| JP54031171 | PAPER FEEDING APPARATUS |
| JP52007800 | PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR PAPER FORMS |
| JP62236167 | GUIDE ROLLER FOR TRAVELING TAPE OF VTR |
TOMITA, Mitsuhiro (6-1-719, Nishi-tsuruma 3-chom, Yamato-shi Kanagawa, 242-0005, JP)
WATANABE, Yoko (JP)
MATSUMOTO, Yasuyoshi (Heights-Ichikawa-Daisan #305, 12-19 Chuo 6-chom, Yamato-shi Kanagawa, 242-0021, JP)
TOMITA, Mitsuhiro (6-1-719, Nishi-tsuruma 3-chom, Yamato-shi Kanagawa, 242-0005, JP)
WATANABE, Yoko (JP)
| WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A memory card connector, comprising:
a housing for receiving a memory card therein, the housing including a
base portion and at least one side rail extending from the base portion, the base
portion and side rail cooperatively defining an interior space of said connector
into which said memory card can be inserted by a user, the housing base portion
supporting a plurality of conductive terminals at least partially within the
connector interior space;
a slide member for guiding a memory card into and out of said connector
interior space, the slide member being slidable in first and second, opposite
directions along the one side rail, said slide member including a slide surface that
contacts and slides along said one side rail;
a biasing member applying a biasing force to said slide member which
urges said slide member in the second direction; and,
a reservoir interposed between said slide surface and side rail, the
reservoir including a viscous damping material having a consistency sufficient to
at least partially retard a biasing force applied by the biasing member to a
memory card in said connector interior space to retard movement of said slide
member and said memory card in said second direction.
2. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein said reservoir is
disposed in said one side rail.
3. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein the viscous damping
material has a consistency of less than about 310 as measured according to
Japanese Industrial Standard K2220-5.3.2.
4. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein said viscous damping
material has a consistency of no more than about 280 as measured according to
Japanese Industrial Standard K2220-5.3.2.
5. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein the viscous damping
material has a consistency between about 280 and about 310 as measured
according to Japanese Industrial Standard K2220-5.3.2.
6. The card connector of Claim 3, wherein said viscous damping
material is a torque grease.
7. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein said reservoir includes a
first recess disposed in said slide rail.
8. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein said reservoir includes a
plurality of recesses disposed in said slide rail.
9. The card connector of Claim 8, wherein said recesses are
spaced apart from each other
10. The card connector of Claim 9, wherein said recesses are
arranged in a line along said side rail.
11. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein said one side rail
includes a guide surface that opposes said slide member slide surface and said reservoir is in contact with one of said slide surface and guide surface.
12. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein said one side rail further
includes a barrier wall that separates said reservoir from said connector interior
space.
13. The card connector of Claim 7, wherein said first recess is
generally rectangular.
14 The card connector of Claim 1 , further including a second guide
rail spaced apart from the one guide rail and said biasing member is disposed
along said one guide rail.
15. The card connector of Claim 1 , wherein said viscous damping
material is contained within a packet which is disposed in said reservoir.
16. The card connector of Claim 15, wherein said viscous damping
material includes a viscous gel. |
CARD CONNECTOR WITH EJECTION DAMPER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector and more particularly to
a card connector with an ejection damper.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, electronic equipment, such as a personal computers,
portable or mobile telephones, PDAs (personal digital assistant), digital cameras,
video cameras, music players, game machines, and car navigation systems, are
equipped with card connectors adapted for use with various types of memory
cards such as a SIM (subscriber identity module) card, an MMC ® (multi media
card), an SD ® (secure digital) card, a mini SD ® card, an xD picture card ® (xD-
Picture card), a memory stick ® , a memory stick Duo ® , a smart media ® , a T-Flash
(Trans-Flash) memory card, a micro SD ® card, and the like.
Recent card connectors generally have, for ease of handling, a "push-
push" structure in which a user handles a memory card so as to push it in order
to both insert and discharge the card from a connector. However, with a card
connector having the push-push structure, in discharging a card, the card is
urged to slide by the repulsive force of a spring. This increases the travel speed
of the card or a slide member holding the card, so that the card might dash or
pop out or the slide member might collide with a stopper member resulting in
mechanical shock. For this reason, there has been proposed such a technique
that a speed reducer is used for slowing the travel speed of a card or a slide
member down in discharging the card (for example, see Japanese Patent
Application Laid-Open No. 2003-31307).
Figure 7 is a schematic view illustrating a conventional card connector
which includes a socket body 301 of a card connector, and a memory card (not
shown) is inserted in direction "A." The card connector has a slide cover 302
slidably mounted on the socket body 301 , and an eject unit (not shown) for
discharging a memory card inserted between the socket body 301 and the slide
cover 302. The eject unit discharges a memory card by urging the slide cover
302 and the memory card to slide downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 7, by the
repulsive force of a spring such as a torsion coil spring. The back of the socket
body 301 is provided with a substrate 303 including for example electric terminals
making contact with pads of the memory card, and a cable 304 connected to the
substrate 303.
