Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding to connector container or housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-30
2001-04-10
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Grounding to connector container or housing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213790
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus of a type that is attachable/detachable to an external computer system, such as a PC card, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus that complies with the Specification defined by the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)/JEIDA (Japan Electronic Industry Development Association). In more detail, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having an adhesive continuity hole on a ground electrode, for making the ground electrode to be fixed firmly by an adhesive as being sandwiched between a housing and a body.
2. Description of the Related Art
With a recent technological innovation, various kinds of personal computers (PC) have been developed and commercially sold. Conventionally, an expansion of a PC peripheral environment has been, in many cases, implemented by attaching a desirable “adapter card” to a “bus slot” that is provided in the PC. An example of the adapter card is a video adapter, a communication (LAN) adapter, and an SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) card, etc.
However, an attachment of the adapter card is not practical for a notebook type computer which can not provide many bus slots. As a result, in order to provide for expandability of the notebook type computer, a so called a “PC card” has been developed. The PC card is a kind of peripheral device with a size (54.0 mm×85.6 mm) of a credit card (bank card). The notebook computer can relatively easily expand the system configuration, by providing a card slot for inserting and electrically connecting the PC card.
The PC card is, because of the attachments/detachments at frequent intervals to/from the PC provided in a housing of a cartridge type. The guidelines regarding the mechanical and electrical specifications of the PC card are provided for by the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) and the JEIDA (Japan Electronic Industry Development Association), and are standardized in the industry.
In association with an increase of the bus width of personal computers, a 16-bit capable card and a 32-bit capable card have been developed as PC cards.
Usually, a driving voltage is 5.0 V for the 16-bit PC, but it is set to 3.3 V for the 32-bit PC card. By decreasing the driving voltage from 5.0 V to 3.3 V, it is necessary to provide a more secure ground connection between the PC (Personal Computer) and the PC card, in order to ensure a transmission, and a reception of a signal for the PC card and the computer body.
For example, as the 32-bit PC card, the one disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-58163 and the like are known.
This PC card comprises a frame that one end thereof turns to be a connector mounting receptacle and that accommodates a circuit board inside thereof, two sheets of panels for covering both sides of said frame with lids, respectively, a connector provided at said connector mounting receptacle of said frame, for connecting said circuit board to a personal computer, and a ground electrode provided sandwiched between one of said two panels and said connector, for connecting a ground of said circuit board to a ground of a personal computer.
Also, in one of the panels, holes for accommodating a plurality of projections at a location of a connector mounting receptacle is provided, and said ground electrode comprises a plate part extended along a length direction of said connector, and projections formed at said plate and being projected respectively from each of holes in said panel. Further, since an adhesive film is provided at an interior of the panel, the panel and the ground electrode have been coupled by an adhesive, in a state that the projections of the ground electrode are projected from the holes of the panel.
Incidentally, according to the PC card in the above described prior art, although the ground electrode is adhered to one panel among the two panels, it is not fixed to the connector, and when the planeness of the plate part in the ground plate is not good, and when the planeness at a part corresponding to the connector mounting receptacle among the panels is not good, or when there are manufacturing errors in the individual parts of the ground electrode, the connector and the like, there is a problem that a central part of the ground electrode floats from the connector.
Further, when a torsional force or the like is added to the connector mounting receptacle of the casing, at a time of attaching/detaching the PC card to/from the card slot, there is also a problem that a central part of the ground electrode floats from the connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is made with regard to the problem in the prior art described above, and it is an object of the present invention to enhance the durability and reliability of a PC card, a by fixing a connector to a ground electrode while ensuring good electrical contact.
In order to solve the above described problem, the PC card according to the present invention comprises a frame body, one end thereof being a connector mounting receptacle, and for accommodating a circuit board at an inside thereof; two sheets of panels for covering both sides of the frame body in lids, respectively; a connector provided at a connector mounting receptacle of the frame body, and for connecting the circuit board to a personal computer; and a ground electrode provided sandwiched between one panel of the two sheets of panels and the connector, and for connecting a ground of the circuit board to a ground of the personal computer, wherein an adhesive film is provided between the connector and the ground electrode.
By configuring as describe above, the connector and the ground electrode can be fixed with an adhesive film in a state enhancing intimate contact, thereby preventing the ground electrode from floating.
According to the present invention, the ground electrode comprises: a plane part extending along a length direction of the connector; and a plurality of spring-like projections formed by making notches in the plate part, and for supplying a spring-property when inserting into a card slot on the personal computer side, wherein the adhesive film is provided between a flat surface between the spring-like projections adjacent each other among the plate part and the connector.
By configuring as described above, an adhesive film formed between the flat plane in-between the spring-like projections adjacent to each other among the plate part and the connector can fix the ground electrode and the connector, without restricting an operation of each of the spring-like projections.
According to the present invention, the adhesive film is provided on the connector side in advance, and has a configuration such that the ground electrode is coupled to the adhesive film.
By configuring as described above, the adhesive film can be easily provided by a screen printing.
Also, according to the present invention, in the ground electrode, a conduction path that guides the adhesive film provided in the one panel to the connector is provided.
By configuring as described above, the adhesive film provided in one of the panels is guided to the connector side through a conduction path of the ground electrode, and as including the ground electrode, one of the panels and the connector can be coupled in a state enhancing an intimate contact, thereby preventing the ground electrode from floating.
Further, according to the present invention, the ground electrode comprises: a plane part extending along a length direction of the connector; and a plurality of spring-like projections formed by making notches in the plate part, and for supplying a spring-property when inserting into a card slot on the personal computer side, wherein the conduction path is provided on a flat surface between the spring-like projections adjacent each other among the plate part.
By configuring as described above, an adhesive film formed between
Iwami Hisakazu
Kakinoki Wataru
Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Nguyen Phuongchi
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
Paumen Gary
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