JPH0823877B2 - IC memory card lock eject mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used in notebook personal computers and portable computers.
The present invention relates to a lock / eject mechanism for a C memory card (hereinafter referred to as a memory card).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 shows an example of a conventional lock / eject mechanism of a memory card. In this example, the lock mechanism 52 and the eject mechanism 5 are provided inside the device body 51.
3 and 3 are provided separately. When inserting the memory card 54 into the device body 51, first, the lock mechanism 52 is operated to release the lock. In this state, the memory card 54 is inserted into the insertion slot 55. After the insertion is completed, the locking mechanism 52 is operated in the locking direction to engage a latch (not shown) in the locking groove 54a of the memory card 54 inside the device main body 51 to prevent the card from being removed. When ejecting the memory card 54, first, the lock mechanism 52 is operated to release the lock, and the micro switch in the device body 51 interlocked with this is operated to turn off the power. This protects the memory even when the power switch of the device body 51 is in the "ON" state. Next, the eject mechanism 53 is operated to operate the push-out mechanism (not shown) in the device main body 51, and the memory card 5
4 is pushed out from the insertion port 55. In addition, memory card 5
In order to operate the device main body 51 in a state where 4 is removed, it is necessary to operate the lock mechanism 52 in the lock direction to turn on the micro switch.

[0003]

The above-mentioned conventional lock eject system has the following problems. (1) Since the lock mechanism 52 and the eject mechanism 53 are separate, the area occupied by the printed circuit board is large and the size of the device is increased. (2) The lock mechanism 52 must be operated to lock the card, and the power cannot be turned on and the device cannot be used unless the lock mechanism 52 is operated after the card is removed. (3) The lock mechanism 52 and the eject mechanism 53 have separate operating portions, and thus the operability is poor.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an IC memory card in which a lock mechanism and an eject mechanism can be integrated with each other to reduce the size and weight, and the operability can be improved by having only one operating portion. It is to provide a lock eject mechanism.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a frame attached to a device body, an eject lever pivotally attached to the frame for pushing a memory card out of the device body, and the eject device. In the process of interlocking with the lever and placing the memory card on the frame to move the memory card in the inserting direction and the anti-inserting direction, and in the process of inserting the memory card pivotally attached to the frame into the device body, Engagement portion that is pushed by the memory card and retracts from the insertion path, and that engages with the engagement groove formed in the memory card when the insertion of the memory card is completed to prevent the memory card from coming out. In the direction of engaging the engagement portion of the lock lever with the engagement groove of the memory card, At the time, the first spring for urging the lock lever to rotate is moved in the direction orthogonal to the inserting direction and the anti-inserting direction to disengage the engaging portion from the engaging groove of the memory card. An eject button which is in contact with the lock lever for rotation, and an eject button which is connected to the eject lever and is combined with the eject button so as to push out the memory card by moving the eject button in the inserting direction. An IC characterized by comprising an eject core
A lock eject mechanism for the memory card can be obtained.
According to the present invention, the frame is provided with a second spring for returning the eject button and the eject core, which are moved and operated in the inserting direction, to the position of the insertion completed state of the memory card. A lock / eject mechanism for an IC memory card is obtained. Further, according to the present invention, the eject core has a protrusion in the insertion direction, a groove is formed in the frame with which the protrusion engages, and the groove is formed between the protrusion and the groove. An IC characterized in that it holds the second spring.
A lock eject mechanism for the memory card can be obtained.
Further, according to the present invention, the power supply circuit to the memory card is closed by contacting the eject button at the position of the insertion completion state of the memory card, and the eject button from the eject button on the way in the insertion direction. A lock eject mechanism for an IC memory card, characterized in that a micro switch is provided adjacent to the eject button so as to open a power supply circuit to the memory card at a distance. According to the present invention, the lock lever is rotatably supported by a protrusion provided on the frame, and the protrusion is formed of a metal spring pin. The mechanism is obtained.

[0006]

In the lock eject mechanism of the present invention,
When the memory card 1 is inserted into the main body of the device, the first spring 37 automatically causes the engaging portion 36a of the lock lever 36.
Engages with the engaging groove 11 of the card 1, and the card 1 is automatically locked. In this state, the microswitch 42 closes the power supply opening to the card 1, so that the power can be automatically supplied to the card 1. When the eject button 39 is pushed in one direction orthogonal to the card insertion direction for card removal with the card 1 inserted in the device body, this pushes the lock lever 36 and the engaging portion 36a into the engaging groove of the card 1. Remove from 11 and unlock. Then, when the eject button 39 is pushed in the other direction, that is, the card insertion direction, the micro switch 42 separates from the eject button 39 during the operation, and the power supply circuit to the card 1 is opened to protect the memory of the card 1. After that, the eject lever 34 rotates in conjunction with the eject button 39,
Perform a predetermined card removal operation. When the removal of the card 1 is completed and the finger is released from the eject button 39, the eject button 39 is returned to the original position by the second spring 38. At the same time, the micro switch 42 closes the power supply open circuit to enable the operation of the device.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is an overall perspective view of a lock eject mechanism according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a male connector according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a male connector, and FIG. 4 is a side view of a male connector. In each drawing, 1 is a memory card applied to the lock / eject mechanism according to the present invention, which has a female connector 12 on one short side and an engagement groove 11 on one long side.
Have.

