Abstract:
A smart card reader ( 100 ) has a housing ( 2 ) with contact elements ( 3 ) fixed in the housing, which are resiliently biased into a space into which the smart card is slid. When released, the contacts ( 3 ) move into the space to make electrical contact with areas on the smart card now inserted. The contacts are held out of the space by a pivot member ( 4 ) which is actuated by a cover ( 5 ) which is slidably mounted in the housing. The cover, pushed inward by the inserted card, moves the pivot member. Thus there is no contact until the card is in position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     I. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a smart card reader. More particularly, the present invention relates to a PCB (printed circuit board) smart card connector with contact elements which can be moved into a non-contact position. 
     II. Description of the Related Art 
     Smart cards readers which are also called chip card readers or chip cart contacting apparatus are known in a large number of different designs. Smart card readers are adapted to provide a connection between contact elements mounted in the smart card reader and card contacts provided on a surface of a smart card. The smart card reader is typically adapted to be placed on a printed circuit board and the termination ends of the contact elements are adapted to be connected with the contact paths of said printed circuit board. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a smart card reader comprising a contact system consisting of a plurality of contact elements such that its contact elements are moved into contact with the smart card contacts, which form a card contact field, only at the time when the card contacts are located in a position where the contact elements will not slide over the card before making contact with said card contacts. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a smart card reader suitable for being soldered into a printed circuit board. According to a further object of the invention, compatibility should be provided for an already existing layout. Preferably, the smart card reader should fit into an XLC (low cost) layout. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a smart card reader having outer dimensions which correspond to the dimensions of the XLC (low cost) reader. 
     According to a still further object of the invention. a smart card reader is provided which carefully handles the smart card by causing a sliding movement between the smart card surface and the contact elements. 
     Further, an object of the invention relates to the mounting of the smart card reader on printed circuit boards such that the mounting process can be easily carried out by using snap-in elements and pins 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a smart card reader is provided which comprises a housing, contact elements mounted in said housing, and pivot means for moving said contact elements between a non-contact position and a smart card contact position. The contact elements are preferably biased. 
     Said pivot means is adapted to hold said contact elements in a depressed condition when the smart card reader is in its smart card input/output position. also called insert/take-out position. The input/output position of the smart card reader is the position where a smart card can be inserted or can be taken out of the smart card reader. If a smart card is inserted into the smart card reader, starting from its input/output position, the smart card eventually reaches its end or reading position. The end position is also called reading position because in this position, the contact elements of the smart reader are in contact with the card contacts of the smart card so as to “read out” the information in the smart card and possibly supply new information to the chip which is located in the smart card. 
     The pivot means are preferably provided with a control or cam surface or cam curve. Preferably, the pivot means is moved or controlled by a cover or card receiving means movably mounted in said housing. Preferably, the cover is mounted for a reciprocal movement in said housing and only in longitudinal direction thereof. 
     Preferably, the contact elements are elongate and form contact areas in the form of contact cusps which can be lowered when the smart card reader is in its input/output position. 
     According to a further aspect of the invention, the smart card reader comprises an insert slot for the smart card. The insert slot extends in longitudinal direction through said smart card reader and is adapted to receive the smart card. By lowering the contact elements, in particular the contact cusps of the contact elements, into a position lower than the card receiving slot, vandals will have difficulties in destroying the smart card reader, particularly the contact elements, because any foreign matter like knives pushed into the insert slot will not encounter the contact elements, in particular the contact cusps of the contact elements because they are lowered when no smart card is inserted. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the smart card reader comprises a housing or frame carrying contact elements, a cover reciprocally mounted in said cover and pivot means actuated by said cover such that when a smart card is inserted, the cover will pivot the pivot means which in turn release the contact elements so that the contact elements can move towards the surface of the smart card carrying the card contacts and contact the smart card contacts. In accordance with the invention, the design is such that the contact elements reach their end or contacting position with the smart card contacts during the last third of possible movement of said contact elements. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, separate brake means are provided to hold the smart card within the smart card reader. Preferably, said brake means acts on the width of the smart card, i.e. laterally and thus perpendicularly with respect to the direction of insertion. 
     According to a further embodiment of the invention, an end position switch is provided which is in particular designed to indicate the end position of the smart card by being open. Preferably an XLC (low cost) contact is used for the end position switch. 
     In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover is movable together with the smart card into the reading position, and it will also automatically follow the smart card towards the insert/take-out position, i.e. in the pull-out direction of the smart card if the smart card is pulled out of the smart card reader. When the smart card is (manually) pulled out of the smart card reader, then the end position switch described above will close (indicating thereby that the smart card has left the reading position). The design of the smart card reader is such that only after the end position switch has been closed, the contact elements will be moved away from the smart card contacts forming said contact field. This timed movement of the contact elements of the end position switch and of the contact elements of the smart card reader away from the smart card contact field is controlled by means of pivot means. 
