Abstract:
An IC card connector achieves a stable loaded state of an IC card, and excellent operation reliability. The IC card connector includes a card detecting device that has a fixed terminal and a movable terminal and that detects the insertion of a card by moving the movable terminal in response to the insertion of the card so as to switch a switch between the fixed terminal and the movable terminal. Resilient force of the movable terminal produced by the insertion of the card does not act in the ejecting direction of the card.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a card connector for use in exchanging signals with an inserted card, e.g., an IC card, and more particularly, to a card connector having a detection switch for sensing that a card has been inserted in a card slot. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     An IC card contains an IC chip having calculation and storage functions. Information processing equipment for processing information by using this IC card as a medium, i.e., a personal computer and a digital camera, is equipped with an IC card connector having a plurality of terminals corresponding to contact patterns formed on the surface of the IC card. 
     An IC card connector has been known hitherto, in which a connector body is provided with a normally closed detection switch for sensing that an IC card has been inserted in a card slot (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,273). FIGS. 34 to  37  show the mechanism of the IC card connector. FIGS. 34 and 35 are partial side and partial plan views, respectively, showing a state before an IC card is inserted in the card slot, and FIGS. 36 and 37 are partial side and partial plan views, respectively, showing a state in which the IC card is inserted in the card slot. 
     As shown in these figures, a card slot  102 , in which an IC card  101  (see FIG. 36) is inserted, is formed at a predetermined position of a connector body  100 . Below the card slot  102 , a movable terminal  103  and a fixed terminal  104  extending along the inserting direction (X-direction) of the IC card  101  are mounted to constitute a normally closed detection switch. 
     Before the IC card  101  is inserted in the card slot  102 , the movable terminal  103  is inclined and is in elastic contact with the fixed terminal  104 , and a bent leading end portion  103   a  thereof is placed inside the card slot  102 , as shown in FIG.  34 . Numeral  105  denotes a space portion for allowing pressure deformation of the movable terminal  103 . 
     When the IC card  101  is inserted in the card slot  102 , as shown in FIG. 36, the leading end portion  103   a  of the movable terminal  103  is pressed by the leading end portion of the IC card  101 . The movable terminal  103  is thereby pressed down, and a leading end portion  103   a  of the fixed terminal  104  performs self-cleaning in sliding contact with the upper surface of the movable terminal  103 , while the movable terminal  103  separates from the fixed terminal  104 , so that the insertion of the IC card  101  is electrically detected. Furthermore, the IC card  101  is elastically held by repulsive force produced by pressure deformation of the movable terminal  103 , and is kept in the inserted state. In this state, signal exchange (information processing) is carried out. 
     When the IC card  101  is drawn out of the card slot  102  after the completion of information processing, the movable terminal  103  returns to the state shown in FIG. 34 by its repulsive force, and makes contact again with the fixed terminal  104 , whereby the ejection of the IC card  101  is detected. 
     In this normally closed detection switch, however, since elastic force always acts in the card ejecting direction (the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 36) when the IC card  101  is inserted, the card  101  is liable to come out due to vibrations or the like, and it is difficult to hold it stably. For this reason, there is a problem with operation reliability in information processing. 
     When elastic force is reduced due to changes in the movable terminal  103  over time, the force for holding the inserted IC card  101  is also reduced, and the card is liable to come out due to even small vibrations. 
     Furthermore, since the detection switch is placed under the card slot  102  and is directly exposed on the side of the card slot  102 , contaminants, oil, and the like which have entered with the inserted IC card  101  are scraped and collected at the contact portion of the detection switch, which may cause contact failure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to solve such problems of the conventional art, and to provide a card connector having a simple structure and excellent operation reliability in which the loaded state of a card is stable. 
     In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a card connector including a card detecting means, having a fixed terminal and a movable terminal, for detecting the insertion of a card, e.g., an IC card, by moving the movable terminal in response to the insertion of the card so as to switch a switch between the fixed terminal and the movable terminal, wherein resilient force of the movable terminal produced by the insertion of the card does not act in the ejecting direction of the card. 
