KR20050054986A - Memory card connector with means for preventing erroneous card insertion - Google Patents

Abstract

A memory card connector (14) includes an insulating housing (16) defining a front receptacle area communicating with an interior cavity (22) for receiving a memory card. A plurality of terminals (20) are mounted on the housing in a side-by-side array transversely across a rear of the housing. The terminals (20) have contact portions (20b) at a rear of the cavity for engaging contacts on a top side of the memory card. A sheet metal shell (18) covers at least a portion of the insulating housing (16) and includes a cover plate overlying at least a portion of the cavity. The shell (18) has a wrong insertion-proof projection (78) formed out of the cover plate and extending downwardly into the cavity and into a slot in the top of the memory card when the card is properly inserted into the cavity. The projection prevents an erroneously inserted memory card from engaging the contact portions of the terminals. The projection (78) is bent into an elbow-shaped cross-sectional configuration to prevent scarring or cracking of the memory card when erroneously inserted into the cavity.

Description

MEMORY CARD CONNECTOR WITH MEANS FOR PREVENTING ERRONEOUS CARD INSERTION}

The present invention generally relates to electrical connector technology and specifically to memory card connectors. The present invention specifically relates to a system for protecting the terminal of a card connector in case of a wrong insertion or an abnormal insertion of a memory card into a connector.

Memory cards are known in the art and include an intelligent circuit in the form of a memory circuit or other electronic program. Some form of card reader reads information or memory stored on the card. These cards are used in many applications in today's electronic society, including video cameras, digital clear cameras, smartphones, music players, ATMs, cable television decoders, toys, games, PC adapters, multimedia cards and other electronic devices. . Typically, a memory card includes a card reader system through a card connector and then a contact or terminal array for connection to external equipment. The connector easily accommodates insertion and removal of the card, providing quick access to information and programs on the card. The card connector includes terminals for flexibly coupling to a contact array of memory cards. Ejection devices are often provided to facilitate insertion and ejection of the memory card to the card connector.

In such a card connector, it is possible to insert the memory card into the card receiving cavity in a misaligned state such as the front-back flip orientation or the up-down flip orientation. This misinsertion can cause damage or deformation of the contacts of the terminals if not corrected. To prevent misinsertion of the card, one type of card connector has a rib that protrudes from the bottom of the insulating housing. The ribs project into the card receiving cavity so that the card abuts against the ribs before engaging the contacts of the terminal when the card is inserted in the upside down orientation or the front-back orientation. See, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-160458.

Another example of a card connector having a card misinsertion prevention means is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-83651. As disclosed in this patent, the stop protrusion extends inwardly from one longitudinal side of the cavity to prevent the card from engaging with the contact portion of the terminal when the card is inserted in the upside down orientation or the inverted orientation. Unfortunately, this arrangement increases the overall size of the card connector.

To avoid increasing the size of the card connector, another example of a misinsertion-proof card connector is shown in FIG. 13 of this specification. As shown, the upper metal sheath “a” is stamped and shaped to have a suspension protrusion “b” extending into the card receiving cavity “c”. With the card properly inserted, the protrusion extends into the slot at the top of the card. If the card is misoriented with respect to the connector, the card is in contact with the suspension protrusion "b", thereby preventing the card from engaging with the contact portion of the terminal. Unfortunately, the suspension protrusion "b" is very thin (see shaded thickness "bb" about 0.2 mm thick) and the protrusion damages the burstable plastic casing of the card when the card is repeatedly pushed against a thin or sharp protrusion. Or cracked.

The present invention aims to solve the various problems described above and to provide an improvement over the described prior art.

Features of the invention which are considered novel are particularly described in the appended claims. The present invention, together with its objects and advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to indicate like elements in the drawings.

FIG. 1A is a front view of a memory card connector implementing the concept of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the circle portion “A” of FIG. 1A.

2 is a top view of the card connector.

3 is a rear view of the card connector.

4 is a side view of the card connector, seen from the even side of FIG.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the card connector as seen from the left hand side of Fig. 2.

6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the area of the connector in which the terminal is mounted in the housing;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the area of the connector in which the misinsertion prevention protrusion extends downward from the cover plate of the metal shell.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the memory card connector with the metal shell removed.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 1B of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Fig. 10 is a partially enlarged view of the area of the connector in which mounting tabs are formed on one of the side walls of the metal shell.

Figures 11 and 12 are views similar to Figures 1B and 9 illustrating another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a diagram of a prior art described in the section "Prior Art".

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved memory card connector having a card misinsertion prevention portion.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the memory card connector includes an insulated housing defining a front receptacle area in communication with an internal cavity for receiving the memory card. A plurality of terminals is mounted on the housing in a side-by-side array across the rear portion of the housing in a transverse direction. The terminal has a contact portion at the rear portion of the cavity that is easy to engage with a contact on the top side of the memory card. The thin metal shell covers at least a portion of the insulating housing and includes a cover plate disposed over at least a portion of the cavity. The sheath is formed from a cover plate and has a misinsertion prevention protrusion extending downward into the cavity and into the slot in the upper end of the memory card when the card is properly inserted into the cavity. The protrusion prevents an incorrectly inserted memory card from engaging the contact portion of the terminal. The protrusions are bent into an elbow-shaped cross-sectional structure that is rounded to prevent damage or cracking of the memory card when misinserted into the cavity.

