Abstract:
An electrical card connector for receiving a card comprising: an insulative Housing ( 1 ) defining a card receiving space ( 15 ), and comprising a plurality of side Portions ( 11, 12, 13 ); a plurality of contacts ( 5 ) received in the housing; and a detecting switch( 3 ) mounted on one of the side portions ( 13 ) of the housing, and comprising a first contact ( 31 ) and a second contact ( 32 ), the second contact forming an engaging portion extending into the receiving space; and the first contact and the second contact being closed after the card being inserted into the receiving space in a vertical direction.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to an electrical card connector, and more specially to an electrical card connector having a detecting switch for detecting full inserting of an electrical card in a vertical direction. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     A SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card connector is always used in a mobile phone for connecting a SIM card to a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) electrically, and it commonly comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the housing, a shell covering the housing and a receiving space defined by the housing and shell. Respective ends of the contacts extend into the receiving space for contacting with an inserted SIM card, and the other ends of the contacts are soldered on the PCB. The shell can rotate around the housing to be open or closed. The shell is rotationally assembled to the housing such that the shell can be rotated to the housing to close the receiving space, or rotated away from the housing to open the receiving space. The SIM card can be disposed into the receiving space in a front-to-back direction when the shell is located at the opened position, and then the shell can be rotated with respect to the housing and is retained to the housing finally. Actually, some of the contacts of the SIM card connector are used as a detecting switch for detecting whether the card is fully inserted or not, and the rest contacts are used for retrieving information from the SIM card or supplying power to the SIM card. So the contacts play different functions, they need to be sorted before there are soldered on the PCB, and the design of the PCB will become complicated, accordingly. 
     Hence, it is desirable to have an improved card connector to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector with a detecting switch for detecting full inserting of a card when the card is inserted in a vertical direction. 
     In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical card connector, for receiving a card, comprises: an insulative housing defining a card receiving space, and comprising a plurality of side portions; a plurality of contacts received in the housing; a shell rotationally assembled to the housing to between an open position or a closed position; and a detecting switch mounted on one of the side portions of the housing, the detecting switch comprising a first contact and a second contact, the second contact comprising an engaging portion projecting into the receiving space; wherein the first contact and the second contact set to an opened position before the card is inserted into the receiving space, and the first contact and the second contact are closed after the card is inserted into the receiving space in a vertical direction and engages the engaging portion. 
     Other objects, 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 DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of the electrical card connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a view similar to the  FIG. 2 , but taken from other aspect; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the electrical card connector, with the shell located in an opened position; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the electrical card connector, with the shell located in a closed, but unlocked position; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the electrical card connector with the shell located in a closed and locked position; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional show of the electrical card connector before the electrical card inserted into the connector, with the detecting switch located in an opened position; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross sectional show of the electrical card connector after the electrical card is inserted into the connector, and with the detecting switch located in a closed position; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an electrical card connector according to a second embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 10  an exploded, perspective view of the electrical card connector shown in  FIG. 15 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 8 , an electrical connector  100 , for receiving an electrical card  6 , comprises an insulative housing  1 , with a plurality of contacts  5  received in the housing  1  therein, a shell  2  pivotally assembled to substantially cover the housing  1 , a detecting switch  3  and a pair of grounding pieces  4  located at the lateral side of the housing  1 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 6 , the shell  2  comprises a top wall  21 , a pair of lateral side walls  26  extending downwardly from the opposite sides of the top wall  21  and a pair of soldering pads  23  bending inwardly from the bottom of the lateral side walls  26 . The lateral side wall  26  forms an axial shaft  24  at the front thereof and a latch  27  at the rear end thereof. The shell  2  further comprises a pair of retaining pieces  22  extending downwardly from the top wall  21 , and the retaining piece  22  is aligned with the lateral side wall  26  in a front-to-back direction, it further forms a dimple  220 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 8 , the insulative housing  1  comprises a base portion  14  and a plurality of side portions extending upwardly from the base portion  14 , the side portions are referred to as a first side portion  11 , a second side portion  12  and a third side portion  13 . A card receiving space  15  is defined by the base portion  14  and the three side portions. The base portion  14  of the housing  1  forms a plurality of passageway  142  and an opening  141  located at the front of the passageway  142 . The first side portion  11  and the second side portion  12  set a socket  122  for respectively and rotationally receiving the axial shaft  24  of the shell  2  therein, and the shell  2  can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise centered the axial shaft  24  disposed within the socket  122  to an opened position or a closed position, the axial shaft  24  can be further driven to move backwardly and is retained proximate a window  123  of the housing  1  so as to be locked to the housing or unlocked therefrom. The first side portion  11  and the second side portion  12  further define gaps  110  respectively for retaining the grounding pieces  4 , and these gaps  110  are mounted at the lateral side of the side portions  11 ,  12 . A locking member  115  is disposed at the rear end of the side portions  11 ,  12 , respectively, which can interlock with the latches  27  of the shell  2  for locking or unlocking the shell  2 . The second side portion  12  further has a fixed portion  116 , and the fixed portion  116  projects into the receiving space  15  for matching up with a notch  61  of electrical card  6 , and the electrical card  6  is positioned by the fixed portion  116  in the receiving space  15 , and the fixed portion  116  can be used to also avoid the ejection of the card  6  in the front-to-back direction. The third side portion  13  is located at the front of the base portion  11  for holding the detecting switch  3 , and it comprises a cavity  135  and a plurality of retaining gaps  131 , and the cavity  135  connects with the card receiving space  15 . 