     Since the acting direction of resilient force of the movable terminal differs from the ejecting direction of the card in this way, even when vibration is given while the card is inserted, the loaded state of the card is stabilized, and therefore, operation reliability can be improved. 
     Preferably, the acting direction of the resilient force of the movable terminal produced by the insertion of the card is orthogonal to the ejecting direction of the card. This further stabilizes the loaded state of the card, and improves operation reliability. 
     Preferably, the movable terminal has an inclined portion formed of, e.g., an actuator portion, which will be described later, and a part of the card runs onto the inclined portion so that the resilient force of the movable terminal does not act in the ejecting direction of the card. Such a simple structure in which only an inclined portion is formed in the movable terminal can stabilize the loaded state of the card. 
     Preferably, the movable terminal has an inclined portion, the fixed terminal and the movable terminal are in contact with each other when the card is not inserted, the movable terminal moves in contact with the fixed terminal when a part of the card impinges on the inclined portion, and the movable terminal separates from the fixed terminal when the card is inserted further and the part of the card runs onto the inclined portion. In this case, while the movable terminal moves in contact with the fixed terminal, the effect of cleaning the contact portion therebetween is obtained. In addition, it is possible to simplify the structure, to further stabilize the loaded state of the card, and to improve operation reliability. 
     A stopper means formed of, e.g., a projection, which will be described later, may be provided to limit the distance over which the movable terminal moves in contact with the fixed terminal. This stopper means allows the moving distance of the movable terminal to be reduced, and therefore, the movement of the movable terminal does not have an adverse effect on switching accuracy. 
     Preferably, the movable terminal and the inclined portion are formed in one piece. This simplifies the structure, and reduces the costs. 
     Preferably, a mounting portion for the fixed terminal and the movable terminal is provided adjacent to a card slot, a partition is formed between the mounting portion and the card slot, and the inclined portion of the movable terminal protrudes toward the card slot through a cutout portion formed in the partition. By forming the partition and moving the movable terminal via the inclined portion in this way, it is possible to prevent the detection switch from being contaminated by dust or the like, and to precisely detect the insertion and ejection of a card over a long service life. 
     Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a housing used in an IC card connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a left side view of the housing. 
     FIG. 3 is a right side view of the housing. 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the housing. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the housing with contact terminals mounted therein. 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cover used in the IC card connector. 
     FIG. 7 is a left side view of the cover. 
     FIG. 8 is a right side view of the cover. 
     FIG. 9 is a front view of the cover. 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the contact terminals before an IC card is inserted. 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the contact terminals after the IC card is inserted. 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a part of the housing having a normally-closed detection switch in the IC card connector, and a part of the cover for covering the housing. 
     FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view showing the state of a fixed terminal before the cover is mounted. 
     FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view showing the state of the fixed terminal when the cover is mounted. 
     FIG. 15 is a side view of the fixed terminal used in the normally closed detection switch. 
     FIG. 16 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the fixed terminal and a movable terminal before the cover is mounted. 
     FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the placement of the fixed terminal and the movable terminal. 
     FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing the normally closed detection switch in a standby state. 
     FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the normally closed detection switch during the insertion of the IC card. 
     FIGS. 20A and 20B are explanatory views showing how the movable terminal moves from when the normally closed detection switch is in the standby state and until when the IC card is being inserted. 
     FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the normally closed detection switch during the insertion of the IC card. 
     FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the normally closed detection switch when the insertion of the IC card is completed. 
     FIGS. 23A and 23B are explanatory views showing how the movable terminal of the normally closed detection switch moves from when the IC card is being inserted until when the insertion of the IC card is completed. 
     FIG. 24 is a partial sectional view showing the state of a fixed terminal before a cover is mounted in an IC card connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 25 is a partial sectional view showing the state of the fixed terminal when the cover is mounted. 
     FIG. 26 is a side view of the fixed terminal used in a normally closed detection switch. 
     FIG. 27 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the fixed terminal and a movable terminal before the cover is mounted. 
     FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view showing the normally closed detection switch in a standby state. 
     FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the normally closed detection switch during the insertion of an IC card. 
