KR19980703778A - Electric charging / discharging unit of card carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

Purpose: To provide a charge / discharge unit of an IC card for a stacked double connector of the read / write device of the present invention.

Configuration: When the IC card C is inserted into the card holder 26, the unit is operated by the switches S1 62. The drive cam 16 moves the card C near the connector 34 together with the card holder 26 by the pivoting movement in the arrow direction S. As shown in FIG. The slider 40 then pivots the plugging arm 50 in the direction of the arrow R to be connected to the connecting pin 60. Discharge of the card C is performed by reverse pivoting the drive cam 16. Slider 40 moves in the opposite direction to move plugging arm 50 away from the cardpath. Then, the action pin 28 slides the card holder 26 to a position where the operator can hold it to remove the card.

Description

Electric charging / discharging unit of card carrier

1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of an electric charging / discharging unit for a card medium according to the present invention.

2 is a plan view illustrating the cardholder of the first embodiment and the card to be loaded.

3 is a plan view of a first embodiment for illustrating the operation.

4 is a plan view of the connector and the fully loaded card of the first embodiment.

5 is a plan view of the cardholder of the second embodiment according to the present invention.

6 is an enlarged partial plan view showing the relationship between the card and the cardholder of the second embodiment.

7 is a front view along line VII-VII of FIG. 5 to show the card, cardholder and connector.

8 is a front view illustrating the relationship between the card, the card holder and the connector of the prior art.

9 is a side view of a partial cross section of a pin calibration / cleaning tool for use with the present invention.

10 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the tool of FIG.

12 is a perspective view of a three type card.

13 is a plan view of a conventional manual card discharging unit.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

10, 11 motor

12, 13 gear chain

14, 15 pinion

16 Drive Cam

18 sector gear

22 Holder Transfer Cam Groove

24 Plugging Operation Pin

26card holder

28 action pin

30 standard projection

36 thrust torsion spring

40 sliders

42 Plugging Operation Cam Groove

44 Plugging Arm Drive Cam Groove

50 plugging arm

[Field of Invention]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for electrically connecting a card medium having connection pin holes along one end to a main frame of a data processor such as a personal computer, and more particularly, a built-in IC _s for storing / processing data. The branch relates to a unit for loading / ejecting a connector in an IC memory card read / write device.

[Private Technology]

Conventionally, cards installed in a personal computer or the like can be classified into three types having different thicknesses but the same plane size as shown in FIG. It is also common to use the manual loading / ejecting mechanism of such a card by planar operation as shown in FIG.

Illustrated in FIG. 13 is a plan view of such an install / uninstall (or discharge) mechanism. The operator inserts (or inserts) the card 1310 into the card holder 1311. Pushing the tow end 1312 of the card 1310 with a finger will cause the card 1310 to hit the connector 1313 together with the card holder 1311.

If desired to eject the card 1310, the operator pushes the slide lever 1314. The slide switch 1314 is one end with the card holder 1311 by the discharge arm 1315 to move the card holder 1311 in the discharge direction as shown by the double-dashed line in FIG. At this time, the engaging portion 1317 of the card holder 1311 that is bent in the way to engage the front end of the card does not push the front end 1316 of the card in the discharge direction.

Recently, IC cards have been widely applied as storage (memory) media for computer-related equipment. The memory capacity of such IC cards is increasing every year according to technology development. This means that a large amount of data stored on such IC cards is an important property for companies and individuals using computers.

[Problem of invention]

Unfortunately, it can be operated at any time during a read or write operation of a signal from such a conventional IC card (hereafter referred to simply as a card), causing damage to stored data. Also, if the card was lost, the data stored on the card could not be protected.

In addition, a relatively large force needs to be exerted on the card when loading or ejecting the card into the connector. However, none of the cards have recesses or protrusions for this, so the card must be pushed to load the card into the connector.

In some cases, during the extraction of the card by hand, an unnecessary bias force or stress is applied to the card, which requires a large force depending on the number of times of extraction until the card is finally damaged. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a compact, lightweight and simple inexpensive unit for electrically loading / ejecting cards into and out of stacked connectors.

