Patent Publication Number: US-6666695-B1

Title: Electronic card connector having power contacts

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electronic card connector, and particularly to an electronic card connector having signal contacts and power contacts for respectively transmitting signal and power. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Electronic card connectors are widely used in electronic products, such as personal computers, for electrically connecting with inserted electronic cards which function as removable mass storage devices. A conventional electronic card connector generally comprises a pair of parallel guiding arms, a head portion located between the guiding arms, and a plurality of signal contacts retained in the head portion for electrically connecting with an inserted electronic card and a mother board on which the electronic card connector is seated. However, the conventional electronic card connectors cannot be used in certain applications requiring power transmission, such as multimedia and high-speed networking. Furthermore, there is a difficulty in reasonably arranging additional power contacts to the conventional electronic card connector for carrying power. 
     Hence, the present invention aims to provide an electronic card connector having power contacts for carrying power. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic card connector having signal contacts and power contacts for transmitting signal and power, respectively. 
     In order to achieve the object set forth, an electronic card connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulating housing including a head section and a pair of guiding arms extending rearwardly from opposite ends of the head section, and a plurality of signal and power contacts retained in the head section. The head section is step-shaped having a body and a projection located above the body. The projection has a rear face extending rearwardly beyond a rear face of the body. The signal and power contacts are respectively retained in the body and the projection of the head section for electrically connecting to the inserted circuit card. 
    
    
     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 top assembled perspective view of an electronic card connector having power contacts in accordance with the present invention and a circuit card to be inserted into the electronic card connector; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom assembled perspective view of the electronic card connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic card connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 a  is an enlarged perspective view of a pair of vertically aligned signal contacts of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 3 b  is an enlarged perspective view of a pair of differential power contacts of FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic card connector, showing the circuit card electrically engaging with the signal and power contacts of the electronic card connector. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electronic card connector  1  in accordance with the present invention and a circuit card  6  to be inserted into the electronic card connector  1  are shown. The circuit card  6  has signal solder pads  62  on upper and lower sides thereof adjacent to a front edge  60  thereof and power solder pads  64  on the upper side thereof. 
     Referring to FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2, the electronic card connector  1  comprises an insulating housing  2  and a plurality of signal contacts  3  and power contacts  4  retained in the insulating housing  2  respectively for signal and power transmission. The insulating housing  2  includes a step-shaped head section  20  and a pair of guiding arms  22  extending rearwardly from opposite ends of the head section  20  to define a card-receiving space  200  therebetween for receiving the circuit card  6 . The guiding arms  22  define a pair of opposite guiding channels  220  for guiding the insertion of the circuit card  6 . The head section  20  has an elongated body  202  with two rows of passageways  2020  extending therethrough in a back-to-front direction, and a projection  204  located above the body  202  with a row of cavities  2040  extending therethrough in the back-to-front direction. The projection  204  has a rear face  2042  extending rearwardly beyond a rear face  2022  of the body  202 . 
     The signal and power contacts  3 ,  4  are respectively formed from a metal sheet. The signal and power contacts  3 ,  4  are respectively inserted into the passageways  2020  and the cavities  2040  of the head section  20  in the back-to-front direction. Referring to FIG. 3 a , each pair of vertically aligned signal contacts  3  are arranged in a mirror-image relationship. Each signal contact  3  includes a retention portion  30  for being fixedly retained in the body  202 , a socket-shaped mating portion  32  extending forwardly from the retention portion  30  for engaging with a complementary connector (not shown), and a rear tail portion  34  extending rearwardly from the retention portion  30  into the card-receiving space  200  for electrically connecting with the circuit card  6  using a Surface Mount Technology (SMT). The tail portions  34  of the signal contacts  3  are arranged in upper and lower rows and spaced a distance in a vertical direction substantially the same as a thickness of the circuit card  6  for straddling on opposite surfaces of the circuit card  6 . 
     Referring to FIG. 3 b , each power contact  4  includes a planar retention portion  40  with barbs  400  on opposite side edges for interferential engagement with the projection  204  in a corresponding cavity  2040 , a front mating portion  42  extending forwardly from the retention portion  40  for engaging with the complementary connector, and a rear tail portion  44  extending rearwardly from the retention portion  40  into the card-receiving space  200  for electrically connecting with the circuit card  6  also using the Surface Mount Technology. The front mating portion  42  of the each power contact  4  has a pair of laterally offset, vertically opposing cantilevered spring arms  420 ,  422  extending from opposed sides of the retention portion  40 . The spring arms  420 ,  422  are formed so that they extend first away from each other adjacent the retention portion  40  and thereafter toward each other. The spring arms  420 ,  422  have a pair of opposite curved contact portions  4200 ,  4220  at free ends thereof for contacting with a corresponding terminal of the complementary connector. Each rear tail portion  44  of the power contact  4  is Z-shaped having an extending portion  440  extending rearwardly from the retention portion  42 , a solder portion  442  located at a lower position for being soldered to a corresponding power solder pad  64  on the circuit card  6 , and an intermediate portion  444  interconnecting the extending portion  440  and the solder portion  442 . 
     The circuit card  6  is inserted into the card-receiving space  200  of the insulating housing  2  in the back-to-front direction. The circuit card  6  has a pair of chamfers  600  at the front edge  60  for ensuing a correct insertion thereof. Referring to FIG. 4, after the circuit card  6  arrives at a final position, the tail portions  34  of the signal contacts  3  abut against the signal solder pads  62  on the upper and lower sides of the circuit card  6 , and the solder portions  442  of the power contacts  4  abut against the power solder pads  64  on the upper side of the circuit card  6 . The tail portions  34  of the signal contacts  3  and the solder portions  442  of the power contacts  4  are mechanically and electrically connected with the circuit card  6  after a reflowing process is employed. 
     It is noted that the projection  204  has the rear face  2042  extending rearwardly beyond the rear face  2022  of the body  202  for stably keeping the rear tail portions  44  of the power contacts  4  in a common plane, thereby ensuring a reliable connection between the power contacts  4  and the circuit card  6  after the reflowing process is employed. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, adjacent differential pairs of the power contacts  4  are spaced a distance larger than a pitch between the power contacts  4  of each differential pair. 
     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.