Card Connector And Method For Producing Housing Assembly

Abstract

A card connector into and from which a memory card is detachably inserted and removed, includes contacts adapted to contact connection portions of the memory card, and a housing for arranging and holding the contacts. Metal plates made of a metal are installed in the housing so as to extend onto both sides in the width direction of the housing. The metal plates are integrally provided with connection portions to be connected to a substrate. A tray made of a metal is provided for loading a plurality of memory cards therein, and either of both ends of the tray in its width direction is bent substantially into an L-shape, which bent portion slidably engages the metal plate. The connector achieves a reduced overall height such as less than 2.0 mm and is also superior in safety.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the card connector with a tray drawn, viewed from the fitting side;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the card connector with the tray inserted, viewed from the fitting side;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the card connector with the tray drawn and a card loaded, viewed from the fitting side;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the card connector with the tray inserted together with the card loaded therein, viewed from the fitting side;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tray;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a button;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a housing integrally holding contacts and a metal plate;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a subassembly consisting of the contacts and a metal plate formed as one or integral unit;

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the separated contacts and the metal plates;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a tray different from the tray shown in FIG. 3, with the button installed thereon; and

FIG. 7B is a partly enlarged view of the encircled portion A in FIG. 7A.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of the card connector according to the invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1A to 7B. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the card connector with a tray drawn, viewed from the fitting side, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the card connector with the tray inserted, viewed from the fitting side. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the card connector with the tray drawn and a card loaded, viewed from the fitting side, while FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the card connector with the tray inserted together with the card loaded therein, viewed from the fitting side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tray. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a button. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a housing integrally holding contacts and a metal plate. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the contacts and a metal plate formed as one or integral unit, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the contacts and the metal plates, separated. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a tray different from the tray shown in FIG. 3, with the button installed thereon, while FIG. 7B is a partly enlarged view of the encircled portion A in FIG. 7A.

The card connector 10 of one embodiment according to the invention mainly comprises a housing assembly 20 (a housing integrally molded with integrally formed contacts 14 and metal plates 16), a tray 18, and a button 22.

Before explaining the components of the card connector, the cards will be explained. Said cards are used for printers, card readers and the like. Said cards each mainly comprise contact portions adapted to contact the contact portions 141 of the contacts 14, patterns connecting from the contact portions of the card to circuits, and connection portions adapted to be connected to integrated circuits and central processing units mounted on the patterns. Cards to be used for the card connector 10 according to the invention include SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module card, registered trademark), Multimedia card (registered trademark), SD card (Secure Digital memory card, registered trademark), Mini-SD card (Mini Secure Digital memory card, registered trademark), Memory Stick card (registered trademark), SmartMedia card (registered trademark), CompactFlash card (registered trademark), xD card (registered trademark), RS-MMC card (Reduce Size MMC card, registered trademark), Transflash card (registered trademark), S card (registered trademark), Memory-stick Duo card (registered trademark) and the like. These IC cards have built-in CPU or IC for memory.

The card connector 10 of the illustrated embodiment is so constructed that the SIM card (registered trademark) can be inserted.

The method for producing the housing assembly 20 will be explained at the beginning, which is essential for achieving a reduced overall height of the connector. The method for producing the housing assembly 20 may be effected by successively performing the following first to third steps.

As a first step, said contacts 14 and said metal plates 16 are formed from a metal plate by press-working to an integral or unitary predetermined shape, thereby forming a subassembly 21 as shown in FIG. 6A.

As a second step, after the subassembly 21 formed in the first step has been set in a metal mold, a housing is integrally molded in the metal mold together with the subassembly 21 to form a housing assembly 20.

As a third step, connecting portions between the contacts 14 and the metal plates 16 of the housing assembly formed in the second step are cut off. As a result, said contacts 14 and said metal plate 16 are disconnected as shown in FIG. 6B which illustrates a state that the insulator or housing is eliminated. In other words, by forming the holes 32 in the insulator, said contacts 14 and said metal plate 16 are disconnected and at the same time the contacts themselves are also disconnected from one another into six contacts and the metal plate is disconnected or separated into two metal plates in the illustrated embodiment as shown in FIG. 5 in the state that the contacts 14 and the metal plates 16 are covered by the insulator or housing.

First, the subassembly (the integrally formed contacts 14 and metal plates 16) will be explained. The subassembly 21 is made of a metal and formed by means of the press-working of the known technique. Preferred metals from which to form said subassembly 21 include brass, beryllium copper, phosphor bronze and the like which comply with the requirements as to electric conductivity, dimensional stability, formability, springiness, and the like.

