Tray type card connector having a front cover with a sealing member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9281610-B2
Application number	US-201414556356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2014
Priority date	Dec 3, 2013
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

Provided is a tray type card connector that is compatible with waterproof electronic devices and that can easily perform the insertion and removal of a card into/from the electronic devices. A tray type card connector includes a card tray; a housing having a tray insertion portion; a plurality of contacts arranged in the housing so as to project within the tray insertion portion; a front cover portion fitting in a casing opening portion opened at a lateral surface portion of a casing of an electronic device A, at a front end portion of the card tray; a ring-shaped cover water-sealing member made of an elastic material at an outer periphery portion of the front cover portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tray type card connector including: a card tray that holds a card; a housing having a tray insertion portion into which the card tray is inserted; and a plurality of contacts arranged in the housing so as to project within the tray insertion portion, in which pad portions formed on the card held in the card tray come into contact with the contacts by inserting the card tray into the tray insertion portion, the tray type card connector comprising:
a front cover portion at a front end portion of the card tray, the front cover portion fitting in a casing opening portion opened at a lateral surface portion of a casing of an electronic device; and
a ring-shaped cover water-sealing member at an outer periphery portion of the front cover portion, the cover water-sealing member being made of an elastic material, wherein
when the front cover portion fits in the casing opening portion, a gap between an inner surface of the casing opening portion and an outer surface of the front cover portion is sealed by the cover water-sealing member.

2. The tray type card connector according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an operation member disposed at a side portion of the housing so as to be movable in a tray insertion and removal direction;
tray push-out means for pushing out the card tray in a removal direction in conjunction with push operation of the operation member;
a pin insertion hole made in the front cover portion so as to be disposed continuously with the operation member; and
a water-sealing pin movably held in the pin insertion hole, wherein
the operation member performs push operation in conjunction with movement of the water-sealing pin,
the tray type card connector further comprises a ring-shaped pin water-sealing member at an outer periphery portion of the water-sealing pin, the pin water-sealing member being made of an elastic material, and
a gap between an inner surface of the pin insertion hole and an outer surface of the water-sealing pin is sealed by the pin water-sealing member.

3. The tray type card connector according to claim 2 , wherein
the water-sealing pin has a slip-out preventing portion that juts out outwardly to get engaged with a rear end opening edge portion of the pin insertion hole, and
the water-sealing pin is held in the pin insertion hole so as to be movable and to be incapable of slipping out.

4. The tray type card connector according to claim 2 , wherein the water-sealing pin is integrally formed with the operation member.

5. The tray type card connector according to claim 1 , wherein
the card tray has the front cover portion at a front end portion of a tray main body where the card is held, such that the front cover portion is movable relative to the tray main body, and has transmission means for transmitting a force in a tray pull-out direction to the tray main body, the force acting on the front cover portion being moved to a desired pull-out position relative to the tray main body, and
the front cover portion is allowed to move relative to the tray main body to pull out the card tray using the front cover portion as a finger holding part.

6. The tray type card connector according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an ejector that moves with the card tray;
a push-out spring that biases the ejector in a push-out direction;
a heart cam disposed in one of the housing and the ejector;
a loop-shaped pin guide groove provided around the heart cam; and
a lock pin that has, at its one end, an engagement pin portion slidably inserted into the pin guide groove, and that is turnably supported, at its other end, by an other one of the housing and the ejector, wherein
by initial card tray push operation, the engagement pin portion moves to a position where the engagement pin portion is engaged with the heart cam, by which movement in a tray push-out direction of the ejector is restricted, and by another card tray push operation, the engagement pin portion is disengaged from the heart cam, by which the engagement is released.

7. The tray type card connector according to claim 3 , wherein the water-sealing pin is integrally formed with the operation member.

Assignees

• Smk Kk

Inventors

• Ejiri Koichiro

Classifications

• H01R13/5219

  Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal · CPC title

• G06K13/0831

  the ejection arrangement comprising a slide, carriage or drawer · CPC title

• H01R13/5213 Primary

  Covers · CPC title

• G06K7/0021

  for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts · CPC title

• H01R2201/06

  for computer periphery · CPC title