Reference numeral 2 is a male connector provided in the body of a device such as a personal computer for receiving the memory card 1. The male connector 2 includes a connector portion 3 and a lock / eject portion 4. The connector portion 3 and the lock / eject portion 4 may be integrally formed, but in this embodiment, in consideration of maintainability, they have a divided structure. In the connector portion 3, the contact 31 is vertically fixed to one end of the insulator 32. The lock eject unit 4 has a frame 35 as a central member. And
The locking projection 35b of the frame 35 is provided on the insulator 32.
The lock eject portion 4 and the connector portion 3 are integrated with each other by engaging with the locking groove 32a.

The plate 33 has the memory card 1 placed on it, and the memory card 1 is placed on the frame 35.
For moving in the insertion direction and the anti-insertion direction, and is movably provided on the frame 35. The plate 33 is a columnar protrusion 35 provided on the frame 35.
It moves in conjunction with the rotation of the eject lever 34 pivotally supported by e. The plate 33 is formed with a pair of claws 33b that engage with one end of the memory card 1. The claw 33b can catch the memory card 1 and eject it. The frame 35 and the eject lever 34 are connected by the engagement of the engaging protrusion 33a of the plate 33 and the engaging hole 34a of the eject lever 34 (FIG. 2). Further, the tip end portion 34b of the eject lever 34 is engaged with the engaging groove 40b of the eject core 40, and is rotated in association with the movement of the eject core 40 in the card insertion direction.

The lock lever 36 is pivotally supported by the projection 35a of the frame 35, and can rotate about this, and can be returned to its original position by the lock spring 37. In the lock spring 37, the central coil winding portion is fitted into the protrusion 35a , and one end thereof is the locking claw 36c of the lock lever 36.
At the other end, the other end is locked in the locking groove 35f of the frame 35 to urge the lock lever 36 to rotate (FIG. 3). The operation portion 36b on one end side of the lock lever 36 is arranged so as to come into contact with one end surface of the ejector button 39.

The ejector button 39 is held so that it can be pushed into the eject core 40, and the lock lever 36 can be rotated by pushing the ejector button 39. The eject core 40 is supported so as to be movable in the card insertion direction with respect to the frame 35. In the normal state, the ejector button 39 has the claw 3
9c engages with the locking groove 35c of the frame 35 (FIGS. 2 and 5) to regulate the movement of the eject core 40 in the card insertion direction.
When the engagement between 9c and the locking groove 35c is released (FIG. 8), the eject core 40 can be moved in the card insertion direction. The eject core 40 has a cylindrical protrusion 40a, and holds the coil spring 38 between it and the spring receiving groove 35g of the frame 35.

Therefore, the eject core 40 can compress the coil spring 38 and move in the card insertion direction, and can be returned to the original position by the spring force. In this embodiment, the ejector button 39 and the eject core 40 are
Although and are configured separately, they can be configured integrally.

The micro switch 42 is arranged in the main body of the apparatus at a position where it abuts the ejector button 39 or the eject core 40 in the original position (FIGS. 1 and 3), and the ejector button 39 or the eject core 40 is arranged.
It turns on / off in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the card insertion direction.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are plan views of the memory card and the male connector 2 showing the memory card insertion operation in sequence. When the memory card 1 is inserted in the direction of the arrow from the state of FIG. 5, the side surface of the memory card 1 pushes the engaging portion 36a at the tip of the lock lever 36 to rotate it counterclockwise as shown in FIG. Then, the insertion completion state of FIG. 7 is reached. When the memory card 1 reaches the insertion completed state, the lock lever 36 is returned to the original position by the spring 37, the engaging portion 36a of the lock lever 36 falls into the engaging groove 11 of the memory card 1, and the memory card 1 Prevent withdrawal.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are plan views of the memory card 1 and the male connector 2 showing the removal operation of the memory card 1 in order. When removing the memory card 1, first, as shown in FIG. 8, the ejector button 39 is pushed in, whereby the operating portion 36b of the lock lever 36 is pushed.
The lock lever 36 is rotated counterclockwise by pushing to disengage the engaging portion 36a from the engaging groove 11 of the memory card 1. In this state, the micro switch 42 is in contact with the ejector button 39 and is in the ON state. In this state,
Since the claw 39c of the ejector button 39 is disengaged from the locking groove 35c of the frame 35, the ejector button 39 can be moved together with the eject core 40 in the card insertion direction. When the ejector button 39 and the eject core 40 are pushed in the card insertion direction at the same time as the ejector button 39 is pushed, the micro switch 42 causes the ejector button 39
Turn off from. Along with the movement of the eject core 40 in the card inserting direction, the eject lever 34 connected to the eject core 40 rotates, whereby the plate 33 moves in the removing direction together with the memory card 1 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

There is a time lag between the two operations so that the card 1 removal operation is started after the micro switch 42 is turned off. When the removal of the memory card 1 is completed and the finger is released from the ejector button 39, the coil spring 38 restores the ejector button 39 together with the eject core 40 to the state shown in FIG. 5, and the micro switch 42 is turned on. The micro switch is
It may be attached to the device body or may be attached integrally to the frame 35.

