Abstract:
An electrical card connector is provided for accommodating various electrical cards. The electrical card connector comprises an integral housing ( 1 ) defining an inserting port ( 11 ), a plurality of terminals ( 2,3,4,5 ) respectively received in the housing, a metal shell ( 7 ) assembled on the housing. The housing has a top bridge ( 16 ) around the inserting port thereof. The terminals ( 5 ) extend out of the housing through the inserting port. The metal shell is formed with a supporting arm on a front edge thereof, the supporting arm is disposed below the top bridge and support the top bridge upwardly to prevent the inserting port from distorting during soldering the terminals ( 5 ) to the print circuit board.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention is generally related to an electrical card connector for connecting an electrical card with an electrical equipment.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     To adapt to the development of communication and digital techniques, electrical cards are widely used in varied electrical equipments for saving information. Some card connectors, which are used for electrically connecting the electrical cards with equipments, are able to receive several different kinds of electrical cards, so that corresponding electrical equipment may engaging with varied electrical cards.  
         [0005]     Such an electrical card connector comprises an integral housing, a plurality of contacts for different kinds of electrical cards, and a metal shell covering the housing. The housing has a top plate, a bottom plate and opposite sidewalls linking the top plate and bottom plate. The housing defines a space for the electrical cards and an inserting port in a front face thereof surrounded by the top plate, the bottom plate and the sidewalls. The contacts are received in the housing, and a part of them extend through the inserting port and out of the front face of the housing for soldering to a print circuit board. Since the housing is just formed by plastic, the top plate around the inserting port easily caves in when the contacts near the front-face of the housing are soldered to the print circuit board, and that will lead to a distortion of the inserting port of the housing, and the electrical cards can not insert into the housing normally.  
         [0006]     Hence, an electrical card connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the related art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector, which is in a firm configuration and can prevents an inserting port from distorting.  
         [0008]     To achieve the above objects, an electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention comprises a housing defining an inserting port for electrical cards and having a bottom plate and a top bridge; a plurality of terminals respectively received in the housing, each terminal having a contacting portion for corresponding electrical card and a tail portion for soldering; a supporting arm set below the top bridge to support the top bridge.  
         [0009]     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with attached drawings: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of the electrical card connector shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is an a partially exploded, perspective view of the card electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is another perspective view of the electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention, wherein a metal shell is assembled to the housing but not positioned;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is another perspective view of the electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention, taken from another angle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , an electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention can engage with several different kinds of electrical cards. The electrical card connector comprises a housing  1 , a plurality of terminals, a anti-mismating mechanism  6 , a metal shell  7 , two insulative boards  8 ,  8 ′, a terminal spacer  9  and switch devices. The terminals include the first terminals  2 , the second terminals  3 , the third terminals  4  and the fourth terminals  5 .  
         [0017]     Referring to  FIG. 1-3 , the housing  1  is approximately box-liked and has opposite sidewalls  12 ,  13 , a bottom plate  14 , a rear wall  15  connecting the bottom plate  14  and opposite sidewalls  12 ,  13  and a top bridge  16  connecting a front portions of the opposite sidewalls  12 ,  13 . The housing  1  defines an inserting port  11  recessed inwardly from a front surface and surrounded by the bottom plate  14 , the top bridge  16  and the sidewalls  12 ,  13 . The bottom plate  14  is formed with a plurality of channels  141 ,  142  extending forward till a front surface of the housing  1 . The channels  141 ,  142  are in different lengths and arranged alternately for receiving the fourth terminals  5 . The rear wall  15  is also formed with a plurality of channels  151  for retaining the second terminals  3 . The top bridge  16  has a rectangular hole  160  and a projecting bar  161  in front of and adjacent to the rectangular hole  160  on the top surface thereof. The sidewalls  12 ,  13  separately provide a notch  121 ,  131  on exterior side face and through the sidewalls  12 ,  13  in a vertical direction. The sidewall  12  has a plurality of lathing blocks  122  for engaging with the metal shell  7 , so does the sidewall  13 . Moreover, the sidewall  12  has a plurality of socket  123 ,  124 , 125 , 126  for switch devices.  
         [0018]     Each first terminal  2  has a contacting portion  21  for an XD (XD-picture) card and a tail portion  22  for soldering to a print circuit board (not shown). The first terminals  2  are set on the insulative board  8  to form a terminal module (not labeled) and then assemble to the housing  1  together. Each second terminal  3  has a contacting portion  31  for a MS (Memory Stick) card and a tail portion  32  for soldering. The second terminals  3  are retained in the channels  151  of the rear wall  15  of the housing  1 .  
