The present invention relates to a card connector and, in particular, to a card connector having an ejecting mechanism for ejecting a card and a locking mechanism for locking the card to inhibit ejection of the card.
As a first conventional technique, a push-push type card connector (hereinafter simply referred to as “connector”) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. This connector is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2001-267013.
The connector depicted at 41 in the figures comprises an insulator 42, a plurality of contacts 43 fixed to the insulator 42, an ejecting bar 44 mounted on a frame portion 42A of the insulator 42, a compression coil spring 45, and a cam follower 46. A card 51 is inserted into the connector 41 in an inserting direction and is ejected from the connector 41 in an ejecting direction opposite to the inserting direction. The compression coil spring 45 serves to continuously bias the ejecting bar 44 in the ejecting direction. The cam follower 46 is guided by a heart cam 44C formed on the ejecting bar 44.
More specifically, the insulator 42 is made of a synthetic resin and has a generally rectangular shape with frame portions 42A, 42B, and 42C formed on its three sides. Each of the contacts 43 has a convex contact portion 43A formed at its one end and a flat contact portion 43B formed at the other end. The ejecting bar 44 is made of a synthetic resin and has a generally L shape with a guide portion 44A and a right-angle bent portion 44B. The heart cam 44C is formed on one surface of the guide portion 44A. The bent portion 44B has a card butting portion 44D. When the card 51 is inserted into the connector 41, a forward end of the card 51 is butted against the card butting portion 44D. The guide portion 44A of the ejecting bar 44 is slidably received in a groove (not shown) formed in the frame portion 42A and having a U-shaped section. The compression coil spring 45 is inserted into a groove 44E formed on the one surface of the guide portion 44A. The compression coil spring 45 has one end press-contacted with the ejecting bar 44 and the other end press-contacted with an inner surface of the frame portion 42C. Hence, the ejecting bar 44 is continuously biased by the compression coil spring 45 in the ejecting direction. The cam follower 46 is made of metal and has a lever-like shape. The cam follower 46 is disposed in a cutout 42D formed outside the frame portion 42A to be rotatable by a predetermined angle. A hole 46A is formed at a base of the cam follower 46 and fitted over a shaft 42E formed on the frame portion 42A. Further, a guide pin 46B formed at an end of the cam follower 46 by bending passes through a hole (not shown) formed in the frame portion 42A to be engaged with a cam groove of the heart cam 44C.
The connector 41 is entirely covered with a rectangular cover (not shown).
Referring to FIG. 4, the heart cam 44C of the ejecting bar 44 will be described in detail. The heart cam 44C is formed on the one surface of the guide portion 44A of the ejecting bar 44. The heart cam 44C is formed as a circulating guide rail (cam groove) including a start point C-1 of movement of the guide pin 46B of the cam follower 46, a guide portion C-2 inclined with respect to a sliding direction of the ejecting bar 44, a heart-shaped recessed portion C-3, a guide portion C-4 parallel to the sliding direction of the ejecting bar 44, and an end point C-5 of movement of the guide pin 46B, that is, the start point C-1. In a free state, the guide pin 46B is biased downward in FIG. 4 by elasticity of the cam follower 46.
Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3E and 4, operations of inserting (fitting) and ejecting (removing) the card 51 into and from the connector 41 will be described.
At first, FIG. 3A shows the free state where a part of the card 51 is inserted into the connector 41. At this time, in FIG. 4, the guide pin 46B of the cam follower 46 is located at the start point C-1 of the heart cam 44C.
Next, in FIG. 3B, when the card 51 is pushed into the connector 41, the forward end of the card 51 is butted against the card butting portion 44D of the ejecting bar 44. As a consequence, the card 51 and the ejecting bar 44 slide together into the connector 41 against a compressive force of the compression coil spring 45. In this state, in FIG. 4, the guide pin 46B in the heart cam 44C is located at the guide portion C-2 inclined with respect to the sliding direction of the ejecting bar 44.
