Patent Publication Number: US-2017351301-A1

Title: Casing of card connector having shell with slide hole and electronic apparatus including card connector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-112418, filed on Jun. 6, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD 
     The embodiment discussed herein is related to a card connector and an electronic apparatus. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic apparatuses, such as personal computers and smart phones, include card connectors so that memory cards and the like (hereinafter simply referred to as “cards”) are attachable thereto. 
     A related technique is disclosed by Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2013-206766. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to an aspect of the embodiments, a card connector includes: a casing including a shell having a slide hole and a slit into which a card is inserted; an ejector, provided in the casing, configured to move together with the card that is inserted into the casing; a rotating member, supported by the ejector, configured to rotate when the ejector moves; and a projection that is provided at a first end of the rotating member opposite to a second end of the rotating member with respect to an axis of a rotation of the rotating member, comes into contact with the card and slides along the slide hole when the ejector moves. 
     The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary electronic apparatus; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of an exemplary card connector; 
         FIG. 3  is an internal plan view of the exemplary card connector; 
         FIG. 4  is an exemplary plan view of an ejector; 
         FIG. 5  is an exemplary perspective view of the ejector with a rotating member attached thereto; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary section of a part of the ejector that is taken along line VI-VI illustrated in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIGS. 7A to 7D  are transparent diagrams illustrating exemplary behaviors of the card connector; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary movement of a projection; and 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary shape of a slide hole. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT 
     An exemplary card connector includes a locking mechanism. When a card is inserted into a slit of the card connector and is pushed into the card connector, the locking mechanism operates to lock the card in the card connector. Hence, accidental disconnection of the card from the card connector due to vibrations or the like is avoided. 
     In the state where a card is locked in the card connector, the card and an electronic apparatus are electrically connected to each other. Thus, data is allowed to be written on and read from the card. In the state where a card is locked in the card connector, an end of the card slightly projects from the card connector. 
     To unlock the card, the end of the card is pushed into the card connector. Thus, the card is unlocked, and an end portion of the card is ejected from the slit of the card connector by the urging force of a spring. The user pinches the ejected end portion of the card with fingers and pulls out the card. Thus, the card is removed from the card connector. 
     In an exemplary case of a card connector for small cards, the length by which the card is ejected from the card connector (the length of ejection) when the card is unlocked is as short as about 3 mm, and it is therefore difficult to pinch the card with fingers. There is another exemplary proposed card connector in which the length of ejection of the card is increased by utilizing a rotating member that is urged by a spring. 
     Since the above card connector includes the spring that urges the rotating member, the number of components increases correspondingly, which may make the work of assembling the card connector complicated. 
     For example, there may be provided a card connector formed of a small number of components and in which the length of ejection of the card is large, and an electronic apparatus including such a card connector. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary electronic apparatus, which may be a laptop personal computer. 
     An electronic apparatus  20  illustrated in  FIG. 1  includes a body-side casing  20   a  provided with a keyboard and so forth, and a panel-side casing  20   b  provided with a display panel and so forth. The body-side casing  20   a  and the panel-side casing  20   b  are connected to each other with an openable-and-closable mechanism (a hinge). 
     The body-side casing  20   a  includes a card connector  10 . The card connector  10  has a slit  10   a  into which a card  21  is to be inserted. The card  21  has a substantially rectangular shape with a corner on one of the short sides thereof obliquely cut off. When the card  21  is inserted into the slit  10   a  from the short side thereof having the cut corner (the short-side end of the card  21  is hereinafter referred to as “the head” of the card  21 ), a locking mechanism operates to lock the card  21 . 
     In the state where the card  21  is locked, an electrode of the card  21  is in contact with an electrode provided in the card connector  10 , allowing data to be written on and read from the card  21 . 
       FIG. 2  is a plan view of an exemplary card connector.  FIG. 3  is an internal plan view of the exemplary card connector. The card connector illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3  may be the card connector  10  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     The card connector  10  has a casing that is a combination of a housing  11  and a shell  12 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the card connector  10  includes an ejector  13 , a coil spring  14 , a pin  15 , a rotating member  16 , and so forth. The electrode may also be provided in the card connector  10 . 
     The housing  11  has recesses that receive the card  21 , the ejector  13 , the coil spring  14 , the pin  15 , the rotating member  16 , and so forth. The shell  12  is a flat member and is provided over the housing  11 . The shell  12  has a slide hole  12   a  that curves in a predetermined direction (the slide hole  12   a  has a substantially arc shape). When the card  21  is inserted into the card connector  10  and when the card  21  is ejected from the card connector  10 , a projection  16   a  provided on the rotating member  16  slides along the slide hole  12   a  while being in contact with the head of the card  21 . 
