U.S. patent application number 09/737188 was filed with the patent office on 2001-06-28 for card connector.
Invention is credited to Hashimoto, Shinichi.
Application Number | 20010005644 09/737188 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18481697 |
Filed Date | 2001-06-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010005644 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hashimoto, Shinichi |
June 28, 2001 |
Card connector
Abstract
The card connector 1 has card-guiding grooves 53 and 63 that are
used to accommodate and guide a card C on the left and right sides
of an insulating housing 20. An ejection bar 71 is attachable to
either left or right guide arms 50 and 60. The left and right guide
arms 50 and 60 are formed with symmetrical structures so that they
are interchangeable between the left and right sides. Furthermore,
the frame 80 that connects the left and right guide arms 50 and 60
to each other and the brackets 90 that are used to attach the left
and right guide arms 50 and 60 to the circuit board are each
constructed so that they can be mounted on the left and right guide
arms 50 and 60 from above or below.
Inventors: |
Hashimoto, Shinichi; (Tokyo,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
The Whitaker Corporation
Suite 450
4550 New Linden Hill Road
Wilmington
DE
19808
US
|
Family ID: |
18481697 |
Appl. No.: |
09/737188 |
Filed: |
December 14, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/159 ;
439/377; 439/64 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K 13/08 20130101;
G06K 13/0806 20130101; G06K 13/0825 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
439/159 ; 439/64;
439/377 |
International
Class: |
H05K 001/00; H01R
012/00; H01R 013/62; H01R 013/64 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 22, 1999 |
JP |
11-364392 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A card connector having a header and an eject mechanism, the
card connector comprising: a pair of interchangeable guide arms
disposed on right and left sides of the header, attached to a
frame, and configured to selectively receive an ejection bar.
2. The card connector of claim 1 further comprising a pivoting arm
disposed within the header, the arm being engageable with the
ejection bar to eject a card.
3. The card connector of claim 2 wherein the header further
comprises a plurality of pivot projections extending into a card
receiving cavity from a rear end.
4. The card connector of claim 3 wherein the pivot projections are
positioned to accommodate the arm in either a left bar or right bar
orientation.
5. The card connector of claim 1 wherein each guide arm further
comprises a resilient leg extending outward to engage the
frame.
6. The card connector of claim 1 further comprising an eject button
affixed to an end of the ejection bar.
7. The card connector of claim 1 wherein the ejection bar in
receivable in either guide arm.
8. A card connector which has card guide grooves that are used to
accommodate and guide a card on the left and right sides of an
insulating housing, and which is equipped with a pair of left and
right guide arms and an ejection bar that is used to eject the
above-mentioned card, the card connector being characterized in
that the left and right guide arms are symmetrical and disposed on
the insulating housing to be interchangeable; a frame that connects
the left and right guide arms to each other and the brackets that
are used to attach the left and right guide arms to the circuit
board are configured to be mountable from above or below the left
and right guide arms.
9. The card connector of claim 8 which is characterized in that
rattling of the ejection bar is prevented by means of an resilient
leg that is formed on the guide arm to which this ejection bar is
attached.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a card connector which is
used for the electrical connection of cards such as memory cards,
communications cards and HDD packages to circuit boards, and more
specifically relates to a card connector that has an ejection
mechanism used to eject such cards.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Conventionally, card connectors equipped with ejection
mechanisms used for the electrical connection of cards such as
memory cards, communications cards and HDD packages, to circuit
boards have been used in laptop and notebook type personal
computers.
[0003] For example, the connector shown in FIG. 12 is such a card
connector equipped with an ejection mechanism. This connector is
disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. H 11-119861.
Card connector 100 equipped with an ejection mechanism consists of
a header 110 which is mounted on a printed circuit board (), a
plurality of electrical contacts 112 attached to an insulating
housing 111, and a shell assembly 120 equipped with an ejection
mechanism, which is attached to the header 110.
[0004] The shell assembly 120 equipped with an ejection mechanism
consists of a part with a flat angular shape which is formed an
upper-side shell 121 and a lower-side shell 122 which abut each
other along left and right side walls. The shell 121 surrounds a
card receiving cavity which accommodates two memory cards or
communications cards (not shown in the figures) or one HDD package
(not shown in the figures). Furthermore, independent ejection
mechanisms 123 which are used to eject the accommodated cards are
attached to either side wall. Each of these ejection mechanisms 123
consists of an ejection bar 124 and an arm 125. Each ejection bar
124 is installed so that it can move in a mating direction along a
side wall. Furthermore, each arm 125 is installed so that it can
pivot in the direction indicated by the arrows on the inside
surface of the end of the upper shell 121 or lower shell 122. The
end of each ejection bar 124 is connected to one end of the
corresponding arm 125.
