Abstract:
In a connector including a housing having an entrance for receiving a connection object and a contact held by the housing for connection to the connection object, a guide member is coupled to the entrance for guiding the connection object in a first direction. A guide portion is disposed near the entrance in the housing and at a first portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. By the use of a moving force of the connection object, the guide portion is adapted to guide the connection object toward a second portion that allows the connection object to pass therethrough.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims priority to prior Japanese patent application JP 2005-56205, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to a card connector for connecting a card such as an express card or the like.  
         [0003]     Recently, cards called express cards having a function similar to that of PC cards have been proposed and available on the market. There are, however, two kinds of express cards having different width dimensions and, therefore, it is not possible for a card connector to handle those two kinds of express cards if the card connector is simply applied with a technique of an existing card connector designed for connecting a PC card.  
         [0004]     Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2000-67996, for example, discloses one example of a card connector that is used for loading and then ejecting a card such as a memory card. The card connector comprises a connector body having two panels defining a card space for receiving therein a memory card and an eject mechanism coupled to the connector body. When the eject mechanism is operated, the memory card is ejected from the card space. Accordingly, a user can easily remove the memory card from the card connector. However, this card connector cannot handle those cards having different width dimensions like the express cards.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a card connector that can handle different kinds of cards having different width dimensions.  
         [0006]     It is another object of this invention to provide a card connector having excellent insertability that can easily guide a card at the time of its insertion.  
         [0007]     It is still another object of this invention to provide a card connector that enables connection of an express card.  
         [0008]     Other objects of the present invention becomes clear as the description proceeds.  
         [0009]     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector comprising a housing having an entrance for receiving a connection object, a contact held by the housing for connection to the connection object, a guide member coupled to the entrance for guiding the connection object in a first direction, and a guide portion disposed near the entrance in the housing and at a first portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the guide portion, by the use of a moving force of the connection object, adapted to guide the connection object toward a second portion that allows the connection object to pass therethrough.  
         [0010]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector capable of connecting a selected connection object selected from a first and a second connection object having different dimensions, the connector comprising a housing having an entrance for receiving the selected connection object, a contact held by the housing, a guide member coupled to the entrance for guiding movement of the selected connection object in a first direction, and a guide portion disposed near the entrance in the housing and at a first portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the guide portion, by the use of a moving force of the selected connection object, adapted to guide the selected connection object toward a second portion that allows the selected connection object to pass therethrough.  
         [0011]     According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector adapted to connect two kinds of different connection objects, the connector comprising a contact, a housing holding the contact, and a guide member for guiding insertion of the connection object, the guide member having a plate portion formed with a guide portion, wherein, when one of the connection objects is inserted, the guide portion abuts a to-be-guided portion of the one of the connection objects so as to move the one of the connection objects to a connecting position with the contact, and, when the other of the connection objects is inserted at the connecting position, the guide portion does not abut the other of the connection objects, while, when the other of the connection objects is inserted so as to be offset from the connecting position, the guide portion abuts a to-be-guided portion of the other of the connection objects so as to move the other of the connection objects to the connecting position. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view, seen from above, of a card connector according to an embodiment of this invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view, seen from below, of the card connector shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3A  is a plan view of the same card connector;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3B  is a side view of the same card connector;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3C  is a bottom view of the same card connector;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3D  is a front view of the same card connector;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view, seen from above, of a 34-module express card;  
         [0019]      FIG. 4B  is a perspective view, seen from below, of the express card shown in  FIG. 4A ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4C  is a perspective view, seen from below a fitting portion side, of the same express card;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view, seen from above, of a 54-module express card;  
