Information card and back connector

Abstract: An information card has a pair of parallel metallic panels (10, 20) provided on the opposite outer surfaces of a card-like insulating housing (41). A back connector (30) is provided between the metallic panels (10, 20) and has a plug opening exposed at one end of the housing. Each panel (10, 20) has a portion (11, 21) folded back on the inside for direct connection with a ground element of a mating connector. A shield shell (32) surrounding the plug opening has a cut-out portion for accommodating the folded-back portions (11, 21). In a second embodiment (Figs. 4 to 6) the folded-back portions form the shield shell and a separate shield shell is not provided.

Description: The present invention relates to information cards, such as IC cards or PC cards, from which information is retrieved or in which information is stored, and back connectors and card blanks for such information cards. Information cards, such as IC cards or PC cards, are widely used as external memories for electronic equipment. Information cards includes a card-like insulating housing and a printed circuit board on which semiconductor memories (RAM, ROM, etc.), a microcomputer, and/or a back-up battery are mounted. Back connectors are provided in the PC cards for connection to other electronic equipment. A pair of parallel metallic panels are provided on a back connector for noise suppression and/or structural reinforcement. The metallic panels of a conventional PC card have cut edges on the side of a plug opening, frequently causing cut injury in the hand during operation. The plug opening of a connector is used for connection to other electronic equipment and handled more frequently than other parts of the connector, increasing the frequency of injury. In the conventional PC cards, the ground connection to a mating connector plug is made via a shield shell of the back connector and the printed circuit board, making indirect connection to the metallic panel of a PC card. For example, Japanese utility model patent application Kokai No. 115581/89 discloses an IC card having a metallic panel with an edge extended and folded so that it is disposed in front of the plug opening. In such a structure, the cut faces of a metallic panel are not exposed, and the ground terminal of a mating connector is brought into direct contact with the metallic panel of an IC card. However, the edge of the metallic panel is extended forwardly to a large extent so that the entire IC card becomes large by that much. Japanese patent application Kokai Nos. 186391/89 and 186392/89 disclose an IC card having a metallic cover with its edge folded inwardly toward the plug opening of a mating connector. The folded edge reinforces the metallic cover and/or prevents malfunction or breakdown of the internal IC elements by electrostatic charge but does not make direct contact with the ground of a mating connector. Consequently, the ground connection for the conventional IC card is made indirectly via the receptacle of the IC card and then the card body. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an information card, and a back connector and card blank for the information card, in which these disadvantages are mitigated. This object is achieved by the invention claimed in claim 1. Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a part of a PC card according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a part of the PC card in front of a mating connector plug; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a part of the PC card plugged into the mating connector plug; Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a part of a PC card according to another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a part of the PC card of Fig. 4 in front of a mating connector plug; and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a part of the PC card of Fig. 5 plugged to the mating connector plug. In Fig. 1, the card-like insulating housing 41 (Figs. 2, 3) of the PC card is not shown. The card-like insulating housing accommodates a printed circuit board on which IC devices, such as semiconductor memories and a microcomputer, and a backup battery are mounted. However, this is conventional, and its detailed description is omitted, The PC card includes a card-like insulating housing 41 (Figs. 2 and 3) in which a printed circuit board 40 is mounted, metallic upper and lower panels 10 and 20 covering the opposite outer surfaces of the insulating housing 41, and a back connector 30 between the metallic panels 10 and 20 and having a plug opening exposed at one end of the insulating housing 41. The metallic panel 10 is made from a thin conductive metallic sheet and is provided with a portion 11 folded back on the inside. Similarly, the metallic panel 20 is made from a thin conductive metallic sheet provided with a portion 21 folded back on the inside. The back connector 30 includes an insulating block 31 having a protruding portion on which contact terminals 33 are arranged and a conductive shield shell 32 mounted on the insulating block 31 and surrounding the plug opening. A cutout portion 32A is provided in the shield shell 32 in front of the plug opening. The cutout portion 32A is dimensioned so as to receive the folded portions 11 and 21 of the metallic panels 10 and 20. Fig. 2 shows the PC 1 card including the metallic panels 10 and 20 and the back connector 30 facing a mating connector plug. As described above, the PC card 1 comprises the card-like insulating housing 41 accommodating the printed circuit board 40, the back connector 30 mounted in the housing 41 such that its plug opening is exposed at the end of the housing 41, and the metallic panels 10 and 20 covering the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 41. The folded portions 11 and 21 of the metallic panels 10 and 20 are fitted in the cutout portion 32A of the shield shell 32. The connection portions of the contact terminals 33 in the back connector 30 are electrically connected to corresponding conductors of the printed circuit board 40. The mating connector plug 50 is conventional. For example, it includes an insulating block 51 having a plug projection which is dimensioned so as to fit in the plug opening of the back connector 30, contact terminals 53 provided in the plug projection, and a grounding plate 52 with a contact projection 52A provided on the surface of the plug projection. In Fig. 3, the PC card 1 is plugged to the mating connector plug 50. The contact terminals 53 of the mating connector plug 50 are brought into electrical contact with the contact terminals 33 of the back connector 30 while the ground plate 52 of the mating connector plug 50 is brought into electrical contact with the shield shell 32 of the back connector 30 via the compressed contact projection 52A and the folded portion 11 of the metallic panel 10. This makes it possible to connect the metallic panel 10 directly to the ground of the mating plug 50 by bypassing the back connector 30. In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the card-like insulating housing of the PC card is again omitted from the figure as in Fig. 1. The PC card includes an insulating housing 41A (Figs. 5 and 6) accommodating a printed circuit board 40, upper and lower metallic panels 60 and 70 covering the opposite outer surfaces of the insulating housing 41A, and a back connector 80 between the metallic panels 60 and 70 and having a plug opening exposed at one end of the insulating housing 41A. The metallic panels 60 and 70 are made from a thin conductive metallic sheet provided with portions 61 or 71 folded back on the inside. The folded portions 61 and 71 are much longer than the folded portions 11 and 21 in the embodiment of Figs. 1-3 for the reasons described hereinafter. The back connector 80 includes an insulating block 81 having a protruding portion on which contact terminals 82 are arranged. The back connector 80 is not provided with a separate shield shell, unlike the embodiment of Figs. 1-3. As will be described hereinafter with reference to Figs. 5 and 6, the shield shell of the back connector 80 in this embodiment is made up of the folded portions 61 and 71 of the metallic panels 60 and 70. Fig. 5 shows the PC card including the metallic panels 60 and 70 and the back connector 80 facing a mating connector plug. As described above, the PC card 1A includes the insulating housing 41A accommodating a printed circuit board 40 on which IC devices, such as memories, are mounted, the back connector 80 mounted in the housing 41A such that its plug opening is exposed at the end of the housing 41A, and the metallic panels 60 and 70 covering the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 41A. Consequently, the folded portions 61 and 71 of the metallic panels 60 and 70 form a shield shell for the back connector 80. The connection portions of contact terminals 82 are electrically connected to corresponding conductors of the printed circuit board 40. The mating connector plug 50 for the PC card 1A is conventional as described with reference to Fig. 2. In Fig. 6. the PC card 1A is plugged to the mating connector plug 50. The contact terminals 53 of the mating connector plug 50 are brought into electrical contact with the contact terminals 82 of the back connector 80 while the ground plate 52 of the mating connector plug 50 is brought into electrical contact with the folded portion 61 of the metallic panel 60 via the compressed contact projection 52A. This makes it possible to connect the metallic panel 60 directly to the ground of the mating connector plug 50 by bypassing the back connector 80. The invention is applied to the PC card in the above embodiments but it is applicable to other information cards as well. Using the invention, the sectional area of the metallic panel at the plug opening of an information card is minimized without wasting the space of the information card, such as a PC card, or changing the size of the card. Further, the danger of injuring a hand is avoided, and the card appearance is improved. Since the metallic panels at the plug opening (to which forces are applied upon plugging) are folded back, the PC card and the plug opening are reinforced. The ground of a mating connector is directly connected to the metallic panel by bypassing the connector of a PC card. In the embodiment of Figs. 4-6, the structure of the back connector is simplified, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

