Abstract:
A card connector comprises an insulating housing; a plurality of contacts retained in the insulating housing; a shielding being approximate encircled fame to defining a card receiving space with a card inserting opening at one end thereof along a card inserting direction and another opening cooperated with the housing at the other end thereof, the shielding having a pair of opposite side edges, one of the side edges being in substantially linear configuration and the other of the side edges being in a step configuration so that width of the card inserting opening is wider than that of the insulating housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention is generally related to a card connector, and more particularly, to a card connector having a bottom plate.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Most notebooks are provided with PC card connectors for accommodating PC cards as storage mediums. For adapting to developments of the communication technology and electronic technology, the industry standard of the PC card need to update ceaselessly. According to the newest industry standard (Expresscard PC Card Standard), express cards which have more quicker speed than conventional PC cards at data transmission are achieved. Thus, express card connectors are also achieved for receiving express cards. The express card has two types in configuration, one is rectangular and another is L-shaped.  
         [0005]     A conventional express card connector is approximately L-shaped and can receive a rectangular express card or a L-shaped express card. The card connector comprises an upper shielding disposed on an insulating housing thereof to define a card receiving space. However, one side of the card receiving space faced to a bottom face of the housing is open. When the L-shaped card is inserted into the card connector, because the L-shaped card has an approximate configuration and dimension with the card connector and the card connector is formed with a guiding member to guide the insertion and hold a bottom face of the L-shaped card, thus the L-shaped card can insert into a card receiving space of the card connector to electrically connect with electrical contacts precisely.  
         [0006]     However, when the rectangular express card is inserted into the card receiving space of the card connector, because width of card receiving space is wider than that of the rectangular card and no means to hold the card, thus the card can&#39;t connect with electrical contacts precisely on occasion but fall out of the card receiving space of the card connector.  
         [0007]     Hence, an improved card connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the related art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provided a card connector which has a bottom plate.  
         [0009]     To achieve the above objects, a card connector comprises an insulating housing; a plurality of contacts retained in the insulating housing; a shielding being approximate encircled fame to defining a card receiving space with a card inserting opening at one end thereof along a card inserting direction and another opening cooperated with the housing at the other end thereof, the shielding having a pair of opposite side edges, one of the side edges being in substantially linear configuration and the other of the side edges being in a step configuration so that width of the card inserting opening is wider than that of the insulating housing.  
         [0010]     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with attached drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a card connector in accordance with the present invention and a printed circuit board to which the electrical card connector is to be mounted;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the card connector shown in  FIG. 1  with a shielding being apart from a housing;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the card connector shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view of the card electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1  with a bottom plate not assembled;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the card electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the shielding and an ejector of the card connector shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an electrical card connector  1  in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongated insulating housing  10  having a plurality of connector terminals  20 , a pair of soldering pieces  30  received in the insulating housing  10 , a shielding  40 , a bottom plate  50  disposed under the shielding  40 , a guide element  60 , a pair of stand off devices  70  and an ejector  80 .  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the elongated insulating housing  10  has a base  11 , a pair of guiding arms  12  extending backwardly from opposite ends of the base  11  and a mating portion  14  extending from a lower part of the base  11  and disposed between the two guiding arms  12 . The base  11  is formed with a block  15  at the front side edge thereof for engaging with the shielding  40 . Each guiding arm  12  defines a slot  122  extending downwardly from the upper surface thereof and opening in a side face thereof and a plurality of latch holes  126  besides the slot  122 . The mating portion  14  is formed with a plurality of parallel channels  142  for receiving the connector terminals  20 . Each connector terminals  20  has a contact portion  22  for electrical connecting with a card, a tail  24  for electrically connecting with a printed circuit board and a fixing portion (not shown) disposed between the contact portion  22  and the tail  24  and fixed in the channels  142  of the insulating housing  10 .  
         [0020]     The soldering pieces  30  are inserted into the slots  122  of the guiding arm  12 , respectively, and each of the soldering pieces  30  has a vertical wall  31  retained in the slot  122  with a plurality of stabs  33  formed on the side edge thereof interferentially engaging with an inner surface of the slot  122  and a leg  32  extending from the vertical wall  31  and protruding out of the insulating housing  10  to fixing on a grounding pad of the printed circuit board. Since the slot  122  opens in the side face of the guiding arm  12 , a part of the vertical wall  31  is exposed.  
         [0021]     Referring to FIGS.  2  to  5 , the shielding  40 , served as an upper shielding, is formed and stamped a metallic sheet. The shielding  40  has a main body  41  in L-shaped and a plurality of side edges extending downwardly from edges of the main body  41  to form a card receiving space for accommodating the electrical card cooperating with the main body  41 . These side edges comprise a front side edge  42  extending from a front edge of the main body  41 , a first and a second side edges  43 ,  44  at opposite sides of the front side edge  42 , a third side edge  45  disposed in the same side with the first side edge  43 , a fourth side edge  46  disposed in the same side with the second side edge  44  and a longitudinal side edge  47 . The first and the second side edges  43 ,  44  are respectively adjacent to opposite ends of the front side edge  42 , the third and the fourth side edges  45 , 46  are respectively parallel to the first and the second side edges  43 ,  44 . The longitudinal side edge  47  is disposed between the second side edges  44  and the fourth side edge  46 .  