         [0022]      FIG. 5B  is a perspective view, seen from below, of the express card shown in  FIG. 5A ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5C  is a perspective view, seen from below a fitting portion side, of the same express card;  
         [0024]      FIG. 6A  is a front view of the same express card;  
         [0025]      FIG. 6B  is a right side view of the same express card;  
         [0026]      FIG. 6C  is a plan view of the same express card;  
         [0027]      FIG. 6D  is a left side view of the same express card;  
         [0028]      FIG. 6E  is a bottom view of the same express card;  
         [0029]      FIG. 6F  is a rear view of the same express card;  
         [0030]      FIG. 7A  is a plan view showing the state where the express card of  FIGS. 4A  to  4 C is fitted into the card connector of FIGS.  1  to  3 D;  
         [0031]      FIG. 7B  is a side view of the same;  
         [0032]      FIG. 7C  is a bottom view of the same;  
         [0033]      FIG. 7D  is a front view of the same;  
         [0034]      FIGS. 8A  to  8 D are diagrams sequentially showing the states where the express card of  FIGS. 4A and 4B  is on the way to be fitted into the card connector of FIGS.  1  to  3 D;  
         [0035]      FIGS. 9A  to  9 C are diagrams sequentially showing the states where the express card of  FIGS. 4A and 4B  is on the way to be fitted into an upper card slot of the card connector of FIGS.  1  to  3 D, wherein only the upper card slot is seen from its bottom;  
         [0036]      FIG. 10A  is a plan view showing the state where the express card of  FIGS. 5A and 5B  is fitted into the card connector of FIGS.  1  to  3 D;  
         [0037]      FIG. 10B  is a side view of the same;  
         [0038]      FIG. 10C  is a bottom view of the same;  
         [0039]      FIG. 10D  is a front view of the same;  
         [0040]      FIGS. 11A  to  11 D are diagrams sequentially showing the states where the express card of  FIGS. 5A and 5B  is on the way to be fitted into the card connector of FIGS.  1  to  3 D; and  
         [0041]      FIGS. 12A  to  12 C are diagrams sequentially showing the states where the express card of  FIGS. 5A and 5B  is on the way to be fitted into the upper card slot of the card connector of FIGS.  1  to  3 D, wherein only the upper card slot is seen from its bottom. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0042]     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2 , and  3 A to  3 D, description will be made about a card connector according to an embodiment of this invention.  
         [0043]     The card connector is depicted by reference numeral  101  and comprises a housing  100  forming an outer shell and a plate portion or a partition plate  21  fixed to the housing  100 . The partition plate  21  extends in a first direction A 1  and a second direction A 2  perpendicular to the first direction A 1  and forms a guide member having a guide portion adapted to guide insertion of a card being a connection object.  
         [0044]     The card connector has multiple card slots. That is, the housing  100  has an inner space that is divided into an upper card slot  10  and a lower card slot  20  by the partition plate  21 . The upper card slot  10  is for an express card, while the lower card slot  20  is for a PC card.  
         [0045]     The housing  100  has, on its front side, entrances for receiving cards into the card slots  10  and  20 , respectively. The housing  100  further has an insulator  11  fixed to its rear portion, a cover  1  forming the upper card slot  10 , a pair of first frames  2  integral with the cover  1 , a pair of second frames  3  forming the lower card slot  20 , a first eject mechanism  6  provided on one side of one of the first frames  2 , and a second eject mechanism  7  provided on one side of one of the second frames  3  on the lower side of the first eject mechanism  6 .  
         [0046]     The insulator  11  includes a box-shaped connector  12  having, on its lower side, contacts  12   a  arranged side by side. The connector  12  is open on its lower side. As best shown in  FIG. 3D , the insulator  11  is provided with a first card fitting portion  15  on the side of the upper card slot  10  and with a second card fitting portion  16  on the side of the lower card slot  20 . The first card fitting portion  15  is adapted for fitting to one end of an express card. Contacts  15   a  adapted for contacting contacts of the express card are arranged side by side in the first card fitting portion  15  so as to be offset to one side. The second card fitting portion  16  is provided with contacts  16   a  adapted for contacting contacts of a PC card. On both sides of the insulator  11  are provided metal fittings  13  each having a fixing hole  13   a  for fixation to a case of a non-illustrated body.  
         [0047]     The cover  1  is provided at a ceiling portion defined between the first frames  2  forming the upper card slot  10 . A front end of the cover  1  is inclined with respect to its width direction, while a rear end of the cover  1  is fixedly inserted into the insulator  11 . The cover  1  is provided with a hole  1   a  and a spring piece  1   b  in the hole  1   a , which are formed by slitting and bending a portion of the cover  1 . The spring piece  1   b  is provided for pressing a card inserted into the card slot  10 . The first frames  2  each have a generally z-shape in cross section and are disposed so as to face each other inward in the width direction to thereby form guide grooves  2   a  for guiding the card, respectively.  
         [0048]     The second frames  3  forming the lower card slot  20  each also have a generally          -shape in cross section and are disposed so as to face each other inward in the width direction to thereby form guide grooves  3   a  for guiding a card, respectively. On the lower side of each second frame  3  is provided a metal fitting  17  for fixation to a case of an electronic device. Rear ends of the second frames  3  are inserted into a lower surface  14  of the insulator  11 .  
