KR20050101239A - Memory card connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A memory card connector includes an insulative housing having a rear terminal-mounting section which mounts a plurality of terminals (36a) having contact portions for engaging appropriate contacts on a normal size memory card (40). A metal shell is mounted on the housing and combines therewith to define an interior card- receiving cavity. The cavity has a front insertion opening for receiving the memory card. A card restricting member (60) extends into the cavity at a location between the insertion opening and the contact portions of the terminals. The card restricting member is configured such that the normal size memory card engages the restricting member and biases the restricting member out of the path of insertion of the normal size memory card into the cavity. The card restricting member is located to engage a compact size memory card and prevent the compact size memory card from reaching the contact portions of the terminals.

Description

Memory card connector {MEMORY CARD CONNECTOR}

The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical connectors, in particular memory card connectors.

Memory cards are well known and include intelligence in the form of memory circuits or other electronic programs. Some forms of card reader read information or memory stored on the card. These cards include many devices in today's electronic society, including video cameras, digital still cameras, smartphones, PDAs, music players, ATMs, cable television decoders, toys, games, PC adapters, multimedia cards and other electronic devices. Used for Typically, memory cards include contacts or terminal arrays for connecting to card reader systems and external devices through card connectors. The connector readily accommodates insertion and removal of the card to provide quick access to information and programs on the card. The card connector includes terminals for yieldingly engaging a contact array of memory cards.

The memory card itself writes or reads through a connector and sends signals between electrical appliances such as word processors, personal computers and personal data assistants (PDAs). The card can be used in applications such as mobile or cellular telephones that operate after confirming an identification code stored on a SIM (subscriber identification module) card and allow data access. The SIM card has a conductive surface with an array of contacts, and the mobile phone has a SIM card connector having terminals for electrical connection with the contacts of the SIM card to ensure membership identification confirmation.

Typical memory card connectors include some form of dielectric housing covered with a metal shell. The metal shell is formed by stamping metal thin sheet material, and is generally formed into a box shape. The metal shell and the housing combine to form a card receiving cavity. One end of the cavity is opened to form a card insertion opening. The dielectric housing may be generally L-shaped or U-shaped and includes a rear terminal mounting section at the rear of the cavity and at least one longitudinal side wall section extending forward from one or both ends of the rear section on one or both sides of the cavity. It may include. The metal shell has a top plate that generally covers the dielectric housing, with a side plate extending downward over the sidewall section of the housing. The side plate of the metal shell and / or the side wall section of the housing form the side wall of the card receiving cavity.

One or more of the above design features of the conventional memory card connector are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 2001-160458, 2001-167232, 2002-216905 and 10-187896, as well as Japanese Patent Nos. 3299945 and 3306395. And 3325865.

Countless memory card connectors have been used for many years and have design and / or dimensional parameters (referred to herein and in the claims) to accommodate conventional or standard size memory cards.

However, with the increase in size or size reduction of small electronic devices, the memory card connector is also downsized or reduced in size due to the size reduction of its memory card. Memory cards of this reduced size will be referred to herein and in the claims as "compact size" memory cards.

With the more recent use of small size memory cards, problems have arisen when small size memory cards are inserted into card receiving cavities of card connectors designed to accommodate larger standard size memory cards. The small size memory card can bend or buckle the contacts of the terminals in a regular card connector. The terminals may even be shorted, resulting in serious damage to the circuitry and electronics to which the card connector is associated. The small memory card may jam in the cavity of the regular memory card connector and the small memory card is difficult to withdraw or remove from the regular card connector unless it is impossible. The present invention is directed to solving these problems of a standard size memory card connector that impedes the insertion of a small size memory card into the interior.

Features of the invention believed to be novel are described in detail in the appended claims. The invention can be better understood with reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the figures, together with the objects and advantages thereof.

1 is a plan view of a memory card connector embodying the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the insulating housing of the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section taken roughly along lines 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing a small size memory card in which a connector is mounted with the device and inserted into the connector.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view of the region enclosed by reference number A in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, with a memory card of a standard size fully inserted into the connector.

6 and 7 are views similar to those in Fig. 3, showing the advancement step of the attempted insertion of a small size memory card.

8 to 11 are views similar to those of Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 7, respectively, but in a second form of the first embodiment.

12 to 15 are views similar to those of FIGS. 8 to 11, but in a third form of the first embodiment.

16 to 20 are views similar to those of Figs. 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7, but are a second embodiment of the present invention.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved memory card connector of the described features, wherein the connector is configured to receive a standard size memory card with means for preventing the complete insertion of a small size memory card.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the memory card connector includes an insulated housing having a rear terminal mounting section mounted with a plurality of terminals having contacts for engaging in proper contact on a standard size memory card. The metal shell is mounted on the housing and combined with it to form a card receiving inner cavity having a front insertion opening for receiving a memory card, having a terminal mounting section at the rear of the cavity. The spring member extends into the cavity at a position between the insertion opening and the contact of the terminal. The spring member is configured such that a full size memory card engages with the spring member and deflects the spring member in the insertion path of the full size memory card into the cavity. The spring member engages the memory card of the small size and is positioned to prevent the memory card of the small size from reaching the contact portion of the terminal.