A speed reducer 305 is disposed on one side of the socket body 301.
The speed reducer 305 has an oil damper 307 attached to a receptacle container
309 that houses therein the card connector, a gear 308 on which rotational
resistance is exerted by the oil damper 307, and a rack 306 that is formed on one
side surface of the slide cover 302 to be engaged with the gear 308.
With this construction, the speed reducer 305 can slow the travel speed
of the slide cover 302 when a card is discharged from the card connector. This
eliminates the possibility that the card is ejected too quickly, or that the slide
cover 302 collides with a stopper member (not shown) thereby subjecting the
card to mechanical shock.
The conventional card connector needs to have attached thereto, speed
reducer 305 provided with oil damper 307, gear 308, and rack 306 rendering the
structure somewhat complicated and increasing the cost. Moreover, disposition
of the speed reducer 305 on the side of the socket body 301 increases the width
of the card connector, thus making it difficult to miniaturize the card connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at overcoming the above-mentioned
problems encountered by the conventional card connector, and makes it an
object to provide a card connector configured in a manner such that a viscous
dampening material such as a grease or other lubricant is applied between a
slide surface of a guide member of a card guide mechanism, and a guide surface
that guides the guide member. This material has the capability of exhibiting a
damping effect provided by the lubricant when a slide member is returned by an
urging member. Further, the stable damping effect can be attained by an
additional arrangement such that an abutment part slidingly contacts with the
inner side of a case thereby to limit its upward movement in order to maintain a
spacing between the guide surface and the slide surface within a predetermined
amount. This arrangement eliminates the necessity to separately dispose a
mechanism for speed reduction, thus permitting a simple, low cost, and miniature
structure. This arrangement also slows down the speed of the guide member
during discharging of a card, so that a card is not permitted to be rapidly ejected
toward the exterior, and reduces mechanical shock when the guide member is
stopped.
Therefore, a card connector according to the present invention includes a
housing that houses a card having an electric terminal member; an electric
connecting terminal that is attached to the housing and comes in contact with the
electric terminal member of the card; a case having a flat plate part that is
attached to the housing; and a card guide mechanism that has a slide member to
press a card inserted into the housing in a direction opposite to an insertion
direction, and an urging member to urge the slide member in the opposite
direction of the insertion direction of a card. When the slide member moves in the
insertion direction and reaches a terminus by a push action that causes the slide
member to stop at a lock position and causes the card to be pushed in the
insertion direction, the slide member is caused by urging force of the urging
member to move from the terminus in the opposite direction of the insertion
direction to thereby allow the card to be discharged. The case covers with the
flat plate part at least the slide member and a part of the inserted card. The
housing has a guide surface that guides the slide member. The slide member
has an engaging part that is able to engage the card, a slide surface that comes
in slide contact with the guide surface, and an abutment part that opposes to the
flat plate part of the case on the opposite side of the slide surface. The abutment
part comes in slide contact with the flat plate part to thereby limit movement of
the slide member toward the flat plate part, and a lubricant is applied between the
guide surface and the slide surface so that the guide surface and the slide
surface are in slidable contact with each other via the lubricant.
In another connector for card according to the present invention, due to
application of the lubricant, the speed of traveling of the slide member that is
moved from a terminus in the opposite direction of the insertion direction by the
urging force of the urging member may be slowed down.
In still other connector for card according to the invention, the lubricant
may be grease that is not more than 310 in consistency.
In still other connector for card according to the present invention, the
slide surface is provided with at least one lubricant reservoir part for reserving the
lubricant.
In still other connector for card according to the present invention, the
guide surface is provided with at least one lubricant reservoir part for reserving
the lubricant.
In still other connector for card according to the present invention, at least
one side edge of the guide surface is provided with a partition-wall extending in
the insertion direction and preventing the lubricant from flowing out of the
connector for card.
In still other connector for card of the invention, the guide surface is
further provided with a lubricant storage groove for storing the lubricant, adjoining
the partition and extending in the insertion direction.
In still other connector for card of the invention, the engaging part holds a
card at strength so as not to allow the card to slip from the slide member when
discharging the card by causing it to move from a terminus in the opposite
direction of the insertion direction.
In accordance with the present invention, lubricant is being applied
between a slide surface of a guide member of a card guide mechanism for
guiding a card inserted into a connector for card, and a guide surface for guiding
the guide member. The damping effect owing to the lubricant is attainable when
an urging member returns a slide member. Further, the stable damping effect is
attainable by arranging such that an abutment part slidingly contacts the inner
side of a case thereby to limit its upward movement in order to maintain the
space between the guide surface and the slide surface within a predetermined
amount. This arrangement eliminates the necessity to separately dispose a
mechanism for speed reduction, thus permitting a simple structure, a low cost,
and miniaturization. This arrangement also decreases the speed of the guide
member in discharging a card, so that a card does not dash out, and no shock
occurs when the guide member comes to a stop.