     The detecting switch  3  comprises a first contact  31  and a second contact  32 , and they are retained on the third side portion  13  transversely. The first contact  31  comprises a first connecting portion  312 , a first retaining portion  311  bending from the end of the first connecting portion  312 , a first soldering portion  313  bending outwardly from the bottom of the first connecting portion  312  and a first contacting portion  314  with a tuber  315 . The configuration of the second contact  32  is similar to the first contact  31 , and it comprises a second connecting portion  322 , a second retaining portion  321 , a second contacting portion  324  and a second soldering portion  323 . The first contacting portion  314  and the second contacting portion  324  are disposed in the cavity  135 , and the first retaining portion  311  and the second retaining portion  321  are held in the retaining gap  131 . The second contact  32  further comprises an engaging portion  325  which inclines in an up-to-down direction. The detecting switch  3  is set in an opened position before the electrical card  6  is inserted into the connector  100 , and the engaging portion  325  is disposed in the receiving space  15 . When the electrical card  6  is inserted into the receiving space  15 , the engaging portion  325  is moved from the receiving space  15  into the cavity  135 , and then the second contacting portion  314  connects with the first contacting portion  324  electrically. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 4 , the grounding piece  4  is made of metal and comprises a main portion  41 , a pair of holding portions  42  located at the two ends of the main portion  41  and a grounding pad  43  extending outwardly from the bottom of the main portion  41 . The main portion  41  forms a hole  410  for receiving the dimple  220  of the shell  2  when the shell  2  is locked thereto. The main portion  41  is mounted between the second side portion  12  of the housing  1  and the lateral side wall  26  of the shell  2  to avoid the shell  2  in contacting with the housing  1  directly. The holding portions  42  are received in the gaps  110  of the housing  1  for holding the grounding pieces  4  on the first side portion  11  and the second side portion  12 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 3 , the contacts  5  are received in the base portion  14  of the housing  1 , and comprises a contacting portion  51 , a soldering portion  52  and a retaining portion  53  retained in the passageway  142  of the housing  1 . The contacting portion  51  is disposed in the opening  141 , which can move along the vertical direction within the opening  141 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 8 , the detecting switch  3  is set to an opened position before the electrical card  6  is inserted into the receiving space  15 . When the shell  2  is opened, the electrical card  6  is put into the receiving space  15  along the vertical direction to reduce the friction between the contacts  5  and the electrical card  6 , and then the card  6  is positioned by the fixed portion  116  of the housing  1 . The engaging portion  325  of the second contact  32  touches with the front edge of the electrical card  6 , and moves into the cavity  135 . The second contacting portion  324  of the second contact  32  is attached to the tuber  315  of the first contact  31  electrically. Then, the shell  2  is rotated as centered on the axial portion  24  to a closed position, then the shell  2  is further moved in the front-to-back direction to be locked. The latch  27  of the shell  2  engages with the locking member  115  of the housing  1  to keep the shell  2  in the closed position, at this moment, the dimple  220  of the shell  2  is retained in the hole  410  of the grounding piece  4  to limit the shell  2  to move in the front-to-back direction. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  show a second embodiment of the invention. Like reference numerals have been applied in  FIGS. 9 and 10  corresponding to like components described above in relation to the first embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 8 . Descriptions of those like components will not be repeated. 
     The main difference between the second embodiment of  FIGS. 9 and 10  and the first embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 8  is that: the shell  2 ′ is locked on the housing  1 ′ when the shell  2 ′ is pushed forwardly. Correspondingly, in the second embodiment the latch  27 ′ of the shell  2 ′ extends forwardly, and the housing  1 ′ sets a locking member  115 ′ mating with the latch  27 ′. 
     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.