JPH0534048Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention provides a locking mechanism for an IC card connector for the purpose of preventing inadvertent removal of the IC card in a state where communication is possible through electrical contact between the IC card and the connector. Regarding.

[Conventional technology]

Card-type information storage media with built-in ICs are attracting a lot of attention as information storage media that can replace floppy disks because of their compactness and large storage capacity. Among these, memory cards without a CPU have high expectations from the industry because they are easy and inexpensive.

Currently, many of the memory cards on the market are mainly for gaming, and maintaining their reliability is seen as an important issue. In particular, it is important to take measures to prevent IC damage caused by accidental removal while accessing memory within the card.
This is considered an urgent need for card manufacturers.

Conventionally, connectors that have been designed to prevent IC destruction due to careless removal of the IC card have connector terminals that are not in contact with the IC card terminals when inserted, and after the connector terminals are completely inserted, the connector terminals do not contact the IC card terminals. When the connector contacts the card terminal and tries to pull it out from the state, the connector terminal locks into the recess in which the IC card terminal is formed, and the IC card is fixed by the connector terminal itself.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in the conventional connector that has measures to prevent IC destruction caused by careless removal of the IC card, the jig that secures the IC card is the terminal itself, so if you want to pull it out, you can pull it out. If you pull it out forcibly, the connector terminals will curl up and you will be unable to use it again.

[Purpose of invention]

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to connect an IC card to a connector, prevent electrical damage to the IC chip due to mistaken removal during memory access in the card, and improve the contact status between the card and the connector terminal. The purpose of this invention is to provide a locking mechanism for an IC card connector that can be stably secured.

[Summary of the idea]

This invention has a lock pin and a lock pin support spring on the connector in order to prevent electrical damage to the IC chip due to mistaken removal during memory access in the IC card. IC with a cam groove to
A locking mechanism was devised to prevent the card from being removed.

[Details of the idea]

The present invention will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an IC card according to the present invention.

In Figure 3, 1 is the IC card body;
2 is a card terminal, 3 is a cam groove, and although not shown, an IC memory chip is embedded in the card body 1 and connected to the card terminal 2.

FIG. 1A is a side sectional view of the connector. 4 is the connector body, 5 is the connector terminal, 6
7 is a slider, 7 is a slider spring, 8 is a lock pin, and 9 is a lock pin support spring.

FIG. 1B is a side view of the IC card 1. When the IC card 1 is inserted into the connector 4, the slider 6 moves to the left and the connector terminal 5 comes into contact with the upper part of the card terminal 2.

FIG. 2A is a front sectional view of the connector 4, and FIG. 2B is a front half sectional view of the IC card 1. The protruding lock pin 8 and the lock pin support spring 9 are located near the IC card insertion slot of the connector 4.
is provided, and when the IC card 1 is inserted, it is guided into the cam groove 3 formed by the central convex portion 13, the guide passage 14, and the locking portion 15. The lock pin 8 is made movable in the rotational direction (in the direction of the arrow in the figure) by a lock pin support spring 9, and is biased so as to return to its original position (on the center line in the figure). Fourth
Referring to the figure, the operation of the lock pin 8 when inserting a card will be explained in detail.

Simultaneously with the start of card insertion, the lock pin 8 is guided from the position of the cam groove entrance I to the position along the cam groove 3, and when the lock pin 8 reaches the position, the card insertion operation is stopped.

When the insertion force of the card is loosened at the position, the card moves backward due to the spring reaction force of the slider spring, and at this time, the lock pin 8 returns to the center direction and moves to the position of . 13 and is locked, making it impossible to move the IC card in the extraction direction.

When removing the card, when an insertion force is applied to the IC card, the lock pin 8 is released from the position and returns to the position. Thereafter, when the insertion force is loosened, the card moves backward due to the reaction force of the slider spring 7 and is ejected.

In order to perform the above-mentioned operation on the lock pin 8, the cam groove 3 must satisfy the following conditions. That is, in order to move the lock pin 8 in the twist direction, the lower end 10 of the central protrusion must be in line with the center line 11 of the lock pin 8.
Preferably, the distance between them is d/2 (d: lock pin diameter).
It is necessary to deflect to one side more than this, and similarly →
To move it in this direction, the distance P' between the upper end 12 of the central convexity and the center line 11 of the lock pin 8 must deviate by d/2 or more to the opposite side of the lower end 10 of the central convexity. This allows the lock pin 8 to easily move into the cam groove 3 of the IC card and engage.

5A and 5B illustrate the contact state between the connector terminal 5 and the IC card terminal 2 and the state in which the lock pin 8 is locked in the locking portion of the cam groove 3 when the card insertion is completed.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, the present invention provides the following effects compared to the conventional technology.

That is, by providing a locking mechanism on the IC card and the connector, it is possible to prevent electrical damage to the IC chip due to careless removal during memory access in the IC card. In addition, when removing and inserting an IC card, there is less stress on the connector terminals than when the connector terminals are used for the locking mechanism, so higher contact stability can be obtained between the connector terminals and the card terminals, and it is suitable for industrial applications. Sufficient contact life and reliability can be ensured. This will further improve the reliability of IC cards, which has been a concern, and will also open the door for use as industrial memory, which has stricter standards.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 A is a side view of the connector, and Figure 1 B is the IC.
Figure 2A is a surface sectional view of the connector, Figure 2B is a front half-sectional view of the IC card, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the IC card 1 according to the present invention, and Figure 4 is the card 1. Figure 5A shows the mechanism in which the lock pin 8 moves along the cam groove 3 during insertion, and Figure 5A shows the contact state between the connector terminal 5 and the IC card terminal when the card is inserted, and Figure 5B shows the mechanism in which the lock pin 8 moves along the cam groove. It shows the state in which it is locked at the locking part No. 3. 3...Cam groove, 8...Lock pin, 9...Lock pin support spring, 14...Guide passage, 15...Locking portion.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The connector is provided with a lock pin protruding near the IC card insertion slot and a lock pin support spring that supports the lock pin and enables swing movement, while a cam groove is formed in the IC card body.
The cam groove is located between a guide path that guides and moves the lock pin when an IC card is inserted into or removed from the connector, and is located in the middle of the guide path, and locks the lock pin at the IC card reading position, and then releases the lock with insertion force. An IC characterized in that it is composed of a locking part that is
Card connector locking mechanism.