[Solution Solution]

In order to solve the above problems, the electric charging / ejecting unit according to the present invention is a card loading / ejecting unit in a card reading / writing device, which supports a sliding contact in the direction of movement of the card and is in contact with the edge of the insertion end of the card to be inserted. A card holder having protrusions and card holding means, a card plugging arm pivotally disposed near a charging / ejecting mouse of the card, a slider sliding in a moving direction of the card and engaging with the plugging arm, and engaging with the card holder and slider A drive cam, and an electric drive member for controlling the drive cam.

The plugging arm is disposed on each side of the card's path of travel and can be covered around the axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane of the mouse path, and can also engage with the card by providing a roller that rolls about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation. Done. The card holder is engageable with the card as the card holding means. The card holder holds the torsion spring as a card holding means and secures the card by extending it into the card holder.

The drive cam has a rotation axis on one side of the movement path so that the rotation axis of the electrically driven pinion with teeth on the other side of the movement path is disposed symmetrically on both sides of the center line of the movement path in the center of the unit. The read / write device has stacked connectors, and the axis of rotation of the drive cam coupled with one connector is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the pinion coupled with the other connector.

The card holder is provided with a reference projection inserted into the misinsertion prevention groove of the card tip on the upstream side of the support projections with respect to the insertion direction of the card. Preferably, a normal insertion detection means is provided to know when the misinsertion prevention groove and the reference projection of the card inserted into the card holder are combined and when the edge of the card's edge meets the support projection. The normal insertion detection means may be a switch once formed with an execution axis pivotable about a rotation axis supported coaxially with the rotation axis in some cases. Preferably, the reference projection of the card holder, which can be inserted into the misinsertion prevention groove at the tip of the card, may act as a card support member upon ejection of the card.

In a card loading / ejection unit with a misinsertion prevention groove in a typical card read / write device, a cavity member is used for dual purposes, and a card support member for mating with the misinsertion prevention groove at the tip of the card is used. Is particularly effective.

[action]

In the unit having the above-mentioned structure, when the card inserted through the card loading / ejecting mouse is aligned with the leading end (insertion end) of the card with respect to the support protrusions, the card holder is connected to the connector in the read / write device. The card is held or charged from the connector by the holding means that slides toward it, and when the card is moved in the discharge direction, the card is supported by the support protrusions.

A card plugging arm pivotally disposed near the card loading / ejecting mouse exerts a linear driving force at the towing end of the inserted card to push the card towards the connector.

The slider, which engages the plugging arm, slides in the direction of movement of the card and pivots to provide driving force to push the card's tow towards the connector. On the other hand, when the plugging arm pivots in the opposite direction, the arm detaches and moves away from the card to a position that does not interfere with the card's movement. The drive cam is controlled by the electric drive member to operate the cardholder and the slider in a predetermined sequence.

The plugging arm is equally excited from both sides of the card movement path to avoid bias of the insertion force. The plugging arm is also pivotally supported on the plane vertical axis of rotation of the plugging arm's movement path, thereby setting the pivot plane of the plugging arm in the same plane as the movement path. This is to engage the towing end of the card of the arm. The use of rollers rolling around the axis parallel to the axis of rotation in combination with the card's towing end ensures a smooth engagement and sufficient maneuverability.

The card inserted in the card holder receives the side force by the torsion spring, thereby fixing the card by the friction force between the card holders. However, as is well known, the frictional force is smaller than the force necessary for the assembly of the connector and the card, whereby the connector and the card are not assembled by the movement of the card holder.

The drive cam is rotated by having an axis of rotation on one side of the movement path and combined with an electrically driven pinion having teeth on the other side of the movement path, thereby providing a planar structure as a whole. This allows the drive mechanism to be located on one side of the card. In addition, the rotation axis of the drive cam and the rotation axis of the pinion are arranged symmetrically on both sides of the center line of the movement path at the center of the unit. The axis of rotation of the drive cam of the stacked connectors is arranged coaxially with the axis of rotation of the pinion, miniaturizing the individual charging / discharging units stacked thereon.