         [0022]     When the shielding  40  is assembled on the insulating housing  10 , the main body  41  covers an upper surface of the insulating housing  10 , the front side edge  42  shields the front face of the housing  10  and defines a gap  421  to engage with the block  15  of the housing  10 , and the first and the second side edges  43 ,  44  respectively cover the side face of the guiding arm  12 . The first side edge  43  is formed with a plurality of latches  432  extending into corresponding latch holes  122  to fix the shielding  40  to the insulating housing  10 . The first side edge  43  defines a cut  433  for the ejecting rod  85  of the ejector  80  passing there through. Further more the first side edge  43  is formed with an elastic piece  431  extending inwardly to electrically abut against the corresponding soldering piece  30  received in the slot  122 . The second side edge  44  has a same configuration with the first side edge  43 , and has a plurality of latches  442 , a cut  443  and an elastic piece  441  abutting against the corresponding soldering piece  30 .  
         [0023]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , horizontal plates  451 , 461  extends inwardly from hemlines of the third and the fourth side edge  45 ,  46 , respectively. Guide grooves  452 ,  462  are defined between the horizontal plates  451 , 461  and the main body  41  for guiding and holding the insertion/ejection of the car. The horizontal plates  451 ,  461  are formed with a plurality of extrusive slices  455 ,  465  along the inserting direction of the card to define a plurality of cuts  454 ,  464  with the side edges  45 ,  46 . The main body  41  is formed with a plurality of depressed slices  411  above the cuts  454 ,  464  and the slices  455 ,  465 . The card will not swash in an up and down direction in the card receiving space of the shielding  40  due to being resiliently sandwiched by these oppositely disposed slices  411 ,  455 ,  465 . The longitudinal side edge  47  is bended backwardly from a hemline thereof to form a receive portion  471  for the guide element  60  with a spring arm  470  extending to the receive portion  471 .  
         [0024]     Referring to FIGS.  3  to  5 , the bottom plate  50 , served as a lower shielding, is formed a metal sheet and has a approximate configuration with the shielding  40 . The bottom plate  50  is formed with a plurality of clasps  53  with locking portions  530  corresponding to the cuts  454 ,  464  on a pair of side edges thereof along the card inserting direction and a locking arm  54  arranged between the clasps  53  on the same side edge and extending backward. When the bottom plate  50  is assembled on the shielding  40 , the clasps  53  are locking in the cuts  454 ,  464  of the horizontal plates  451 ,  461  with the locking portion  530  being inserted into. The locking arms  54  are also inserted into the cuts  454 ,  464  to prevent the bottom plate  50  from moving along the card inserting direction.  
         [0025]     Referring to FIGS.  2  to  4 , the guider element  60  is approximately in a triangle shape, and has a board  61  and a L-shaped perpendicular side edge  62  extending forwards and downwardly from the front of the board  61 . The board  61  is received in the receive portion  471  of the longitudinal side edge  47  and abuts against the fourth side edge  46 , the perpendicular side edge  62  abuts against the second side edge  44  of the shielding plate  40 . The perpendicular side edge  62  is formed with a projection  63  and a depressed portion  64  on an out surface thereof, the spring arm  470  of the longitudinal side edge  47  is abutting against an inner side edge of the depressed portion  64 , and the second side edge  44  of the shielding plate  40  is formed with a fixing hole  444  engaging with the projection  63  of the guider element  50 . The perpendicular side edge  62  is defined a guide channel  65  extending from the front portion of the perpendicular side edge  62  for guiding the electrical card inserting into or ejecting out of the electrical card connector  1 .  
         [0026]     Each of the stand off device  70  has a flake  71  assembling on the shielding  40  and an engaging portion  72  soldered to a grounding pad of the printed board circuit. Further more the stand off device  70  in the same side with the ejector  80  is provided with an extrusive plate  73  extending upwardly (referring to  FIG. 6 ).  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the ejector  80  is attached to the third side edge  45  of the shielding plate  40  and comprises a slider  81  having a heart groove, a push rod  82 , a spring  83 , a link pin  84  and an ejecting rod  85 . The push rod  82  is slidely assembled on the slider  81 . The spring  83  has a two ends, one end is fasten to the extrusive plate  73  of the stand off  70  assembled on the shielding  40 , and the other clasps to the push rod  82  to drive the push rod  82  to slider toward an original position of the push rod  82 . The link pin  84  connects with the push rod  82  and may slider in the heart groove of the slider  81 . The ejecting rod  85  is sandwiched in between the insulating housing  10  and the shielding  40  by passing through the cuts  433 ,  443  of the shielding  40  and pivotably connecting with the push rod  82 .  
         [0028]     The ejector  80  is a push-push type, during inserting the electrical card into the e card connector  1 , a front face of the electrical card push the ejecting rod  85  to rotate, so that the push rod  82  is brought to move rearward along with the ejecting rod  85  and the link pin  84  slides in the heart groove. In this state, the spring  83  is deformed until the link pin  84  into a lock position of the heart groove, whereby the electrical card is fully inserted into the electrical card connector  1  and electrical connects with the contactor terminal  20 . Pushing the electrical card forward again, the link pin  84  is released from the lock position, then the push rod  82  move forward driven by the resilience force of the spring  83  to bring the ejecting rod  85  to eject the electrical card out of the electrical card connector  1 .  
         [0029]     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.