Electrical connectors – Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move... – Having open slot for receiving preformed panel circuit...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-12
2001-01-16
Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move...
Having open slot for receiving preformed panel circuit...
C439S267000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174186
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to a card connector, and more particularly to a card connector which is suitably used as a connector of miniature cards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1
is a cross-sectional view of a digital still camera incorporating a conventional card connector.
On an upper surface
500
a
of a camera casing
500
, there are arranged a liquid crystal display panel
600
and a card connector
700
.
A protruded terminal array portion
9
a
of a circuit board, not shown, contained in the camera casing
500
extends through a bottom wall
711
of a box-shaped insulator
701
of the card connector
700
to protrude into the inside of the insulator
701
.
The insulator
701
has a top wall
710
formed with an insertion hole
714
via which a miniature card
8
is inserted from outside.
To mount the miniature card
8
in the insulator
701
, the front end of the miniature card
8
is hooked under an edge of the insertion hole
714
and pivotally moved downward about the hooked front end.
As a result, the protruded terminal array portion
9
a
of the circuit board is fitted in a recessed terminal array portion
8
a
of the miniature card
8
to establish electrical connection between the miniature card
8
and the circuit board.
In the conventional card connector, as described above, the insertion hole
714
is formed in the top wall
710
of the insulator
701
and hence the miniature card
8
is required to be inserted into and removed from the camera casing
500
via an upper surface-side of the camera casing
500
.
Therefore, the conventional card connector suffers from the problem that only a small-sized liquid crystal display panel can be mounted on the upper surface
500
a
of the camera casing
500
.
To install a large-sized liquid crystal display panel, the camera casing
500
is required to be increased in size, which goes against the demand of downsizing of the digital still camera.
To avoid the above inconvenience, a method is contemplated in which the miniature card
8
is inserted via one of the sides of the insulator
701
. However, if the insertion hole
714
of the insulator
701
is simply changed in location, the front end of the miniature card
8
would abut against the protruded terminal array portion
9
a
of the circuit board, which is protruded into the inside of the insulator
701
, to deform the same.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to provide a card connector which is capable of inserting and removing a card therein and therefrom via a side of an insulator thereof.
To attain the above object, according to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a card connector for electrically connecting a card to a flexible printed cable, the card connector including a hollow insulator having a bottom wall, an insertion opening via which the card is inserted therein, and the flexible printed cable received in the insulator, the flexible printed cable including a protruded terminal array portion, the card having a recessed terminal array portion, wherein the protruded terminal array portion and the recessed terminal array portion are engaged with each other for electrical connection between the card and the flexible printed cable, the card connector comprising:
a slider movably accommodated within the insulator, for movement within the insulator with the flexible printed cable carried thereon;
an urging member for urging the slider in an opposite direction to a direction of insertion of the card;
a flexible member connected to the slider, for supporting the protruded terminal array portion of the flexible printed cable from underside;
the bottom wall of the insulator being formed with a recess which extends toward the insertion opening, the flexible member connected to the slider being positioned in the recess before the slider is moved in the direction of insertion of the card to thereby prevent the card from abutting against the protruded terminal portion of the flexible printed cable before a front end of the card abuts against the slider;
a sloped guide surface formed in the recess, for guiding the flexible member to a flat portion of the bottom wall inward of the recess when the slider is pushed by the front end of the card in the direction of insertion of the card when the card is inserted, to cause the protruded terminal array portion of the flexible printed cable to be fitted in the recessed terminal array portion of the card; and
lock means for holding the protruded terminal array portion in a state fitted in the recessed terminal array portion of the card, against an urging force of the urging member.
According to the card connector of the invention, when the card is inserted, the card is prevented from abutting against the protruded terminal array portion of the flexible printed cable before the front end of the card abuts against the slider. After the front end of the card abuts against the slider, as the slider is pushed further inward, the sloped guide surface of the recess formed in the bottom wall of the insulator guides the flexible member to the flat portion of the bottom wall of the insulator, whereby the protruded terminal array portion of the flexible printed cable is fitted in the recessed terminal array portion of the card.
When the protruded terminal array portion of the flexible printed cable is fitted in the recessed terminal array portion of the card, the fitting (engagement) of the protruded terminal array portion of the flexible printed cable in the recessed terminal array portion of the card is maintained against the urging force of the urging member by the locking means to thereby maintain electrical connection between the card and the flexible printed cable.
Preferably, the slider has an abutment portion for receiving the front end of the card when the card is inserted into the insulator, and an urging member-receiving portion for receiving the urging member, the insulator having an innermost wall, the urging member being interposed between the urging member-receiving portion of the slider and the innermost wall of the insulator.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4795897 (1989-01-01), Chalendard
patent: 4839509 (1989-06-01), Yasuma et al.
patent: 4904852 (1990-02-01), Mita et al.
patent: 4931622 (1990-06-01), Ohtsuki et al.
patent: 4961710 (1990-10-01), Komatsu
Hashiguchi Osamu
Nakamura Keisuke
Yahiro Yasufumi
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Limited
Vu Hien
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