Abstract:
A card connector comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the insulative housing and a metallic cover covering the insulative housing. The contact includes a retaining portion, an extending portion horizontally and forwardly extending from the retaining portion, a connecting portion downwardly and forwardly aslant extending from the extending portion, a floating portion downwardly from the connecting portion and a contacting portion further downwardly extending from the floating portion. There are two bending points on linking portions of the connecting portion connecting with the floating portion and the extending portion, respectively. By such arrangement, when the electrical card is inserted, the contact can rotate about the two bending points in turn, that can improve an elasticity of the contact.

Description:
[0001]    This application relates to the copending application with attorney docket number US53338. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to an electrical card connector, and more particularly to an electrical card connector with contact module. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Prior Arts 
         [0005]    TaiWan Patent No. M397629, published on Feb. 1, 2011 discloses an electrical card connector. The electrical card connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the insulative housing, and a shell covering the insulative housing. Each of the contact includes a fixing portion, a connecting portion extending from the fixing portion forwardly, and an engaging portion extending from the connecting portion forwardly. When an electrical card is inserted into the electrical card connector, the electrical card pushes the engaging portion and the engaging portion drives the connecting portion rotary around a connecting point between the fixing portion and the connecting portion. Under a long-term use, the contact may occur a permanent deformation in the connecting point, and the electrical card connector will be in a bad usage effect. 
         [0006]    An electrical card connector having a plurality of contacts in a stable state is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An electrical card connector comprises an insulative housing, an contact module fixed in the insulative housing, and a shell covering the insulative housing. The contact module has an insulative block and a plurality of conductive contacts. Each of the conductive contacts comprises a fixing portion extending along a horizontal direction and received in the insulative block, an extending portion extending from the fixing portion forwardly, a floating portion extending from the extending portion downwardly, and an engaging portion bending from the floating portion downwardly. The conductive contact defines a bending point between the floating portion and the extending portion. The insulative block comprises a plurality of tubers protruding from a front face forwardly, and located behind the floating portion and under the extending portion. When the engaging portion is pushed backwardly, the floating portion deflects around the bending point and relies on the tuber. 
         [0008]    Other advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the electrical connector as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a further exploded view of the electrical connector as shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is another exploded view of the electrical connector as shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a contact module of the electrical card connector as shown in  FIG. 4 ; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the contact module as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0015]    Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
         [0016]      FIGS. 1-3  show an electrical card connector including an insulative housing  1 , a contact module  3  received in the insulative housing  1 , a plurality of additional contacts  4 , and a shell  2  covering the insulative housing  1 . 
         [0017]      FIGS. 2-5  show the insulative housing  1  including a bottom wall  111 , a top wall  112 , two side walls  113  connecting the bottom wall  111  and the top wall  112 , a rear wall  114 , a front wall  117 , and a connecting wall  116 . The connecting wall  116  is defined between the front wall  117  and the rear wall  114 . The connecting wall  116  connects the top wall  112  with the bottom wall  111 . The insulative housing  1  includes a receiving space or slot  1120  used for receiving an electrical card (not shown). The receiving space  1120  is formed by the front wall  117 , the bottom wall  111 , two side walls  113  and the connecting wall  116 . The receiving space  1120  extends through the top wall  112 , and an opening  1121  is formed in the top wall  112 . The electrical card is inserted into the receiving space  1120  through the opening  1121 . The insulative housing  1  includes a front mounting wall  118  and a rear mounting wall  115 , and a mounting space  1141  recessed from the rear wall  114  forwardly. The connecting wall  116  includes a plurality of contact receiving slots  1161  connecting with the receiving space  1120 . The rear mounting wall  115  includes a plurality of contact fixing slots  1151  aligned to the contact receiving slots  1161 , respectively. The insulative housing  1  includes two grooves  1131  each defined on inside of the two side walls  113  and a fixing slot  1132  behind the groove  1131 . 
         [0018]      FIGS. 4-5  show the contact module  3  mounted into the mounting space  1141  of the insulative housing  1  from a back-to-front direction. The contact module  3  includes an insulative block  12  and a plurality of contacts fixed to the insulative block  12 . The insulative block  12  includes a top face  121 , a bottom face  122 , two side faces  123  connecting the top face  121  with the bottom face  122 , a front face  124  and a rear face  125 . The insulative block  12  includes a plurality of cutouts  1211  recessed from the front face  124  backwardly and extending through the top face  121  and the bottom face  122 . The insulative block  12  includes a plurality of ribs  1231  protruding from each of the two side faces  123  outwardly. Each of the ribs  1231  includes a holding portion  1232  outwardly protruding from a rear end thereof. Each of the ribs  1231  is received in the groove  1131 , and the holding portion  1232  is received in the fixing slot  1132 . 