     Additional features of the smart card reader of the invention are its module design, the use of a end position switch/housing-component, a component comprising the housing and the end position switch. and the XLC (low cost) contact elements. An additional advantage of the smart card reader of the invention is that it can be readily assembled. 
     Summarizing it can be said that the invention provides for the controlled movement of the contact elements into a lowered position when the card is removed from the smart card reader. The movement of the smart card into its reading position provides for a release and lifting of the contact elements so as to provide that after the release the contact elements provide full force, i.e. the contact elements are in good engagement with the smart cart contacts (of a chip which is located within said smart card) 
     In a method provided by the invention, a smart card is adapted to move a cover which releases and pivots pivot means. Said pivot means in turn releases the contact elements of the chip card reader so that the contact elements, in particular the contact cusps of said contact elements, move into engagement with the smart card contacts of said smart card. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the release of the contact elements is not initiated or carried out due to the thickness of the card, but due to the movement, in particular the sliding movement of the smart card. 
     The smart card reader of the invention is particularly suitable for applications where the surface of the smart card needs to protected and for contact elements which are required to have a high number of operating cycles. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a smart card reader of the invention in its input/output or insert/take-out position; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the smart card reader of FIG. 1 in its reading position; 
     FIGS. 3-13 disclose another preferred embodiment of a smart card reader of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective top plan view; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective top plan view similar to FIG. 3, but with the cover of the smart card reader being removed and pivot means in a first position holding the contact elements in a non-contact position; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective schematic partially sectopmaö view of the smart card reader of FIG. 3 in substance from the front, showing the smart card reader in its card insert/take-out position; 
     FIG. 6 is a view of the smart card reader of FIG. 5 in its reading position, with the smart card being inserted; 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic side elevational view of the smart card reader of FIG. 3 in its cart insert/take-out position corresponding to said FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of the smart card reader of FIG. 3 in a reading position corresponding to FIG.  6 : 
     FIG. 9 is a schematic top plan view of the cover of the smart card reader of FIG. 3, with the housing being removed; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view from the bottom showing the smart card reader of FIG. 3 without the housing; 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pivot means used in the embodiment of FIGS. 3-13; 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the cover and the pivot means without housing in the card insert/take-out position, and from the front of the smart card reader; 
     FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view similar to FIG. 12, with the pivot means in a position corresponding to the reading position: 
     FIG. 14 is a detail of the cooperation between a portion of the pivot means with the contact elements, showing the contact elements in their rest or non-contact position where they are biased into engagement with abutment surfaces of a rib of the pivot means; 
     FIG. 15 is a detail similar to FIG. 14, with the contact elements being released from said pivot means such that they are in contact, engagement or abutment with the card contacts of the smart card. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 and 2 show schematically a smart card reader  1  which comprises a contact support or housing (also called a frame)  2  and a cover  5 . Housing  2  can be mounted for example on a printed circuit board, not shown. A plurality of contact elements  3  is fixedly mounted in said housing  2 . Contact element actuating means, preferably in the form of a pivot means  4 , are preferably mounted in said housing  2  and are adapted to hold the contact elements  3  in a rest or non-contact position. Preferably, the contact elements  3  are designed such that they are resiliently held back by the pivot means  4  in a position (shown in FIG. 1) where they have the tendency to move upwardly beyond a support surface  123  of the housing  2  for a smart card  10 . In this rest or non-contact position, the contact elements  3  are biased against said pivot means  4  and are blocked from a movement beyond said support surface  123 . 
     FIG. 2 discloses in a somewhat exaggerated manner the condition of the smart card reader  1  in a reading position, i.e. the position where the contact elements  3  have been released by said pivot means  4  and have carried out a spring-like movement so that contact cusps  32  of the contact elements  3  extend beyond or upwardly with respect to the support surface  123  of said housing  2 , so as to contact, i.e. engage, card contacts formed in the downwardly facing surface of the smart card  10 . It is to be noted that the smart card  10  is shown for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 only in FIG.  2  and in a position where it is not inserted into the smart card reader  1 . This is done for reasons of simplicity only. In fact, in FIG. 1 the smart card  10  should be shown in a position where it is not inserted, but in FIG. 2 it should be shown in the inserted position with the contact cusps of the contacts elements  3  being in engagement with the smart card contacts of the card  10  (and not with the bottom surface of the cover  5 ). 
     Turning now again to FIG. 1, the cover  5  is shown in the insert/take-out position for the chip card  10 . Thus, the entire smart card reader  1  and more specifically, the cover  5  are in the insert/take-out position, with the cover  5  being in abutment with an abutment means  8  provided on the housing  2 . A spring  70 , which is acting between the housing  2  and the cover  5 , maintains the cover  5  in the insert/take-out or input/output position. The cover  5  is reciprocally mounted for a sliding movement preferably on the housing  2 . Contact element actuating means in the form of pivot means  4  are preferably pivotally mounted on said housing  2  and are actuatable by said cover  5  so as to assume a contact element withholding position or non-contact position (as shown in FIG. 1) and a contact element engagement or contact position (shown in FIG.  2 ). 