The contacts 14 and metal plates 16 as respective parts will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. Said contacts 14 each mainly comprise a contact portion 141 adapted to contact a connection portion of a memory card, and a connection portion 143 to be connected to a substrate. Said contacts 14 are commensurate with the SIM card (registered trademark) 60, and the connection portions of the contacts 14 may be suitably designed in consideration of circuit design and occupied area of the substrate, and size and design of the connector 10. The contacts 14 are arranged such that their connection portions 143 extend in both the directions, that is, in the inserting direction of the tray and in the opposite direction thereto. The connection portions 143 are of a surface mounting type (SMT) as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

Moreover, the contact portion 141 of the contact 14 is curved so as to come into contact with the inserted memory card 60 with ease. The position of the contact portion 141 may be suitably designed in consideration of the respective position of the connection portion of the inserted memory card 60. The size of the curved portion of the contact portion 141 may be suitably designed in consideration of the contact pressure on the memory card 60.

Said metal plates 16 each mainly comprise an extending portion 24 extending in the width direction of said housing 12, and connection portions 163 to be connected to the substrate. Said metal plates 16 have functions of shielding and discharging any static electricity when contacting the tray. The connection portions 163 of said metal plates 16 may be suitably designed in consideration of the circuit design and occupied area of the substrate and the size and design of the connector 10. In the illustrated embodiment, said metal plates 16 are arranged such that their connection portions 163 extend in both the inserting direction of said tray and the direction opposite thereto. The connection portions 163 are of a surface mounting type (SMT) as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

The subassembly 21 is formed by integrally or unitarily forming said contacts 14 and said metal plates 16. In the illustrated embodiment, said subassembly 21 consists of the six contacts 14 and two metal plates 16.

Although said extending portions 24 are formed by said metal plates 16 in the illustrated embodiment, said extending portions 24 may be formed by the metal plate 16 and said housing 12 (said metal plates 16 may be arranged above the housing as the case may be), or said extending portions 24 may be formed only by said housing 12 without using the metal plates 16.

Said extending portions 24 are each provided with a projection 30 on the side of the insertion of the tray so that the projections 30 extend on both the sides in the width direction. Said projections 30 engage anchoring grooves 28 provided on side faces 34 of said tray 18. The engagement of said projections 30 with said anchoring grooves 28 not only provides a guide for stable sliding movement of the tray, but also serves to limit the movement of the tray. Moreover, said tray 18 is being drawn by a strong force, under the influence of which the tray 18 may often jump out of its course. Such a risk can be avoided by the engagement of the projections 30 with the anchoring grooves 28. The size of said projections 30 may be suitably designed in consideration of the strength, slidability and the like of said tray 18.

Said housing assembly 20 will then be explained. As described above, after said housing assembly 20 has been set in the metal mold, the housing is molded in the metal mold so that the housing is integrally molded with said subassembly 21, thereby forming the housing assembly 20. In other words, said contacts 14, said metal plates 16, and the housing 12 are formed into an integral or unitary body. The insulator portion (housing 12) is formed from an electrically insulating plastic material by means of the injection molding of the known technique. The materials for the insulator portion (housing 12) may be suitably selected in consideration of dimensional stability, workability, manufacturing cost, and the like and generally include polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyamide (66PA or 46PA), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polycarbonate (PC) and the like and combination thereof.

The housing assembly 20 as a final product is formed with the holes 32 for electrically disconnecting between said contacts 14 and said metal plate 16. Said holes 32 are formed by drilling said housing assembly 20 set in a predetermined metal die, thereby electrically disconnecting said contacts 14 from said metal plate 16. The positions of said holes 32 correspond to the connection portions between the contacts 14 and said metal plates 16.

The tray 18 will then be explained, which is one important aspect of the invention. The tray 18 is made of a metal in the illustrated embodiment, and formed by means of the press-working of the known technique. Preferred metals from which to form said tray 18 include brass, beryllium copper, phosphor bronze and the like which comply with the requirements as to electric conductivity, dimensional stability, formability, springiness, and the like.

Said tray 18 serves to hold the memory card, and to insert and remove the memory card into and from the card connector 10 by inserting and removing the tray 18 into and from said housing assembly 20. Said tray 18 has a substantially U-shaped cross-section and includes bent portions 26 at both ends in its width direction. The bent portions 26 are bent in the direction opposite to the inserting direction of the tray 18. Said bent portions 28 are adapted to contact and engage the extending portions 24 of said housing assembly 20, respectively, so as to slide on said extending portions 24. The shape of said bent portions 26 need only be able to contact the extending portions 24 and slide thereon and may be suitably designed in consideration of strength, slidability, conductivity, workability and the like.

The side faces 34 of said tray 18 are each provided with the anchoring groove 28 adapted to engage said projection 30. The engagement of said projections 30 with said anchoring grooves 28 not only provides a guide for stable sliding movement of the tray, but also serves to limit the movement of the tray. Moreover, said tray 18 is being drawn by a strong force, under the influence of which the tray 18 may often jump out of its course. Such a risk can be avoided by the engagement of the projections 30 with the anchoring grooves 28. Said anchoring grooves 28 extend substantially over the full length of the side faces 34, respectively. The size of said anchoring grooves 28 may be suitably designed in consideration of the strength, slidability and the like of said tray 18.