[0005] When either ejection bar 124 is urg3ed by an ejection button
126 attached to this ejection bar 124, the arm 125 pivots and
engages with the end portion of the inserted card to eject the
card.
[0006] Furthermore, the card connector 100 is mounted on the
circuit board as follows. The shell assembly 120 equipped with an
ejection mechanism is first attached to the header 110. The entire
card connector 100 is then attached to the circuit board by
soldering the electrical contacts 112 of the header 110 to
conductive pads on the circuit board. Attaching brackets 127
extending from the left and right side walls of the shell assembly
120 are screwed to the circuit board.
[0007] Several problems have been encountered in this conventional
card connector 100. Specifically, the ejection bars 124 attached to
the left or right side walls of the upper shell 121 and lower shell
122 are not interchangeable. For example, it is possible not move
the ejection bars 124 attached to the right side walls of the upper
shell 121 and lower shell 122 (as shown in FIG. 12) to the opposite
left side walls since there is no member to which the ejection bars
124 can be attached on the left side walls. If attachment members
for receiving the ejection bars 124 are installed on both the left
and right side walls the width of the shell assembly 120 is
increased beyond the requirement for compactness.
[0008] Furthermore, since the card connector 100 is mounted on the
circuit board after being equipped with an ejection mechanism, it
can not be easily replaced after the electrical contacts 112 of the
header 110 have been soldered to the conductive pads of the circuit
board
SUMMARY
[0009] Accordingly, the present invention was devised in order to
solve the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present
invention is to provide a card connector having an ejection bar
that can be attached on the left or right using a minimal number of
parts, while maintaining a small width dimension.
[0010] Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to
provide a card connector in which the frame assembly equipped with
an ejection mechanism can be simply and easily replaced even after
the electrical contacts of the header have been soldered to the
conductive pads on the circuit board.
[0011] Accordingly the invention provides a card connector having a
header and an eject mechanism. The card connector features a pair
of interchangeable guide arms disposed on right and left sides of
the header, attached to a frame, and configured to selectively
receive an ejection bar.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The invention will now be described by way of example with
reference to the accompanying figures of which:
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates the card connector of the present
invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 1 (b) is a
right-side view.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows the header; FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 2
(b) is a front view, and FIG. 2 (c) is a bottom view.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG. 2 (a).
However, the arm is not shown in FIG. 3.
[0016] FIG. 4 shows the insulating housing that makes up the
header; FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 4 (b) is a front view, and
FIG. 4 (c) is a right-side view.
[0017] FIG. 5 shows the frame assembly equipped with an ejection
mechanism. FIG. 5 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 5 (b) is a front view,
FIG. 5 (c) is a right-side view, and FIG. 5 (d) is a left-side
view.
[0018] FIG. 6 shows the right-side guide arm to which the ejection
bar is attached. FIG. 6 (a) is a back view, FIG. 6 (b) is a
right-side view, FIG. 6 (c) is a left-side view, and FIG. 6 (d) is
a sectional view along line 6d-6d in FIG. 6 (b).
[0019] FIG. 7 shows the left-side guide arm. FIG. 7 (a) is a plan
view. FIG. 7 (b) is a right-side view, FIG. 7 (c) is a left-side
view, and FIG. 7 (d) is a sectional view along line 7d-7d in FIG. 7
(b).
[0020] FIG. 8 shows the ejection bar; FIG. 8 (a) is a right-side
view, and FIG. 8 (b) is a back view.
[0021] FIG. 9 shows the frame. FIG. 9 (a) is a front view, FIG. 9
(b) is a bottom view, and FIG. 9 (c) is a right-side view.
[0022] FIG. 10 shows one of the brackets. FIG. 10 (a) is a plan
view, FIG. 10 (b) is a front view, and FIG. 10 (c) is a right-side
view.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a perspective view which schematically
illustrates an alternate embodiment of the card connector shown in
FIG. 1.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a prior art card
connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] The invention will now be described in greater detail. In
FIG. 1, the card connector 1 consists of a header 10 which is
mounted on a circuit board, and a frame assembly 40 equipped with
an ejection mechanism which is attached to the header 10 and which
is also mounted on the circuit board. The card connector 1 receives
a card C such as a memory card, communications card or HDD package
is received from the rear end of the frame assembly 40 and
electrically connected to the circuit board. The card C is ejected
by an ejection mechanism 70 which is disposed on the frame assembly
40. The ejection mechanism 70 is equipped with an ejection bar 71
which has an ejector knob 79 attached to its rear end, and an arm
72 which is disposed inside the header 10. Operation of the
ejection bar 71 causes the arm to pivot and eject the card C.