     The operation of the smart card reader  1  of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is as follows. When inserting a smart card  10  into an insert slot  11  of the smart card reader  1 , the smart card comes into engagement with an abutment means (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) of cover  5 , thus pushing cover  5  against the force of spring  7  into engagement with an abutment means  9  provided on the housing  2 . During the movement towards the abutment means  9  the cover  5  actuates via a coupling or a control means  6  contact element actuating means  4 , which are preferably in the form of said pivot means. Thus, said pivot means  4  release the contact elements  3  so that they can move into contact with the smart cart contacts of the smart card  10 , as is shown in FIG.  2 . It should again be emphasized that one has to imagine that card  10  shown in FIG. 2 in an non-inserted position is actually in the insert slot  11  at the time the cover  5  is in abutment with abutment means  9 . A brake, not shown, holds card  10  in the reading position of FIG. 2 until card  10  is removed from the reading position preferably by hand. For this purpose, an end of the card sticking out of the left-hand end of the insert slot  11  is gripped by the fingers of an operator and pulled leftwardly in FIG. 2, with the consequence that spring  7  pulls the cover  5  simultaneously to the left into the position shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIGS. 3 through 15 relate to a preferred embodiment of the smart card reader  100  of the invention. In all Figures, arrow A marks the direction of insertion of a smart card  10 . Since the embodiment of FIGS. 3 through 15 is a preferred embodiment of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, similar reference numerals are used for the embodiment of FIGS. 3 through 15 as far as possible. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective top plan view of the smart card reader  100  disclosing a housing (also called a frame)  2  within which contact elements  3  are fixedly mounted. Preferably, the contact elements  3  are held in the housing  2  by means of cooperating first and second detent means provided in the housing and on the contact elements, respectively. Contact element actuating means in the form of pivot means  4  are pivotally mounted in side walls  21 ,  22  of the housing  2 . Cover  5 , also called a card receiving means, forms together with a bottom wall  23  of the housing  2  a card insert slot  11 . A card  10  (not shown in FIG. 3) can be inserted into said card insert slot  11  in the direction of arrow A. 
     Coupling means  6  (to be described below in detail) are provided between said pivot means  4  and said cover  5  so that the insert movement of a smart card  10  into the insert slot  11  causes a pivotal movement of the pivot means  4 . Said pivotal movement of the pivot means  4  makes sure that the contact elements  3  will be able to contact the smart card contacts of the smart card  10  when the reading position is reached, i.e. when the cover  5  is in engagement with its abutment means  57  with abutment means  27  of the housing  2 . In FIG. 3, the cover  5  is in the insert/take-out position, i.e. not in its the reading position. 
     A spring  7 , preferably a rod spring  7 , extends between said two side walls  21 ,  22  of the housing  2  and is in its center in engagement with an abutment of the cover  5 , so as bias cover  5  into its inert/take-out position shown in FIG.  3 . FIG. 3 also shows an end position switch  12  mounted at the housing  2 . Now the individual components of the smart card reader  100  will be described referring to the different drawings. 
     The housing  2   
     FIG. 4 discloses a perspective top plan view of the housing  2  with the bottom wall  23  extending between the two end walls  21 ,  22 . A plurality of chambers  24  is formed in said bottom wall  23  so as to receive contact elements  3  which are fixedly mounted in said bottom wall. The upper side of the bottom wall forms a card support surface  123  for the bottom surface of the smart card  10 . Laterally extending guide slots  25 ,  26  are provided in said side walls  21 ,  22  and are adapted to receive guide pins  50 ,  51  and  52 ,  53 , respectively, of the cover  5  (see for example FIG.  10 ). The bottom wall  23  further comprises a recess  28  adapted to receive said pivot means  4 . 
     The contact elements  3   
     For instance FIG. 5 shows the contact elements  3  as comprising a terminal portion  31  which is angled by about 90° with respect to a longitudinal portion  34 . The longitudinal portion  34  forms a cusp  32  already mentioned. The cusp  32  continues and ends in an abutment portion  33  which can abut at an abutment surface ( 348 ,  349  in FIG. 14) formed by said pivot means  4 . The contact element  3  forms detent means  35  in the form of a snap-in arm stamped out of the material of the contact element  3 . This snap-in arm  35  cooperates with respective detent means of the housing  2 , for instance with a snap-in surface shown in FIG. 5 for the left forward contact element  3 . 