     FIGS. 30A and 30B are explanatory views showing how the movable terminal moves from when the normally closed detection switch is in the standby state until when the IC card is being inserted. 
     FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the normally closed detection switch during the insertion of the IC card. 
     FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the normally closed detection switch when the insertion of the IC card is completed. 
     FIGS. 33A and 33B are explanatory views showing how the movable terminal of the normally closed detection switch moves from when the IC card is being inserted until when the insertion of the IC card is completed. 
     FIG. 34 is a partial side view showing the state of a conventional IC card connector before an IC card is inserted in a card slot. 
     FIG. 35 is a partial plan view showing the state before the IC card is inserted in the card slot. 
     FIG. 36 is a partial side view showing the state of the IC card connector in which the IC card has been inserted in the card slot. 
     FIG. 37 is a partial plan view showing the state in which the IC card has been inserted in the card slot. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Next, an IC card connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. FIGS. 1 to  4  are plan, left side, right side, and front views, respectively, of a housing before contact terminals are mounted therein in the IC card connector, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the housing after the contact terminals are mounted. FIGS. 6 to  9  are plan, left side, right side, and front views of a cover in the IC card connector, respectively. 
     The IC card connector of this embodiment mainly comprises a housing  1  and a cover  2 , both of which are formed of a mold of synthetic resin. The housing  1  has a plurality of terminal insertion holes  3  arranged in a row on both sides thereof, as shown in FIG. 1, and also has, on its lower surface, a predetermined number of mounting feet  4  and bosses  5  for attaching the connector to information processing equipment (e.g., a personal computer or a digital camera). The housing  1  also has an inclined face  7  for guiding an IC card  6  during insertion, at the right side end thereof, two pins  8  projecting from the top face thereof, and retaining claws  9  on the left side thereof. 
     As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of contact terminals  11 , each having an angular contact portion  10  at its free end, are press-fitted in the terminal insertion holes  3 , and are fixed in a cantilevered manner. The angular contact portions  10  slightly project from the upper surface of the housing  1 . A detection switch mounting portion  17  having a concave shape is formed near the left side face of the housing  1 . as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The cover  2  is provided with an inclined face  12  formed at its right side end so as to guide the IC card  6  that is being inserted, two holes  13  on its upper surface, and retaining frames  14  projecting from its left side. A projection  15  is formed adjacent to one of the retaining frames  14 . As shown in FIG. 6, a receiving portion  16  having a flat lower surface is provided at the position opposed to the contact portions  10  of the contact terminals  11  . 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of the IC card connector. FIG. 10 shows a state before the IC card  6  is inserted, and FIG. 11 shows a state when the insertion of the IC card  6  has been completed. The cover  2  is placed on the housing  1 , the pins  8  of the housing  1  are inserted in the holes  13  of the cover  2 , and the retaining frames  14  of the cover  2  are engaged with the retaining claws  9  of the housing  1 , whereby the housing  1  and the cover  2  are combined into one, as shown in FIG.  10 . 
     By this combination, a card slot  19  having a card insertion opening  18  is formed between the housing  1  and the cover  2 , the inclined faces  7  and  12  are placed to face each other at the card insertion opening  18 , and the contact portions  10  of the contact terminals  11  are brought into elastic contact with the lower surface of the receiving portion  16 . 
     When the IC card  6  is inserted through the card insertion opening  18  with contact patterns (not shown) facing down, the contact terminals  11  are pressed down by the leading end portion of the IC card  6 , and make contact with the contact patterns of the IC card  6  at an inserted position of the IC card  6  (see FIG.  11 ), whereby signal exchange is made possible, and the IC card  6  is elastically clamped between the contact terminals  11  and the receiving portion  16 . As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a round or inclined guide portion  20  is formed at the end of the receiving portion  16  on the side of the card insertion opening  18  in order to achieve smooth insertion of the IC card  6 . 
     Next, a description will be given of the structure of a normally closed detection switch for detecting the insertion and ejection of the IC card  6 . FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a part of the housing having a normally closed detection switch, and a part of the cover for covering the housing, FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view showing a state before the cover is mounted, FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which the cover has been mounted, FIG. 15 is a side view of a fixed terminal, and FIG. 16 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the fixed terminal and a movable terminal before the cover is mounted. 
