Abstract:
A card connector ( 41 ) for electrically connecting a card ( 1 ) and a circuit board ( 90 ) comprises a housing ( 42 ) for accommodating the card ( 1 ), a metal plate ( 64 ) forming a part of a wall ( 47 ) of the housing ( 1 ), and at least one metal piece ( 78, 79 ) provided along the metal plate ( 64 _such that the metal piece ( 78, 79 ) is able to contact with and separate from the metal plate ( 64 ) to form at least one switch ( 91, 92 ). No wall ( 47 ) is necessary at the position of the metal plate ( 64 ) so that the thickness of the wall ( 47 ) is minimized.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a card connector for electrically connecting a card having a memory and a circuit board and, especially, to a card connector for a card comprising a write protection button for selecting write permit or write inhibit to the memory.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    It is a recent trend that an electrical device, such as a portable telephone, is used together with a card having a built-in memory. As shown in FIG. 7, a card  1  is usually provided with a slidable write protection button  4  in a hollow formed in a side surface  2  thereof. Write permit or write inhibit to the built-in memory is selected by sliding the write protection button  4 .  
           [0005]    A conventional card connector for such a card as having the write protection button is described in Japanese Kokai No. 2001-135383. The conventional card connector in FIGS.  8 - 11  is provided with a first switch  8  arranged in a front wall  6  and a second switch  9  arranged in a side wall  7 .  
           [0006]    The first switch  8  is formed by a first contact spring member  10  provided in the front wall  6  and made flexible in the back-and-forth direction, and a second contact spring member  11  provided along the side wall  7  and made flexible in a lateral direction. Insertion or removal of the card is detected by the state of contact or separation between the first and second contact spring members  10  and  11 . The first contact member  10  is folded in the middle and comprises a front end portion  12 , an abutting portion  13 , and a contact portion  14 . The front end portion  12  is bent so as to be connected to a circuit board (not shown). Both the abutting and contact portions  13  and  14  are provided at the other end opposed to the front end portion  12 . The second contact member  11  comprises a front end portion  15  provided in parallel to the front end portion  12 , a retaining portion  16  fixed to the side wall  7 , a cantilever spring portion  17  extending forwardly from the retaining portion  16  and having a contact projection  18 , and a cantilever spring member  19  extending rearwardly from the retaining portion  16  and having an abutting portion  20 . The abutting portion  20  comprises a curved section  21  projecting into the inside of the card connector and a flat section  22  extending from the curved section  21 .  
           [0007]    The second switch  9  is formed by the second contact spring member  11  and a third contact spring member  23  provided outside and along the second contact spring member  11  and made flexible in a lateral direction. A sliding position of the write protection button  4  is detected by the contact and the separation between the second and third contact spring members  11  and  23 . The third contact spring piece  23  comprises a front end portion  24  provided in parallel to the front end portions  12  and  15 , a retaining portion  25  fixed to the side wall  7 , a cantilever spring portion  26  extending rearwardly from the retaining portion  25  and having an abutting portion  27 . The abutting portion  27  comprises a curved section  28  projecting into the inside of the card connector and a flat section  29  extending from the curved section  28 . The cantilever spring piece  26  comprises an opening  30  at a position corresponding to the flat section  22  of the second contact spring member  11  and a contact projection  31  in front of the opening  30 .  
           [0008]    As shown in FIG. 10, when the card  1  is inserted into the housing  5  with the write protection button  4  at the back position (write permit position), the abutting portion  13  of the first contact spring member  10  is pushed by the front surface of the card  1  and the contact portion  14  is brought into contact with the contact projection  18  of the second contact spring member  11 . As a result, the first switch  8  is turned on and the insertion of the card  1  is detected. At this point, the curved section  21  of the second contact spring member  11  abuts against the hollow  3  of the card  1  and the curved section  28  of the third contact spring member  23  abuts against the write protection button  4 . Accordingly, the second and third contact spring members  11  and  23  are separated from each other. As a result, the second switch is turned off, and the write permit to the card  1  is detected.  
