Abstract:
An electrical card connector ( 100 ) includes an insulative housing ( 1 ), a number of contacts ( 2 ) assembled in the insulative housing, an ejector ( 4 ) assembled at a side of the insulative housing, and a metallic shell ( 3 ) comprising a stopper portion ( 313 ). The ejector includes a slider ( 41 ) moveable along a mating direction and an ejection direction opposite to the mating direction, a spring member ( 43 ) for urging the slider to move along the ejection direction, and a pin member ( 42 ) having one end ( 421 ) secured on the insulative housing and the other one end ( 422 ) moveably guided by the slider. The stopper portion ( 313 ) stops the spring member ( 43 ) from urging the slider ( 41 ) during movement of the slider along the ejection direction.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an electrical card connector, and more particularly to an electrical card connector with structure to prevent abrupt ejection, i.e., anti-flying out, of an inserted card during withdrawing the card. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     Normally, an electrical card connector is provided on an electronic product for receiving an electrical card and thereby transmitting signals between the card and a printed circuit board. Micro SD card connectors are normally used in mobile phones and the connector comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the insulative housing, a card lock assembled at a front of the insulative housing for securing the card, an ejector assembled at the same side but a rear of the insulative housing relative to the card lock for ejecting the card, and a metallic shell covering the insulative housing. The ejector comprises a slider, a pin member, and a spring element cooperatively ejecting the card. The card lock is usually retained on the slider. The card usually defines a notch at a lateral side thereof and the card lock protrudes into the notch of the card so that the card moves along with the slider of the ejector. In connection with ejecting a card, the metallic shell may form an elastic piece in frictional contact with the slider to slow down the slider, aiming at preventing the card from flying out of the card connector. In an alternate design, the elastic piece is formed on the insulative housing instead of the metallic shell, also interfering with the slider, slowing down the slider, and anti-flying the card out of the card connector. However, friction force is only part of the resultant force exerted on the slider. Force from the spring element is still acting on the slider at the same time when the elastic piece starts to slow down the slider. Friction force exerted by the elastic piece may be weaker than the force from the spring element, resulting that the spring element pushes the slider, and the card still flies out of the card connector. 
     Hence, an electrical card connector with improved card anti-flying feature is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector with improved card anti-flying feature. 
     To achieve the above object, an electrical card connector includes an insulative housing, a number of contacts assembled in the insulative housing, an ejector assembled at a side of the insulative housing, and a metallic shell comprising a stopper portion. The ejector includes a slider moveable along a mating direction and an ejection direction opposite to the mating direction, a spring member for urging the slider to move along the ejection direction, and a pin member having one end secured on the insulative housing and the other one end moveably guided by the slider. The stopper portion stops the spring member from urging the slider during movement of the slider along the ejection direction. 
     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 DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective, assembled view of an electrical card connector constructed in accordance with the present invention with an electrical card inserted therein; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective, partly exploded view of the electrical card connector; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective, fully exploded view of the electrical card connector; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the electrical card connector with a top cover is removed away for clarity; and 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical card connector when taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , an electrical card connector  100  in accordance with the present invention, used for receiving an electrical card  6 , comprises an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of contacts  2  retained in the insulative housing  1 , a metallic shell  3  covering the insulative housing  1 , an ejector  4  assembled at a lateral side of the insulative housing  1 , and a switch unit  5  assembled at a rear part of the insulative housing  1 . The metallic shell  3  cooperates with the insulative housing  1  for defining a card receiving space  10 . The electrical card  6  is inserted into the card receiving space  10  along a mating direction. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-3 , the insulative housing  1  comprises a main portion  11  extending along a transverse direction perpendicular to the mating direction, a first retaining portion  12  connecting to a lateral side of the main portion  11  and extending along the mating direction, and a second retaining portion  13  connecting to a rear part of the main portion  11  and extending parallel with the main portion  11 . The contacts  2  are retained at the main portion  11 , the ejector  4  is assembled at the first retaining portion  12 , and the switch unit  5  is assembled at the second retaining portion  13 . The second retaining portion  13  spaces away from the main portion  11  such that an interspace  14  is defined between second retaining portion  13  and the main portion  11 . The contacts  2  have a plurality of contacting portions  21  extending towards the second retaining portion  13 . The contacting portions  21  are cantilevered upon the interspace  14  and are deformable into the interspace  14  when the card  6  is inserted. The second retaining portion  13  defines a cutout  131  for retaining the switch unit  5 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , the ejector  4  