Patent Publication Number: US-6341964-B1

Title: Memory card connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a connector, and particularly to a memory card connector adapted for connecting one or more memory cards to a printed circuit board (PCB). 
     2. Prior Art 
     In the personal computer (PC) field, memory cards are usually connected to a printed circuit board (PCB) by one or more memory card connectors. Some of these memory cards must comply with a standard defined by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), and such connectors are called PCMCIA connectors, or card bus connectors. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,679 (&#39;679) discloses one type of PCMCIA connector. The connector includes a dielectric header and a number of contacts retained in a portion of the dielectric header. Two opposite ends of each contact extend beyond opposite faces of the dielectric header. One of the ends of each contact, called the mating end, is adapted for mating with a terminal of an inserted memory card, and the other, called the mounting end, is adapted for being mounted to the PCB by SMT or through-hole technology. However, since the mounting ends of the contacts are supported by the dielectric header, the mounting ends may become bent so that they cannot be properly mounted to solder pads on the PCB. 
     The &#39;679 patent also discloses an alternate PCMCIA connector whose contacts are first electrically mounted to a daughter card and the daughter card is then inserted into an edge card connector that is mounted on a PCB. However, the daughter card is relatively expensive, and mounting the contacts to the daughter card is troublesome. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,999 discloses another alternate PCMCIA connector. The connector includes a dielectric insert located adjacent mounting ends of contacts of the connector. Although the connector solves the above bending problem, it requires the insert. Hence, an improved electrical connector is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A first object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector having contact supporting means for properly supporting or arranging mounting portions of contacts using the contact supporting means; 
     A second object of the present invention is to provide an assembly of the memory card connector, an adapter engageable with the memory card connector and a printed circuit board (PCB) on which the memory card connector and the adapter are mounted. 
     To obtain the above objects, a memory card connector of the present invention includes a dielectric header and a number of contacts retained in the header. The header has a base portion and two guiding arms extending from a face of the base portion. The base portion forms a tongue portion extending from an opposite face thereof. A number of contact receiving cavities are defined through said opposite faces of the base portion and along the tongue portion. Each contact has a mating portion and an engaging portion positioned at different heights. The mating portions extend through the cavities of the base portion and the engaging portions are fixedly and protectively received in the cavities of the tongue 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 an exploded perspective view of a predigested memory card connector in accordance with the present invention and two memory cards before insertion into the memory card connector; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled memory card connector of FIG.  1  and an adapter before mating with the memory card connector; and 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an assembly of the memory card connector, the adapter and a printed circuit board on which the memory card connector and the adapter are mounted, taken along line III—III of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a memory card connector, and in particular, a card bus connector, of the present invention is illustrated. The memory card connector  10  is configured for connecting one or more memory cards  12  to a printed circuit board (PCB)  14  (shown in FIG.  3 ). The memory card connector  10  comprises a dielectric header  16  and a plurality of contacts  18  retained in the header  16 . The header  16  includes a base portion  20  and a pair of arms  22  extending parallel to one another from a first face  24  of the base portion  20 . Each arm  22  defines two guiding slots  26  in an inner face  28  thereof for facilitating insertion of the one or more memory cards  12  into the header  16 . The base portion  20  forms a tongue portion  30  extending from a second face  32  opposite the first face  24  thereof. The tongue portion  30  is generally positioned at a height between the two guiding slots  26 . The base portion  20  defines a plurality of contact receiving cavities  34  through the first and the second faces  24 ,  32  thereof and the cavities  34  further extend along the second face  32  and along a top and a bottom faces  36 ,  38  of the tongue portion  30 . 
     The contacts  18  include first contacts  40  and second contacts  42 . Each first contact  40  has a mating portion  44  for mating with the memory card  12 , an engaging portion  46  and a connecting portion  48  between the mating portion  44  and the engaging portion  46 . Similarly, each second contact  42  has a mating portion  44 ′, an engaging portion  46 ′ and a connecting portion  48 ′. The connecting portion  48  laterally extends from an end of the mating portion  44  and then downwardly extends a distance and then forwardly extends to form the engaging portion  46 , which is generally parallel to the mating portion  44 . The second contact  42  is a mirror image of the first contact  40  except that the second contact  42  extends laterally and downwardly a smaller distance than does the first contact  40 . 
     In assembly, the contacts  18  are inserted into the cavities  34  of the base portion  20  with the mating portions  44  extending through the first face  24  of the base portion  20  and the connecting portions  48  and the engaging portions  46  being fixedly and protectively retained respectively in the cavities  34  of the second face  32  and the tongue portion  30 . The engaging portions  46  are exposed at respective top and bottom faces  36 ,  38  of the tongue portion  30  for electrical engagement with complementary terminals as detailed below. The mating portions  44  and the engaging portions  46  of the contacts  18  are positioned at different heights. The first contacts  40  and the second contacts  42  are alternately received in the cavities  34  of the tongue portion  30 . The mating portions of pairs of the adjacent first and second contacts  40 ,  42  laterally offset toward each other half a pitch of engaging portions of the first and second contacts  40 ,  42  and are arranged in outer and inner rows relative to the tongue portion  30 . The engaging portions of adjacent first and second contacts  40 ,  42  are arranged side by side with no offset. Therefore, the pitch of the mating portions of the first and second contacts  40 ,  42  is double the pitch of the engaging portions of the first and second contacts  40 ,  42 . The mating portion  44  and the engaging portion  46  of the same contact  18  have different cross-sectional dimensions. 
     FIGS. 2 &amp; 3 show an electronic assembly  100  consisting of the memory card connector  10 , an adapter  50  mated with the memory card connector  10  and the PCB  14  on which the memory card connector  10  and the adapter  50  are mounted is shown. The adapter  50  includes a dielectric housing  52  and a row of upper terminals  54  and a row of lower terminals  56  received in the housing  52 . The housing  52  defines a slit  58  in a side face  60  thereof. Each upper terminal  54  has a contacting portion  62  extending into the slit  58  and a mounting portion  64  extending through the opening  59  around the bottom/rear portion of the housing  52  and beyond a bottom face  66  of the housing  52 . Each lower terminal  56  has a contacting portion  68  extending into the slit  58  and a mounting portion  70  extending beyond the bottom face  66  of the housing  52 . The mounting portions  64 ,  70  of the terminals  54 ,  56  electrically connect to corresponding solder pads  72 ,  74  of the PCB  14 . The tongue portion  30  of the header  16  is received in the slit  58  of the housing  52  and the engaging portions  46  of the contacts  18  electrically contact corresponding contacting portions  62 ,  68  of the terminals  54 ,  56 . 
     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 fill extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.