Electrical card connector with door

An electrical card connector (100) for connecting with an electrical card includes an insulative housing (10), a plurality of contacts (20), a front cover (30), a rear cover (40) and a door (50). The rear cover comprises an insertion space and a spring tab (422) extending into the insertion space. The door includes a door panel (52) and a cam (542). The door can move from an open position to a closed position by the actuation of the spring tab to shield the insertion space of the rear cover.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an electrical card connector, and more particularly to an electrical card connector with a door for dust-proof.

2. Description of Related Art

With the development of portable computer, the dimension of the portable computer gets more and more smaller so that the computer need more memory cards to meet the requirement. The electrical card connectors are widely used in the portable computer. However, the portable computer is often used in open air, the dust may enter into the interior of the portable computer through the opening of electrical card connector, too much dust influences the work of the portable computer, and even shortens the life of the portable computer. Accordingly, the electrical card connector always has a door for preventing the dust from entering into the interior of the portable computer.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,322 discloses an electrical card connector device with a dustproof device. The electrical card connector device has a casing, and the casing defines an insertion port through which an electrical card is received into the electrical card connector and a pair of front extensions with pivot holes. A door for blocking the insertion port has a door panel with a pair of pivot pins rotatablely received in the pivot holes and a pair of torsional springs. Each torsional spring has a first end supported by the pivot pin and a second hooked end engaging with the pivot hole. The torsional springs can make the door panel block the insertion port and prevent dust from entering into the interior of the notebook when no card is inserted into the electrical card connector. However, the assembly of the electrical card connector is difficult due to so small torsional springs, Furthermore, if one of torsional springs is expired, the door will lose the dustproof function.

Hence, it is desired to provide an electrical card connector with an improved dustproof device to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector having an improved dustproof device.

In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts, a cover and a door moveably assembled to the cover. The cover comprises an insertion space and a spring tab extending into the insertion space. The door can move from an open position to a closed position by the actuation of the spring tab to shield the insertion space of the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring toFIG. 1, an electrical card connector100in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing10, a plurality of contacts20retained in the insulative housing10, a front cover30attached to the insulative housing10, a rear cover40attached to the rear end of the front cove, a door50and an ejection mechanism60.

Referring toFIG. 1in conjunction withFIGS. 2–3, the insulative housing10is a shape of block, comprises a top face (not labeled), a bottom face (not shown) opposite to the top face, a pair of side faces (not labeled) connecting the top and bottom faces. A pair of guiding walls11extend rearwardly from the side faces and form a receiving space (not shown) for accommodating an electrical card therebetween.

The front cover30comprises a main portion32with a latching tab322extending outwardly thereof and a first and a second sidewalls34extending downwardly from the main portion32. The first sidewall34defines a plurality of latching apertures342, the second sidewall34defines a snap section344.

The rear cover40defines an insertion space, and comprises a main portion42, a first arm44and a second arm46. The main portion42comprises a spring tab422with a bending part and a pair of cutouts424in a rear edge thereof. The spring tab422extends into the insertion space. The first arm44comprises a vertical section441extending downwardly from one opposite side of the main portion42and a horizontal section422connecting with the vertical section441. The vertical section441defines a plurality of latching apertures4411corresponding to the latching tab322and the snap section344. The second arm46comprises a vertical section461extending downwardly from another side of the main portion42and a horizontal section462connecting with the vertical section461. The horizontal section462defines a plurality of latching apertures4621. The vertical sections441,461define a pivot hole48respectively on a rear edge thereof for engaging with the door50. The horizontal sections442,462are in a same horizontal plane, an accommodating space for retaining the door is defined between the main portion42and the vertical sections441,461.

The door50comprises a door panel52and a pivot54connecting with an upper edge of the door panel52. The door panel52is a rectangle-shaped board. The pivot54comprises a pair of pivot pins540extending laterally from the opposite ends thereof, a cam542and a pair of protrusions544protruding upwardly corresponding to the spring tab422and the cutouts424, respectively. Surely, the cam542can extend to the upper edge of the door panel52.

The ejector60comprises an actuation section62and an ejection section64. The actuation section62defines a plurality of latching section622on a side edge for engaging with the corresponding latching apertures342on the sidewall34of the front cover30, and a plurality of latching tabs624on a top surface thereof for engaging with the latching apertures4621of the rear cover40. The ejection section64has a driven member642and an ejection rod644sandwiched between the insulative housing10and the front cover30. The driven member642connects with the actuation section62at an end thereof and defines a limit hole643on the other end for the ejection rod644rotates connecting with the driven member642. As an operator exerts a force on the actuation section62, the ejection rod644rotates and ejects out of the electronic card received in the electrical card connector100.

In assembly, the contacts20are received in the insulative housing10with tail portions (not labeled) thereof extending into the receiving space for electrically connecting with the electrical card. The front cover30is assembled on the top face of the insulative housing10and the sidewalls34are attached to the corresponding guiding walls1l. The rear cover40is assembled to the rear end of the front cover30by means of the latching tab322, the snap section344engaging with the latching apertures4411. Such the insulative housing10, the front cover30and the rear cover40define a space for accommodating the electrical card (not shown) and a rectangle insertion port communicating with the space for the insertion/withdrawal of the electrical card into/out. The ejection rod644of the ejection60sandwiched between the insulative housing10and the front cover30, and the ejection60is assembled to the front cover30and the rear cover40by means of the latching apertures342,4621, the latching sections622and the latching tabs624. The door50is rotatablely assembled to the rear cover40with the pivot pins540received in the pivot holes48, the bending part of the spring tab422of the rear cover40presses on the cam542to make the door50closed and shield the insertion port, the protrusions544of the door50mate with the cutouts424of the rear cover40and prevent the door50from moving along the extending direction of the pivot pin540. The door50is in a closed position as described above.

When the electrical card is inserted into the electrical card connector100through the insertion port, the door50rotates inwardly around the axis of the pivot pins540until to an open position due to the force of insertion. In the open position, the door50retains in the accommodating space of the rear cover40, the bending part of the spring tab422presses on the door panel52with increased resilience.

After the electrical card is withdrew out from the electrical card connector100, the door50is free from the external force and is activated by the resilience of the spring tab422and rotate from the open position to the closed poison and shield the insertion port.