In addition, when the operator accidentally tries to insert the card from the towing end, the reference projection provided in the card holder effectively prevents the card from being inserted beyond the charging / ejecting mouse. In other words, the reference projection enters the misinsertion prevention groove only when the card is inserted normally. The tip of the card reaches the normal insertion detection means without any problem, thereby pivoting the operating arm to operate the switch. In this way, the initial conditions of the electric charging / discharging unit of the present invention are met.

In general, in a card loading / ejection unit having a misinsertion prevention groove, a reference protrusion inserted into the misinsertion prevention groove acts as a card support member when discharging the card.

[Example]

Then, embodiments of the electric charging / discharging unit of the card medium according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Shown in FIG. 1 is a plan view of the main part of a first embodiment of a unit according to the invention. Shown in FIGS. 2-4 are the operating modes of the unit of FIG. 1. One feature of the present invention is a card charging / ejection unit for a pair of stacked card connectors, wherein different angular positions are arranged around the longitudinal axis discharging the cards so as to eject the cards separately.

In FIG. 1, the motor 10, gear chain 12 and pinion 14 constitute a first card charging / discharging unit located on the upper side of the drawing. On the other hand, the motor 11, the gear chain 13 and the pinion 15 constitute a second card charging / discharging unit located on the lower side of the figure. In other words, the motor 11, the gear chain 13, and the pinion 15 are placed in positions corresponding to the motor 10, the gear chain 12 and the pinion 14 which are rotated about the longitudinal axis M-M. The first and second card charging / discharging units may be the same in some cases. Therefore, hereinafter, only the first card charging / discharging unit will be described.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a drive cam pivoting about a fixed shaft 20 having a sector gear 18 and is combined with the pinion 14 on the outer circumference. The drive cam 16 forms a holder transfer cam groove 22 and a plugging operation pin 24 embedded therein. The reference numeral 26 denotes a card holder for receiving and moving a card therein. The card holder 26 has an operation pin 28 planted therein for engaging with the holder transfer cam groove 22.

Denoted at 30 is a reference protrusion formed at a corner to face the connector 34 at the left end 32 of the card holder 26. The reference protrusion 30 is disposed at a position to be combined with the reference recess D for preventing a misinsertion formed in the card C before the card C is normally inserted. Designated by reference numeral 36 is a torsion spring for applying lateral pressure and extends inward from the opposite or right end 38. The torsion spring 36 raises the friction force between the surfaces facing the card holder to ensure that the card is held securely.

Denoted at 40 is a slider that has a plugging operation cam groove 40 as a slider to move reciprocally and linearly by a guide groove 48 guided by the plugging operation pin 24.

Denoted at 50 is a plugging arm drive cam groove 44 assembled together pivotally supported on the fixed shaft 52 and along the inner edge of the roller 58 rotatably supported on the pivot shaft 54. Is pivoted. The connector 34 is vertically staggered so that only the upper connector is shown in the figure for convenience. Reference numeral 60 denotes a connection pin for making an electrical connection with the circuit of the card plugged into the connector 34.

Denoted at 62 is a card insertion detection switch S1 having an actuator 68. As shown in FIG. When no card C is inserted, the switch S1 is normally pressed by the operating lever 66 fixed to the operating arm 64 pivotally mounted coaxially with the drive cam 16. Denoted at 70 is a charging completion detection switch S2 for operating the actuator 74 by the functional member 72 provided on one side of the drive cam 16. Also indicated by reference numeral 76 is a discharge completion detection switch S3 having an actuator 80 operated by a functional member 78 provided on the other side of the drive cam 16.

In FIG. 1, when the actuator 80 of the ejection completion detection switch S3 is pressed by the functional member 78, ejection of the card is completed and the plugging arm 50 does not obstruct the path of the card. Instructs you to be free. On the other hand, when the actuator 68 of the card insertion detection switch S1 is pressed by the functional member 66, it indicates that the card C has not been inserted yet.

The operation of this embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2 shows the card holder 26 in which the card C is normally inserted. The reference recess D which prevents misinsertion of the card C engages with the reference protrusion 30 in the card holder 26. This allows the insertion end or the front end 82 of the card C to contact the support protrusion 84 in the card holder 26 so as to smoothly eject the card C. The card C is then pressed against the left end 32 of the card holder 26 by the action of the lateral pressure of the torsion spring 36 so that the card C is held in the card holder 26.