According to one embodiment of the invention the spring member extends into the cavity from the bottom wall of the housing. The housing is made of dielectric plastic material and the spring member is made of spring metal material and fixed to the bottom wall of the housing.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the spring member extends into the cavity from the top wall of the metal shell. The shell is stamped and formed of sheet metal material, and the spring member is formed stamped from the upper wall of the shell.

In another embodiment, the spring member is cantilevered into the cavity obliquely towards the rear of the cavity. The spring member includes an inclined arm portion and a stop at the distal end of the inclined arm portion. The full size memory card engages with the inclined arm portion and biases the stop out of the path of insertion of the full size memory card into the cavity. The memory card of the small size passes through the inclined arm portion and is stopped by the stop portion.

According to another aspect of the invention, the connector is mounted with a device having a card receiving passage coinciding with the card receiving cavity. The passageway has an mouth aligned with the anterior insertion opening of the cavity. In the present invention, it is conceivable that the distance between the mouth and the spring member is almost equal to the length of the memory card of the small size in the insertion direction.

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 more detail, preferentially with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, various embodiments of the present invention (forms of the embodiments) generally comprise two main components, an insulated or dielectric housing generally indicated at 24 and It is shown in connection with a memory card connector, generally indicated at 22, comprising a metal shell, indicated at 26. The housing may be molded from a dielectric material, such as plastic, and the metal shell is formed stamped with a conductive sheet metal material. The housing and the shell are combined to form an inner card receiving cavity 27 (FIGS. 2 and 3) having a card insertion opening 28 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

As best shown in Figure 2, the molded plastic dielectric housing 24 may generally be U-shaped (not shown) or L-shaped (shown). In all of these cases, the housing has a rear terminal mounting section across the rear of the cavity 27 along the longitudinal sidewall section 32 extending forward from one end of the rear section to form one side of the cavity 27. 30). The housing includes a bottom wall 34 that forms the bottom of the cavity.

The plurality of terminals, shown generally at 36, are mounted in a plurality of through passages 38 in the rear terminal mounting section 30 of the housing. Each terminal is generally indicated at 40 (see FIGS. 2 and 5) and has a contact portion 36a configured to be cantilevered forward to properly contact on a full size memory card inserted into the cavity 27.

A conventional push-push card eject mechanism, generally designated 42, is mounted to the side wall section 32. As is known, the card ejection mechanism consists of a cam slider 44, a cam pin 46 and a coil spring 48. That is, the cam slider 44 has an engaging protrusion 44a to engage the leading edge 40a of the memory card 40 of the standard size. The coil spring 48 deflects the cam slider in a direction generally toward the card insertion opening 28. One end 46a of the cam pin 46 is coupled with the side wall section 32, and the opposite end 46b of the cam pin is coupled within the heart-shaped cam groove 50.

The full size memory card 40 is inserted into the card receiving cavity 27 until the card reaches the fully inserted state (Fig. 5). The cam slider 44 compresses the coil spring 48 and the memory card. Go with it. When the pressure on the card is released, the ejection mechanism deflects the card back to the outside slightly depending on the shape of the cam slot 50. In this state, the contact portion 36a of the terminal 36 keeps the electrical connector in proper contact on the memory card 40. A second "push" on the memory card biases the memory card back to at least partially ejected position where the ejector grips the rear end of the card. It should be understood that the discharge mechanism may be removed or replaced with another type of mechanism within the present invention.

1 and 3, the metal shell 27 is generally rectangular and includes an upper wall 27a that roughly forms the top of the card receiving cavity 27. As shown in FIG. The metal shell has a pair of sidewalls 26a, 26b extending along opposite side edges of the top wall 27a and suspending downward substantially at right angles thereto. The side wall 26a covers the outside of the discharge mechanism 42 and the side wall section 32 of the housing. The side wall 26b forms the opposite side of the cavity 27. The side wall has a flange 26c pivoted inward along its lower edge portion. The plurality of apertured outwardly pivoted mounting tabs 26e provide a means for mounting the connector to the undercarriage. Finally, the spring arm 26f of the metal shell is engaged with the top of the cam pin 46 of the ejection mechanism 42 and deflects the end 46b of the cam pin into the cap slot 50 which is the heart shape of the mechanism. Stamping is processed and formed.

3 and 5, the memory card connector 22 is installed in connection with an electrical device having a card receiving path 54, which is generally designated 52 and coincides with the card receiving cavity 27 of the connector. . The path 54 has an inlet 54a aligned with the anterior insertion opening 28 of the cavity.

