Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Alps Electric Col, Ltd.

Toru Nishioka

Tatsumaro Yamashita

Toru Wagatsuma

Kazuki Satoh

Provided is a card connector including a first contact which is connected to a first card (card B), a second contact which is disposed toward an insertion port of the card from the first contact so as to be connected to a second card (card C), and a protection plate which protects the second contact from the contact with the first card. A guide piece which guides the bottom surface of the first card is formed in a housing in which the first and second cards are selectively mounted, and a support surface which is disposed in a position toward the insertion port and on the upper side from the guide piece is formed on the protection plate. The first card is inserted in a state where the leading end thereof is inclined more downward than the rear end thereof.

Rcard connector

A card connector apparatus that can prevent forced removal of a card at a predetermined mounting position and transmission of a force exerted when trying to pull the card out by force to a locking mechanism is provided. An apparatus of the present invention includes a slider, an ejection spring, a locking mechanism for the slider including a heart-shaped cam groove and a latch-pin, an engaging member, that is, a leaf spring, provided on the slider, and a fixed portion, for example, a shoulder, with which an end portion of the leaf spring engages when a compact memory card is in a state of being held at a predetermined mounting position, and an attempt is made to move the compact memory card in the ejecting direction, that is, toward the insertion port, the shoulder being formed on a housing.

Card connector apparatus with locking mechanism for locking a card to mounting position

A lock member has an engagement receiving portion to be engaged with an engaging portion formed in a slide member. An engagement regulating portion is provided so as to regulate the movement in the disengaging direction of the slide member and the lock member in a state in which the engaging portion and the engagement receiving portion are engaged. By removing the regulation by the engagement regulating portion, the engaging portion and the engagement receiving portion are disengaged from each other.

Card connector device having slide member for discharging card

According to the present invention, a card connector device includes: a slide member for engaging with a card attached to and detached from a housing slidable in a direction of inserting and discharging the card; a return spring for biasing the slide member in the direction of discharging the card; a lock for holding the slide member against the biasing force of the return spring at a position where the card is fitted; and a push rod arranged to be able to shift between a standby position and a pushed position for unlocking the lock by pressing manipulation to shift the slide member to a discharge position of the card, wherein a switch is provided in the housing, the switch operating in accordance with engagement/disengagement of the slide member and the lock and detecting that the card is held at the fit position by engaging with the lock.

Connector device for card with detection switch for detecting fitting of card

The present invention comprises: a sliding member that can move slidably in directions in which a card mounted in or dismounted from a housing is inserted and ejected; a return spring for energizing the sliding member in a card ejection direction; a locking member for holding the sliding member in a position in which the card is mounted, against an energizing force of the return spring; and fixed contacts, wherein the locking member is formed from an elastically deformable plate spring, and the plate spring is formed with an anchor for anchoring the sliding member, and moving contacts that can contact or separate from the fixed contacts, wherein the moving contacts are actuated in accordance with engagement and disengagement between the sliding member and the locking member, and wherein it is detected that the card has been held in a mounting position when the sliding member has been anchored to the anchor of the locking member.

Card connector capable of detecting that card has been held in card mounting position

The present invention provides an inexpensive IC card connector having a mechanism for ejecting an IC card and having an emergency function, wherein, even if a means for automatically unlocking a locking member for ejecting an IC card is disabled due to a fault, the locking member can be unlocked with a simple construction. The IC card connector includes a slide member that is slidable in a direction in which an IC card loaded in and unloaded from a housing is inserted and ejected; a return spring for energizing the slide member in the direction in which the IC card is ejected; a locking member for holding the slide member in the position in which the IC card is loaded, against an energizing force of the return spring; and an unlocking member for unlocking the locking member to move the slide member in the IC card eject direction, wherein the unlocking member abuts the locking member at one end thereof by pressure from the other end thereof to break the engagement between the locking member and the slide member, and returns to its initial position in accordance with the movement of the slide member in the IC card eject direction.

IC card connector having IC card ejection mechanism

The present invention provides a card connector having a mechanism for ejecting a card, wherein, without weakening an energizing force of a spring member for energizing a slide member, the card connector can prevent the card from being popped out of the card connector by the energizing force of the spring member and allows the card to be easily taken out. The card connector includes: a slide member that is slidable in directions in which a card loaded in and unloaded from a housing is inserted and ejected; a return spring for energizing the slide member in the direction in which the card is ejected; a locking member for holding the slide member in the position in which the card is loaded, against an energizing force of the return spring; and a push rod, movably disposed between a standby position and a push-in position, for unlocking the locking member by a pressing operation to move the slide member to the position in which the card is ejected, wherein the push rod is provided with a stopper for blocking the slide member at the card eject position from moving in the card eject direction when the push rod is pressed up to the push-in position, wherein the stopper permits the slide member at a standby position to move in the card eject direction.

Card connector having IC card ejection mechanism

The invention provides a card connector with a card discharging mechanism, in which a data storage card does not exit from the card connector due to the biasing force of a spring member, and in which the card can be easily extracted without weakening the biasing force of the spring member. The card connector includes a housing, an eject arm, a slide member, a return spring, a retaining member and an operation restricting mechanism. The data storage card may be attached and detached to and from the housing. The eject arm engages with the card and is rotatable in the card inserting and discharging directions. The slide member, to which the eject arm is mounted, slides in the card inserting and discharging directions. The return spring biases the slide member in the card discharging direction. The retaining member retains the slide member at a card insertion position against the biasing force of the return spring. The operation restricting mechanism restricts the movement of the eject arm during the sliding of the slide member.