At the same time, the functional member 66 pressed by the roller 86 pivotably installed at the end of the operation arm 64 is released from the actuator 68. However, when the operator wants to insert the card C up and down from the towing end, the reference protrusion 30 effectively prevents further insertion of the card C. As a result, the lateral pressure for holding by the torsion spring 36 is not applied to the card C at all, and the roller 86 is also not acted on the card insertion end 82 so as not to operate the charging / discharging unit.

When the actuator 86 is released to operate the card insertion detection switch S1 (62), the initial state of the charging / discharging unit is made ready. The motor 10 is excited according to the card loading instruction from the control panel (not shown) or the built-in program. The driving force of the motor 10 is transmitted to the pinion 14 via the gear chain 12. Sector gear 18 causes drive cam 16 to pivot clockwise as shown by arrow S in FIG. The coupling end 88 of the holder transfer cam groove 22 is engaged with the operation pin 28 planted in the card holder 26 to push the operation pin toward the connector 34. The card holder 26 moves with the card C retained in friction until the card insertion end 82 comes close to the connecting pin 60. The plugging manipulation pin 24 of the drive cam 16 is then moved to the plugging manipulation cam groove 42 in the slider 40.

The roller 86 of the actuating arm 64 moves the card from the peripheral end along the side end 38 of the card holder 26 as the card C moves. As a result, the functional member 66 of the actuating arm 64 does not operate the actuator 68 until the member returns to the initial condition.

As shown in FIG. 3, the actuating pin 28 releases from the engaging end 88 in the holder transfer cam groove 22 to stop the moving card holder 26. As shown in FIG. At this time, the plugging operation pin 26 of the drive cam 16 is in contact with the engaging end 90 of the plugging operation cam groove 42 in the slider 40 and pushes in the right direction (arrow R). This will cause the plugging arm to pivot in the direction shown by arrow P in FIG. 3 by the action pin 54 inserted into the plugging arm drive cam groove 44.

The pushing roller 58 then contacts the towing end 92 of the card C and pushes the contact pin 60 into the pin hole of the card C (see FIG. 4). Since only the frictional force supports the card in the card holder 26, the card transfer force to the card holder 26 as an initial condition is insufficient to provide the required insertion force of the card D and the connecting pin 60. Therefore, the means for pushing the card C in the towing end is effective for collecting. It should also be noted that the card C is not sandwiched between the rollers, so that any adverse effects such as deformation or breakage due to the compression gripping force between the rollers can be avoided.

4 shows the card C completely connected to the connector 34. This is the time when the motor 10 stops pushing the card C by the action member 72 of the drive cam and presses the actuator 74 of the charging completion detection switch S2 70.

Then, the ejection of the card C will be described. In accordance with the card ejection instruction from the control panel or the built-in program, the motor 10 rotates in the reverse direction with respect to the card charging instruction mentioned above. Similarly, the driving force of the motor 10 is transmitted to the pinion 14 by the gear chain 12 to counterclock the drive cam 16 by the sector gear 18 as indicated by arrow S in FIG. Pivot in direction. The plugging operation pin 24 of the drive cam 16 moves freely in the plugging operation cam groove 42 in the slider 40 until the other end 94 is brought into contact with the engaging end 90. The operation pin 28 fitted to the card holder 26 moves freely in the transfer cam groove 22.

The plugging operation pin 24 pushes the slider 40 in contact with the engaging end 94 and the plugging arm 50 is moved to the arrow P by the action pin 54 which is engaged with the plugging drive cam groove 44. As shown in the figure, the engagement between the towing end 92 of the card C and the pushing roller 58 is released until the plugging arm 50 does not obstruct the path of movement of the card C by pivoting in the other direction. It is done. The actuating pin 28 then engages with the opposite end 96 of the engaging groove 88 in the holder transfer cam groove 22 of the drive cam 16 to align the cardholder 26 with an arrow R. Push in the indicated card ejection direction.