Another memory card connector according to the present invention
may include a housing for receiving a memory card therein. The housing having
a base portion and at least one side rail extending from the base portion to
cooperatively define an interior space into which the memory card can be
inserted by a user. The housing base portion supports a plurality of conductive
terminals at least partially within the connector interior space. A slide member is
provided for guiding a memory card into and out of the connector interior space
with the slide member being slidable in first and second, opposite directions
along the side rail. The slide member includes a slide surface that contacts and
slides along the one side rail. A biasing member is provided to apply a biasing
force to the slide member to urge the slide member in the second direction. A
reservoir is interposed between the slide surface and the side rail with the
reservoir including a viscous damping material having a consistency sufficient to
at least partially retard a biasing force applied by the biasing member to a
memory card located in the connector interior space to retard movement of the
slide member and the memory card in the second direction.
If desired, the reservoir may be disposed in the one side rail. In
addition, the viscous damping material may have a consistency of less than
about 310 as measured according to Japanese Industrial Standard K2220-5.3.2.
The viscous damping material may also have a consistency of no more than
about 280 as measured according to Japanese Industrial Standard K2220-5.3.2.
Still further, the viscous damping material may have a consistency between about
280 and about 310 as measured according to Japanese Industrial Standard
K2220-5.3.2. The viscous damping material may be a torque grease. The
viscous damping material may be contained within a packet which is disposed in
the reservoir. In the alternative, the viscous damping material may include a
viscous gel.
If desired, the reservoir of the card connector may include a first
recess disposed in the slide rail. The reservoir may also include a plurality of
recesses disposed in the slide rail. Still further, the recesses may be spaced
apart from each other and arranged in a line along said side rail. The one side
rail may include a guide surface that opposes the slide member slide surface and
the reservoir is in contact with one of the slide surface and guide surface. The
side rail may further include a barrier wall that separates the reservoir from the
connector interior space. If desired, the first recess may be generally rectangular.
The card connector may further include a second guide rail spaced apart from the
one guide rail and the biasing member is disposed along the one guide rail.
Still another memory card connector according to the present
invention may include a housing with a base and first and second spaced-apart
side rails extending from the base to define a card-insertion slot therebetween. A
plurality of conductive terminals are supported by the housing, and extend at
least partially into the card insertion slot for contacting a card inserted into the
card-insertion slot. A push-push style card locking and ejection mechanism is
provided which retains a card in the card-insertion slot upon a first push and
which ejects an inserted card upon a second push. The mechanism includes a
slide member positioned for slidable movement on the first side rail and a biasing
member contacting the slide member for selectively exerting an ejection force on
the slide member. The slide member includes a slide surface that slides along a
guide surface of the first side rail. A damping material is interposed between the
slide member slide surface and the first guide rail guide surface for retarding
movement of the slide member on the first side rail in response to the ejection
force.
The damping material may have a consistency of no more than about
310 as measured according to Japanese Industrial Standard K2220-5.3.2. In the
alternative, the damping material may have a consistency of no more than about
280 as measured according to Japanese Industrial Standard K2220-5.3.2. Still
further, the first guide rail may include at least a first recess formed therein with
the first recess containing the damping material.
The reservoir may include a plurality of recesses and the recesses may be
arranged in a line along said first guide rail. The first guide rail may include a
barrier wall separating the guide member guide surface from the card-insertion
slot to substantially prevent migration of the damping material into the card-
insertion slot.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will
be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a card connector according to a first
preferred embodiment of the present invention with a shell removed;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the card connector assembly of the
present invention with a memory card aligned for insertion into the connector
assembly;
Fig. 3A is a perspective view of the card connector with an urging
member and a pin member removed for clarity;
Fig. 3B is a perspective view of the back or bottom of the slide member
removed from the card connector;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the card connector with a slide member
removed;
Fig. 4A is a cross section of Fig. 4, taken along line A-A;
Fig. 4B is a cross section similar to Fig. 4A of an alternate embodiment of
the card connector;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a side arm of the card connector
along which the slide member travels;
Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a side arm of a card connector
according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 7 is a somewhat schematic diagrammatic view illustrating a
conventional card connector.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a card connector, generally indicated at
10, according to a first preferred embodiment is shown. Card connector 10 is
configured to be attached to electronic equipment (not shown) and receive a card
31 therein, so that card 31 is attached via the card connector 10 to the electronic
equipment. For example, the electronic equipment may be any type of
equipment such as a personal computer, a portable or mobile telephone, a PDA,
a digital camera, a video camera, a music player, a game machine, a car
navigation system, or the like.