comprises a slider  41 , a pin member  42 , and a spring member  43  cooperatively ejecting the card  6 . The first retaining portion  12  defines a lengthwise slot  121  for defining a path for the slider  41  and forms a recessed portion  122  at an outer edge of the lengthwise slot  121  for receiving the spring member  43 . The slot  121  has a larger width at an outer position where the card  6  is fully ejected and a shorter width at an inner position where the card  6  is fully inserted and finally terminates. Therefore, the slider  41  has a lock portion  411  gradually bending towards the card receiving space  10  for securing into a notch (not shown) of the card  6  such that the slider  41  moves together with the card  6  along the mating direction. The slider  41  defines a heart-shaped slot  412  from an upper side thereof and an abutting edge  413  interfering with the spring member  43 . The pin member  42  has a first end  421  secured to the rear part of the first retaining portion  12  and a second end  422  moveably received in the heart-shaped slot  412 . At the front of the recessed portion  122 , a front block wall  123  is formed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the metallic shell  3  comprises a flat portion  31  and a pair of sidewalls  32  extending downwardly from the flat portion  31 . The flat portion  31  has a first cantilevered beam  311  formed at a middle part thereof for pressing against the pin member  42 , preventing the pin member  42  from jumping out of the heart-shaped slot  412 . The flat portion  31  has a second cantilevered beam  312  at a front part thereof for interfering with the slider  41 , slowing down the slider  41  when the card  6  is in ejection. The sidewall  32  also forms a third cantilevered beam  321  interfering with the slider  41  when the card  6  is in ejection at the outer position. The third cantilevered beam  321  extends along an ejection direction opposite to the mating direction. The second cantilevered beam  312  extends along the mating direction. Corresponding to the positions of the pin member  42  and the spring member  43 , the first cantilevered beam  311  is located nearer to the card receiving space  10  than the second cantilevered beam  312 . The flat portion  31  further comprises a front stopper portion  313  between the first cantilevered beam  311  and the second cantilevered beam  312 . The spring member  43  received in the recessed portion  122  is forcibly braked by the front stopper portion  313  such that the spring member  43  no more provides elasticity to the abutting edge  413  of the slider  41  when the card  6  is moved to a certain position during ejection. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the switch unit  5  comprises a moveable contact  51 , a first immoveable contact  52 , and a second immoveable contact  53 . The moveable contact  51  has a soldering portion  511  extending out of the insulative housing  1 , a deflecting portion  513  contacting with the inserted card  6 , and a contacting portion  512  connection to either the first immoveable contact  52  or the second immoveable contact  53  for transmitting different signals. The first immoveable contact  52  has a first soldering pad  521  extending out of the insulative housing  1  for soldering on a printed circuit board and a first, front contacting pad  522  exposed in the cutout  131 . The second immoveable contact  53  also has a second soldering pad  531  extending out of the insulative housing  1  for soldering on the printed circuit board and a second, rear contacting pad  532  exposed in the cutout  131 . The first contacting pad  522  and the second contacting pad  532  are front-and-rear arranged and space away from each other. The deflecting portion  513  of the moveable contact  51  is pushed by the inserted card  6 , the contacting portion  512  first connects with the first, front contacting pad  522  and transmits an “ON” signal, and then the contacting portion  512  moves away from the first, front contacting pad  522  but not achieves the second, rear contacting pad  532  and transmits an “OFF” signal, following, the contacting portion  512  connects with the second, rear contacting pad  532  and turns to “ON” signal but does not stabilize at the “ON” signal, the moveable contact  51  moves back to and terminates at the “OFF” location. Chronically said switch unit  5  experiences an “ON-OFF-ON-OFF” switch cycle when said card  6  is moved between the outer position and the inner position. 
     In an preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front stopper portion  311  is positioned above the front block wall  123  of the insulative housing  1  for cooperatively braking the spring member  43  at the certain position. Therefore, the spring member  43  no more provides elastic force to the abutting edge  413  of the slider  41  when the card  6  is moved to a certain position during ejection. When the card  6  is ejected from the inner position to the outer position, the slider  41  turns around laterally along the recessed portion  122 , and therefore, the lock portion  411  slightly separates away from the notch of the card  6 . The third cantilevered beam  321  interferes with the slider  41  for preventing the slider  41  from excessively turning around, thereby preventing the card  6  from easily dropping out of the card receiving space  100  at the outer position. The card  6  is not ejected from the card receiving space  100  until the user pulls the card  6  therefrom, which at this moment becomes easier because the spring member  43  is not exerting any force on the slider  41  tending to lock the lock portion  411  to the card  6 . 
     In the present invention, the spring member  43  is forcedly braked by front stopper portion  313  of the metallic shell  3  at least. Therefore, the spring member  43  no more provides elastic force to the slider  41 . The spring member  43  is compelled to separate from the slider  41 . Finally, the slider  41  is slowed down by interfering with the second cantilevered beam  312 . Because the slider  41  accepts no more pushing force from the spring member  43 , the slider  41  is easily slowed down and is prevented from flying out of the card connector  100  during ejecting the card  6 . 
     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.