubricant moves in the card removal direction (discharge direction) by the urging force of the coil spring 160 when the locked card is released with a fingertip (pressed in the insertion direction) to release the lock. 150 and the strength of the card 200 are damped by viscosity. Thereby, the card 200 can be prevented from popping out without leaving a pressing mark on the surface of the card 200 discharged from the connector. Note that the lubricant may be applied to the lower surface of the slider 150 and the portion of the bottom plate portion 112 where the lower surface of the slider 150 slides. As a result, the moving speed of the slider 150 itself can be reduced, and the card 200 can be more effectively prevented from popping out.

  When the card 200 is inserted into the memory card 100, in the slider 150 at the half-lock position, the lock claw 155 slides on the side surface of the card 200 and enters the engaging recess 220 from the protrusion 230 of the card 200. Engage with the engaging recess 220. As a result, the card 200 itself is held in a half-locked state in which it can be inserted into and removed from the lock claw 155 (see FIG. 1).

  A card 200 is further inserted in the direction of arrow A in the figure with respect to the half-locked memory card connector 100 shown in FIG. Then, the slider 150 is guided by the slit 117 against the urging force of the coil spring 160 with the lock claw 155 engaged with the engagement recess 220 and moves in the insertion direction. When the slider 150 reaches the card mounting position, the base end portion 172 of the lock pin 170 is hooked on the V-shaped groove 34, and the electrode on the lower surface on the front end side of the card 20 contacts a plurality of contacts (cantilever contacts) 130. 200 is mounted. At this time, the rear end portion of the slider 150 is positioned in the expansion / contraction region of the coil spring 160.

  When the card 200 is further inserted in the insertion direction in this state, the slider 150 pressed against the card 200 moves to the back side against the biasing force of the coil spring. As a result, the base end portion 172 (bending axis) of the lock pin 170 that moves following the slider 150 is detached from the V-shaped groove 34 and draws a return path by the biasing force of the coil spring. The urging force of 160 moves in the removal direction. As a result, the slider 150 presses the protrusion 230 of the card 200 in the removal direction with the contact surface, and presses the side surface of the engagement recess 220 in the removal direction with the lock claw 155. 200 itself moves in the removal direction.

  As described above, the slider 150 moves from the card mounting position to the half-lock position by the urging force of the coil spring 160. At this time, the slider 150 moves while being restrained from being accelerated by the lubricant.

  Further, since the slider 150 is applied with a pressing force toward the card 200 by the claw pressing piece 128, that is, a force against the removal direction, acceleration of movement in the removal direction is further suppressed (see FIG. 1). As described above, in the memory card connector 100, the claw pressing piece 128 has the urging force of the coil spring 160 attenuated by the lubricant and the moving force when the slider 150 returns from the card mounting position to the half-locked position, that is, the card ejection operation. The moving force of the slider 150 at the time is attenuated.

  In this memory card connector 100, by repeating the mounting operation of the card 200 and the discharging operation of the card 200, the slider 150 moves between the half lock position and the card mounting position, and along with this movement, the coil spring 160 is moved. Expands and contracts. As the coil spring 160 expands and contracts, the lubricant applied to the coil spring 160 spreads over the stretch region of the coil spring 160 and is pressed by the slider 150 that enters and exits the stretch region. Thereby, the lubricant is pushed out and adheres to the top plate portion 121 covering the stretchable region.

  Here, in a portion where the slider 150 slides in the bottom plate portion 112 of the housing 110, a portion where the coil spring 160 expands and contracts (an expansion / contraction region of the coil spring 160) and a portion constituting the housing portion 104 are slits 117 (FIGS. 4 and 5)).

  For this reason, the lubricant spreads from the expansion / contraction region of the coil spring 160, and the lubricant adheres to the lower surface of the slider 150. It is divided by 117. As a result, the lubricant does not reach the storage portion 104. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the coating does not spread from the portion where the coil spring 160 expands and contracts (the expansion and contraction region of the coil spring 160) to the accommodating portion 104 side (the direction indicated by the arrow C).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the spread of the lubricant F adhering to the top plate 121 due to the movement of the slider. The directions indicated by the arrows A and B are the same as those in FIG. 1, the arrow A indicates the card insertion direction, and the arrow B indicates the card ejection direction.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the slider main body 152 of the slider 150, the lubricant attached to the top plate portion 121 in the expansion / contraction region of the coil spring 160 causes the lubricant to move toward the slider 150 with the arrow F <b> 1. Adhere as shown. Then, the lubricant flows into the cutout portion 154 (see arrow F2), is partitioned by the partition wall portion 157, is guided to the cutout portion 154, and is stored in the cutout portion 154.

  Therefore, even if the lubricant attached to the top plate portion 121 moves to the position and adheres to the upper surface of the slider 150, a capillary phenomenon occurs between the top plate portion 121 and the moving slider 150. Therefore, the notch 154 spreads in the direction of the arrow F4 without spreading in the direction of the arrow F3.

  Therefore, the lubricant does not spread from the space between the top plate 121 and the upper surface of the slider 150 toward the accommodating portion 104.

  As a result, the card 200 can be inserted / removed even if the operation of inserting the card 200 into the accommodating portion 104 of the memory card connector 100 or ejecting the card 200 mounted in the accommodating portion 104 is repeated. The lubricant does not adhere to the card 200.

  Further, when the top plate 121 is viewed in plan, the notch 122a separates the expansion / contraction region side of the coil spring 160 and the accommodating portion 104 side in the movement region of the slider 150. Therefore, even if the lubricant adheres from the coil spring 160 side in the top plate part 121, it can be prevented from spreading to the accommodating part 104 side.

  The connector according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications. The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention naturally extends to the modified ones.

  The connector according to the present invention has an effect of being able to suitably insert and remove a memory card without contaminating the memory card itself, and is useful as a connector for mounting a very small card such as a flash memory chip.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Memory card connector 102 Card insertion slot 104 Housing part 110 Housing 112 Bottom plate part 117 Slit 120 Shell 121 Shell top plate part 130 Contact 140 Lock mechanism part 150 Slider 154 Notch part 155 Lock claw part 160 Coil spring 170 Lock pin 180 Heart cam groove part 200 Memory card 220 engaging recess

Claims (4)

A flat plate-like connector main body for accommodating a memory card inserted from the insertion slot;
Contact terminals provided on the connector main body and in contact with the terminals of the memory card;
A slider that is movably disposed along the insertion / removal direction of the memory card at a side of the storage area of the memory card in the connector body, and is moved by being pressed by the memory card; An urging member disposed on the insertion direction side of the slider and urging the slider in a direction opposite to the insertion direction; and locking the slider that is moved by being pressed by the memory card at a card mounting position; and Locking means for releasing the lock of the slider by moving the card in the insertion direction, and moving the slider in the opposite direction by the biasing force of the biasing member to eject the memory card;
Have
A lubricant that attenuates the urging force is applied to the urging member,
The slider is formed with a notch that opens to the inner surface side and the biasing member side on a surface facing the inner surface of the connector main body that guides the slider in the insertion / removal direction.
Memory card connector. The notch is provided on the opposing surface of the slider so as to extend along the moving direction of the slider.
The memory card connector according to claim 1. The bottom surface of the notch is a surface that is separated from the inner surface of the connector main body facing the notch and is parallel to the inner surface.
The memory card connector according to claim 1. The facing surface is at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the slider,
The cutout portion is partitioned by a partition wall portion that rises from a side portion on the storage area side on one surface of the slider.
The memory card connector according to claim 1.

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