Card connector having a card discharge mechanism

The present invention provides an IC card connector having a mechanism for ejecting an IC card, wherein the IC card connector, when an IC card is inserted, holds a slide member in an IC card loaded position without fail by a locking member, and, when the IC card is ejected, ejects the IC card without fail by operating the slide member. The IC card connector includes a slide member that is slidable in a direction in which an IC card loaded in and unloaded from a housing is inserted and ejected; a return spring for energizing the slide member in the direction in which the IC card is ejected; and a locking member for holding the slide member in the position in which the IC card is loaded, against an energizing force of the return spring, wherein the locking member comprises: an anchoring part that is turnably supported and can be engaged in and disengaged from the slide member; a turning operation part for turning the anchoring part in a direction in which the anchoring part is disengaged from the slide member; and a pressing operation part that abuts the slide member, and engages the anchoring part in the slide member in accordance with the movement of the slide member in the IC card insert direction and presses the slide member in the IC card eject direction in accordance with the movement of the turning operation part.

An IC card connector achieves a stable loaded state of an IC card, and excellent operation reliability. The IC card connector includes a card detecting device that has a fixed terminal and a movable terminal and that detects the insertion of a card by moving the movable terminal in response to the insertion of the card so as to switch a switch between the fixed terminal and the movable terminal. Resilient force of the movable terminal produced by the insertion of the card does not act in the ejecting direction of the card.

Card connector having means for detecting insertion of a card

In a conventional IC card connector, guide walls provided on side walls of a housing comprise surfaces parallel to each other, and an interval between the guide walls is somewhat greater than a maximum width of a standard of the IC card. If the IC card having the width less than the maximum value of the standard is used, the IC card is greatly slanted due to a large amount of play, and an operation member of a detection switch cannot be operated by the IC card. In an IC card connector of the present embodiment, if the width of the IC card is small, the IC card is supported at sides by vertical surfaces, thus the movement of the IC card in the widthwise direction is regulated. If the width of the IC card is large, the IC card is supported at the side by a slope, thus the movement of the IC card is regulated. Accordingly, the arrangement provides a highly-reliable IC card connector device which ensures operation of an operation member of a detection switch by the IC card and ensures connection between contacts provided on the IC card and terminals.

IC card connector

An IC card connector device solves a problem with a conventional IC card connector device using two IC cards, the problem being such that two push rods are vertically disposed, leading to higher cost due to more parts incorporated, poor assemblability, and an increased height of the connector device. To eject a first IC card, which has been inserted, a single push rod set in an extended position is pushed to eject the first IC card via a single transmitting pin. To eject a second IC card, a handle is circularly moved with the push rod in the extended position so as to move the transmitting pin from a first heart-shaped cam cutout to a second heart-shaped cam cutout. In this state, the push rod is pressed toward a pushed-in position, which causes the single transmitting pin to circularly move to eject the second IC card. Therefore, the connector device employs only the single push rod and the single transmitting pin, making it possible to provide a smaller connector device that features fewer parts, lower cost, and better assemblability.

IC card connector device

An IC card connector device in which an IC card ejecting operation and a misoperation canceling operation are selectively performed. A frame for guiding an IC card at insertion and extraction is provided with a circulation cam groove and a clearance groove with which a second transmission pin pivotally supported by a pushrod is selectively engaged. By pushing the pushrod after projecting it to a first projecting, a drive plate that is placed in the circulation cam groove is pushed via the second transmission pin, thereby ejecting the IC card. When a misoperation occurs, the second transmission pin is caused to trace the clearance groove, by pulling the pushrod frontward and then pushing the pushrod, thereby canceling an IC card ejecting operation. Furthermore, a handle (actuating element) of the pushrod is provided with a heartshaped cam groove with which a first transmission pin pivotally supported on the frame is engaged. The pushrod can be held in a predetermined retracted position by retaining the first transmission pin at a predetermined position of the heart-shaped cam groove.

Connector device for IC card

A thin design IC card connector which is provided with a sequence mechanism for defining the connection sequence of terminals of an IC card (for example, for ground lines, power supply lines, and signal lines in that order) performs a safe and reliable sequence operation. The IC card connector comprises first brushes that are connected to power supply lines, ground lines and signal lines of an IC card when the IC card is mounted, second brushes that are not directly connected to the first brushes but connected to a circuit board of a host apparatus, and a sequence mechanism which is arranged between the first brushes and the second brushes and which defines the connection sequence of the contact points of the IC card for making or breaking the connections between the first brushes and the second brushes according to the defined connection sequence. By operating the sequence mechanism, a sequence operation is performed with the contact points of the IC card remaining connected to the first brushes.

In an outside surface of a frame having a guide groove for draw and insert of an IC card in an inside, a heart-shaped cam groove that can hold a push rod at two positions, that is, a pushed-in position and a projecting position with cooperating with a first transfer pin, and a circulative cam groove and a linear long groove which a second transfer pin selectively traces according to the projection amount of the push rod are formed, and this second transfer pin is intervened between the first transfer pin and a drive plate interlocking with an eject arm.

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi-ken, Japan

Toru Nishioka