The card 31 may be any kind of card, for example, an IC card such as an
SIM card, MMC ® , an SD ® card, a mini SD ® card, an xD picture card ® , a memory
stick ® , a memory stick Duo ® , a smart media ® , a T-Flash memory card, a micro
SD ® , or the like. The first preferred embodiment describes the card 31 as a mini
SD ® card. In the following description, it should be understood that the
expressions of respective directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and rear
that are used to explain the construction and operation of respective parts of the
card connector 10 are not absolute but relative expressions. That is to say, these
expressions will be appropriate when the card connector 10 and its parts take up
the position shown in the drawings. However, when they take another position,
the description should be changed and interpreted according to a change in
position of the card and its parts for purposes of understanding.
Referring now to Fig. 2, the card connector 10 has a housing 11 for
housing a card 31 that is integrally formed by an insulating material such as
synthetic resin, and a shell 12 as a case attached to the upper side of the
housing 11 , which can be formed by subjecting a plate composed of a conductive
material such as metal to the machining operation including punching, bending,
and the like. A top surface 12a of the shell 12, which is shaped like a flat plate,
covers part of a card 31 inserted in the card connector 10 and covers slide
member, indicated generally at 14, over its entire working range. The card
connector 10 in the general shape of a flat rectangular body is attached to the
electronic equipment. The card 31 is inserted and removed from the front of the
card connector 10 (on the right side as viewed in Fig. 2) along axis "B." Further
description will be made with the card 31 inserted into the card connector 10 as
shown in Fig. 2. such that electric contact pads 32 of card 31 face upwards to
engage electric terminals 13 of connector 10.
In Fig. 1 , the shell 12 has been removed for clarity. Housing 11 has a
bottom or lower wall 11a having such a shape that the front edge side (on the
right and downward side as viewed in Fig. 1), which is the front with respect to
the insertion direction B of the card 31 , is formed in substantially a U-shape, and
a rear wall 11b that extends along the rear edge at the connector 10 and stands
vertical from the bottom wall 11a. The rear wall 11 b is provided with a plurality of
terminal receiving or loading holes 11e formed so as to extend all of the way
through rear wall 11 b in a direction parallel to insertion direction B. A securing or
root portion 13a of each terminal 13 engages each hole 11e to secure each of the
terminals in a terminal loading hole 11e. The terminals 13 extend toward the
front edge of the housing 11 , and include contact portions 13a adjacent their tip
portions and engage the contact pads 32 disposed on the upper surface of the
card 31 thereby to establish electrical connection between the card connector 10
and card 31. Each solder tail portion 13c extends from each of the root portions
13a of the terminals 13 and projects rearwardly from the rear edge of the bottom
wall part 11a, and is electrically connected by soldering or the like to a contact
pad, or other counterpart electric terminal member, formed on a circuit member
or board or the like and adapted to be mounted in some type of electronic
equipment.
Housing 11 has a first side part or arm 11c having an L-shaped cross-
section and extending parallel to the insertion direction B along one side edge of
the bottom wall 11a, and a second side part or arm 11d extending parallel to the
insertion direction B along the other side edge of the bottom wall part 11a.
Card connector 10 is of the so-called "push-in/push-out" type or "push-
push" type of card connector that requires the action of pushing a card 31 in
inserting the card into the card connector 10 and in discharging the card 31 from
the card connector 10. Slide member 14 of the card guide mechanism is slidably
attached to the second side arm 11d and configured for sliding movement in the
insertion direction of the card 31 upon insertion of a card 31 into the card
connector.
The slide member 14 has a first engaging part 14b and a second
engaging part 14d. The first engaging part 14b is integrally formed so as to
project from an inner side surface of a slide cam 14a of the slide member 14. A
projecting engagement-claw 14c extends so as to project inwardly of the housing
11 is integrally formed at the tip of the first engaging part 14b. The shape of the
first engaging part 14b including the projecting engagement-claw 14c
corresponds to the shape of the right corner portion at the leading end in the
insertion direction of the card 31 , thus allowing for abutment of the front surface
and the side surface of the right corner portion at the leading end in the insertion
direction of a card 31 inserted in the card connector 10.
A projection-like second engaging part 14d that projects inwardly of the
housing 11 is integrally formed with a portion of the slide cam part 14a that
extends rearward from the first engaging part 14b on the inner side surface of the
slide cam part 14a. The second engaging part 14d is configured to engage the
side edge or surface 33 of card 31. This enables the slide member 14 to engage
the card 31 on both the front edge 34 and side edge 33 through the first and
second engaging parts 14b and 14d, and move together with the card 31 in the
back-and-forth or insertion direction.
An urging member 15 in the form of a coil spring is mounted in the
second side part 11d and urges slide member 14 forwardly, or away from rear
wall 11 b. Opposite ends of the urging member 15 abut against a backstop 11 f of
the rear wall 11b and the rear end 14k of the slide cam 14a, and are engaged
with a first projection 11g projecting forwardly from the backstop 11f and a
second projection 14f projecting rearwardly from the rear end 14k of the slide
cam part 14a.