           [0009]    As shown in FIG. 11, when the card  1  is inserted into the housing  5  with the write protection button  4  at the forward position (write inhibit position), the contact portion  14  of the first contact spring member  10  is brought into contact with the contact projection  18  of the second contact spring member  11 . As a result, the first switch  8  is turned on and the insertion of the card  1  is detected. At this time, the curved section  21  of the second contact spring member  11  abuts against the write protection button  4  and the curved section  28  of the third contact spring member  23  abuts against the hollow  3  of the card  1 . Also, the flat section  22  of the second contact spring member  11  is inserted into the opening  30  of the third contact spring member  23 . Accordingly, the second and third contact spring members  11  and  23  contact with each other through the contact projection  31 . As a result, the second switch  9  is turned on, and the write inhibit to the card  1  is detected.  
           [0010]    However, in such a conventional card connector, the second and third contact spring members  11  and  23  are fixed to the side wall  7  of the housing such that they form cantilevers to be flexible in the lateral direction and are not used as a part of the side wall  7  in view of the structure strength. A wall is necessary to be present at positions corresponding to those of the second and third contact spring members  11  and  23  as well as at the other positions. As a result, the side wall  7  becomes thick and it is difficult to minimize the size of the card connector.  
           [0011]    In addition, since the members to form the switches  8  and  9  are provided in both the front and side walls  6  and  7 , the manufacturing process is complicated and requires a large amount of time.  
           [0012]    Moreover, since the first, second, and third contact spring members  10 , 11  and  23  have different and complicated shapes, it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0013]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a card connector, which enables to minimize the size of the connector and reduce the manufacturing cost.  
           [0014]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, a card connector for electrically connecting a card and a circuit board comprises a housing for accommodating the card, a metal plate forming a part of a wall of the housing, and at least one metal piece provided along the metal plate such that the metal piece is anle to contact with and separate from the metal plate to form at least one switch.  
           [0015]    According to another embodiment of the invention, the card comprises a slidable write protection button in a side surface thereof, the metal plate comprises first and second spring members made flexible in a lateral direction, and the at least one metal piece is composed of a first metal piece having a first contact portion which is contactable with and separatable from the first spring member to form a first switch for detecting insertion or removal of the card, and a second metal piece having a second contact portion which is contactable with and separatable from the second spring member to form a second switch for detecting a sliding position of the write protection button.  
           [0016]    According to still another embodiment of the invention, the card comprises a slidable write protection button, the at least one metal piece is composed of a first metal piece having a first spring member made flexible in a lateral direction and a second metal piece having a second spring member made flexible in a lateral direction, and the metal plate comprises a first contact portion and a second contact portion, the first contact portion is contactable with and separatable from the first spring member to form a first switch for detecting insertion or removal of the card, and the second contact portion is contactable with and separatable from the second spring member to form a second switch for detecting a sliding position of the write protection button  
           [0017]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the first and second metal pieces have the same shape.  
           [0018]    According to the present invention, the metal plate functions as a wall of the housing so that no wall is necessary at the position of the metal plate, thus reducing the thickness of the wall, thus minimizing the card connector. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a card connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded perspective views of a part of the card connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a part of the card connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a switch according to another embodiment of the invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the switch according to the second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a card having a write protection button.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a card connector according to the prior art.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a switch according to the prior art.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the card connector according to the prior art.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the card connector according to the prior art. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]    The embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0030]    In FIG. 1, A card connector  41  is provided with a housing  42  made of plastic for accommodating the card  1  shown in FIG. 7, and a housing cover  43  made of a metal for covering the top of the housing  42 . Both ends of the housing cover  43  are bent downwardly to be attached to the housing  42 . The housing  42  has a thin bottom plate  44 , a front wall  45  provided at the front end of the bottom plate  44 , and side walls  46  and  47  provided at the side ends of the bottom plate  44 . A predetermined number of terminals  48  are arranged on the front side of the bottom plate  44  in parallel with each other. The front end of each terminal  48  penetrates the front wall  45  and projects into the outside of the housing  42 .  
