JP2003031283A - Connector device for pc card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of screws used to fix a circuit board, and to secure sufficient strength against expandedly opening force produced when inserting a PC card. SOLUTION: This connector device is provided with a pair of guide frames 4, 5 to guide a PC card 1, and a locking member 21 mounted to the vicinity of the end part of a card inserting opening 6 side of the guide frame 4 to be attached with a push rod 11 and locked to a through hole 28 of a circuit board 9 while having nail parts 32, 33 conducting to the grounding part of the circuit board 9, and the guide frame 4 is provided with a mounting groove 22 extending in the height direction H of its outside surface 20 to make insertion from the external part of the locking member 21 possible. The locking member 21 is disposed so that its plate surface runs along the direction X perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 4, and the locking member 21 has a fixing part 34 inserted through a through hole 26 provided in the mounting groove 22 of the guide frame 4 and is caulked to the guide frame 4 by being split and expandedly opened by a strike of a punch.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a PC card connector device mounted on a device equipped with a PC card, and more particularly to a PC card connector device characterized by fixing means to a circuit board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the overall structure of a conventional PC card connector device.

The prior art shown in FIG. 9 is, for example, a connector device in which two PC cards 1 can be mounted, and a pair of recessed grooves 2 and 3 for guiding the PC card 1 are provided on both sides. It is provided with guide frames 4 and 5 and a header 7 which is arranged on the depth side behind the card insertion slot 6 and has a large number of pin contacts.
In addition, each connector frame has an elastic piece 8 which is provided on each of the outer side surfaces of the guide frames 4 and 5 and comes into contact with a ground portion formed on a side portion of the PC card 1 inserted from the card insertion slot 6. The ground plate 10 that contacts the ground portion formed on the circuit board 9 on which the mounting member is mounted, the push rod 11 that is provided on the outer surface of the one guide frame 2 and that forms the ejector mechanism, and the cover 12 that forms the upper surface. It has and.

Further, screws 13 and 14 for fixing to the circuit board 9 are provided at end portions near the header 7 forming the depth side of the guide frames 4 and 5, respectively, and card insertion of the guide frames 4 and 5 is performed. Screws 15 and 16 for fixing to the fixed substrate 9 are provided near the end on the mouth 6 side, respectively.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned prior art, the screws 13 to 16 used to fix the circuit board 9 are used.
Since the number of
There was a problem that the number of assembly steps increased.

Therefore, for example, some of the screws 13 to 16 are replaced with plate-like locking members, the locking members are mounted on the guide frame, and the ends of the locking members are attached to the circuit board. It should be locked in the hole formed in 9,
That is, a structure for fixing to the circuit board 9 with one touch has been desired. However, in the case of such a structure, a force that expands outward when the PC card 1 is inserted is applied near the end portions of the guide frames 4 and 5 located on the card insertion opening 6 side. The structure must be strong enough to withstand the expansion force.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional state of the art, and an object thereof is to reduce the number of screws used for fixing a circuit board and to have a sufficient strength against a spreading force generated when a PC card is inserted. It is to provide a connector device for a PC card that can secure the above.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pair of guide frames for guiding a PC card, and a PC card of a guide frame to which at least a push rod of these guide frames is attached. The guide frame is mounted in the vicinity of the end portion on the insertion opening side and is locked in a hole formed in a circuit board on which the PC card connector device is mounted. A mounting groove is provided which extends and allows the locking member to be inserted from the outside, and the locking member is arranged such that its plate surface is orthogonal to the length direction of the guide frame. .

In the present invention thus constructed, the locking member is inserted into the mounting groove of the guide frame from the outside of the guide frame, and the locking member is locked in the hole of the circuit board, thereby screwing the screw. The connector device can be easily fixed to the circuit board without requiring tightening work. Therefore, the number of screws used for fixing the circuit board can be reduced. Further, since the plate surface of the locking member arranged near the PC card insertion slot is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the length direction of the guide frame, it has sufficient strength against the expansion force when the PC card is inserted. . Further, since the direction in which the push rod or the like is incorporated into the guide frame and the direction in which the locking member is attached to the guide frame match, the work of incorporating the parts into the guide frame is facilitated.

In the above-mentioned structure, the mounting groove is provided with a through hole for communicating the outer side surface and the inner side surface of the guide frame, and the locking member is inserted into the through hole to the guide frame. You may make it the structure which has a fixed part fixed.