One end of pin member 17 is engaged to an end or stopper part 11 h
formed at the front end of the second side part 11d, and the other end of the pin
member 17 is engaged with a cam groove 14e as a slide cam formed on the
upper surface of the slide cam part 14a. The pin member 17 cooperates with the
cam groove 14e for permitting the slide member 14 to move together with the
card 31 to perform push-push action as is known in the art. When the card 31
moves in the insertion direction and reaches the terminus by the pushing action
of pushing the card in the insertion direction, the card guide mechanism causes
the card 31 to move from the terminus in the opposite direction of the insertion
direction to thereby discharge the card by the urging force of the urging member
15. Since the cam mechanism for performing the push-push action (i.e., the
interaction between the pin member 17 and the cam groove 14e) is well known,
its description is omitted.
A first contact member 21 and a second contact member 22 are attached
to the first side arm 11c. The first and second contact parts 21 and 22 create
closed and open circuits by electrically connecting to each other and separating
from each other, respectively, thus functioning as a switch. The switch may be
used as any kind of switch, such as a detection switch to detect that the card 31
is properly inserted into the card connector 10, or a write protect switch to prohibit
writing of new information into the card 31 as is known in the art.
Referring to Figs. 3A and 3B, the slide member 14 of the card guide
mechanism has a flat slide surface 14g that is formed on the back of the slide
cam part 14a. Figure 3A shows the connector 10 with urging member 15 and pin
member 17 removed for clarity and Figure 3B shows the back or bottom of slide
member 14 removed from the housing 11.
An upper surface 14j of slide member 14 is formed on the opposite side
of the slide surface 14g of the first engaging part 14b and abuts the inside of the
top surface 12a of the shell 12 with a slight clearance there between. When the
slide member 14 moves, the upper surface 14j cooperates with the top surface
12a of the shell 12 to limit the upward movement of the slide member 14 thereby
to prevent an increase in the clearance between the slide surface 14g and the
guide surface 11 i. That is, maintaining the clearance formed between the slide
surface 14g and the guide surface 11 i at a predetermined amount stabilizes the
damping effect. In order to allow the shell 12 to limit the upward movement of the
slide member 14, the first preferred embodiment utilizes a planar upper surface
part 14j to abut shell 12. In the alternative, the abutment surface may be formed
by a plurality of projections or the like that are formed on slide member 14 and
project upward to define the upper surface part 14j.
The slide surface 14g is further provided with a first recess 14h
functioning as a lubricant storage portion or reservoir portion. The first recess
14h has an opening into the slide surface 14g, and it can reserve in its interior a
lubricant such as grease. Although the shape of the opening of the first recess
14h is shown in Fig. 3B as a rectangle, it may be of any desired shape such as
square, triangle, circle, ellipse, or the like. Although the number of the first
recesses 14h illustrated in Fig. 3B is one, it may be two or more. Additionally, the
position and layout of the first recesses 14h can be determined suitably.
The second side part or arm 11d has a flat guide surface 11 i that is
parallel to the bottom wall 11a and extends in the insertion direction B of the card
31. Second side wall 11j that is perpendicular to the bottom wall part 11a and
also extends in the insertion direction B. As best seen in Fig. 5, partition 11 k is
positioned at and defines a boundary between the bottom wall 11a and the guide
surface 11 i, and is perpendicular to the bottom wall 11a and extends in the
insertion direction B of the card 31.
Slide member 14 slides along and is guided by guide surface 11i as it
slides in the insertion direction. Partition 11 k prevents slide surface 14g of slide
member 14 from moving laterally and engaging bottom wall 11a. The guide
surface 11 i has one or more second recesses 11m functioning as a lubricant
storage portion or reservoir. The second recesses 11m have openings into the
guide surface 11 i, and can store in its interior lubricant such as grease. Although
the shape of the openings of the second recess 11m illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5
are circles, they may be of any desired shape such as rectangle, square, triangle,
ellipse, or the like. Although the number of the second recesses 11 m is three in
the illustrated example, it may be one, two, four or more. Additionally, the
position and layout of the second recesses 11m can be determined suitably.
The partition 11 k projecting upward from the guide surface 11 i also
functions as a seal to prevent the lubricant on the guide surface 11 i from traveling
onto the bottom wall part 11a. The partition 11 k has a height to such a degree
that the projecting engaging claw 14c and the second engaging part 14d of the
slide member 14 are allowed to project inwardly of the housing 11 past the
partition 11 k. Alternatively, the partition 11 k may be formed on both sides of the
guide surface 11 i to create a U-shaped channel. In such an alternate
embodiment, a track is created within which the slide member 14 slides. In the
embodiment shown in Figs. 1-6, slide member 14 is retained between shell 12
and guide surface 11i.