     Hereinafter, as a matter of convenience of description, a side of the card connector  10  on which the slit  10   a  for inserting the card  21  is provided (the upper side in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) is defined as the upper side, and the opposite side of the card connector  10  is defined as the lower side. 
       FIG. 4  is an exemplary plan view of the ejector  13 .  FIG. 5  is an exemplary perspective view of the ejector  13  with the rotating member  16  attached thereto.  FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary section of a part of the ejector  13  that is taken along line VI-VI illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the ejector  13  has a substantially L shape conforming to the outline of a part, at and near the cut corner, of the card  21 . The ejector  13  is movable in the top-bottom direction in the card connector  10  along with the card  21 . 
     The ejector  13  includes a heart cam portion  25  having a heart-shaped groove (hereinafter denoted as “heart cam groove  25   a ”) at an upper-end portion thereof. The ejector  13  includes a supporting bar  13   a  extending downward from the heart cam portion  25 . 
     The coil spring  14  is wound around the supporting bar  13   a  such that the center axis thereof coincides with the center axis of the supporting bar  13   a . The lower end of the coil spring  14  is fixed to the housing  11 . The ejector  13  is urged by the coil spring  14  upward, specifically, in a direction opposite to the direction of insertion of the card  21 . The coil spring  14  may be an exemplary urging member. 
     The pin  15  is one of elements that constitute the locking mechanism, and so is the heart cam groove  25   a . Two ends of the pin  15  are bent. The lower end of the pin  15  is fixed to the housing  11 . The upper end (hereinafter referred to as “the head”) of the pin  15  is positioned in the heart cam groove  25   a.    
     The heart cam groove  25   a  has a bottom surface that is not flat but is inclined at angles varying with positions in a predetermined manner. Hence, as the ejector  13  moves, the head of the pin  15  moves along the heart cam groove  25   a  in a specific direction, for example, in the counterclockwise direction. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , the ejector  13  has, in a lower-end portion thereof, a hole  13   b  that receives a rotational shaft  16   b  of the rotating member  16 . The rotating member  16  has the projection  16   a  at an end thereof opposite an end thereof having the rotational shaft  16   b . The projection  16   a  is fitted in the slide hole  12   a  provided in the shell  12 . The ejector  13  includes a stopper  13   c  at the lower end thereof. The stopper  13   c  limits the range of rotation of the rotating member  16 . 
       FIGS. 7A to 7D  are transparent diagrams illustrating exemplary behaviors of the card connector  10 . 
       FIG. 7A  illustrates a state where the card  21  inserted into the card connector  10  is locked. 
     To attach the card  21  to the card connector  10 , the head of the card  21  is first inserted into the slit  10   a  (see  FIG. 1 ) of the card connector  10 , and the tail of the card  21  is pushed with a finger. Thus, the card  21  advances into the card connector  10 , and the head of the card  21  comes into contact with the ejector  13 . As the card  21  advances, the ejector  13  moves downward. 
     Then, with the downward movement of the ejector  13 , the coil spring  14  is compressed, and the head of the pin  15  moves along the heart cam groove  25   a  from the lower end of the heart cam groove  25   a  and in the counterclockwise direction. When the card  21  is fully pushed into the card connector  10  and the finger is then removed from the card  21 , the head of the pin  15  is positioned at the top center of the heart cam groove  25   a  as illustrated in  FIG. 7A . Thus, the ejector  13  is fixed while being urged upward by the coil spring  14 , and the card  21  is locked (this state is hereinafter referred to as the locked state). 
     In the locked state, as illustrated in  FIG. 7A , the rotating member  16  is oriented substantially horizontally, and the projection  16   a  is positioned near the lower end of the slide hole  12   a . In the locked state, the electrode of the card  21  and the electrode of the card connector  10  are in contact with each other. Hence, data is allowed to be written on and read from the card  21 . 
     To unlock the card  21 , the tail of the card  21  is pushed into the card connector  10  with a finger. Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 7B , the head of the pin  15  moves to the left from the top center of the heart cam groove  25   a . Then, when the finger is removed from the card  21 , the ejector  13  starts to move upward while being pushed by the coil spring  14 . 