Next, the card 51 is pushed to a maximum stroke and thereafter pushing of the card 51 is stopped. Then, the card 51 and the ejecting bar 44 are slightly returned by a restoring force of the compression coil spring 45 to reach a fitting state shown in FIG. 3C. In the fitting state in FIG. 3C, a plurality of pads (not shown) of the card 51 are brought into contact with the convex contact portions 43A of the contacts 43. In this state, in FIG. 4, the guide pin 46B enters into and located in the heart-shaped recessed portion C-3 of the heart cam 44C. In this manner, the operation of fitting the card 51 is completed.
The card 51 is again pushed to the maximum stroke and thereafter pushing of the card 51 is stopped. Then, in FIG. 4, the guide pin 46B escapes from the heart-shaped recessed portion C-3 of the heart cam 44C, passes the guide portion C-4 parallel to the sliding direction of the ejecting bar 44, and reaches the end point C-5, that is, the start point C-1. Under the restoring force of the compression coil spring 45, the card 51 and the ejecting bar 44 pass the state shown in FIG. 3D and reach the state shown in FIG. 3E. In this manner, the operation of ejecting the card 51 is completed.
In the first conventional technique described above, the heart cam 44C is formed on the ejecting bar 44 and the cam follower 46 is formed on the insulator 42. However, the above-mentioned structure may be modified in such a manner that the heart cam is formed on the insulator and the cam follower is formed on the ejecting bar.
Referring to FIGS. 5 through 10, a card connector having a half locking mechanism and a full locking mechanism will be described as a second conventional technique. The card connector of the type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 11-149956.
In FIGS. 5 and 6, a body 61 has a head portion 71 and a pair of arm portions 72 and 73 extending backward from opposite ends of the head portion 71. A space surrounded by the head portion 71 and the arm portions 72 and 73 is defined as a card set space 74. A plurality of contacts (not shown) are arranged in the head portion 71 in parallel to one another at predetermined intervals. Further, a plurality of terminals 75 connected to the respective contacts protrude on a front side of the head portion 71. The arm portions 72 and 73 are provided with guide grooves 76 and 77 extending long in extending directions thereof. The guide grooves 76 and 77 serve to guide opposite lateral ends of a card 100 so that the card 100 is inserted into the card set space 74 or removed from the card set space 74. In a state where the card 100 is inserted into the card set space 74, the contacts are brought into elastic contact with an external electrode (not shown) equipped in the card 100 to achieve electrical connection.
In the body 61, one arm portion 73 has a groove 78 extending obliquely across the arm portion 73. Wall surfaces of the groove 78 serve as guide surfaces 79 for guiding a slider 64 which will later be described. The guide surfaces 79 are inclined to be closer to a center line L—L of the card set space 74 in a forward direction A.
A movable member 63 comprising a metal cover is arranged across the arm portions 72 and 73 on both sides of the body 61. The movable member 63 has a top plate portion 91 and side plate portions 92, 92 connected to both lateral ends of the top plate portion 91 and is held by the body 61 to be slidable in a back-and-forth direction X (to be movable backward and forward).
As will be understood from FIGS. 5, 6, and 8 in combination, the top plate portion 91 of the movable member 63 is provided with cut and bent portions formed on both sides thereof and protruding inward in the card set space 94. The cut and bent portions serve as engaging portions 93, 93.
Further, as will be understood from FIGS. 5, 6, and 9 in combination, the top plate portion 91 is provided with a cut and bent portion formed at the center thereof and protruding outward. The cut and bent portion serves as a connecting portion 94 for cooperation with a locking member which will later be described. The top plate portion 91 further has an elongated engaging hole 95. The engaging hole 95 is one example of a guiding portion.