The card holder 26 supports the insertion end or the front end 82 of the card C and sends it to a fixed position where the operator can manually manufacture the card. At the position of the card C, the actuating member 78 of the drive cam 16 pushes the actuator 80 to operate the discharge completion detection switch S3 76 to stop the motor 10. The card C can be removed to return to the initial state shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, a pair of plugging arms 50 are provided on both sides of the card C to push the card. However, this is only for symmetrical design and in some cases a single plugging arm may be used on the side from the point of action. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the motor 10, the gear chain 12, and the pinion 14 are centered on the longitudinal axis MM on one side of the card and the motor 11, the gear chain ( 13) and 180 degrees with respect to the pinion 15 on the other side of the card C. FIG. However, since the pinions 14, 15 serving as the final output member of the drive mechanism are disposed on the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the charging / discharging unit and on one side of the card C, the first and second units may be the same. And have an axis of pinions 14, 15 with 180 ° from phase orthogonal to the longitudinal line MM and centered about axis TT. In this example, the other elements of the first and second units may be mirrored about the interface of the two units.

Now, a second embodiment of the card holder for the electric charging / discharging unit for the card medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion with respect to the other card holder, where the other components may be the same as in the first embodiment. In conclusion, the same reference numerals are used for the elements corresponding to the first embodiment.

Typically the left and right sides of the card have reference recesses Da and Db of different dimensions. On the other hand, erroneous insertion prevention protrusions which are assembled to the reference recesses Da and Db and serve as support protrusions for moving the card holder C are provided on both sides. Reference numerals 530a and 530b denote such functional members in FIG.

6 illustrates reference recesses Da and Db of the card C with respect to the functional members 53a and 53b of the card holder 52b. The functional member 530a has elasticity to mate with the reference recess Da to push the card C to the functional member 530b, thereby elevating the friction holding force of the card C by the card holder 52b, and Steps or shoulders (Na) to the left edge of the card (C). On the other hand, the functional member 530b is engaged with the reference recess Db so as to be caught by the right edge of the card C at the step or shoulder Nb. However, the functional members 530a and 530b have some degree of freedom in the various types of pinholes of the card with respect to the connecting pins 60, but in the thickness direction with respect to the reference recesses Da and Db when inserted therein. Have a play.

Typically, there are three types of cards C here. Figure 12 (a) shows a card C1 of type I, Figure 12 (b) shows a card C2 of type II and Figure 12 (c) or a card C (C3) of type III. As shown in FIG. 7, which is a cross-sectional view along the line VII-VII in FIG. 5, a pair of cards C1 and C2 of either type I or type II are stacked double connectors 34 (7 (a Or a single type III card C3 is loaded in a stacked double connector 34 (Fig. 7 (b)). The card holder 572, the actuating pin 29, and the functional members 531a and 531b and even numbers correspond to the lower connector 34.

According to the cardholders 526, 527 in the second embodiment with the functional members 530a, 530b, 531a, 531b, any type of card can be employed in the stacked dual connector 34. On the other hand, in the conventional card holder shown in Fig. 8, when the card C3 of type III is loaded, the support protrusion 85 is provided with the lower card holder (if it does not operate simultaneously with the upper and lower both charging / discharging units). 527, but the upper support protrusion 84 is in contact with the card case (H) on the card. Therefore, it is effective to provide the card holder 526 according to the second embodiment in a universal manner.

In the electric charging / discharging unit for the card medium according to the present invention, the mechanical loading of the card by electric power will avoid any insertion or charging error due to misalignment of the card (C) and the connector or foreign matter and dust invading the unit. will be. Biased insertions due to such errors sometimes lead to improper electrical connections, damage to the card, or degraded electrical signals.

9 shows the accessory 900 for correcting the deformation of the connector pin 60. Reference numeral 901 denotes a calibration jig of the connecting pin 60 and reference numeral 902 denotes a calibration tool of the connecting pin 60. Denoted at 903 is a grip for easy manual operation. The reference recesses Da and Db are provided in the same manner as the normal card C. FIG. In FIG. 9, the tool 900 has a calibration jig 901 with a cleaning tool 902. However, they may be separated as desired.