         [0049]     The partition plate  21  is disposed between the first frames  2  and the second frames  3 . A front end surface of the partition plate  21  has an inclined portion  21   a , as a guide portion, formed obliquely to the first and second directions A 1  and A 2  at a portion offset to one side from a center portion, an inclined portion  21   b  formed further obliquely from the inclined portion  21   a , and a recessed portion  21   c  continuous with the inclined portion  21   b  and recessed in the first direction A 1 .  
         [0050]     Generally, a card is inserted and removed in the first directions A 1 . As will be clear from later description, there is a case where the card is moved in the second direction A 2  by the inclined portions  21   a  and  21   b  at the time of insertion, which improves the insertability of the card.  
         [0051]     The first eject mechanism  6  comprises an eject bar  4 , an eject button  8 , and an eject cover  6   a  covering a coupling portion of them. The eject bar  4  has one end connected to an eject lever  10   a  in the card slot  10 . The eject lever  10   a  is used for pushing out a received card.  
         [0052]     Like the first eject mechanism  6 , the second eject mechanism  7  comprises an eject bar  5 , an eject button  9 , and an eject cover  7   a  covering a coupling portion of them. The eject bar  5  has one end connected to an eject lever  20   a  in the card slot  20 . Like the eject lever  10   a , the eject lever  20   a  is used for pushing out a received card.  
         [0053]     As will be described next, there are two kinds of express cards, i.e. 34-module and 54-module express cards. Hereinafter, the 34-module express card will be referred to as a “first module”, while the 54-module express card will be referred to as a “second module”.  
         [0054]     A card slot of a card connector that is fittable to these two kinds of express cards changes its width dimension according to the shape of the second module such that an entrance portion is wide enough to allow entry of the 54 mm width while a deep inward side is so narrow as to only allow entry of the 34 mm width and the center positions of the wide portion and the narrow portion are offset from each other. When fitting the first module into such a card slot, the first module is fitted at an eccentric position with respect to the wide portion of the entrance portion.  
         [0055]     Referring to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , a first module  102  is an express card having a uniform width of 34 mm and having a fitting portion with a receiving connector at the center in the width direction. The first module  102  is rectangular and has a fitting portion  51   a  at one end  51  and an upright projecting portion  52   a  at a center portion at the other end. On an upper surface of the first module  102 , grooves  58  are formed on its both sides, each extending from the one end  51  toward the other end. Each groove  58  terminates at a portion  53   a . Further, on the upper surface of the first module  102  at the other end, rectangular hollows  59  are formed at corners on both sides.  
         [0056]     On the other hand, on a lower surface of the first module  102 , wide grooves (thin portions)  56  are respectively formed on its both sides at the one end  51  and, further, narrower grooves  57  are formed on the both sides so as to extend from the wide grooves  56  to reach the other end. Further, the first module  102  is formed with an edge  50  at a corner portion.  
         [0057]     Referring to  FIGS. 5A  to  5 C and  6 A to  6 F, the second module  103  has a shape such that while a fitting portion has a width of 34 mm and has the same shape as that of the first module  102 , a stepped portion is formed on one side at an intermediate portion so that the width increases to 54 mm. The second module  103  has a rectangular shape with a rectangular cutout on one end side and is provided at one end  61  with a fitting portion  61   a  having the same width as that of the first module  102  and with an upright projecting portion  65   a  at a center portion at the other end. On an upper surface of the second module  103 , grooves  74  and  76  are formed on both sides of the narrow fitting portion  61   a , each extending from the one end  61  toward the other end. The groove  76  terminates at a portion  67   a  close to the other end, while the groove  74  terminates at the portion where the width increases. Further, a groove  75  is formed on one side of the wide portion. The groove  75  terminates at a portion  67   a  close to the other end like the groove  76 . Further, on the upper surface of the second module  103  at the other end, rectangular hollows  77  are formed at corners on both sides.  
         [0058]     On the other hand, on a lower surface of the second module  103 , wide grooves  71  are respectively formed on both sides of the fitting portion at the one end  61 . One of the grooves  71  extends to communicate with a groove  73  extending along the lower surface of the second module  103  to reach another end thereof. Another of the grooves  71  extends to terminate at the portion where the width increases. The second module  103  is formed with a triangular thin portion  72  where the thickness is reduced. On the inner side of the thin portion  72  is formed with an edge  60  serving as a portion to be guided.  