In this way, the micro switch 42 is turned on and off in conjunction with a series of operations of the ejector button 39 so that the card 1 cannot be ejected unless the power supply to the memory card 1 is turned off. I am trying to protect my memory. The frame 35 is attached to the portion where the ejector button 39 and the like are attached, and the cover 4
1, the press-fitting protrusion 41a is press-fitted and fixed in the press-fitting hole 35d to hold each component (FIG. 1).

Although not shown, the protrusion 35a of the frame 35
If the same connector is equipped with a metal lock lever 36 and a card covered with a metal case is used as a separate part of the metal spring pin instead of integrally forming the part of the frame 35, static electricity charged in the human body can be eliminated. , Memory card 1
The metal case can be electrically connected to the lock lever 36 and the spring pin to the ground of the printed circuit board.

[0019]

As described above, in the present invention, since the lock mechanism and the eject mechanism are integrally formed, the area occupied by the printed circuit board is small and the device can be made large.

Further, in order to lock the memory card, it is not necessary to operate the lock mechanism, and the device can be used by turning on the power without operating the lock mechanism after removing the memory card.

In addition, since the operating portions of the lock mechanism and the eject mechanism are concentrated in one place, the operability is greatly improved. In addition, the micro switch can be switched due to the time lag of the eject operation, and the eject operation unit's return mechanism returns the eject operation point to its original position, and the power is turned on, so the device can operate even when there is no memory card. it can.

Further, the same male connector provided with a metal lock lever, which is a separate part of the metal spring pin, without forming the protruding portion of the frame integrally with the frame,
If a card covered with a metal case is used, static electricity charged on the human body can be conducted from the metal case of the memory card to the lock lever and further to the ground of the printed circuit board through the spring pin.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a lock eject mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the male connector of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the male connector of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the male connector of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the memory card and the male connector before inserting the memory card.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the memory card and the male connector during the insertion of the memory card.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the memory card and the male connector when the insertion of the memory card is completed.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the memory card and the male connector when the memory card is unlocked.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the memory card and the male connector in the process of removing the memory card.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a lock / eject mechanism of a conventional memory card.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Memory Card 11 Engagement Groove 34 Eject Lever 35 Frame 36 Lock Lever 36a Engagement Part 37 Lock Spring 38 Coil Spring 39 Eject Button 42 Micro Switch

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hisamio Mukata 6-735 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Susumu Ito 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Issue Sony Corporation (56) Reference JP-A-2-43695 (JP, A)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A frame attached to the apparatus main body, main
In order to push the molly card out of the device body,
The eject lever pivotally attached to the ram and the upper
In conjunction with the eject lever, the above memory card
How to put and insert the above memory card on the above frame
Direction, a plate moving in a counter-insertion direction, in the process of inserting the memory card is pivotally connected to the frame in the apparatus body is retracted from its inserted track by being pressed by the memory card inserted in the memory card a locking lever having an engaging portion for preventing coming off of the memory card in completed state engaged with the engaging groove formed on the memory card, the engagement portion on the engagement groove of the memory card A first spring that constantly biases the lock lever to rotate in the engaging direction;
The operation is performed in the direction orthogonal to the anti-insertion direction,
Direction to remove the engaging part from the engaging groove of the memory card
The squid that is in contact with the lock lever to rotate
And Ekutobotan, to the insertion direction of the eject button
The pushing operation of the above memory card
Is connected to the eject lever to
Equipped with an eject core combined with a button
Lock eject mechanism of IC memory card, characterized in that that. 2. The squid that has been moved and operated in the insertion direction.
The eject button and the eject core to the memory
Second for returning to the position of the insertion completed state of the card
2. The lock eject mechanism for an IC memory card according to claim 1 , wherein said spring is provided in said frame . 3. The eject core has a protrusion in the insertion direction , a groove is formed in the frame with which the protrusion engages, and the second portion is provided between the protrusion and the groove. 3. The lock eject mechanism for an IC memory card according to claim 2 , wherein the spring is clamped. 4. A completed state of the insertion of the memory card.
To close the power supply circuit to the memory card by abutting the eject button in the position of, to open the power supply circuit to the memory card away from the eject button on the way in the insertion direction, 2. The lock for the IC memory card according to claim 1 , wherein a micro switch is provided adjacent to the eject button.
Eject mechanism. Wherein the lock lever is pivotally supported on the protrusion provided on the frame, I according to claim 1, wherein the projecting portion is characterized by being configured by a metal spring pin
C memory card lock eject mechanism.