FIG. 4A is a cross-section of FIG. 4, taken along line A-A and it shows the
general configuration of the guide surface 11 i of the housing 11. As shown
therein, it can be seen that the housing includes a raised partition, or barrier wall,
11k that extends lengthwise along the extent of the housing. This raised wall
serves as a barrier to the viscous damping material to substantially prevent the
migration of the viscous damping material to the interior of the connector where it
may contaminate the terminals 13. FIG. 4B is a cross-section of an alternate
embodiment of the side rail or member of the housing 11 , where the barrier wall
has a stepped configuration. The wall rises up from the guide surfacel 1 i to meet
level with the bottom wall part 11a.
In accordance with the first preferred embodiment, lubricant 16 (Fig. 5) is
applied between the guide surface 11 i and the slide surface 14g. If the lubricant
is liquid of too low a viscosity, it will most likely flow off and around guide surface
11i and slide surface 14g. Hence, preferably, the lubricant is grease that is
relatively high in viscosity and low in flowability.
In the first preferred embodiment the primary objective of applying
lubricant is to have the guide surface 11 i and the slide surface 14g of the housing
11 function as a parallel-plate type viscous damper thereby to slow down the
travel speed of the slide member 14 when it is moved from its fully inserted
position in the opposite direction of the insertion direction of the card 31 by the
urging force of the urging member 15. Just as a viscous damper utilizes the
viscosity resistance of viscous flow, and resistance force is proportional to
velocity, the present invention uses the viscosity of the lubricant in a positive
manner. The fluid used in a viscous damper is preferably high in viscosity.
Applying grease as a dampener between the guide surface 11i and the
slide surface 14g will have the effects as set forth below. Since the travel speed
of the card 31 when pushed by the user's hand and finger during insertion is low,
the affect of the lubricant on the slide member 14 is likewise low and the lubricant
barely increases the force required to insert the card 31. On the other hand,
when the force of the urging member 15 causes the slide member 14 to move in
the opposite direction of the insertion direction thereby to discharge the card 31 ,
the travel speed of the slide member 14 moving together with the card 31 is
higher, so that the lubricant has a greater affect and slide member 14 receives a
larger resistive force due to the lubricant and the travel speed is slowed down.
This prevents the card 31 from being expelled too quickly from the card
connector 10 and also reduces mechanical shock when the slide member 14
engages the stopper part 11h and comes to a stop.
The function as a viscous damper can vary according to the
characteristics of the grease. Therefore, the inventor of the present invention
conducted an experiment by manufacturing the card connector 10 and using
various types of grease at normal operating temperatures in order to specify the
characteristic of grease that enables the speed of the slide member 14 to be
reduced to an appropriate value. The characteristic of grease that corresponds
to viscosity as the characteristic of lubricant is consistency. As used herein, the
term "consistency" is a characteristic value indicating the hardness of the grease
and the greater the number, the softer the grease. In general, a greater
consistency means a lower apparent viscosity of the grease. As a further
definition, consistency means the consistence of an extremely viscous substance
to resist deformation. According to Japanese Industrial Standard JIS K2220-
5.3.2, the consistency is determined such that: a cone having a predetermined
shape (mass: 102.5±0.05 g) is moved perpendicularly into a sample for 5.0±0.1
seconds together with a holding section (mass: 45.50±0.02 g); the depth of
movement obtained in the vertical direction in this procedure is measured; and a
reading of the index is multiplied by 10.
The inventor carried out the experiment as to whether the speed of the
slide member 14 could be reduced properly by using each of a plurality of
greases that differed from one another in consistency. The results are shown in
Table 1.
Table 1
Every grease used in the experiment was torque grease manufactured by
Sankei Kagaku Co., Ltd in Japan. The articles indicated by A, B 1 and C are the
products called TGK-6, TGK-7, and TGK-8, respectively. Torque grease is used
with machine parts, gears, and rotating parts, etc. that are made of metal or
synthetic resin. The consistencies shown in Table 1 were measured according to
JIS-K2220-5.3.2. In the experiment, approximately 400mm 3 of grease was
applied between the guide surface 11i and the slide surface 14g by using a
dispenser.
It will be apparent from the results shown in Table 1 that it is desirable to
use grease whose consistency is not more than 310, and more preferably not
more than 280. A constant clearance between the guide surface 11 i and the
slide surface 14g stabilizes the amount of grease entering the clearance, thereby
stabilizing the damping effect of the viscous damper. The damping effect can be
adjusted by adjusting the dimension of the clearance and the amount of grease.
In operation, a user inserts card 31 from the front 15 of the card
connector 10 by the hand and finger, or the like. The card 31 is inserted in the
position as shown in Fig. 2, with respect to the card connector 10. In the initial
stage of insertion, the contact pads 32 of the card 31 have not yet reached the
location of the terminals 13. The right corner portion 34 at the leading end in the
insertion direction of the card 31 , and the right side surface 33are not engaged
with the first engaging part 14b and the second engaging part 14d of the slide
member 14 of the card guide mechanism. As shown in Fig. 1 , the slide member
14 is stopped with its front end (adjacent second engaging part 14d), abutting
against the stopper part 11 h. The first and second contact members 21 and 22
are not in contact, so that the detection switch is turned off.
