Abstract:
An electrical card connector ( 100 ) includes an insulating housing ( 2 ), a plurality of terminals ( 31 ) received in the insulating housing, a metal shield ( 1 ) associated with the insulating housing to define a card receiving room and an ejector ( 4 ) including a slider pin ( 41 ). A heart-shaped channel ( 2012 ) is recessed on the insulating housing and forms a pair of front-to-back extending channels and a pair of inclined channels, which respectively connect with the front-to-back extending channels and communicate with each other. The slider pin is movably received in the heart-shaped channel. The metal shield forms a resilient piece ( 18 ) pressing against the slider pin just at the time of the slider pin located at the jointing point of the inclined channels of the heart-shaped channel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to an electrical card connector, and particularly to an electrical card connector with an ejector. 
   2. Description of Related Arts 
   An electrical card connector has been widely used for achieving data transmission between an electrical card and a corresponding electronic appliance (e.g., cellular phones, personal computers, PDAs, digital cameras and digital audiovisual apparatuses), according to a very fast development of an electronic field. In order to draw the electrical card out of the card connector conveniently, the electrical card connector usually has an ejector to eject the electrical card. An electrical card connector, shown as U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,565, includes a conventional ejector having a slider, a pin member, a resilient element and an ejecting member for contacting and ejecting an electrical card directly. The slider defines a heart-shaped slot recessed downwardly from a top face thereof. A front end of the pin member is moveably disposed in the heart-shaped slot of the slider and a rear end of the pin member is securely locked in a pinhole formed on a rear wall of an insulating housing. Furthermore, a base portion of a shell is formed with a resilient piece, extending downwardly and forward, for pressing downwardly against the pin member in the heart-shaped slot of the slider of the ejector all the time. 
   Another prior art has been shown as U.S. Pat. No. 7,309,245, which discloses an electrical card connector having an ejector similar to that of U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,565, but a rear end of the pin member is moveably disposed in the heart-shaped slot of the slider of the ejector and a front end of the pin member is fitted into a circular groove of a front wall of an insulating housing to be pivoted thereat. A resilient piece is formed as a cantilever extending portion by bending a part of a cover to extend obliquely downwardly and rearward so as to press against the pin member downwardly and prevent the rear end of the pin member from rising up to disengage away from the heart-shaped slot of the slider. 
   As we know, the shorter the resilient piece is, the bigger pressure the resilient piece works on the pin member and the more efficiently the pin member moves in the heart-shaped slot. So, if we shorten the length of the resilient piece, we can achieve a better result of pushing and pulling the card. Though the two resilient pieces in the two prior arts said above extend towards two different directions (the former extending downwardly and forward, the latter extending downwardly and rearward), both the ends of the pin members which move in the heart-shaped slots, are far from a point of the shells where the resilient pieces extend from, so, the resilient pieces are usually of large length to press against the far away ends. For large length of the resilient pieces, there may be small stress that the resilient pieces can&#39;t effectively keep the movable ends of the two pin members in the hear-shaped slots and we can&#39;t efficiently push and pull the electrical card. 
   Hence, an electrical card connector having a shorter resilient piece is desired. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector including an ejector, a pin member of which is effectively prevented from disengaging away from heart-shaped slot. 
   To achieve the above object, an electrical card connector includes an insulating housing, a plurality of terminals received in the insulating housing, a metal shield associated with the insulating housing to define a card receiving room and an ejector including a slider pin. A heart-shaped channel is recessed on the insulating housing and forms a pair of front-to-back extending channels and a pair of inclined channels, which respectively connect with the front-to-back extending channels and communicate with each other. The slider pin is movably received in the heart-shaped channel. The metal shield forms a resilient piece pressing against the slider pin just at the time of the slider pin located at the jointing point of the inclined channels of the heart-shaped channel. 
   Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective, assembled view of an electrical card connector without an electrical card inserted therein in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective, assembled view of the electrical card connector with an electrical card inserted therein; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective, partly exploded view of the electrical card connector when the electrical card is not inserted; 
       FIG. 4  is a partly assembled view of the electrical card connector when the electrical card is inserted; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective, fully exploded view of the electrical card connector; 
       FIG. 6  is a view of an insulating housing of the electrical card connector; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective, assembled view of an ejector; and 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective, exploded view of the ejector. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-8 , an electrical card connector  100 , assembled on a PCB (not shown), comprises a metal shield  1 , an insulating housing  2 , a terminal module  3  received in the insulating housing  2  and an ejector  4  assembled on the metal shield  1  and the insulating housing  2 . The metal shield  1  associates with the insulating housing  2  to define a receiving room (not labeled) for receiving an electrical card  5 , and accordingly, a card insertion/ejection direction is also defined. 