With this structure, it is possible to easily prevent the locking member from coming off from the guide frame by, for example, caulking the fixing portion of the locking member which is inserted into the through hole of the guide frame. That is, the locking member can be firmly held on the guide frame, and a stable and highly reliable structure can be secured.

Further, in the above structure, the locking member is provided at the leg portion extending in the mounting groove of the guide frame and at the end of the leg portion, and is engaged with the hole of the circuit board. It may be configured to have a claw portion to be stopped.

With this structure, the locking member is locked in the hole of the circuit board while the leg of the locking member is positioned in the mounting groove of the guide frame. It is possible to secure a stable and highly reliable structure in this respect as well.

Further, in the above structure, a positioning boss to be fitted into the hole of the circuit board is provided at an end portion of the mounting groove of the guide frame, and the leg portion of the claw portion of the locking member is provided. The length dimension of the protruding portion protruding from is set larger than the thickness dimension of the positioning boss.

In this structure, the positioning boss of the guide frame is fitted in the hole of the circuit board, and the claw portion of the locking member is locked in the hole of the circuit board. The connector device can be accurately positioned, and the claw portion of the locking member can be reliably locked in the hole of the circuit board without being affected by the thickness of the positioning boss of the guide frame. A stable and highly reliable structure can be secured.

Further, in the above structure, the positioning boss has a substantially semicircular shape, and the leg portion of the locking member includes a pair of legs arranged so as to sandwich the space portion. You may make it the structure which has the said claw part at the edge part.

With this structure, since the positioning boss of the guide frame has a semi-circular shape, it is easy to mold when it is made of resin, and the pair of legs forming the locking member is formed. The legs can retain springiness, and when the claws of the locking member are inserted into the holes of the circuit board, the pair of legs are closed against the springiness so that the claws are formed. It is smoothly inserted in the hole of the circuit board, and after the insertion is completed, the pair of legs are expanded by its springiness, so that the claw part is firmly locked in the hole of the circuit board, and in this respect also a stable and highly reliable structure is secured. it can.

Further, in the above structure, the locking member has a body portion that supports the leg portion, and the fitting groove of the guide frame is fitted to the body portion of the locking member. You may make it the structure which has a joint part.

With this structure, when the locking member is engaged with the mounting groove of the guide frame, the body portion of the locking member is fitted into the fitting portion of the mounting groove, thereby engaging with the guide frame. The stop member can be reliably positioned, and accordingly, the claw portion of the locking member can be accurately locked in the hole of the circuit board, and in this respect also, a stable and highly reliable structure can be secured. .

Further, in the above structure, a ground plate for contacting a ground portion formed on a side portion of the PC card is provided near the locking member, and the ground plate and the locking member are brought into contact with each other. In addition to the above, the locking member may be electrically connected to a ground portion formed on the circuit board.

In such a structure, the grounded portion of the inserted PC card is electrically connected to the grounded portion of the circuit board through the ground plate and the locking member, so that the inserted PC card is reliably protected. can do.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a PC card connector device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall construction of an embodiment of the PC card connector device of the present invention, and FIG.
-II sectional enlarged view, FIG. 3 is a side view showing a guide frame portion corresponding to the arrow III-III in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a side view showing the guide frame before assembly, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is a front view showing the locking member before being assembled, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a state in which the locking member is attached to the guide frame.

In these figures, the same members as those shown in FIG. 9 are designated by the same reference numerals.

That is, although the description is the same as that described above, this embodiment also has a PC in which, for example, two PC cards 1 can be mounted.
As shown in FIG. 1, the card connector device includes a pair of guide frames 4 and 5 arranged on both sides and having concave grooves 2 and 3 for guiding the PC card 1, and a header 7 arranged on the depth side. Is equipped with. Further, on the outer surface 20 side of the guide frames 4 and 5, there is provided an elastic piece 8 that comes into contact with a ground portion formed on a side portion of the PC card 1 inserted from the card insertion opening 6, and the connector device is A ground plate 10 that contacts a ground portion formed on the circuit board 9 to be mounted is provided. The outer surface 20 of the one guide frame 4 is provided with a push rod 11 forming an ejector mechanism, and the upper surface is provided with a cover 12. Further, screws 13 and 14 for fixing to the circuit board 9 are provided at end portions near the head 7 forming the depth side of the guide frames 4 and 5. The basic configuration of these is the same as that shown in FIG. 9 described above.

