The Whitaker Corporation

Tyco Electronics Amp K.k.

Otax Company Limited

Hidenori Muramatsu

Satoru Watanabe

Katsumi Yamaguchi

Hiroyuki Umezawa

Hiroto Handa

Makoto Hamada

Yoshinori Watanabe

Naoki Hiyama

Takashi Futatsugi

Hiroshi Narita

The present invention provides a card connector in which heat dissipation of a card can be performed by means of a heatsink without requiring any operation of the heatsink by the consumer. The card connector comprises a heatsink for contacting one surface of the card that is inserted into a connector part, and a push rod for ejecting the card. The push rod has a cam having a first cam surface which acts so that the heatsink moves away from the one surface of the card at the time of the insertion of the card, and a second cam surface which acts so that the heatsink moves away from the one surface of the card during the ejection of the card.

Card connector

A PC card connector assembly which is capable of performing highly secure card connections, enables simultaneous use of a smart card, and is interchangeable with existing PC card connector assemblies. The PC card connector assembly includes an insulative housing having an opening, which is of dimensions that enable insertion of a plurality of PC cards. A planar smart card connecting unit partitions the opening in the vertical direction to form first and second cavities. The first cavity is designated as a PC card cavity, and the second cavity is designated as a smart card cavity. A plurality of first contacts are provided in the smart card connecting unit, for electrically contacting electrodes of the smart card received within the second cavity, while connected to second contacts.

PC card connector assembly

A card connector defining one card-accommodating slot adapted to accommodate a thin card, such as a smart card, and another card-accommodating slot adapted to accommodate a thick card, such as an IC card. The insertion of thin cards completely into the card-accommodating slot which accommodates thick cards is prevented by a member which pivots into the thick card-accommodating slot. The member includes a cam surface adapted to be contacted by a thick card upon insertion into the thick card-accommodating slot and a groove adapted to accommodate a thin card upon insertion into the thick card-accommodating slot. The member is pivotally mounted by a shaft to a card guiding arm defining the thick card-accommodating slot.

The present invention provides a PC card connector which has a small number of parts, and which makes it possible to obtain good operating characteristics and a low-operating force by means of a relatively simple structure. A guide plate assembly ( ) of the PC card connector has a guide plate ( ) which has guide grooves ( ) and a circular cam groove ( ); furthermore, the guide plate assembly ( ) also has pressing-bar assemblies ( ) which are disposed on both sides of the guide plate Each of the pressing-bar assemblies ( ) has a swinging plate ( ) which is pivot mounted on a pin ( ) in a front portion. Pins ( ) and projection ( ) of the pressing-bar assembly ( ) respectively slide along a guide groove ( ), circular cam groove ( ) and guide groove ( ) of the guide plate ( ) in accordance with the operation of the pressing-bar assembly ( ). When the knob ( ) is pressed, the swinging bar ( ) is displaced in a lateral direction and engages with an eject bar ( ) so that the eject bar is pushed thereby operating an ejection member ( ) to eject a PC card ( ) from the card connector.

PC card connector

The present invention provides an electrical connector assembly in which a slider member can be securely supported with respect to a housing, so that variation in the position of a flexible printed circuit when the slider member and the flexible printed circuit are inserted into a mating connector can be minimized. The electrical connector assembly (,) is equipped with a housing (,) which has plural rows of electrical terminals (,) that protrude from a wall of the housing, a flexible printed circuit (,), both ends of which are connected to the terminals (,) of the housing, and which has a plurality of conductive paths formed on a surface thereof, a slider member (,), which is inserted between the ends of the flexible printed circuit (,), and which is inserted between rows of contacts (,) of a mating connector (,) together with the flexible printed circuit (,) so that the conductive paths are caused to electrically engage the rows of contacts, and supporting members (,), which are attached to the housing, and which regulate the movement of the slider member (,) in directions other than the direction (A) of insertion into the mating connector.

Electrical connector assembly

The present invention provides a card connector which, while being relatively compact for a card connector includes a connector member and arm members, is equipped with an engaging means for both members which has sufficient engaging strength. Card connector (,) has a connector member (,) which has a housing (,) in which electrical contacts are accommodated, a pair of arm members (,), which are mounted on both ends of the connector member (,), and which include guide means. The connector (,) and arm members (,) include engaging structures (,), which are engaged so that portions of the connector member (,) and arm members (,) overlap with each other. Screw-accommodating holes (,) and pin-accommodating holes (,), which pass through both arm members when the members are engaged are located in the engaging structures of both members. The respective members are held by pins in the pin-accommodating holes (,); then, when the assembly is mounted on a circuit board, screws are accommodated in the screw-accommodating holes (,). By means of the screws, the card connector (,) is fastened to the circuit board, and the connector member (,) and arm members (,) are firmly fastened to each other.

A compact card connector is equipped with an efficient stop means for an ejection member and that affords easy mounting of the ejection member which serves as a card-ejecting means. The card connector has an ejection member (,) that is capable of pivoting within a connector (,) in order to eject a card. The pivoting of the ejection member (,) is stopped by a supporting member (,) that is fixedly mounted to the connector (,). Supporting members (,), along with a plate member (,), constitutes a support means for an FPC (,).

The present invention provides an eject button for use on a card connector which prevents accidental ejection of a card, and which makes it possible to minimize the work required for card accommodation in a card-receiving section of the card connector. Eject button (5) is positioned at one end of a sliding bar (20), and it has a first member (50) fastened to the sliding bar (20), and a second member (70) capable of pivoting with respect to the first member (50) between an up position and a down position. A coil torsion spring (30) is placed inside the first member (50) and second member (70). The torsion spring (30) drives the second member (70) in a direction which causes the second member to assume the down position.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Hidenori Muramatsu