       FIG. 7C  illustrates a state where the ejector  13  is moving upward. When the card  21  is unlocked as described above, the ejector  13  starts to move upward with the urging force exerted by the coil spring  14 . In this step, the head of the pin  15  moves along the left part of the heart cam groove  25   a  toward the lower side of the heart cam groove  25   a.    
     With the upward movement of the ejector  13 , the projection  16   a  of the rotating member  16  moves (slides) upward along the slide hole  12   a . Hence, the card  21  is pushed upward by the projection  16   a,  whereby a gap is produced between the head of the card  21  and the lower-end portion of the ejector  13 . 
       FIG. 7D  illustrates a state where the ejector  13  has reached the top end of the movable range thereof. 
     With the upward movement of the ejector  13 , the projection  16   a  of the rotating member  16  moves upward along the slide hole  12   a . Accordingly, the gap between the head of the card  21  and the lower-end portion of the ejector  13  is widened. When the ejector  13  reaches the top end of the movable range thereof, the head of the pin  15  reaches the lower end of the heart cam groove  25   a,  whereby further upward movement of the ejector  13  is suppressed. 
     For example, the ejector  13  moves in the card connector  10  by 3 mm, and the rotating member  16  moves the card  21  by 2 mm, whereby the card  21  is ejected from the card connector  10  by 5 mm. 
     In the case of the card connector  10  described above, when the ejector  13  moves, the projection  16   a  of the rotating member  16  moves along the slide hole  12   a  and pushes up the card  21 . Hence, the length of ejection of the card  21  may be greater than in a case of a card connector in which the card moves together with the ejector. 
     In the case of the card connector  10 , when the projection  16   a  slides along the slide hole  12   a,  the rotating member  16  rotates. Hence, a spring that urges the rotating member  16  does not have to be provided. Accordingly, the number of components is reduced. Consequently, the work of assembling the card connector  10  may become less complicated. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary movement of the projection  16   a .  FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary shape of the slide hole  12   a . Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the movement of the projection  16   a  will now be described. 
     As described above, as the ejector  13  moves, the projection  16   a  slides along the slide hole  12   a,  whereby the rotating member  16  rotates. 
     For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , a force applied to the rotating member  16  with the movement of the ejector  13  is denoted by F. The force F is composed of a component F 1  acting in a direction tangential to the slide hole  12   a,  and a component F 2  acting in a direction normal to the slide hole  12   a . The component F 1  acting in the tangential direction may be a force that moves the projection  16   a  of the rotating member  16  along the slide hole  12   a . 
     A frictional force F 3  is generated between the projection  16   a  and the slide hole  12   a . The frictional force F 3  acts in a direction in which the movement of the projection  16   a  is suppressed. 
     The frictional force F 3  is expressed as F 3 =μF 2  (where μ denotes the coefficient of friction). The coefficient of friction μ depends on factors such as the material of the rotating member  16  and the shape of the slide hole  12   a.    
     If the component F 1  acting in the tangential direction is set to be greater than the frictional force F 3  (F 1 &gt;F 3 ), the movement of the ejector  13  moves the projection  16   a  along the slide hole  12   a . In such a situation, the shape of the slide hole  12   a  determines the movement of the projection  16   a.    
     The shape of the slide hole  12   a  may be determined in accordance with the locus of the center of the projection  16   a  that is represented by point A in  FIG. 9 . 
     For example, the point through which the axis of rotation of the rotating member  16  in the locked state passes is defined as the origin (O), the horizontal direction is defined by the X axis, and the top-bottom direction, that is, the direction in which the card  21  moves in the card connector  10 , is defined by the Y axis. 
     The length by which the axis of rotation of the rotating member  16  is shifted from the origin O in the Y direction is denoted by a. The length from the axis of rotation of the rotating member  16  to the point A is denoted by b. The angle of a line connecting the axis of rotation of the rotating member  16  and the point A with respect to the X axis is denoted by θ. The length a and the angle θ are variable. The length b is constant. 
     Letting the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the point A be Ax and Ay, respectively, if the length a and the angle θ are determined, the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the point A are expressed as follows. 
         Ax=b  cos θ  (1)
 
         Ay=a+b  sin θ  (2)
 
     If the shape of the slide hole  12   a  is determined such that Equations (1) and (2) above are satisfied, the projection  16   a  smoothly moves along the slide hole  12   a.    
     While the above embodiment concerns a case where the electronic apparatus  20  is a laptop personal computer, the electronic apparatus  20  may be another electronic apparatus: for example, a portable terminal apparatus such as a smart phone, a digital camera, or a printer. 
     All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.