Subsequently, when the user further pushes the card 31 , the engaging
parts formed on the right corner portion 34 and the right side surface 33 at the
leading end in the insertion direction of the card 31 engages with the first and
second engaging parts 14b and 14d, respectively, and the card 31 moves
together with the slide member 14 toward the rear wall 11b. At this time, the slide
member 14 compresses the urging member 15 composed of a coil spring, so that
the slide member 14 and the card 31 are moved against the spring force of the
urging member 15. The spring force is small enough that it is easily overcome by
the push force developed by the user's hand and finger, or the like, as it is known
in the art.
Grease is applied between the slide surface 14g of the slide member 14
and the guide surface 11 i of the housing 11 , in order to achieve the function as a
parallel-plate type viscous damper. Since the travel speed of the card 31 pushed
by the user's hand and finger is low, the addition force caused by the damper on
the slide member 14 moving together with the card 31 is very small. Accordingly,
the presence of the grease does not significantly increase the force required by
the user's hand and finger, nor does it cause a drop in the travel speed of the
slide member 14 and the card 31. Rather, the function as lubricant achieved by
the grease reduces the friction between the guide surface 11i and the slide
surface 14g, thus allowing the slide member 14 to move smoothly. This enables
the user to appreciate high-quality feeling when pushing the card 31.
Thereafter, the slide member 14 and the card 31 reach the terminus that
is the fully advanced position, and enter the full-stroke state. Near the middle of
travel of the card 31 , its upper surface at the leading end 35 engages the lower
projection of the first contact member 21 thereby to displace upward the body
part of the first contact member 21. As a result, the first abutment portion of the
first contact member 21 is displaced upward and abuts the second abutment
portion of the second contact member 22, thus establishing continuity across the
first and second contact members 21 and 22. Through such a structure, the
switch is turned on, designating that card 31 is inserted properly into the card
connector 10.
When the user stops the action of pushing the card 31 and releases the
push force against the card 31 , the repulsive force of the urging member 15
causes the slide member 14 and the card 31 to move in the direction away from
the rear wall 11 b. As is known in the art, the slide member 14 and the card 31
are thus stopped at an operative, locked position where the card 31 is held in the
locked state in the card connector 10. As is known in the art, the pin member 17
engages the cam groove 14e of the slide cam part 14a to stop the action of the
slide cam part 14a, thus stopping the slide member 14 at the locked position.
With the card 31 held at the locked position, data may be sent and
received in the operative state with the electronic equipment to which the card
connector 10 is attached. While the card 31 is held at the locked position, the
contact pads 32 of the card 31 contact the contact portions 13b of the terminals
13 to maintain electrical continuity there between. Since the first contact part of
the first contact member 21 is abutting the second contact part of the second
contact member 22, the detection switch is placed in the on state.
As is known in the art, a user removes card 31 by pushing the card 31 by
the hand and finger, or the like, when it is in the operative, locked position. In
doing so, the slide member 14 and the card 31 are moved from the locked
position towards the rear wall 11b. Further pushing of the card 31 causes the
slide member 14 and the card 31 to reach the terminus that is the fully advanced
position, and enter the full-stroke state.
Subsequently, when the user stops the action of pushing the card 31 and
releases the pushing force against the card 31 , the repulsive force of the urging
member 15 causes the slide member 14 and the card 31 to move in the direction
away from the rear wall 11 b and to return in the direction of the locked position.
However, as it is known in the art, even as the slide member 14 reaches the
locked position, the pin member 17 in cam groove 14e of the slide cam part 14a
does not engage cam groove 14e, and the slide member 14 and card 31 the
locked position.
The repulsive force of the urging member 15 causes the slide member 14
and the card 31 to be ejected, thereby increasing the travel speed. This enables
the slide surface 14g of the slide member 14, the guide surface 11 i of the housing
11 and the grease there between to function as a parallel-plate type viscous
damper and supply resistive force to the slide member 14, thereby reducing the
travel speed of the slide member 14 and the card 31.
Upon the abutment of the front end of the slide member 14 against the
stopper part 11 h, the slide member 14 and the card 31 come to a stop. Since the
travel speed of the slide member 14 and the card is lowered by the viscous action
of the grease, the abutment of the front end of the slide member 14 against the
stopper part 11h does not cause a large shock on the slide member 14 or the
card 14. Through such a structure, engagement is maintained between the
engaging parts formed on the right corner portion 34 and the right side surface 33
of card 31 , and the first and second engaging parts 14b and 14d of the slide
member 14 in the card guide mechanism. In other words, as the slide member
14 returns to the position as shown in Fig. 1 , the card 31 will not dash out from
the card connector 10 and is maintained in contact with the first and second
engaging parts 14b and 14d of the slide member 14. This reduces the possibility
of losing the card 31.