         [0031]    A slider  49  is installed on one of the side walls  46  (right-hand side in FIG. 1) such that the slider  49  is movable back and forth. A contact portion  50  extends inwardly from the front end of the slider  49 . The front end of the card  1  abuts against the rear end of the contact portion  50 . A coil spring  51  is provided on the front side of the slider  49  to bias the slider  49  rearwardly. A locking member  52  is provided on the rear side of the side wall  46  to hold the card  1  in the housing  42 .  
         [0032]    First and second cut-off portions  53  and  54  are provided at the front and rear sides of the other wall  47  (left-hand side in FIG. 1), respectively. A front fixing groove  55  is provided on the front side of the first cut-off portion  53  and extends in the back-and-forth direction. A fixing portion  56  is provided between the first and second cut-off portions  53  and  54 . A first fixing groove  57  is provided in the fixing portion  56  and extends in the back-and-forth direction. The first fixing groove  57  comprises a first cut-off groove  58  at the middle thereof. A second fixing groove  59  is provided on the rear side of the second cut-off portion  54  and extends in the back-and-forth direction. The second fixing groove  59  comprises a second cut-off groove  60  at the middle thereof. A rear fixing groove  61  is provided on the rear side of the second fixing groove  59  and extends in the back-and-forth direction. The rear fixing groove  61  comprises a third cut-off groove  62  at the middle thereof. The front end of the rear fixing groove  61  is bent inwardly. A shallow groove  63  extends along the inside of the side wall  47  from the front fixing groove  55  to the rear fixing groove  61 . Although not shown in the drawings, an intermediate part of each of the first, second, and rear fixing grooves  57 ,  59 , and  61  is deeper than the other parts thereof.  
         [0033]    A long metal plate  64  is installed along the inside of the side wall  47  and covers the inside of the first and second cut-off portions  53  and  54 , thus forming a part of the side wall  47 . A front end  65  of the metal plate  64  is engaged with the front fixing groove  55 . A projection  66  provided on the inside of the front end  65  determines the engaging position between the front end  65  and the metal plate  64 . A rear end  67  of the metal plate  64  is press-fitted into the rear fixing portion  61  by a projection  68  provided therein. A lower part of the rear end  67  is bent outwardly to provide a connection portion  69 . The connection portion  69  projects from the third cut-off groove  62  into the outside of the housing  42  and is connected to an electric circuit  90 . A lower portion  70  of the metal plate  64  is engaged with the shallow groove  63 . A plurality of projections  71  provided on the inside surface of the lower portion  70  determines the engagement position between the lower portion  70  and the shallow groove  63 . First and second cantilever springs  72  and  73  made by stamping the metal plate  64  are provided in the metal plates  64  at positions corresponding to the first and second cut-off portions  53  and  54 . The cantilever springs  72  and  73  are flexible in the horizontal direction around rear ends  74  and  75  thereof, respectively. The rear ends  72  and  73  are slightly curved outwardly. First and second contact portions  76  and  77  are provided at front ends of the cantilever springs  72  and  73 , respectively, and project inwardly. Though the first and second cantilever springs  72  and  73  are made by stamping the metal plate  64 , the metal plate  64  is sufficiently strong to form a part of the side wall  47  because it has a continuous peripheral part.  
         [0034]    First and second metal pieces  78  and  79  have an identical shape and are installed on the outside of the metal plate  64  along the first and second cantilever springs  72  and  73 , respectively. A rear end portion  80  of the first metal piece  78  is press-fitted into the first fixing groove  57  by projections  81  provided on both ends thereof in the same direction as the direction in which the metal plate  64  is press-fitted. As a result, the first metal piece  78  functions as a cantilever and is made flexible in the horizontal direction around a curved section  82 . A projection  93  provided on the inside of the rear end portion  80  determines the press-fit position of the rear end portion  80 . A lower part of the rear end portion  80  is bent outwardly to provide a connection section  83 . The connection section  83  projects from the first cut-off groove  58  to the outside of the housing  42  and is connected to the electrical circuit  90 . A first contact section  84  is provided at the insides of the front end portion of the first metal piece  78  such that it is brought into contact with the first cantilever spring  72 . Similarly, the second metal piece  79  comprises a rear end portion  85 , a projection  86 , a curved section  87 , a connection section  88 , a second contact section  89 , and a projection  94 . The rear end portion  85  is press-fitted into the second fixing groove  59  by a projection  86  in the same direction as the press-fit direction of the metal plate  64 , and the second contact section  89  makes contact with the second cantilever spring  73 . Thus, the first cantilever spring  72  and the first metal piece  79  form a first switch  91 , and the second cantilever spring  73  and the second metal piece  79  form a second switch  92 .  