[0026] The header 10 will now be described in greater detail with
reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. As is shown in FIGS. 1 through 3,
the header 10 has an insulating housing 20 which is attached to the
surface of the circuit board, and a plurality of electrical
contacts 30 which are attached to this insulating housing 20, and
which are soldered to conductive pads on the circuit board. As is
shown in FIGS. 2 through 4, the insulating housing 20 of the header
10 is constructed as a substantially rectangular body which has
inside a card receiving cavity 21 that opens in front (at the
bottom in FIG. 2 (a)). This housing is preferably formed by molding
an insulating material. A pair of arm receiving members 22 that
protrude forward and a pair of board mounts 23 that protrude
rearward are disposed on the left and right ends of the insulating
housing 20. Guide pockets 24 are extend in the respective arm
receiving members 22. Engaging sections 25 protrude from the upper
portions of the side walls of the respective arm receiving members
22 in front of the guide pockets 24. Through-holes 26 which receive
attachment screws (not shown in the figures) to attach the header
10 to the circuit board are formed in the respective board mounts
23. A pair of left and right arm openings 27 which are used for the
attachment of the arm 72 are formed in the upper portions of the
left and right side walls of the card receiving cavity 21. An arm
receiving cavity 28 which accommodates a portion of the arm 72 is
formed in the upper part of the rear wall of the card receiving
cavity 21.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 4, a first projection 28a and second
projection 28b act as the pivoting centers of the arm 72. The first
projection 28a is the pivot when the arm 72 is disposed so that one
end 72a of the arm 72 protrudes from the right-side arm opening 27.
The second supporting shaft part 28b' is the pivot when the arm 72
is disposed so that one end 72a of the arm 72 protrudes from the
left-side arm opening 27. A metal ground plate 34 for card bus use,
which is used to ground the main surface of the accommodated card C
to the circuit board is disposed on the bottom portion of the card
receiving cavity 21.
[0028] The electrical contacts 30 attached to the insulating
housing 20 are each equipped with a fastening section 31 which is
fastened to the insulating housing 20 by press-fitting, a contact
section 32 which extends forward from the fastening section 31 and
which is positioned inside the card receiving cavity 21, and a
board connection tail 33 which extends rearward from the fastening
section 31 and which is soldered to a conductive pad on the circuit
board. The electrical contacts 30 are disposed in upper and lower
rows along the insulating housing 20. The contact section 32 of the
electrical contacts 30 make electrical contact with receptacle
contacts inside the card C when the card C is inserted in the card
receiving cavity 21.
[0029] Next, the frame assembly 40 equipped with an ejection
mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5
through 10. As is shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, the frame assembly 40
equipped with an ejection mechanism consists of a pair of left and
right guide arms 50 and 60 which are disposed on the left and right
sides of the insulating housing 20, an ejection mechanism 70 which
is attached to the right-side guide arm 60, and a metal frame 80
which connects the left and right guide arms 50 and 60. A pair of
brackets 90 which are used for mounting on the circuit board are
attached to the left and right guide arms 50 and 60. As is shown in
FIG. 6, the right-side guide arm 60 to which the ejection mechanism
70 is attached is constructed from an arm main body 61 which is
substantially C-shaped in cross section. This guide arm is
preferably formed by molding an insulating material. The right-side
guide arm 60 has a shape that shows vertical symmetry with respect
to the centerline CL. The space between the upper and lower walls
62 forms a card-guiding groove 63 that accommodates and guides the
card C. A plurality of protrusions 64a, 64b, 64c that protrude
slightly from the respective walls are formed at specified
intervals along the upper and lower walls 62 of the arm main body
61. Separate protrusions 64d are disposed somewhat to the rear of
the protrusions 64b. The protrusions 64a, 64b and 64c regulate the
rearward movement of the frame 80 that is attached to the left and
right guide arms 50 and 60 from above or below and the protrusions
64d regulate the movement of the frame 80 toward the front.