Claims: An information card comprising a pair of parallel metallic panels (10,20;60,70) located on the opposite outer surfaces of a card-like insulating housing (41;41A) and a back connector (30;80) located between the metallic panels and having a plug opening exposed at one end of the housing, each metallic panel having a portion folded back (11,21; 61,71) on the inside at the plug opening, characterised in that the folded-back portion is adapted for direct connection with a ground element (52,52A) of a mating connector (50), and in that the folded-back portion is further adapted to provide direct electrical contact between a shield shell (32;61,71)for the back connector and a ground element (52,52A) of a mating connector. An information card according to claim 1, wherein the shield shell is formed by the folded-back portions (61,71). An information card according to claim 1, wherein the shield shell (32) has a cut-out portion (32A) in front of the plug opening adapted to receive the folded-back portions (11,21) of the panels (10,20) and making elctrical contact therewith. A back connector (30)for an information card as claimed in claim 3, including said shield shell (32). A card blank for an information card as claimed in claim 2, the card blank comprising a pair of parallel metallic panels (60,70) located on the opposite outer surfaces of a card-like insulating housing (41A), each metallic panel having a portion folded back (61,71) on the inside, characterised in that the folded-back portion is adapted for direct connection with a ground element (52,52A) of a mating connector (50), and in that the folded-back portion is further adapted to provide direct electrical contact between a shield shell (61,71) for a back connector and a ground element (52,52A) of a mating connector, the shield shell being formed by the folded-back portions.

Inventors: KOBAYASHI HIROYUKI, KOBAYASHI, HIROYUKI
Applicants: HIROSE ELECTRIC CO LTD, HIROSE ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: G06K19
IPC codes: H01R13, G06K19