         [0035]    An operation of the card connector  41  upon insertion and removal of the card  1  will be described below.  
         [0036]    When the card  1  is inserted into the card connector  41  with the write protection button  4  at the back position (write permit position), the slider  49  advances with the card  1  along the side wall  46  and the card  1  is locked by the lock member  52  at the insertion position. The first contact section  76  of the first cantilever spring  72  is pushed by the side surface of the card  1  to flex outwardly. As a result, the first contact section  84  of the first metal piece  78  also flexes outwardly and contacts with the first cantilever spring  72  to provide a wiping effect. Consequently, the first switch  91  is turned on, and the insertion of the card  1  is detected. Simultaneously, the second contact section  77  of the second cantilever spring  73  is abutted against the write protection button  4  to flex outwardly. As a result, the second contacts section  89  of the second metal piece  79  also flexes outwardly and contacts with the second cantilever spring  73  to provide wiping effect. Consequently, the second switch  92  is turned on, and the write permit condition of the card  1  is detected.  
         [0037]    When the card  1  is inserted into the card connector  41  with the write protection button  4  at the forward position (write inhibit position), the first cantilever spring  72  contacts with the first contact section  84  of the first cantilever spring  72  to provide wiping effect. Consequently, the first switch  91  is turned on, and the insertion of the card  1  is detected. At this time, the second contact section  77  of the second cantilever spring  73  is positioned at the hollow  3  of the card  1  so that it is separated from the second metal piece  79 . Consequently, the second switch  92  is turned off, and the write inhibit condition of the card  1  is detected.  
         [0038]    When the card  1  is further pushed forwardly, the locking member  52  is unlocked so that the card  1  retreats to the released position by the spring force of the coil spring  51 . At this point, the first cantilever spring  72  returns to the original condition so that it is separated from the first metal piece  78 . Consequently, the first switch  91  is turned off, and the removal of the card  1  is detected.  
         [0039]    The first and second switches  91  and  92  are not limited to the above structure. For example, in FIGS. 5 and 6, first and second metal pieces  96  and  97  are provided with first and second spring pieces  98  and  99 , respectively, such that the first and second spring pieces  98  and  99  go through first and second openings  100  and  101  provided on the metal plate  95 . In this case, when an front end  102  of the first metal piece  96  is brought into contact with a first contact section  104  provided in a hollow  103  of the metal plate  95 , the insertion of the card  1  is detected, and when the front end  105  of the second metal piece  97  is brought into contact with or separated from a second contact section  107  provided in a hollow  106  of the metal plate  95 , the sliding position (write permit or write inhibit position) of the write protection button  4  is detected.  
         [0040]    In the above embodiment, when the card  1  is inserted into the card connector  41 , the first switch  91  is turned on. However, the first switch  91  may be turned off, when the card  1  is inserted into the card connector  41 . Similarly, the second switch  92  may be made to operate in the opposite that way to the above.  
         [0041]    The first and second metal pieces  78  and  79  may have different shapes.  
         [0042]    The first and second switches  91  and  92  may be provided on a different wall, such as the rear side of the side wall  47 . Where the write protection button  4  is provided on the front end of the card  1 , the first and second switches  91  and  92  may be provided in the front wall  45 .  
         [0043]    According to the present invention, the metal plate functions as the wall of the housing so that no wall is necessary at the position of the metal plate, thus reducing the thickness of the wall, minimizing the card connector.  
         [0044]    In addition, since the members forming the each switch are integrally arranged in one position, and the shape of the housing is simplified, the assembling work is made easy.  
         [0045]    Moreover, since the first and second metal pieces are of the same shape, only two kinds of element are necessary to form each switch, thus reducing the manufacturing cost.