Furthermore, the protrusions 64a regulate the movement of the left
and right guide arms 50 and 60 toward the inside. Rail projections
65a which support the rear end of the ejection bar 71 are formed to
protrude toward the outside on the rear end of the arm main body
61. Supporting projection 65b which supports the front end of the
ejection bar 71 is formed to protrude toward the outside on the
front end of the arm main body 61. A rear-side stopper 65c which
regulates the forward movement of the ejection bar 71 is formed to
protrude toward the outside at a location rear of the supporting
projection 65b. Front-side stoppers 65d which regulate the rearward
movement of the ejection bar 71 are formed to protrude toward the
outside at a point that is roughly between the rail projections 65a
and supporting projection 65b. A cantilevered resilient leg 66
protrudes toward the outside from a point that is roughly centered
on the arm main body. This resilient leg 66 pushes the ejection bar
71 toward the outside, and thus prevents rattling of the ejection
bar 71 between the rail projections 65a. This resilient leg 66 is
preferably integrally formed with the arm main body 61. The metal
ejection bar 71 is therefore electrically isolated from the metal
frame 80 preventing to reception of unwanted noise. A pair of
insertion holes 69 which are used for the fastening of a bracket 90
are formed to the rear of the resilient leg 66.
[0030] A guide member 68 extends from an end of the right-side
guide arm 60. Of course, this guide member 68 and connecting
section 67 also have shapes that are vertically symmetrical with
respect to the centerline CL. When this guide member 68 is
accommodated inside the guide pocket 24 formed in the right side of
the insulating housing 20 and the upper surface of the connecting
section 67 is engaged by the undersurface of the engaging section
25, the right-side guide arm 60 is attached to the header 10. Since
the guide member 68 and connecting section 67 have shapes that are
symmetrical with respect to the center line CL, the guide member 68
can be accommodated in the guide pocket 24 formed in the left side
of the insulating housing 20 by inverting the parts. As a result,
the right-side guide arm 60 can be attached to the left side of the
insulating housing 20.
[0031] The left-side guide arm 50 has a shape that is symmetrical
to the right-side guide arm 60, except for the portion that
attaches the ejection bar 71. Specifically, as is shown in FIG. 7,
the left-side guide arm 50 is constructed from an arm main body 51
which is substantially C-shaped in cross section. This guide arm 50
is preferably formed by molding an insulating material. The
left-side guide arm 50 is symmetrical with respect to the
centerline CL. The space between the upper and lower walls 52 forms
a card-guiding groove 53 that accommodates and guides the card C. A
plurality of protrusions, 54a, 54b, 54c protrude from the
respective walls and are formed at specified intervals along the
upper and lower walls 52 of the arm main body 51. Separate
protrusions 54d are disposed somewhat to the rear of the
protrusions 54b. The protrusions 54a, 54b and 54c regulate the
rearward movement of the frame 80 that is attached to the left and
right guide arms 50 and 60 from above or below, and the protrusions
54d regulate the movement of the frame 80 toward the front. A pair
of insertion holes 55 which are used for the fastening of a bracket
90 are formed in the rear end of the arm main body 51.
[0032] A guide member 58 is disposed on an end of the left-side
guide arm 50 similar to the right-side guide arm 60. This guide
member 58 and connecting section 57 also have shapes that are
symmetrical with respect to the centerline CL. When this guide
member 58 is accommodated inside the guide pocket 24 formed in the
left side of the insulating housing 20 and the upper surface of the
connecting section 57 is engaged by the undersurface of the
engaging section 25, the left-side guide arm 50 is attached to the
header 10. Since the guide member 58 and connecting section 57 have
shapes that are symmetrical with respect to the center line CL, the
guide member 58 can be accommodated in the guide pocket 24 formed
in the right side of the insulating housing 20 by inverting the
parts. As a result, the left-side guide arm 50 can be attached to
the right side of the insulating housing 20. Thus, the left and
right guide arms 50 and 60 are interchangeable between the left and
right sides of the insulating housing 20.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 1 (a), the ejection mechanism 70 is
equipped with an ejection bar 71 which has an ejector knob 79
attached to its rear end, and an arm 72 which is disposed so that
it can pivot inside the header 10 to eject the card C as a result
of operation of the ejection bar 71. The ejection bar 71 is
constructed from a substantially flat main body 73 as shown in FIG.