         [0019]      FIGS. 5-6  show the contacts including a first contact group and a second contact group. The first contact group includes a plurality of first contacts  31 . The second contact group includes a plurality of second contacts  32 , which is also called conductive contacts  32 . The second contact group is used for connecting to a Secure Digital Memory Card electrically. The first contact group and the second contact group are used for connecting to a MultiMedia Card 4.0 electrically. The first contact  31  includes a first fixing portion (not shown) fixed into the insulative block  12 , a first extending portion  311  extending from the first fixing portion, a first connecting portion  312  extending from the first extending portion  311  downwardly and forwardly, a first floating portion  313  extending from the first connecting portion  312  downwardly, and a first engaging/contacting portion  314  extending from the first floating portion  313  downwardly. The second contact  32  includes a second fixing portion (not shown) fixed into the insulative block  12 , a second extending portion  321  extending from the second fixing portion, a second floating portion  322  extending from the second extending portion  321  downwardly, and a second engaging/contacting portion  323  extending from the second floating portion  322  downwardly. The rightmost contact  32  of the second contacts  32  includes a free end  324  extending from the second engaging portion  323  downwardly. The first engaging portion  314  is higher than the second engaging portion  323 . The first fixing portions are aligned along a row and the second fixing portions are aligned along another row under the first fixing portions. Each of the first contacts  31  includes a first soldering foot  315  extending from the other end of the first fixing portion downwardly. Each of the second contacts  32  includes a second soldering foot  325  extending from the other end of the second fixing portion downwardly. The first soldering foot  315  and the second soldering foot  325  extend beyond the insulative block  12 . 
         [0020]      FIGS. 4-5  show the insulative block  12  including a plurality of tubers  1241  protruding from the front face  124  forwardly. Each of the tubers  124  is behind the second floating portion  322  and under the second extending portion  321 . When the electrical card is not inserted into, the second floating portion  322  is separated from the tuber  1241 . 
         [0021]    The insulative block  12  is mounted into the mounting space  1141  from a back-to-front direction. The first contact group and the second contact group are received in the contact receiving slots  1161 . The first engaging portions  314  and the second engaging portions  323  are exposed in the receiving space  1120 . The first soldering feet  315  and the second soldering feet  325  are received in the contact fixing slots  1151 . 
         [0022]    Each of the first contacts  31  includes a first bending point  3121  and a second bending point  3111 . The first bending point  3121  is defined between the first floating portion  313  and the first connecting portion  312 . The second bending point  3111  is defined between the first connecting portion  312  and the first extending portion  311 . The second contact  32  includes a third bending point  3211  defined between the second floating portion  322  and the second extending portion  321 . When the electrical card inserted into the receiving space  1120 , the first engaging portion  314  deflects by a pushing force perpendicular to an insertion force backwardly and the first floating portion  313  deflects around the first bending point  3121  backwardly. When the first floating portion  313  deflects to a certain location backwardly, the first connecting portion  312  deflects around the second bending point  3111  backwardly. This strengthens an elasticity of the first contact  31 . When the electrical card pushes the second engaging portion  323 , the second floating portion  322  deflects around the third bending point  3211  backwardly, till the second floating portion  322  relies on the tuber  1241  and a relying point is formed. Because of the tuber  1241 , the relying point become a revolving point instead of the third bending point  3211 , and this can protect the third bending point  3211 . This prevent the second contact  32  from revolving around the third bending point  3211  excessively, and this strengthens an elasticity of the second contact  32 . 
         [0023]    The shell  2  includes an upper shell  22  and a lower shell  21 . The lower shell  21  defines a cavity  211  and an elastic arm  212 . The bottom wall  111  of the insulative housing  1  is received in the cavity  211 . The upper shell  22  covers the insulative housing  1 . The upper shell  22  includes a window  221  corresponding to the opening  1121 . The upper shell  22  includes a plurality of the soldering portions  222  extending from a side plate downwardly. 
         [0024]      FIGS. 2-3  show each of the two side walls  113  of the insulative housing  1  including a contact setting slots  1133  extending to the receiving space  1120 . One of the two side walls  113  includes a contact recessing slot  1134  defined behind the contact setting slot  1133 . The additional contacts  4  include a first detecting contact  41  and a second detecting contact  42 . The first detecting contact  41  and the second detecting contact  42  are installed in the two side walls  113  of the insulative housing  1 . The first detecting contact  41  includes a first fixing portion  411 , a first tensile portion  412  extending from the first fixing portion  411  upwardly, a first guiding portion  413  bending from the first tensile portion  412  upwardly, and a first contact portion  414  extending from the first guiding portion  413 . The first contacting portion  414  does not contact with the shell  2 . The first detecting contact  41  and the shell  2  used for detecting a writing protect state of the electrical card. The second detecting contact  42  includes a second fixing portion  421 , a second contact portion  422  extending from the second fixing portion  421  horizontally, and a second guiding portion  423  extending from the second fixing portion  421  upwardly. The second contact portion  422  is located behind the free end  324  of the second contact  32 . The second guiding portion  423  connects with the elastic arm  212  of the lower shell  21 . When the electrical card is inserted into the electrical card connector, the free end  324  of the second contact  32  connects to the second contact portion  422  of the second detecting contact  42 , and the second detecting contact  42  and a second contact  32  are used for detecting an insertion state of the electrical card connector. The additional contacts  4  also include a strengthening contact  43  defined in front of the second detecting contact  42 . The strengthening contact  43  includes an elastic portion  431  received in the contact setting slot  1133  and protruding to the receiving space  1120 . The elastic portion  431  is used for strengthening the insertion force of the electrical card. 
         [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 broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.