IC card connector grounding structure

Details IC card connector grounding structure IC card connector grounding structure

1999-06-16

2001-09-11

Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2841)

Electricity: electrical systems and devices

Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...

For electronic systems and devices

C361S799000, C361S800000, C361S816000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06288903

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC card connector grounding structure suitable for use in a computer and others.
2. Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 8 and 9
, a conventional IC card connector ground structure will be explained. An IC card connector
31
is comprised of a housing
33
made of an insulating material fitted with a plurality of pin terminals
32
, and a shield cover
34
made of a metal plate attached on the upper surface of the housing
33
.
The housing
33
has a stepped portion
33
a
provided on the corner portion of the upper surface, and a housing section
33
b
provided at front; in the housing
33
a pin terminal
32
is embedded, projecting out into the housing section
33
b.
The shield cover
34
has a spring arm portion
34
b
provided at the center of the upper surface of the top plate section
34
a
, and a stepped portion
34
c
provided at the rear corner, formed one step lower than the top plate section
34
a.
The shield cover
34
is attached on the upper surface of the housing
33
, with the stepped portion
34
c
positioned at the stepped portion
33
a
of the housing
33
, thus making up the IC card connector
31
.
The IC card connector
31
stated above is mounted and used in an electronic apparatus such as a computer and others by mounting the IC card connector
31
on an electronic apparatus circuit board
35
on which an unillustrated circuit pattern is formed, and by screwing a nut
37
on a screw
36
after insertion of the screw
36
into the stepped portion
34
c
of the circuit board
35
, the housing
33
, and the shield cover
34
.
Then, when the IC card connector
31
is mounted, the head of the screw
36
contacts the ground circuit pattern, and the shield cover
34
is grounded to the circuit pattern through the screw
36
. The pin terminal
32
is in connection with the circuit pattern.
The IC card connector
31
stated above is so designed that an IC card
38
for use in communications and others through LAN and modem can be inserted and extracted. The IC card
38
, when inserted into the IC card connector
31
, is connected to the pin terminal
32
and attached with the pressure of the spring arm portion
34
b
as shown in FIG.
8
.
The IC card connector
31
stated above is used for high-speed transmission in communications and others. Grounding the shield cover
34
to the circuit pattern is effected through the screw
36
, which, however, generates an inductance component by the screw
36
, producing noise during high-speed transmission and accordingly deteriorating the transmission performance.
The head of the screw
36
contacting the circuit pattern has little contact surface area, so that reliable grounding and good high-speed transmission characteristic can not be achieved.
In the conventional IC card connector grounding structure, the nut
37
is screwed on the screw
36
after insertion of the screw
36
into the circuit board
35
, the housing
33
, and the shield cover
34
, and the shield cover
34
is grounded to the circuit pattern through the screw
36
. The grounding structure, therefore, has such a problem that inductance component is generated by the screw
36
, producing noise during high-speed transmission to thereby result in deteriorated transmission performance.
Since the head of the screw
36
contacts the circuit pattern as previously stated, there is little contact surface area, so that reliable grounding and good high-speed transmission characteristic can not be achieved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As a first arrangement of solution to the above-described problem, the grounding structure comprises an IC card connector having a housing made of an insulating material for holding a plurality of pin terminals, and a shield cover attached on the upper surface of the housing, and a circuit board with a ground circuit pattern for mounting the IC card connector; the shield cover being grounded in contact with the circuit pattern.
As a second arrangement of solution, the shield cover is provided with mounting legs, which are held in contact with the circuit pattern. The mounting legs are attached by mounting fixtures to the circuit board.
As a third arrangement of solution, the mounting fixture employed includes a screw and a nut. The nut is screwed onto the screw inserted in a mounting hole provided in the mounting leg and a mounting hole provided in the circuit board, to thereby attach the shield cover to the circuit board.
Furthermore, as a fourth arrangement of solution, the mounting fixture includes a male screw and a female screw. The female screw is formed in a cylindrical portion provided on the mounting leg, and the male screw inserted into the mounting hole in the circuit board is screwed into the female screw, thus forming the shield cover to the circuit board.
And furthermore as a fifth arrangement of solution, the contact position between the shield cover and the circuit pattern is set in the vicinity of the pin terminal.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5288247 (1994-02-01), Kaufman
patent: 5725394 (1998-03-01), Banakis et al.
patent: 5795190 (1998-08-01), Ono
patent: 6077119 (2000-06-01), Yu et al.
patent: 2553438 (1997-07-01), None

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