1 to 15 show various forms of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 16 to 20 show one form of the second embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals will be described to be recognizable as the same elements in all forms of both embodiments. Based on this understanding, the present invention is generally provided at 60 with the provision of at least one spring member which extends into the cavity 27 at a position between the insertion opening 28 of the cavity and the contact 36a of the terminal 36. You can think about what you are doing at this point. In the third form of the first embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 15, the spring member 60 projects downward from the top wall 26a of the metal shell 26. Figs. In the second embodiment shown in Figs. 16-20, the spring member extends upwardly from the bottom wall 34 of the housing 24. In all forms of both embodiments, the plurality of spring members are preferably spaced laterally in the direction of insertion of the memory card. For example, FIG. 1 shows two spring members 60 stamped and formed from an opening 62 in the upper wall 26a of the metal shell 26. As shown in Figure 3, the spring member 60 is cantilevered to the cavity 27 at right angles or obliquely to the rear of the cavity. As can be seen below, the same configuration is made for the second embodiment of the present invention.

4, each spring member 60 includes an inclined arm portion 64 extending obliquely or at a right angle to the cavity 27. As shown in FIG. The stop 66 is located at the distal end of the inclined arm portion. The stop is convex in shape and forms a curved or convex surface 66a facing the insertion direction of the memory card.

Referring to Fig. 5 with respect to Fig. 4, when the memory card 40 of the standard size is inserted into the cavity 27, the tip portion 40a of the memory card is combined with the inclined arm portion 64 (Fig. 4). Deflect the entire spring member upward. When the standard size memory card is continuously inserted, the stop member 66 of the spring member is deflected upward outside the path where the standard size memory card is inserted into the cavity. Thus, the standard size memory card can be fully inserted into the cavity without any interference from the spring member (s) 60 as can be seen in FIG.

3, 6 and 7 show a sequential view of a small size memory card, denoted as " 70, " as a whole, which is being inserted into the cavity 27 in the direction of arrow A. As shown in FIG. The memory card has a front end 70a and a rear end 70b. The user presses on the rear end 70b of the small size memory card until the front end 70a is engaged with the stop 66 of the spring member 60. The memory card can be prevented from being inserted further. When the user releases the rear end 70b of the small size memory card, the spring member (s) 60 is effective to deflect or press the small size memory card out of the cavity 27 in the direction of the arrow B.

8-11 show a second form of a spring member 60 formed stamped out of the top wall 26a of the metal shell 26 and inclined into the cavity and extending downward. In the second aspect of Figs. 8 to 11, the spring member includes an arm portion 64 that is inclined again. However, the distal end of the inclined arm portion is pivoted upward at a slight angle, as in reference numeral 74, such that the distal end of the arm portion does not damage the upper surface of the full size memory card inserted into the cavity 27. That is, the distal end of the inclined arm portion does not have a limited stop for contacting the distal end portion 70a of the memory card 70 of the small size as in the first embodiment.

8 to 11, however, illustrate features of the invention included in all forms of both embodiments. Specifically, the distance between the inlet 54a of the passage 54 of the device 52 and the spring member 60 is determined by the small size of the memory card (ie, between the leading end 70a and the rear end 70b of the card). Approximately the same length. Thus, when the small size memory card is fully inserted into the position shown in Fig. 11, the rear end 70b of the card is flush with the mouth 54a, and the user can no longer insert the card into the cavity 27. Can't. When the card is released, the spring member (s) 60 bias or press the card out of the cavity in the direction of arrow B (Fig. 11). This phenomenon is accomplished through all forms of both embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it is easy for a user to detect an erroneous insertion of a small size memory card, because the small memory card is pushed outward every time the user inserts and releases the card. In addition, the memory card of the small size cannot be completely inserted into the cavity which cannot be ejected or may damage the contact portion 36a of the terminal 36.

12 to 15, the third embodiment of the first embodiment of the present invention has an inclined arm portion 64 formed by the spring member 60 stamped from the upper wall 26a of the metal shell 26. As shown in FIG. Is similar to the previous two forms. In other words, the inclined arm portion consists of a cantilever beam obliquely downward to the rear of the cavity 27. 12 to 15, the stop 66 at the distal end of the inclined arm portion 64 reliably stops the memory card of small size. Specifically, the stop portion 66 has a hook shape that forms the pocket 66b in the insertion direction of the memory card. The hook-type stop is connected to the inclined arm portion 64 at the rounded joint 74. The shortest end of the hook-shaped stop 66 is formed by a joining wall 76 of a certain length.