According to one aspect of the invention, the misinsertion prevention protrusion is bent into a substantially U-shaped structure. The protrusions can be bent into a substantially L-shaped or J-shaped or V-shaped structure, all of which have rounded elbows that engage with the memory card.

As described herein, the thin metal shell comprises a pair of suspended opposing sidewalls that are integral with and oppose the opposing longitudinal edges of the cover plate. The sidewall includes mounting tabs that are outwardly curved at the bottom edge of the wall for mounting the connector on the circuit board.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings in detail, first of all, the present invention is implemented in the memory card connector, which is generally labeled 14, which covers an insulating housing and an insulating housing, collectively indicated by 16. And stamped and molded sheet metal sheath, generally designated 18. The housing is equipped with a plurality of conductive terminals, collectively labeled 20, which are mounted on the housing in a lateral row array across the rear portion of the housing, transversely, as best shown in FIG. . The housing and metal sheath 18 are intended to receive a memory card, generally designated 24, inserted into the front receptacle area 26 (FIG. 2) of the connector in the direction of arrow "A" (FIGS. 2 and 8). And to form an internal cavity, collectively represented by 22 (FIG. 1).

As best seen in Figure 8, the memory card 24, when properly oriented for insertion into the connector, has a front leading edge 28, a rear following edge 30, a top flat surface 32 and a bottom portion. And a flat surface 34. A plurality of contact slots 36 are cut into the top flat surface 32, which slots open at the front leading edge 28 of the card. The contact 38 is arranged at the bottom of the slot for engaging with the contact of the terminal 20. The misinsertion prevention slot 40 is also cut into the top flat surface 32 of the card. Finally, the recess 42 is cut into one side edge of the card for the purpose described below.

The insulating housing 16 is best shown in FIG. 8 and also in conjunction with FIG. The housing is substantially L-shaped to form a terminal mounting compartment 44 extending transversely across the rear portion of the housing with a longitudinal side wall section 46 projecting forward of one end of the terminal mounting compartment. The terminal extends through the opening 48 in the mounting compartment.

Referring to FIG. 6 in conjunction with FIG. 4, each terminal 20 terminates in a contact 20b for engaging with each one of the contacts 38 in each contact slot 36 in the memory card 24. And a forward cantilevered contact arm 20a into the card receiving cavity 22. The contact arm 20a projects forward from the mounting base 20c of the terminal, which fits into each one of the openings 48 in the terminal mounting section 44 of the housing. The solder tail 20d of the terminal protrudes out of the rear of the housing and terminates in the solder pad 20e for solder connection to each circuit trace on a printed circuit board (not shown). The housing has a plurality of mounting pegs 50 (FIGS. 1A, 3-5 and 7) for insertion into suitable mounting holes in the printed circuit board.

The longitudinal side wall section 46 of the housing 16 is generally labeled 52 and is also equipped with a push / pull card ejection mechanism best shown in FIG. The card ejection mechanism is of a type known in the art and is provided for ejecting and removing the memory card 24 from the connector. The card ejection mechanism includes a slide 54 that is slidable on the sidewall compartment, a coil spring 56 for pressing the slider toward the front receptacle region 26 (FIG. 2) of the connector, a heart cap slot of the slider (not shown). A pin member 58 located between the side wall section 46 and the slider 54, which cooperates with the < RTI ID = 0.0 > The push / pull card ejection mechanism 52 is well known in the art. When the memory card 24 is inserted into the card receiving cavity 22, the locking arm 60 of the slider moves in the side edge of the card such that the slider moves with the card in its insertion direction while pressing the coil spring 56. It is captured by the recess 42. When the card is in an unfixed state, it is ejected from the card receiving cavity under the force of the coil spring 56. The initial and complete insertion positions of the memory card are shown in phantom lines in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

1 through 5, the metal shell 18 is stamped and molded from a thin sheet metal material and is large enough to cover the substantial entire area formed by the insulating housing 16. The metallic sheath comprises a top cover plate 66 and a pair of suspension facing sidewalls 68, 70 extending in the front-rear direction of the connector. Sidewall 68 covers card ejection mechanism 52. The side wall 70 forms the opposite side of the card receiving cavity 22, as best shown in FIG. 1A. The side wall 70 has a plurality of openings 74 for receiving a plurality of latch protrusions 76 on the housing such that the metal shell can be snapped into engagement with the housing. Similarly, the rear latch tab 78 (FIG. 3) is suspended downward at the rear of the connector and also has an opening 74 for snapping into engagement with the latch projection 76 on the housing. In general, it can be seen that the metal shell 18 has a substantially inverted U-shaped member structure.