         [0059]     Referring to  FIGS. 7A  to  7 D and  9 A, the insulator  11  is provided on the deep inward side of the upper and lower card slots  10  and  20 . The upper card slot  10  is provided with the fitting portion  15  that can be connected to either of the fitting portions  51   a  and  61   a  of the first and second modules  102  and  103 . The center position of the fitting portion  15  is offset from the center position of the entrance portion in order to enable fitting to the second module  103 .  
         [0060]     Referring to  FIGS. 8A  to  8 D and  9 A to  9 C, description will be made about an operation when inserting the first module  102  being the first connection object into the card connector  101 .  
         [0061]     As shown in  FIG. 8A , when inserting the first module  102  into the card slot  10 , the fitting portion  51   a  of the first module  102  is inserted in the state where a space is provided on one side with respect to the width of the entrance portion of the card slot  10 .  
         [0062]     On the way of insertion as shown in  FIG. 8B , the edge  50 , serving as a portion to be guided, of the lower surface of the first module  102  abuts the inclined portion  21   a , at the entrance portion, of the partition plate  21  so as to be guided to the side of the contacts  15   a  of the fitting portion  15  and, as shown in  FIG. 8C , is further guided in the offset direction for fitting by the inclined portion  21   b . When the first module  102  continues to be inserted as shown in  FIGS. 8D and 9B , the edge  50  abuts an inclined surface  31   b  of the insulator  11  so as to be guided in the offset direction for fitting. When the first module  102  further continues to be pushed in this state, the edge grooves  57  of the first module  102  are guided to the guide groove and one end  31   b  of the insulator  11  so that the fitting portion  51   a  of the first module  102  is fitted to the fitting portion  15  provided with the contacts  15   a  supported by the insulator  11 , thereby achieving the state where the respective contacts are brought into contact with each other as shown in  FIG. 9C .  
         [0063]     Now, referring to  FIGS. 10A  to  10 C,  11 A to  11 D, and  12 A to  12 C, description will be made about an operation when inserting the second module  103  being the second connection object into the card connector  101 .  
         [0064]     As shown in  FIGS. 10A  to  10 D and  12 A, the second module  103  is inserted in the state where it extends over the entire length in the width direction of the upper card slot  10 .  
         [0065]     As shown in  FIG. 11A , the second module  103  starts to be inserted into the card slot  10 . When the second module  103  is inserted as shown in  FIG. 11B , its both-side portions are guided by the guide grooves  2   a . The edge  60  of the lower surface of the second module  103  passes through the lower side without abutting the inclined portion  21   a , at the entrance portion, of the partition plate  21  and, as shown in  FIG. 12B , is guided to the side of the contacts  15   a  of the fitting portion  15 .  
         [0066]     As shown in  FIG. 11C , since a wide portion  65  performs guiding in the width direction, the second module  103  can be fitted at the normal position. In the fitted state, the inclined surfaces  31   a  and  31   b  of the insulator  11  are located at the thin portion  72  of the lower surface of the second module  103 .  
         [0067]     As shown in  FIG. 11D , when the second module  103  continues to be inserted, the edge  60  does not abut the inclined surfaces  31   a  and  31   b  of the insulator  11 . As shown in  FIG. 12C , when the second module  103  further continues to be pushed in this state, the thin portion  72  of the second module  103  is guided to the guide groove and an end portion of the insulator  11  so that the fitting portion  61   a  of the second module  103  is fitted to the fitting portion  15  provided with the contacts  15   a  supported by the insulator  11 , thereby achieving the state where both portions are completely fitted together so that the respective contacts are brought into contact with each other as shown in  FIGS. 10C, 11D , and  12 C.  
         [0068]     When the second module  103  is not guided by its wide portion  65  at the beginning, i.e. when the second module  103  is inserted so as to be offset from the connecting position with the contacts, the edge  60  abuts the inclined portion  21   a  so as to be guided to move to the connecting position with the contacts. Thereafter, the second module  103  is guided by the wide portion  65  so as to be fitted.  
         [0069]     As described above, the slot partition plate is formed with the inclined surface at the entrance portion so that the card connector  101  can guide the express card before it is guided to the inclined surface of the insulator  11 . Therefore, the insertability of the express card can be improved.  
         [0070]     The foregoing card connector is optimal as a card connector of an information device such as a notebook personal computer.  
         [0071]     While the present invention has thus far been described in connection with a single embodiment thereof, it will readily be possible for those skilled in the art to put this invention into practice in various other manners. For example, use may be made of a single contact in each of the first and the second card fitting portions of the card connector.