         [0019]     The third terminals  4  comprise a plurality of terminals with contacting portions  41  for an SD (Super Density, Secure Digital) /MMC (Multi-Media Card) card and a switch terminal  43 . The third terminals  4  are set on the insulative board  8 ′ to form another terminal module (not labeled) and then assemble to the housing  1  together. Each third terminal  4  has a tail portion  42  for soldering to the print circuit board, and the tail portions  42  are divided into two groups to leave a space therebetween for laying the second terminals  3 . The fourth terminals  5  comprise two rows of contacting portions  51 ,  51 ′ for an SM card with different lengths and arranged alternately and tail portions  52 ,  52 ′ for soldering. The fourth terminals  4  are retained in the channels  141 , 142  on the bottom plate  14  of the housing  1 .  
         [0020]     All of the contacting portions  21 ,  31 ,  41 ,  51 ,  51 ′ of the terminals  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5  are explored in an accommodate space defined by the housing  1  for receiving the cards to electrical conduct with corresponding cards, and the tail portions  22 ,  32 ,  42  of the terminals  2 ,  3 ,  4  are extending rearwards and out of the housing  1  through a rear face of the housing  1 , and the tail portions  52 ,  52 ′ of the terminals  5  are extending forwardly and out of the housing  1  through front face of the housing  1 . Referring to FIGS.  2  and  FIGS. 5 , the longitudinal terminal spacer  9  is assembled to a rear portion of the housing  1  to retain the tail portions  22 ,  32 ,  42  of the terminals  2 ,  3 ,  4  in a same surface.  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 2-3 , the switch devices comprising first switch device having switch terminals  43 ,  44 , second switch device having terminals  53 ,  54  and a protecting terminal  45 . The switch terminal  44  has two spring finger  440 , a holding portion  441  retained by the housing  1 , a leg  442  for soldering to a print circuit board (not shown) and a connecting portion  443  linking the two spring fingers  440 . The switch terminal  43  has a conductive end  430 . The switch terminal  45  has a spring finger  450  and a holding portion  451 . When the SD/MMC card insert into the housing  1 , one of the spring fingers  440  of the switch terminal  44  will be pushed by side of the SD/MMC card laterally and touches the conductive end  430 . The protecting terminal  45  may pushed laterally and touch another spring fingers  440  of the switch terminal  44 , when the SD/MMC card inserts into the housing  1  completely.  
         [0022]     Referring to  FIGS. 3-5 , the defend mechanism  6  is approximately L-shaped and comprises a head portion  61 , a tail  62  and an intermediate portion  60  connecting the head portion  61  and the tail  62 . The tail  62  is locked in of the housing  1 , the head portion  61  is exposed in the accommodate space adjacent to the card inserting port  11 . The header portion  61  can be deflected when XD or MS card inserted into the housing  1  in a vertical direction to set in a cavity for the other and prevents the electrical card connector from receiving XD and MS card at same time.  
         [0023]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , the metal shell  7 comprise a top wall  70 , a pair of grounding tabs  71  and a plurality of discontiguous slices  72 ,  73  bended from opposite sides of the top wall  70 . The grounding tabs  71  are formed on opposite sides a top wall  70  respectively corresponding to the notches  121 ,  131  of the housing  1 , each slice  72 ,  73  defines a lathing hole  75 . The top wall  70  defines many long and narrow slots (not labeled) and a gap  760  on a front edge thereof. The top wall  70  is formed with a supporting arm  76  extending from a front edge of the gap  760 . The supporting arm  76  has an inclined portion  761  bended from the metal shell  7  downwardly and a horizontal portion  762  extending forwardly from the inclined portion  761 .  
         [0024]     Referring to FIGS.  1  and  FIGS. 4-5 , first assemble the metal shell  7  to the housing  1 , the lathing blocks  122  of the housing  1  are received in corresponding lathing holes  75  of the metal shell  7 , and the grounding tabs  71  are received in the notches  121 ,  131 , the supporting arm  76  of the metal shell  7  is set in the rectangular hole  160  of top bridge  16  of the housing  1 , the projecting bar  161  engages with the gap  760  of the metal shell  7 . Finally, push the metal shell  7  forwardly toward the inserting port  11  to set the horizontal portion  762  below and against a bottom surface of a front portion of the top bridge  16 , so that the supporting arm  76  can support the front end of the top bridge  16  adjacent to the inserting port  11  and prevent the inserting port  11  from distorting during soldering the tail portions  52 ,  52 ′ of the fourth terminal  5  to the print circuit board.  
         [0025]     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the board general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.