     The concave detection switch mounting portion  17  is provided at the position of the housing  1  adjacent to the card slot  19 , in which a fixed terminal mounting hole  21  and a movable terminal mounting hole  22  are formed side by side. A fixed terminal  23  and a movable terminal  24  are fixed in parallel in the mounting holes  21  and  22 , respectively, in a cantilevered manner to constitute a normally closed detection switch. 
     The fixed terminal  23  includes a fixed portion  25  that is press-fitted in the mounting hole  21  and projects from the lower surface of the housing  1 , a middle portion  26  having a stepped bent portion at the midpoint thereof so as to extend from the fixed portion  25  and to be slightly inclined upward from the bent portion toward the leading end, and a contact portion  27  provided at the leading end of the middle portion  26  so as to extend toward the movable terminal  24 , as shown in FIG.  12 . 
     The movable terminal  24  includes a fixed portion  28  that is press-fitted in the mounting hole  22  and projects from the lower surface of the housing  1 , a middle portion  30  extending from the fixed portion  28  and having at the midpoint thereof an actuator portion  29  extending toward the card slot  19 , and a contact portion  31  provided at the leading end of the middle portion  30  so as to be in contact with the contact portion  27  of the fixed terminal  23 , as shown in FIG.  12 . In this embodiment, the actuator portion  29  is integrally formed of a thin plate forming the movable terminal  24 , and has a pressing face  32  that is slightly inclined down toward the card slot  19 . An appropriate angle of inclination of the pressing face  32  is within the range of 30° to 60°. 
     As shown in FIG. 12, first, the fixed portion  28  of the movable terminal  24  is press-fitted in the mounting hole  22 , thereby fixing the movable terminal  24 . The detection switch mounting portion  17  is provided at the position adjacent to the card slot  19 , and is isolated from the card slot  19  by a partition  36  formed therebetween. The partition  36  has a cutout portion  37 , from which only the actuator portion  29  of the movable terminal  24  protrudes toward the card slot  19 . 
     Next, the fixed portion  25  of the fixed terminal  23  is press-fitted in the mounting hole  21  at a short distance from the movable terminal  24 , and the fixed terminal  23  is fixed in parallel with the movable terminal  24 . In this state, the contact portion  27  of the fixed terminal  23  is placed above the contact portion  31  of the movable terminal  24 , and is separate from the contact portion  31 , as shown in FIG.  16 . 
     The projection  15  formed in the cover  2  is positioned opposed to the middle portion  26  of the fixed terminal  23 , as shown in FIGS. 13,  14 , and  17 . When the cover  2  is mounted on the housing  1 , the fixed terminal  23  is pressed down by the projection  15 , and the contact portion  27  of the fixed terminal  23  is brought into elastic contact with the contact portion  31  of the movable terminal  24 , whereby the normally closed switch is placed into a standby state (on-state) (see FIGS.  18  and  20 A). The movable terminal  24  is not shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 in order to prevent the figures from being complicated. 
     Next, the operation of the normally closed detection switch will be described. 
     As described above, FIGS. 18 and 20A show the state before the IC card  6  is inserted. In this state, when the IC card  6  is inserted into the card slot  19  of the connector (see FIG.  20 A), a leading end portion  34  of the IC card  6  impinges on the pressing face  32  of the actuator portion  29  of the movable terminal  24 . Since the movable terminal  24  is turnable about the fixed portion  28  in the direction of the arrow Z. as shown in FIG. 17, when the IC card  6  is inserted further with the leading end portion  34  thereof in contact with the pressing face  32  of the actuator portion  29 , the movable terminal  24  turns about the fixed portion  28  by a distance L (corresponding to a space  33 ) toward the projection  15  (in the card inserting direction, i.e., the X-direction), and impinges on the projection  15  (see FIG.  20 B). 