In FIGS. 5 to 7, the slider 64 is fitted in the groove 78 of the body 61 and is guided inward and outward along the guide surfaces 79. The slider 64 is provided with an engaging portion 101 formed at an inner end thereof. Further, the slider 64 is provided with a protrusion 102 protruding upward. The protrusion 102 is one example of a guided portion to be guided and may be integrally formed together with the slider 64 by the use of synthetic resin. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, a pin 104 having a flange 103 may be formed on the slider 64 to protrude therefrom.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the protrusion 102 of the slider 64 fitted in the groove 78 is engaged with the engaging hole 95 of the movable member 63. When the movable member 63 moves in the forward direction A, the protrusion 102 engaged with the engaging hole 95 is pulled by the movable member 63 in the forward direction A. Consequently, the slider 64 is moved inward along the guide surfaces 79 as shown by an arrow E in FIG. 6. In a state where the movable member 63 reaches an advanced position, the engaging portion 101 of the slider 64 protrudes inward from the arm portion 73 into the card set space 74. On the other hand, when the movable member 63 is retracted from the advanced position, the protrusion 102 engaged with the engaging hole 95 is pulled by the movable member 63 in a backward direction B. Consequently, the slider 64 is moved outward along the guide surfaces 79 and the engaging portion 101 of the slider 64 is retracted from the card set space 74.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a recess H is formed at a lateral side of the card 100. As shown in FIG. 10, the recess H may be formed by denting a part of the card 100 throughout an entire thickness.
In the card connector mentioned above, in an initial state where the card 100 is not inserted into the card set space 74, the movable member 63 is located at a retracted position and the engaging portion 101 of the slider 64 is retracted outside the card set space 74, as shown in FIG. 5.
When the card 100 is put into the guide grooves 76 and 77 from the initial state and inserted into the card set space 74, the card 100 is guided by the guide grooves 76 and 77. During insertion of the card 100 into the card set space 74 in this manner, a forward end F of the card 100 is engaged with the engaging portion 93 as shown in FIG. 5 and the movable member 63 is pushed by the card 100 in the forward direction A to move forward. When the movable member 63 is moved forward in this manner, the slider 64 is pulled forward together with the protrusion 102 engaged with the engaging hole 95 of the movable member 63. As a result, the slider 64 is moved inward along the guide surfaces 79. Then, when the movable member 63 reaches the advanced position, i.e., when the card 100 reaches the card set space 74, the engaging portion 101 formed on the slider 64 protrudes into the card set space 74 to be fitted in the recess H of the card 100. Consequently, the card 100 is locked at that position. At this time, the card 100 is locked in a half-locked state. In the half-locked state, when the card 100 inserted into the card set space 74 is pulled in a retracting direction (in the backward direction B) by a small pull-out force, the engaging portion 101 is kept fitted in the recess H of the card 100 to prevent the card 100 from being pulled out. However, when the pull-out force is larger than a certain value, the pull-out force is transmitted to the slider 64 via engagement between the engaging portion 101 and the recess H of the card 100. Therefore, the slider 64 is moved outward along the guide surfaces 79. Consequently, the engaging portion 101 of the slider 64 is removed from the recess H of the card 100 and retracted from the card set space 74 to cancel the state where the card 100 is prevented by the engaging portion 101 from being pulled out. Therefore, the card 100 is pulled out and ejected. Following the outward movement of the slider 64, the movable member 63 is retracted.
The above-mentioned card connector by itself has only a half-locking function. However, since the top plate portion 91 of the movable member 63 has the connecting portion 94 formed by cutting and bending to protrude outward, it is easily possible to provide the card connector with a full-locking function by utilizing the connecting portion 94.
The card connector of the first conventional technique is disadvantageous in that, when the compression coil spring 45 presses the ejecting bar 44 upon ejecting the card 51, the card 51 often jumps out from the ejecting bar 44.
In the card connector of the second conventional technique, in the half-locked state, the card is ejected if the card is pulled by a large force. In the full-locked state, the card is not ejected even if the card is pulled by a large force. However, an operation of setting the connector into the full-locking state is troublesome and the mechanism is complicated and requires an increased number of parts.