1, 2, and 7, the present invention provides a misinsertion prevention protrusion 78 stamped and shaped out of a hole 80 (FIG. 7) in the top cover plate 66 of a thin metal shell 18. Consider. The protrusions are curved into a rounded elbow-shaped cross-sectional structure. In other words, Fig. 7 shows that the projection 78 is bent downward from the top cover plate 66 at 78a and again upward at 78b to form a rounded elbow 78c. Referring again to FIG. 8, when the memory card 24 is inserted into the connector in its proper orientation, the protrusion 78 easily moves into the slot 40 in the top flat surface 32 of the memory card. However, when the card is inserted into the connector in the upside down orientation, the leading edge 28 of the card is in contact with the protrusion 78 and prevents the edge from engaging with the contact portion 20b of the terminal 20. Similarly, when the memory card is inserted into the connector in the forward and backward reverse orientation, the rear edge 30 of the memory card abuts the protrusion 78, and again, the edge of the card engages the contact portion 20b of the terminal 20. Is prevented. By shaping the protrusion 78 into a rounded elbow-shaped cross-sectional structure, damage or cracking of the memory card is prevented when the card is misinserted into the connector. The structures of the protrusions of Figs. 1, 2 and 7 consist of a U-shaped structure.

9 shows an alternative embodiment of the misinsertion prevention protrusion 78 in which the protrusion is bent into a substantially L-shaped structure cross section. Specifically, the protrusion is bent downward from the top cover plate to form the vertical leg 78a and the horizontal leg 78b, and to form a round elbow 78c therebetween.

11 shows another alternative where the misinsertion prevention protrusion 78 is bent downward from the top cover plate to form the vertical leg 78a and the up bend leg 78b, and the rounded elbow 78c therebetween. An example is shown. In fact, the protrusion 78 of Figure 11 is curved in a substantially J-shaped structure.

12 shows that the misinsertion prevention protrusion 78 is bent downward from the top cover plate 66 to form an angled leg 78a and an upward bent angled leg 70b, and the rounded elbow 78c therebetween. Another alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. In fact, the protrusion 78 of Figure 12 is curved in a substantially V-shaped structure.

The U-shaped protrusions of FIGS. 1 and 7, the L-shaped structure of FIG. 9, the J-shaped structure of FIG. 11 and the V-shaped structure of FIG. It provides a rounded elbow to join. This prevents damage or crack of the memory card.

Finally, FIG. 10 shows the mounting tab 72 protruding outward from the side wall 70 of the metal sheath 18. The mounting tab has a horizontal section 80 formed at its bottom, which is disposed at the same height as the solder pad 20e of the terminal 20. Horizontal section 80 has a rounded edge 80a. The connector is mounted to the printed circuit board 82. It is difficult to coat the horizontal section 80 completely around its circumference, so that the solder is formed as indicated by the solid line "b" rather than the broken line "a", whereby a good resistance to peeling force can be provided. none. With the horizontal section 80 rounded around its circumference 80a, the brazing material 84 migrates around the bottom of the horizontal section and the circumference of the section to provide good solder fillet to provide peel resistance. . Although only one mounting tab 72 is shown on the sidewall 70 of the metal sheath, one or more mounting tabs may be provided along each sidewall of the sheath. Alternatively, a metal fitting nail (FIGS. 5 and 8) may be embedded in the longitudinal side wall section 46 of the housing and soldered to a solder pad on a printed circuit board.

It will be appreciated that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the concept and core features thereof. Accordingly, the present embodiments and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not limited to the details provided herein.

Claims (7)

Memory card connector (14), An insulating housing 16 forming a front receptacle area 24 in communication with an internal cavity 22 for receiving a memory card 24; For engagement with the saw 38 on the upper side 32 of the memory card, it has a contact portion 20b at the rear portion of the cavity, and laterally crosses the rear portion 44 of the housing transversely. a plurality of terminals mounted on the housing in a by-side array, A cover plate 66 disposed over at least a portion of the cavity, the sheet metal shell 18 covering at least a portion of the insulating housing, A sheath is formed from the cover plate 66 to form a misinsertion prevention protrusion 78 extending downward into the cavity 22 and into the slot 40 at the top of the memory card when the card is properly inserted into the cavity. Equipped, The protrusion 78 prevents the misinserted memory card from engaging with the contact portion 20b of the terminal 20, and when the memory card 24 is misinserted into the cavity, damage or crack of the memory card 24 is prevented. Memory card connector bent in elbow-shaped cross-section to prevent. 2. The memory card connector of claim 1, wherein the misinsertion prevention protrusion (78) is curved into a substantially U-shaped structure. 2. The memory card connector of claim 1, wherein the misinsertion prevention protrusion (78) is curved into a substantially L-shaped structure. The memory card connector of claim 1, wherein the misinsertion prevention protrusion (78) is curved in a substantially J-shaped structure. 2. The memory card connector of claim 1, wherein the misinsertion prevention protrusion (78) is curved in a substantially V-shaped structure. 2. The memory card connector of claim 1, wherein the sheet metal shell (18) comprises a pair of suspended opposing sidewalls (68, 70) integral with the opposing longitudinal edges of the cover plate (66). 7. The memory card connector of claim 6, wherein the sidewalls (68, 70) include mounting tabs (72) outwardly curved at the bottom edge of the wall for mounting the connector on the circuit board.