     FIGS. 18 and 19 correspond to FIGS. 20A and 20B, respectively. The projection  15  functions as a stopper for the movable terminal  24 . The movable terminal  24  (the contact portion  31 ) slides with respect to the fixed portion  28  (the contact portion  27 ) until it impinges on the projection  15 , which provides a cleaning effect on the contact portions  27  and  31 . 
     When the IC card  6  is inserted further, the leading end portion  34  thereof runs onto the actuator portion  29 , and the movable terminal  24  is pressed down via the actuator portion  29 . When the IC card  6  is completely inserted, the leading end portion  34  thereof is placed at the top of the actuator portion  29 , and the contact portion  31  of the movable terminal  24  is fully separate from the contact portion  27  of the fixed portion  28 , whereby the switch is turned off, and the completion of insertion of the IC card  6  can be electrically detected. In this state, little force acts to press the movable terminal  24  against the projection  15 , and therefore, the movable terminal  24  is separated from the projection  15  by restitutive force. FIGS. 21 and 22 correspond to FIGS. 23A and 23B, respectively. In the state in which insertion of the IC card  6  is completed, the movable terminal  24  is pressed down by the IC card  6  via the actuator portion  29 , as shown in FIG.  23 B. Resilient force resulting from the press acts in the direction of the arrow F, and is orthogonal to the ejecting direction Y of the IC card  6 . The resilient force of the movable terminal  24  does not act in the ejecting direction Y of the IC card  6 . 
     After signal exchange between the IC card  6  and the information processing device is completed, when the IC card  6  is drawn out of the card slot  19 , the normally closed detection switch is returned to the standby state shown in FIGS. 18 and 20A by the restitutive force of the movable terminal  24 . 
     Since it is satisfactory as long as the distance L between the movable terminal  24  and the projection  15  corresponds to a small sliding distance necessary for the cleaning effect, there is no need to form a large distance such as to have an effect on position accuracy in changeover of the switch from on to off. 
     FIGS. 24 to  33  show an IC card connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a partial sectional view showing the state before a cover is mounted, FIG. 25 is a partial sectional view showing the state in which the cover is mounted, FIG. 26 is a side view of a fixed terminal, and FIG. 27 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the fixed terminal and a movable terminal before the cover is mounted. FIGS. 28 to  33  illustrate the operation of a normally closed detection switch. FIGS. 28,  29 ,  31 , and  32  correspond to FIGS. 30A,  30 B,  33 A, and  33 B, respectively. 
     This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that elastic force of a fixed terminal  23  is always directed downward, and is designed to be sufficiently smaller than that of a movable terminal  24 . 
     When only the fixed terminal  23  is incorporated in a housing  1 , the leading end of the fixed terminal  23  on the side of a contact portion  27  is in contact with the bottom surface of the housing  1 . Since the fixed terminal  23  is actually incorporated in the housing  1  together with the movable terminal  24 , however, it is raised by elastic force of the movable terminal  24 , whereby the normally closed detection switch is placed into a standby state shown in FIGS. 28 and 30A. The upper side of the fixed terminal  23  raised by the movable terminal  24  is positioned by a projection  15  formed in a cover  2 . In this embodiment, a support portion  35  bent downward is provided at the leading end of the fixed terminal  23  on the side of the contact portion  27 . 
     In a manner similar to the first embodiment, the movable terminal  24  horizontally slides with the insertion of an IC card  6  and provides a cleaning effect on the contact portions  27  and  31  (see FIG.  30 ), and the contact portion  31  of the movable terminal  24  separates from the contact portion  27  of the fixed terminal  23  when the insertion of the card is completed, thereby turning off the switch (see FIGS.  32  and  33 B). When the card insertion is completed, the support portion  35  formed adjacent to the contact portion  27  of the fixed terminal  23  impinges on the bottom surface of the housing  1 , and is positioned, as shown in FIG. 32, and the fixed terminal  23  is completely separated from the movable terminal  24 . 
     While the fixed terminal  23  is positioned by the support portion  35  thereof in this embodiment, as described above, it may be positioned by providing a support portion (stopper means) in another member such as the housing. 
     While the IC card is used in the above embodiments, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and is also applicable to cases in which other cards, for example, a magnetic card and an optical card, are used.