As said tray 18 is for loading said memory card 60 therein, the tray 18 is provided with the upright portions surrounding said memory card, such as said side faces 34.

In order to prevent fingers of a person from being injured upon the fingers touching said tray made of a metal, moreover, it is preferable to provide folded-back portions 38 at free ends of said side faces 34 of said tray 18 on both the sides in its width direction as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. However, the folded-back portions 38 must necessarily be provided so as not to adversely affect the sliding movement of the tray on said housing assembly 20. The volume of the folded-back portions 38 need only fulfill the above requirements, and the free ends of the upright portions need only be folded back in any way without any facture surfaces remained. The shape and size of the folded-back portions may be suitably designed so as to fulfill the above requirements. In the illustrated embodiment, there are provided the folded-back portions of the order of 0.05 to 0.1 mm.

A tray 18 in which a plurality of memory cards are loaded will be explained herein. Differences from the tray 18 (in which a single memory card is loaded described above) only will be described. It is required to separate memory cards from one another by insulators in order to load the plurality of memory cards in a tray. Therefore, partition members made of an insulating material are fixed to a tray 18 by press-fitting, welding, or the like. The partition members may be suitably designed depending upon sizes of memory cards to be loaded. The thickness of the partition members between the cards is of the order of 0.5 mm.

In view of manufacturing efficiency, strength of the partition members, management cost, it is desirable to form the partition members together with a button 22 described below and the metal tray 18 as an integral or unitary member.

Finally, the button 22 will be explained. Said button 22 is formed from an electrically insulating plastic material by means of the injection molding of the known technique. The materials for the button 22 may be suitably selected in consideration of dimensional stability, workability, manufacturing cost, and the like and generally include polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyamide (66PA or 46PA), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polycarbonate (PC) and the like and combination thereof.

Said button 22 serves to protect a person handling said tray 18 from being injured by the tray 18 made of a metal. Moreover, said button 22 is provided with an inclined portion 36 which prevent an erroneous fitting of a memory card or a wrong memory card from being inserted. Position and shape of the button 22 are suitably designed in consideration of easy handling, erroneous fitting prevention, and the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the button 22 is provided on one end of said tray 18 opposite to the end provided with the bent portion 26. The button 26 is fixed to the tray by press-fitting, welding, integral forming, or the like.

Although the card connector 10 has been shown and explained, having the structure into which the SIM card (registered trademark) 60 can be inserted, needless to say, constructions similar to that described above according to the invention are also applicable to connectors for memory cards other than the SIM card.

Examples of applications of the present invention include card connectors being capable of exchanging signals between the connector and a memory card inserted therein for use in various electric and electronic appliances such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), printers, card readers and the like, and particularly card connectors with a structure which achieves a reduced overall height of the connector and is superior in safe operationality.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A card connector into and from which a memory card is detachably inserted and removed, including contacts adapted to contact connection portions of the memory card, and a housing for arranging and holding said contacts, wherein metal plates made of a metal are mounted in said housing so as to extend onto both sides in the width direction of the housing, said metal plates integrally provided with connection portions to be connected to a substrate, and a tray made of a metal is provided for loading a plurality of memory cards therein, either of both ends of said tray in its width direction being bent substantially into an L-shape, which bent portion slidably engages said metal plate.

2. A card connector into and from which a memory card is detachably inserted and removed, including contacts adapted to contact connection portions of the memory card, and a housing for arranging and holding said contacts, wherein said housing is provided with extending portions extending onto both sides in its width direction, and a tray made of a metal is provided for loading one memory card therein, either of both ends of said tray in its width direction being bent substantially into an L-shape, which bent portion slidably engages said extending portion.

3. The card connector as set forth in claim 2, wherein the extending portions of said housing are made of metal plates separate from said housing, and said metal plates are integrally provided with connection portions to be connected to a substrate.

4. The card connector as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein said tray is attached with a button made of a resin mounted thereon on either of both sides in the width direction and at the other end opposite to the end bent into the L-shape.

5. The card connector as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein said metal plates or said extending portions are provided with projections on the side of insertion of the tray on both sides in the width direction, respectively, and said tray is provided on its side faces with anchoring grooves, respectively, with which said projections are in slidable engagement.

6. The card connector as set forth in claim 1 or 3, wherein a housing assembly is used which is integrally formed with said contacts and said metal plates.

7. The card connector as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said side faces of said tray on both the sides in the width direction are provided at their free ends with folded-back portions, respectively

8. A method for producing said housing assembly, which comprises successively performing steps of: forming a subassembly by press-working said contacts and said metal plate into an integral predetermined shape as a first step,integrally molding said housing with the subassembly formed in the first step after the subassembly has been set in a metal mold as a second step, andcutting connecting portions between said contacts and said metal plate of the integrally molded product in said second step, as a third step.