The present embodiment is particularly characterized by the structure near the end of the card insertion slot 6 of the guide frame 4, as will be described later.

A screw 16 for fixing the circuit board 9 is provided in the vicinity of the end portion of the guide frame 5 on the card insertion port 6 side, like the one shown in FIG. 9, but on the guide frame 4 side. Does not have fixing screws.

The structure on the guide frame 4 side is shown in FIG.
2 which is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 2, the guide frame 4 made of resin, for example, is mounted on the outer side surface 20 thereof along the height direction H so that the locking member 21 can be inserted. The groove 22 is provided. The mounting groove 22 is provided with a fitting portion 24 into which the body portion 23 of the locking member 21 is fitted, and a through hole 26 that connects the outer side surface 20 and the inner side surface 25 of the guide frame 4 to each other.

At the lower end of the guide frame 4 shown in FIG. 2, a semicircular positioning boss 27 is integrally formed. The guide frame 4 is positioned with respect to the circuit board 9 by fitting the positioning boss 27 into the hole formed in the circuit board 9, that is, the through hole 28.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide frame 4 has a mounting groove 22 which is open outward, so that the locking member 21 is exposed from the outside as shown in FIG. That is, from the outer surface 20 side of the guide frame 4 to the mounting groove 2
It is possible to insert it into 2.

The above-mentioned locking member 21 is formed by punching out a metal plate, for example, and as shown in FIG. 7, the above-mentioned body portion 23 and the mounting groove of the guide frame 4 supported by this body portion 23. 22 is fixed to the guide frame 4 in a state of being inserted into the leg portion extending in 22, for example, the pair of legs 32 and 33 arranged so as to sandwich the space portion 29, and the through hole 26 of the guide frame 4 described above. And a fixed portion 34 that is formed.

The fixing portion 34 is crimped to the guide frame 4 by being divided and expanded by tapping a punch while being inserted into the through hole 26.

As shown in FIG. 2, the above-mentioned claws 32 and 33 are inserted into the through holes 28 of the circuit board 9 and are locked in the through holes 28.
The length L of the protruding portion 35 protruding from 0 is set larger than the thickness t of the positioning boss 27 of the guide frame 4 described above.

The locking member 21 thus constructed is shown in FIG.
3 to 3, the plate surface is arranged so as to coincide with the direction X orthogonal to the length direction Y of the guide frame 4.

The ground plate 10 described above is arranged so as to contact the body portion 23 of the locking member 21, as shown in FIGS.

When the locking member 21 constructed as described above is assembled into the guide frame 4, the locking member 21 in the state shown in FIG. 7 is fixed to the guide frame 4 as shown in FIG. 4 into the through hole 26 of the mounting groove 22, and the body portion 23 is fitted into the fitting portion 24 of the mounting groove 22. Insert from outside. With the locking member 21 inserted in this way, the central recess at the end of the fixed portion 34 is tapped, for example. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the fixing portion 34 is divided, expanded, and swaged to the guide frame 4 to be firmly fixed.

Elastic piece 8 formed on the side of the PC card 1
As shown in FIG. 2, the ground plate 10 having the above is attached to the guide frame 4 so as to come into contact with the body portion 23 of the locking member 21 fixed as described above. The push rod 11 and the like forming the ejector mechanism are also incorporated in the guide frame 4 from the same direction as the locking member 21.

The locking member 21 fixed to the guide frame 4 as described above is fitted into the through hole 28 of the circuit board 9. During this fitting operation, as the tapered portions of the claw portions 32 and 33 engage with the edges of the through-hole 28 of the circuit board 9, the pair of legs 32 and 33 of the locking member 21 have a spring property that they own. At the moment when the claw portions 32, 33 are bent toward the space 29 and closed, and the claws 32, 33 come out from the through hole 28 to the lower end, they are expanded and returned to the original shape by their own spring property, and the through hole is formed. Locked to the edge of 28. As a result, the locking member 21 is fixed to the guide frame 4.

The end of the guide frame 4 on the depth side, the vicinity of the end of the other guide frame 5 on the card insertion port 6 side, and the end on the depth side are, for example, the screws 1 as described above.
It is fixed to the circuit board 9 by 3, 14, and 16, respectively.

In this embodiment having the above-described structure, as described above, the locking member 21 is inserted from the outside of the guide frame 4 into the mounting groove 22 of the guide frame 4, and the locking member 21 is attached to the circuit board 9. By locking the guide frame 4 in the through hole 28, the vicinity of the end portion of the guide frame 4 on the card insertion port 6 side, that is, the connector device can be easily fixed to the circuit board 9 without screwing work. Therefore, the number of screws used for fixing the circuit board 9 can be reduced, the screw tightening work can be reduced, and the guide frame 4 can be fixed to the circuit board 9 with one touch through the locking member 21, The number of assembly steps is small, which contributes to a reduction in manufacturing costs.

Further, since the plate surface of the locking member 21 is arranged along the direction X orthogonal to the length direction Y of the guide frame 4, the expansion occurring at the card insertion opening 6 when the PC card 1 is inserted. Sufficient strength against opening force can be secured, and a strong structure can be secured against insertion / removal operation of the PC card 1.

Furthermore, since the direction of assembling the locking member 21 with respect to the guide frame 4 can be made coincident with the direction of assembling with the push rod 11, etc., the work of assembling the parts with respect to the guide frame 4 can be carried out efficiently, and this also enables assembly. Only a few steps are required.

In addition to these, according to the present embodiment, by caulking the fixing portion 34 of the locking member 21 inserted into the through hole 26 of the guide frame 4, the locking member 21 from the guide frame 4 is removed. The retainer can be easily realized, that is, the locking member 21 can be firmly held by the guide frame 4, and a stable and highly reliable structure can be secured.

Further, the claw portions 32 and 33 are locked to the through holes 28 of the circuit board 9 with the leg portions of the locking member 21, that is, the pair of legs 30 and 31 being positioned in the mounting groove 22 of the guide frame 4. By doing so, the locking member 21 is attached to the leg 3
It is possible to firmly lock the circuit board 9 through the spring property of 0 and 31, and also in this respect, a stable and highly reliable structure can be secured.

In addition, the positioning boss 2 of the guide frame 4
7 is inserted into the through hole 28 of the circuit board 9, and the locking member 2
By locking the claw portions 32 and 33 of No. 1 in the through hole 28, positioning of the guide frame 4 with respect to the circuit board 9, that is, the connector device can be accurately achieved, and the thickness of the positioning boss 27 of the guide frame 4 is influenced. It is possible to securely lock the claw portions 32 and 33 of the locking member 21 to the through hole 28 of the circuit board 9 without being locked, and also in this respect, a stable and highly reliable structure can be secured.

Further, the positioning boss 2 of the guide frame 4
Since 7 has a semicircular shape, the structure of the mold for manufacturing the guide frame 4 can be made relatively simple, and the guide frame 4 can be manufactured easily.

When the locking member 21 is engaged with the mounting groove 22 of the guide frame 4, by fitting the body portion 23 of the locking member 21 into the fitting portion 24 of the mounting groove 22, the guide frame 4 It is possible to reliably position the locking member 21 with respect to, and with this positioning, it is possible to accurately lock the claw portions 32 and 33 of the locking member 21 to the through holes 28 of the circuit board 9. However, a stable and highly reliable structure can be ensured. Further, the ground portion formed on the side portion of the PC card 1 is grounded to the ground portion of the circuit board 9 via the ground plate 10 and is connected to the ground portion. The grounding portion of the circuit board 9 is also grounded through the locking member 21 that comes into contact with the base plate 10, and thus the PC card 1 inserted from the card insertion slot 6 can be reliably protected.

Although the above embodiment is applied to the connector device in which two PC cards 1 can be attached, the present invention is not limited to this, and only one PC card 1 can be attached. It may be applied to various connector devices.

In the above description, the locking member 21 is arranged near the end of the card insertion slot 6 of the guide frame 4, but the end of the guide frame 4 on the depth side and the card insertion slot 6 of the other guide frame 5 are arranged. Even in the vicinity of the end portion or the end portion on the depth side of the guide frame 5, the screws 13, 16,
Instead of 14, the locking member 21 may be provided.

Further, in the above, the fixing portion 34 of the locking member 21 is
Although it is configured to be split by a punch or the like and to be expanded and caulked to the guide frame 4, the fixing portion 34 may be simply bent to prevent the guide frame 4 from coming off.

In the above description, the leg portion of the locking member 21 is composed of the pair of legs 30 and 31.
When inserting the claw portion into 8, the claw portion is allowed to be smoothly inserted into the through hole 28, and if the claw portion has an appropriate spring property capable of locking the claw portion to the edge of the through hole 28 after insertion, It may consist of one leg.

In the above description, the claw portions 32 and 33 of the locking member 21 are inserted into the through hole 28 as the positioning boss 27 of the guide frame 4 is fitted into the through hole 28. Positioning means for the frame 4 with respect to the circuit board 9 is separately provided, and the locking member 2
The positioning boss may not be present in the through hole 28 into which the first claw portion 32, 33 is inserted.

Further, as described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the ejector mechanism including the push rod 11 is applied to the connector device arranged in the right position. However, in the connector device in which the ejector mechanism is arranged in the left position. Of course, it may be applied.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, the number of screws used for fixing the circuit board can be reduced, the screw tightening work can be reduced, and the guide frame can be attached via the locking member. Since it can be fixed to the circuit board with one touch, the number of assembling steps can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional method.

Further, since the locking member is attached to the guide frame so that the plate surface of the locking member is orthogonal to the length direction of the guide frame, sufficient strength against the expansion force generated at the card insertion port when the PC card is inserted is obtained. Therefore, it is possible to secure a strong and stable structure for the operation of inserting and removing the PC card.

Further, since the direction of assembling the locking member with respect to the guide frame can be made coincident with the direction of assembling with the push rod or the like, the work of assembling the parts with respect to the guide frame can be carried out efficiently, and the number of assembling steps can also be suppressed. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of a PC card connector device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view taken along line II-II of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a guide frame portion corresponding to the arrow III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a guide frame before being assembled.

5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a locking member before being assembled.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a locking member is attached to a guide frame.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a conventional PC card connector device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 PC card 2 groove 3 concave groove 4 guide frame 5 Guide frame 6 Card slot 7 header 8 elastic pieces 9 circuit board 10 ground plate 11 push rod 12 covers 13 screws 14 screws 16 screws 20 outer surface 21 Locking member 22 mounting groove 23 torso 24 Fitting part 25 Inside 26 through holes 27 Positioning boss 28 Through hole 29 Space Department 30 legs (legs) 31 legs (legs) 32 nails 33 Claw 34 Fixed part 35 Projection H height direction L length dimension t Thickness dimension Y length direction X orthogonal direction

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5B058 CA03 KA24                 5E023 AA21 BB19 BB22 CC23 CC26                       GG06 GG15 HH16 HH17 HH18

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A pair of guide frames for guiding a PC card, and at least one of the guide frames, to which at least a push rod is attached, is mounted in the vicinity of a PC card insertion port side end of the guide frame, and the PC card connector device is installed. An engaging member that is engaged with a hole formed in a circuit board to be attached, the guide frame extending in a height direction on an outer surface thereof,
Further, a PC is provided with a mounting groove for allowing the locking member to be inserted from the outside, and the locking member is arranged so that its plate surface is orthogonal to the length direction of the guide frame. Card connector device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mounting groove has a through hole that allows the outer surface and the inner surface of the guide frame to communicate with each other, and the locking member is inserted into the through hole. A PC card connector device having a fixing portion fixed to the guide frame. 3. The circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is provided at a leg portion extending into the mounting groove of the guide frame and at an end portion of the leg portion. A PC card connector device, comprising: a claw portion that is locked in the hole. 4. The positioning boss to be fitted into the hole of the circuit board at an end of the mounting groove of the guide frame, and the leg portion of the claw portion of the locking member according to claim 3. The PC card connector device is characterized in that the length dimension of the protruding portion protruding from is set larger than the thickness dimension of the positioning boss. 5. The positioning boss according to claim 4, wherein the positioning boss has a substantially semicircular shape, and the leg portion of the locking member includes a pair of legs arranged so as to sandwich the space portion. A PC card connector device having the above-mentioned claws at each end. 6. The locking member according to claim 3, wherein the locking member has a body portion that supports the leg portion, and the mounting groove of the guide frame has the mounting groove of the locking member. P having a fitting portion into which the body portion is fitted
C card connector device. 7. The ground plate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a ground plate that comes into contact with a ground portion formed on a side portion of the PC card is provided in the vicinity of the locking member. A connector device for a PC card, which is arranged so as to be in contact with a locking member, and wherein the locking member is electrically connected to a ground portion formed on the circuit board.