     The pivot means  4   
     FIGS. 4 to  10  and in particular FIG. 11 show the pivot means  4  of the invention. The pivot means  4  is, as is shown in FIG. 11, preferably a substantially rectangular plate which is made of plastic material like the housing  2  and the cover  5 . The pivot means  4  is pivotally supported by means of two diametrically opposed pins  41  adapted to be received in respective receiving means in the side walls  21 ,  22  of the housing  2 . The pivot means  4  are, however, not movable in a longitudinal direction of the housing  2 . They are indeed stationary with respect to the longitudinal extension of the frame or housing  2 . The plate forming the pivot means  4  comprises a rib  44  having cutouts  43 . As is shown in FIG. 14, the cutouts  43  extend inwardly and form said abutment surfaces  349  for the abutment parts  33  of the contact elements  3 . Thus, the rib presses the contact elements  3  located in said chambers  24  downwardly when the pivot means  4  are in the insert/take-out position of the smart card reader, which is also insert/take-out position of the cover  5 . The insert/take-out position could also be referred to as the non-reading position or the initial position of the smart card reader  2 . 
     The plate forming the pivot means  4  further comprises two control or cam surfaces (see FIG. 11)  45  and  145 . The cam surfaces  45 ,  145  are formed in side wall portions  46 ,  946  of the plate. Said side wall portions  46 ,  946  also form on the outwardly facing surfaces the mentioned pins  41  of which only one is shown in FIG.  11 . Each of said cam surfaces  45 ,  145  comprises (see FIG. 11) a generally horizontal cam surface  146  on a higher level than a substantially horizontal (lower) cam surface  347  on a lower level with an inclined cam surface  246  being provided therebetween. 
     The cover  5   
     Cover  5 , see for instance FIGS. 9 and 10, comprises a plate-like structure which extends across the width of the housing  2 . The cover  5  is located between the side walls  21 ,  22  of the housing  2 . Cover  5  comprises, besides the laterally extending guide pins  50 ,  51  and  52 ,  53 , respectively, in addition two diametrically oppositely located cam pins  54 ,  55 . Said cam pins  54 ,  55  are adapted to be in engagement with the cam surfaces  45  and  145 , respectively. 
     In the initial or insert/take-out position of the smart card reader  100 , the cam pins  54 ,  55  are (see FIG. 12) located on the cam surfaces  146 , i.e. the pivot means  41  is pivoted about its pivot axis (pins  41 ,  42 ) in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 7) and thus the contact elements  3  are held in their lower downwardly pressed position, i.e. in their non-contact position against the force exerted by said contact elements  3 . When the cover  5  is moved by inserting the card  10  into the card reading position, its pins  54 ,  55  will move toward the lower cam surfaces  346 . As a consequence the biasing force of the contact elements  3  will pivot the pivot means  4  upwardly in a card reading position shown in FIGS. 6,  8 ,  13  and  15 . 
     Industrial Applicability 
     When a smart card  10  is inserted into the insert slot  11  (see for instance FIG.  3 ), the smart card  10  will contact after a short while the abutment surface  56  of the cover  5  and then move the cover  5  out of its initial position shown in FIG. 3 into a position shown for instance in FIG. 6 where the abutment means  57  (see FIG. 3) are in abutment with the abutment means  27  of the housing  2 . This position is shown in FIG.  6 . It is also referred to as the card reading position. This reading position is also shown in FIG. 15 in some detail. During the movement from the initial position into the reading position, the pivot means  4  is pivoted from the rest or non-contact position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 into the reading position shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. As can be seen for instance in FIG. 8, the pivot means  41  is pivoted into a horizontal position. 
     FIGS. 5 and 7 show the smart card reader  100  in its initial position. It is noted that in this position, the pivot means  4  is pivoted with respect to its reading position such that the contact elements  3  are held in their depressed or lowered position, so that the contact cusps  32  do not project beyond the upper surface  123 . This situation is also shown in FIG.  4 . 
     Again, when the card  10  is inserted, it moves the cover  5  against the force of the spring  7  until the abutment surface  27  of the housing  2  is engaged, and during this movement of the cover  5 , the cam pins  54 ,  55  move from the substantially horizontal cam surface portions  146  via the inclined cam surfaces  246  to the lower surfaces  346  and thus cause a pivotal movement of the pivot means  4  into the substantially horizontal position in which the upper surface  347  of the pivot means  4  is aligned with the upper surface  123  of the housing  2  and in which the rib  44  releases the contact elements  3  for a movement to engage the smart card contacts  108  as shown in FIG.  15 . 
     After a reading operation has been completed, the card  10  is pulled out of the insert slot  11 . The cover  5  then moves into its initial position due to the force of spring  7 . The cover  5  will also pivot the pivot means  4  back to their non-contact position. 
     Preferably a separate brake is provided which holds the smart card in its reading position. It is preferred to provide a brake which acts upon the width of the smart card, i.e. perpendicular with respect to the direction of insertion of the smart card