10 is an enlarged view of the calibration jig 901 partially connected to the connection pin 60. The calibration strip 901 has a separate hole 904 for each connecting pin 60 with a smooth curved surface at each inlet 905. 10 (a) shows a method of calibrating a deformed connecting pin 60a at the curved surface of the inlet 905. 10 (b) shows the connecting pin 60 having the deformed portion corrected in the collecting hole 904.

Illustrated in FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a cleaning tool made of porous felt soft material. The groove 902 surrounds the calibration pin 60 and the calibration pin is repeatedly inserted into the unit to wipe off the dust or other foreign matter collected on the connection pin 60. Preferably, some contact cleaners are included in the cleaning tool to reduce the insertion resistance to enhance performance or lifespan.

Advantages of the Invention

As understood from the above description, the electric charging / discharging unit for the card medium according to the present invention is effective in understanding the power, in particular the loading and ejection of the card by software from a computer program, thereby effectively preventing the operation and leakage of secret information or data. It is characterized by the prevention.

Inserting or inserting the card into the connecting pin by pushing the card's towing end provides a great insertion force and very reliable loading of the card, thus avoiding any damage that may occur when it is sandwiched between the rollers.

Also, since the final output members of the drive unit are located on one surface of the card, the unit can be made in a compact design by arranging both units in a mirror image relative to the connector and arranging both drive mechanisms on one side.

In addition, the use of a functional member having both functions to prevent the cardholder from being loaded into an incorrect position for the cardholder and to engage the card during ejection allows the cardholder to be used for all existing types of cards.

Claims (12)

An electric charge / discharge unit for card media of a read / write device for card media; A card holder which slides in a moving direction of the card medium and has holding means for holding the card medium and a support protrusion in contact with the tip of the card medium to be inserted; A card media plugging arm pivotally disposed near the insert / eject mouse of the card media; A slider that slides in the direction of movement of the card carrier to engage the plugging arm; A drive cam coupled to the card holder and the slider; And And an electric drive member for controlling the drive cam. An electric charging / discharging unit for a card medium according to claim 1, wherein said plugging arm is provided at each side of the movement path of the card medium. 3. The card carrier of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation axis of the plugging arm is perpendicular to the movement path, and the portion engaging with the card medium is a roller rotating about an axis parallel to the rotation axis. Charging / discharging unit. The electric charging / discharging unit for card media according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said holding means is a torsion spring extending to said card holder. The electric drive for a card carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drive cam has a rotating shaft which is formed on one side of the movement path and is electrically coupled to a pinion having teeth on the other side. Charging / discharging unit. The electric charging / discharging unit for a card medium according to claim 5, wherein the rotating shaft and the rotating shaft of the pinion are symmetrically disposed on both sides of the center line of the movement path at the center of the unit. 7. The card carrier as claimed in claim 6, wherein the read / write device has two layers of connectors in which the rotation axis of the drive cam for one of the connectors is coaxial with the rotation axis of the pinion for the other connector. Electric charging / discharging unit. 8. The card holder according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the card holder is provided with a reference protrusion upstream of the support protrusion with respect to the moving direction of the card medium, and the reference protrusion is inserted into a groove at the tip of the card medium. An electric charging / discharging unit for card media, characterized in that it is prevented from being inserted. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the insertion end of the card medium is provided so that the normal insertion detecting means can operate when the insertion end of the card medium contacts the support protrusion after the misinsertion prevention groove and the reference protrusion of the card medium inserted into the card holder. Electric charging / discharging unit for card media. 10. The electric charging / discharging unit for card media according to claim 9, wherein said normal insertion detecting means is a switch grouped together with an actuating arm in which said drive cam is pivotally mounted to a rotating shaft. 11. The cardholder according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, or 10, wherein the reference protrusion of the card holder to be combined with the misinsertion prevention groove at the tip of the card medium is The charging / discharging unit for the card medium, characterized in that one of the card support member during discharge. In the unit for loading / ejecting a card medium having a misinsertion prevention groove of a card medium read / write device, the card support member at the time of ejection of the card is a reference member inserted into the misinsertion prevention groove provided at the tip of the card medium. Electric charging / discharging unit for the card carrier, characterized in that.