When a memory card of a standard size is inserted into the cavity 27, in the third form of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs. 12 to 15, the front end portion 40a (Fig. 5) is again inclined arm portion ( 64) and bias the spring member upward. As the spring member moves upward, the memory card rises along the rounded joint 74 as the card moves to the fully inserted position in the cavity 27. As mentioned, the engagement wall 76 is of a certain length, ie the wall is of sufficiently short length that it is moved from the insertion path of a standard size memory card.

However, Figs. 12, 14 and 15 show a small size memory card inserted until the tip portion 70a of the card engages with the pocket 66b of the hook-type stop 66 of the spring member 60. 70) is shown. When the user releases the card, the spring member pushes the memory card out of the cavity again.

16-20 show a second embodiment of the present invention in which the spring member 60 is a separate member and has a mounting leg 80 secured to the bore 82 (Fig. 18) of the bottom wall 34 of the housing 24. Shows. The spring member 60 is formed by stamping with a spring metal material so that the leg 80 is fitted into the bore 82 of the plastic housing.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 18, the spring member 60 is constructed from the cantilever arm 64 with an inclined upwardly angled or obliquely upward cantilever beam, FIGS. 12-15. The same as the third form of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Comparing FIG. 18 of the second embodiment to FIG. 13 of the third form of the first embodiment, the only difference is that the spring member 60 of the second embodiment extends upwardly at an angle into the cavity 27, while the first The spring member 60 of the embodiment extends downwardly at an angle into the cavity. Thus, like reference numerals have been given to form the stop 66, the pocket 66b, the seam 74, and the engagement wall 76.

The operation of the second embodiment of FIGS. 16-20 is as described above in connection with the third form of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 12-15. The standard size memory card engages with the inclined arm portion 64 and deflects the spring member downward, so that the engaging wall 76 moves out of the insertion path of the standard size memory card, and the bottom of the standard size memory card is rounded. Climb along portion 74. When the small sized memory card 70 is inserted into the cavity 27, the tip portion 70a of the small sized memory card is stopped by the hook type stop portion 66 of the spring member as shown in FIG. .

The invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential features. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments are to be construed as illustrative only and not restrictive, and the invention is not limited to the details given.

Claims (9)

As a memory card connector 22, An insulating housing (24) having a rear terminal mounting section (30) for mounting a plurality of terminals (36) having contacts (36a) for proper contact coupling on a standard size memory card (40), A metal shell 26 coupled with the housing to form an inner card receiving cavity 27 having a front insertion opening 28 for receiving the memory card, the terminal mounting section being located at the rear of the cavity In the memory card connector 22, A spring member 60 extending into the cavity 27 at a position between the contact portion 36a of the terminal 36 and the insertion opening 28, The spring member is configured such that the standard size memory card 40 engages with the spring member to bias the spring member into the cavity in the insertion path of the standard size memory card, The spring member is positioned to engage the small size memory card 70 to prevent the small size memory card from reaching the contact portion 36a of the terminal 36, The connector 22 is mounted with a device 52 having a card receiving path 54 that coincides with the card receiving cavity 27, which path is aligned with the front insertion opening 28 of the cavity 27. And a distance between the mouth and the spring member (60) in the insertion direction approximately equal to the length of the memory card (70) of the small size in the insertion direction. The memory card connector of claim 1, wherein the spring member (60) extends from the bottom wall (34) of the housing (24) into the cavity (27). 3. A memory card connector according to claim 2, wherein the housing (24) is made of dielectric plastic material and the spring member (60) is made of spring metal material and fixed to the bottom wall (34) of the housing (24). 4. The memory card connector of claim 3, wherein the spring member (60) is cantilevered into the cavity (27) obliquely towards the rear of the cavity (27). 5. The spring member (60) according to claim 4, wherein the spring member (60) comprises an inclined arm portion (64) and a stop (66) at the end of the inclined arm portion, and the standard size memory card (40) is an inclined arm portion. In combination with 64, the stop 66 is deflected into the cavity 27 from the insertion path of the standard size memory card, and the small size memory card 70 passes through the inclined arm portion and is stopped by the stop. Memory card connector. 2. The memory card connector of claim 1, wherein the spring member (60) extends into the cavity (27) from the top wall (26a) of the metal shell (26). The memory card connector according to claim 6, wherein the metal shell (26) is formed by stamping with sheet metal material, and the spring member (60) is formed by stamping on the upper wall (26a) of the metal shell. 8. The memory card connector of claim 7, wherein the spring member (60) is cantilevered into the cavity (27) obliquely towards the rear of the cavity. 9. The spring member (60) according to claim 8, wherein the spring member (60) comprises an inclined arm portion (64) and a stop portion (66) at the distal end of the inclined arm portion, and the standard size memory card (40) is an inclined arm portion. In combination with 64, the stop 66 is deflected into the cavity 27 from the insertion path of the standard size memory card, and the small size memory card 70 passes through the inclined arm portion and is stopped by the stop. Memory card connector.