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , the metal shield  1  comprises a base  10 , a first lateral wall  11 , a second lateral wall  12  and a third lateral wall  13 . A pair of depressed pieces  16 , extending along the card insertion/ejection direction, are formed in the middle of the base  10 . A plurality of holes  17  are defined on the base  10  and between the pair of depressed pieces  16 . The first lateral wall  11  extends vertically and downwardly from an edge of the base  10 . The second lateral wall  12  and the third lateral wall  13  both extend vertically and downwardly from an opposite edge of the base  10  relative to the first lateral wall  11 , and further more, a distance between the second lateral wall  12  and the first lateral wall  11  is shorter than that between the third lateral wall  13  and the first lateral wall  11 . Each lateral wall  11 ,  12 ,  13  defines at least a slot  14  and forms at least a locking board  15  thereon. Each locking board  15  comprises a tongue portion  150  with an orientation hole  151  defined thereon. Additionally, the locking board  15  of the second lateral wall  12  further comprises a fixing piece  152  extending vertically and upwardly from a front end thereof. The fixing piece  152  defines a pair of recesses  153 . An opening (not labeled) with a backward exposure, is arranged between the base  10  and the third lateral wall  13 , and a resilient piece  18  extends from the base  10  along a front-to-back direction into the opening. According to the miniaturization of smart card connectors, the resilient piece  18  keeps in a plane with the base  10 , which means that the resilient piece  18  doesn&#39;t bend downwardly. The terms “vertically, upwardly and front” are not meant to be limiting but is descriptive of depiction according to the claims. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5-6 , the insulating housing  2  comprises a top surface  20 , a bottom surface  21 , a first lateral side  22 , a second lateral side  23  and a third lateral side  24 . Each lateral side  22 ,  23 ,  24  forms at least a protrusion  25  correspondingly received in the slot  14  of the metal shield  1 . The top surface  20  comprises a depressed portion  200  for defining the card receiving room and an L-shaped depressed portion  201  beside the depressed portion  200  for receiving the ejector  4 . The depressed portion  200  forms a plurality of limiting boards  26  extending from upper surfaces of the first and second lateral walls  22 ,  23  for guiding and limiting the inserted electrical card  5 . The L-shaped depressed portion  201  comprises a sliding channel  2011 , a heart-shaped channel  2012  communicating with the sliding channel  2011  and a guiding channel  2010  located at a side of the guiding channel  2010  and the sliding channel  2011 . The heart-shaped channel  2012  comprises a pair of front-to-back extending channels, a pair of inclined channels, respectively connecting with the front-to-back extending channels, communicating with each other and a slant channel connecting the pair of front-to-back extending channels in this embodiment, however, it is not limiting. The bottom surface  21  comprises a receiving portion  210  having a plurality of stepped portions  211 . 
   The terminal module  3  comprises a body portion  30  and a plurality of signal terminals  31  each having a contacting portion (not labeled) and a soldering portion (not labeled). The body portion  30  forms a pair of first extending portions  300  at a front part, a second extending portion  301  at a rear end and a pair of metal ears  302  assembled at opposite sides of a middle part, respectively and correspondingly mating with the stepped portions  211  of the receiving portion  210 . Because the shape of the terminal module  3  is approximately the same with the receiving portion  210  of the insulating housing  2 , the terminal module  3  is entirely received in the receiving portion  210 . The signal terminals  31  are arranged in two row-arrays along the card insertion/ejection direction and the contacting portions extend beyond a top surface of the body portion  30  and into the card receiving room so as to electrically contact with the electrical card  5 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7-8 , the ejector  4  comprises an L-shaped drawer plate  40 , a slider pin  41  with two ends  411 ,  412  bending downwardly and a resilient portion  42  being as a spring in this embodiment. The drawer plate  40  forms a first arm plate  400  extending along the card insertion/ejection direction and a second arm plate  401  extending at a right-angle from a front end of the first arm plate  400  in a horizontal plane. The first arm plate  400  defines a retaining hole  4000  at a rear part thereof for a first end  411  of the slider pin  41  extending through, a limiting hole  4001  at a front part thereof for confining movement of a second end  412  of the slider pin  41  and a guiding wall  4002  extending vertically and downwardly from a right hand side of the first arm plate  400 . The guiding wall  4002  is moveably received in the guiding channel  2010  of the insulating housing  2 . The second arm plate  401  comprises a confronting surface  4010  extending vertically and downwardly from an inner side thereof so that the electrical card  5 , whose front edge confronts with the confronting surface  4010 , can be drawn out of the card receiving room by the drawer plate  40  when a second thrust is pressed on the electrical card  5  (a first thrust pushes the electrical card  5  into the card receiving room). The first end  411  of the slider pin  41  has a free end thereof extending towards the second end  412  of the slider pin  41 . The first end  411  of the slider pin  41  goes through the retaining hole  4000  and locks with the resilient portion  42 . The second end  412  of the slider pin  41  is limited by the limiting hole  4001  and moveably received in the heart-shaped channel  2012 . The resilient portion  42  forms a hook at each end. The first hook  420  locks with the first end  411  of the slider pin  41  and the second hook  402  locks with the recesses  153  of the fixing piece  152  of the metal shield  1  for not breaking off the metal shield  1 . 
   The second end  412  of the slider pin  41  of the ejector  4  moves in the heart-shaped channel  2012  during the push-and-pull of the electrical card  5 . When the second end  412  of the slider pin  41  is positioned at the jointing point of the inclined channels of the heart-shaped channel  2012 , the electrical card  5  is completely received in the electrical card connector  100 . As this moment, the slider pin  41  reposes and is easy to rise up to disengage from the heart-shaped channel  2012  cause of the resumable resilient portion  42 . The resilient piece  18 , which extends from the base  10  of the metal shield  1  along the front-to-back direction, presses against the second end  412  of the slider pin  41  to prevent the second end  412  from disengaging from the heart-shaped channel  2012 . For the shorter length of the resilient piece  18 , the resilient piece  18  has a larger stress so that it prevents the second end  412  from rising up and disengaging away from the heart-shaped channel  2012  more effectively. 
   In fact, whether the resilient piece  18  extends along the front-to-back direction is not absolute, if we change over a location of the three parts of the ejector  4 , in which, the retaining hole  4000  is arranged at a front part of the limiting hole  4001  on the first arm plate  400 , and the first end  411  of the slider pin  41  locked with the retaining hole  4000  is located at a front part of the second end  412  limited in the limiting hole  4001 , accordingly, the resilient piece  18  correspondingly extending towards a back-to-front direction can also achieve the above object. 
   While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims.