Card connector, card holder, and terminal device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11978989-B2
Application number	US-202217993575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2022
Priority date	Oct 15, 2018
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

A card connector, a card holder, and a terminal device, where the card connector includes a plurality of first terminals and one or more second terminals. The first terminals are arranged to form a first card access area that installs a first card, and the first terminals are configured to be electrically coupled to the first card. The one or more second terminals are distributed on a periphery of the first card access area, the first terminals and the one or more second terminals form a second card access area that installs a second card, and the first terminals and the one or more second terminals are configured to be electrically coupled to the second card.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A card connector configured to accommodate a first card or a second card, wherein a first size of the first card and a second size of the second card are the same, wherein a first type of the first card and a second type of the second card are different, and wherein the card connector comprises:
a plurality of first terminals arranged to form a first card access area configured to install the first card, wherein the first terminals are arranged in two rows and three columns and configured to be electrically coupled to the first card; and
one or more second terminals respectively arranged on one side of the two rows and distributed on a periphery of the first card access area,
wherein the first terminals and the one or more second terminals form a second card access area configured to install the second card,
wherein the first terminals and the one or more second terminals are configured to be electrically coupled to the second card,
wherein the one or more second terminals are configured to abut against the first card when the first card is inserted into the card connector, and
wherein the first terminals and the one or more second terminals are both configured to electrically couple to the second card when the second card is inserted into the card connector.

2. The card connector of claim 1 , further comprising an insulation body, wherein each of the first terminals comprises:
an elastic end protruding relative to a surface of the insulation body and configured to abut against the first card or the second card; and
a fixed end coupled to the insulation body and located on a front side of the elastic end or a rear side of the elastic end in a first direction,
wherein the one or more second terminals are located on a front side of the first card access area and a rear side of the first card access area in the first direction, and
wherein the first direction is perpendicular to an insertion direction of the first card or the second card.

3. The card connector of claim 1 , further comprising an insulation body, wherein each of the first terminals comprises:
an elastic end protruding relative to a surface of the insulation body and configured to abut against the first card or the second card; and
a fixed end coupled to the insulation body and located on a front side of the elastic end or a rear side of the elastic end in a first direction,
wherein the one or more second terminals are located on a front side of the first card access area or a rear side of the first card access area in the first direction, and
wherein the first direction is perpendicular to an insertion direction of the first card or the second card.

4. The card connector of claim 2 , wherein the one or more second terminals comprise two second terminals distributed on two sides of the first card access area.

5. The card connector of claim 4 , wherein each of the one or more second terminals comprises:
a connection end coupled to the insulation body; and
an abutting end elastically protruding relative to the surface of the insulation body and configured to abut against the second card, wherein the first card access area is a rectangular shape, and wherein two abutting ends are located on peripheries of two adjacent corners of the first card access area.

6. The card connector of claim 1 , further comprising an insulation body, wherein each of the first terminals comprises:
a fixed end coupled to the insulation body; and
an elastic end protruding relative to a surface of the insulation body and configured to abut against the first card or the second card,
wherein the fixed end is located on a front side of the elastic end or a rear side of the elastic end in a second direction,
wherein the second direction is an insertion direction of the first card or the second card, and
wherein the one or more second terminals and the first card access area are disposed side by side in the second direction.

7. The card connector of claim 1 , wherein the first card is a subscriber identity module (SIM) card and the second card is a memory card.

8. The card connector of claim 1 , wherein the one or more second terminals are further electrically coupled to data pins of the second card.

9. A card holder comprising:
a housing comprising an accommodating space; and
at least one card connector disposed in the accommodating space and comprising:
a plurality of first terminals arranged to form a first card access area configured to install a first card, wherein the first terminals are arranged in two rows and three columns and configured to be electrically coupled to the first card; and
one or more second terminals respectively arranged on one side of the two rows and distributed on a periphery of the first card access area,
wherein the first terminals and the one or more second terminals form a second card access area configured to install a second card,
wherein a first size of the first card and a second size of the second card are the same,
wherein a first type of the first card and a second type of the second card are different,
wherein the first terminals and the one or more second terminals are configured to be electrically coupled to the second card,
wherein the one or more second terminals abut against the first card when the first card is inserted into the card connector, and
wherein the first terminals and the one or more second terminals are both electrically coupled to the second card when the second card is inserted into the card connector.

10. The card holder of claim 9 , wherein the at least one card connector comprises two card connectors that are oppositely disposed and that form a slot between the two card connectors, wherein first terminals and second terminals of the two card connectors elastically protrude toward the slot, and wherein the first card and the second card are simultaneously installed in the slot, and are electrically coupled to the two card connectors in a one-to-one correspondence.

11. The card holder of claim 9 , wherein the at least one card connector comprises two card connectors that are oppositely disposed and that form a slot between the two card connectors, wherein the first terminals and second terminals of the two card connectors elastically protrude toward the slot to be electrically coupled to the first card or the second card.

12. The card holder of claim 10 , further comprising a card tray, wherein the card tray comprises a bearing plate disposed between the two card connectors in a cascading manner when the card tray is inserted into the slot, and wherein the bearing plate comprises:
a front surface configured to bear the first card or the second card; and
a rear surface configured to bear the first card or the second card, wherein the card holder further comprises gaps disposed on the bearing plate and configured to avoid the first terminals and the second terminals.

13. The card holder of claim 12 , wherein the bearing plate comprises a metal material.

14. The card holder of claim 12 , wherein the card tray further comprises:
an insulation frame; and
an elastic component that surrounds the bearing plate, wherein the elastic component comprises:
a fixed part fastened to the card tray; and
an elastic part extending to the bearing plate and comprising:
a metal dome; and
an insulator coupled to the metal dome and configured to abut against the first card or the second card.

15. The card holder of claim 14 , wherein the insulator is detachably coupled to the metal dome.

16. The card holder of claim 14 , wherein the insulator and the b

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Shihao
• Lei Gaobing
• Su Tien Chieh

Classifications

• H01R33/90 Primary

  adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts · CPC title

• G06K19/07743

  External electrical contacts · CPC title

• H01R33/765

  the terminal pins having a non-circular disposition · CPC title

• H01R33/7671

  having multiple positions or sockets, e.g. stacked sockets while mounting · CPC title

• H05K5/0291

  for multiple cards · CPC title