The force that the first and second engaging parts 14b and 14d of the
slide member 14 exert on card 31 to temporarily hold the card in place is more
than sufficient to maintain the card 31 in position within connector 11 when the
slide member 14 is brought to a stop by engagement with the stopper part 11 h. It
is, however, sufficiently less than the force that the user uses to pull the card 31
out of the connector 11 by the hand and finger, or the like. Therefore, the card 31
is temporarily held by the first and second engaging parts 14b and 14d of the
slide member 14 until it is removed from the slide member 14 by pulling it with the
user's hand and finger, or the like.
As the slide member 14 returns from the terminus to the position as
shown in Fig. 1 , the body part of the first contact member 21 returns by its own
spring force to its original position. Accordingly, the first and second contact
members 21 and 22 enter the non-continuity state, and the detection switch
changes from the "on" state to the "off' state.
Applying grease between the guide surface 11 i and the slide surface 14g
enables the guide surface 11 i and the slide surface 14g to function as a parallel-
plate type viscous damper. When the force of the urging member 15 causes the
slide member 14 to move to eject the card 31 , the travel speed of slide member
14 and card 31 may be high, so that the damper provides a large resistance force
on the slide member 14 and its travel speed is lowered. This prevents the card
31 from quickly dashing or springing out from the card connector 10. This also
prevents a large shock from occurring when the slide member 14 is brought to a
stop by the abutment against the stopper 1 1 h. On the other hand, during the
insertion process, a card 31 pushed by the user's hand and finger, or the like, has
a low travel speed, so that the slide member 14 moving together with the card 31
receives very little additional resistive force from the damper.
At least one first recess portion 14h for storing grease is formed in the
slide surface 14g, and at least one second recess portion 11 m for storing grease
is formed in the guide surface 1 1 i. This enables a sufficient amount of grease to
be held between the guide surface 1 1 i and the slide surface 14g. The presence
of partition 1 1 k extending in the insertion direction on at least one side edge of
the guide surface 11 i prevents the grease from flowing therearound and from in
between the guide surface 11 i and the slide surface 14g.
Additionally, the first and second engaging parts 14b and 14d hold the
card 31 with sufficient force so as to prevent card 31 from slipping from the slide
member 14 when discharging the card 31. This reduces the likelihood that the
card 31 will dash out from the card connector 10. Moreover, the card 31 can be
easily removed from the slide member 14 by pulling it with the user's hand and
finger, or the like.
While the first preferred embodiment has described only the case where
the first recess portion 14h is formed on the slide surface 14g and the second
recess portion 11 m is formed on the guide surface 11 i, the first and second
recess portions 14h and 11m may be omitted suitably. For example, the slide
surface 14g and the guide surface 11i may be a flat surface free from recessed
portions. Alternatively, only either one of the slide surface 14g and the guide
surface 11 i may have the first recess portion 14h or the second recess portion
11 m as a recess portion. In addition, the slide surface 14a and the guide surface
11 i need not necessarily be smooth surfaces, or they may be a smooth finished
surface on which fine irregularities are formed.
Alternatively, the viscous damping material may be retained in a self
contained packet that is disposed within one of the recesses. The material used
in this application would be a gel like material or grease that is sealed within the
packet and projects to provide contact with the guide member slide surface.
Fig. 6 shows details of a second preferred embodiment of the present
invention. Like reference numbers have been used for the same structure as in
the first preferred embodiment, and therefore the description thereof is omitted
here.
In the second preferred embodiment, a second recess portion 11 n
functioning as a lubricant storage portion is formed on a guide surface 11 i. Like
the second recess portion 11m in the first preferred embodiment, the second
recess portion 11 n is a recess portion with an opening into the guide surface 11 i,
and it can store, in its interior, lubricant such as grease. The shape of the
opening of the second recess portion 11 n is a rectangle that is long in the
insertion direction of a card 31. Although the number of the second recess
portions 11n shown in Fig. 6 is two, it may also be one or three or more.
Additionally, the position and layout of the second recess portion 11n can be
determined suitably.
The guide surface 11 i has a recess groove 11 p functioning as a lubricant
storage groove or moat , which is adjacent to a partition 11k and extends in the
insertion direction of the card 31. The recess groove 11 p is a recess groove with
an opening into the guide surface 11 i, and it can store, in its interior, lubricant
such as grease. This enables a sufficient amount of grease to be held between
the guide surface 11 i and the slide surface 14g. This also enables a large
amount of excess grease to be stored in the recess groove 11 p. It is therefore
able to reliably prevent the grease from flowing therearound from between the
guide surface 11 i and the slide surface 14g and onto bottom wall 11a. The other
construction and operation of the second preferred embodiment are identical to
that described with respect to the first preferred embodiment, and therefore the
description thereof is omitted here.
It is to be understood that the present invention should not be limited to
the foregoing preferred embodiments and thus, various changes and
modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art based on the gist of the
invention, and they should not be excluded from the scope of the invention.