8. This main body 73 is preferably formed by stamping and bending a
metal plate. A supporting plate 74, disposed on the rear end of the
bar main body 73, is slidingly supported by the rail projections
65a of the right-side guide arm 60 so that movement is possible in
the forward-rearward direction. A supporting opening 75 formed in
the front end of the bar main body 73 is supported by the insertion
of the supporting projection 65b so that movement is possible in
the forward-rearward direction. The rear edge of this supporting
opening 75 forms a first stopper 78a which limits the forward
movement of the ejection bar 71 by contacting the rear stopper 65c
of the right-side guide arm 60 when the ejection bar 71 moves
forward. Furthermore, a second stopper 78b protrudes from roughly
the central part of the bar main body 73 to limit the rearward
movement of the ejection bar 71 by contacting the front stoppers
65d of the right-side guide arm 60 when the ejection bar 71 moves
rearward. The rear end of the bar main body 73 receives the ejector
knob 79, and the front end of the bar main body 73 forms an arm
urging member 76 that moves forward and presses against one end 72a
of the arm 72. Furthermore, as is shown in FIG. 5 (a), the ejector
knob 79 consists of a fixed member 79a which is press fit to the
rear end of the of the ejection bar 71, and a pivoting member 79b
which is attached to the fixed member.
[0034] As is shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the metal frame 80 has left
and right attachment sections 82 and 83. These attachment sections
82, 83 have a plurality of openings 84 for receiving the left and
right guide arms 50 and 60. The frame 80 is formed in a symmetrical
shape so that it can be attached to the respective left and right
guide arms 50 and 60 from above or below. The left and right
attachment sections 82 and 83 respectively have front-side
attachment sections 84a' and 84a, rear-side attachment sections
84b' and 84b, and intermediate attachment sections 84c' and 84c. A
pair of tongues 88 are disposed on the flat metal plate 81 to the
inside of both intermediate attachment parts 84c' and 84c to limit
the forward movement of the frame 80 by engagement with the rear
ends of the protrusions 54d and 64d of the left and right guide
arms 50 and 60.
[0035] As is shown most clearly in FIG. 9 (c), a pair of
through-holes 86 through which a pair of engaging sections 92, pass
are formed in the intermediate attachment sections 84c', 84c, and a
pair of springs 85a, 85b are cut out and raised on the upper and
lower sides of the through-holes 86. In these pairs of springs 85a,
85b, the spring 85b on the lower side elastically contacts the
undersurface of the bracket 90 when the bracket 90 is attached to
the frame 80 so that the board mount 93 of the bracket 90 is
positioned on the opposite side. In this case, the spring 85a on
the upper side engages with the sidewall of the upright member 94
of the bracket 90. Conversely, when the bracket 90 is attached to
the frame so that the board mount 93 of the bracket 90 is
positioned on the same side, the spring 85b on the lower side
engages with the side wall of the upright member 94 of the bracket
90. A pair of cantilever arms 87' and 87 protrude inward from the
intermediate attachment parts 84c' and 84c to contact the metal
parts of the side surfaces of the accommodated card C.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 10, each of the brackets 90 is preferably
formed by stamping and bending a metal plate, and has a flat base
91, a board mount 93 which is bent to the outside from the lower
end portion of the base 91, and a pair of engaging sections 92
which are bent inward from the front and rear ends of the upper
edge. An upright member 94 which extends upward from the central
portion of the upper edge is provided, and a screw hole 93a is
formed in the board mount 93. The respective brackets 90 can be
mounted on either the left or right guide arms 50 and 60 from above
or below.
[0037] Assembly and mating will now be described in greater detail.
In order to assemble the card connector 1, a plurality of
electrical contacts 30 are first fastened to the insulating housing
20 by press-fitting to complete the header 10 assembly. Then, the
arm 72 is installed inside the insulating housing 20 of the header
10 so that one end 72a of the arm 72 protrudes from the right-side
arm opening 27 as shown in FIG. 2.
[0038] Meanwhile, in parallel with the assembly of the header 10,
the frame assembly 40 equipped with the ejection mechanism,
excluding the arm 72, is assembled. As is shown in FIG. 5, the left
and right guide arms 50 and 60 are respectively attached to the
left and right attachment sections 82 and 83 of the frame 80 from
the insides of the left and right attachment sections 82 and 83.
The upper surfaces, side surfaces and undersurfaces of the
respective front ends of the left and right guide arms 50 and 60
are clamped by C-shaped front-side attachment parts 84a' and 84a of
the frame 80. The upper surfaces, side surfaces and undersurfaces
of the respective cross-sectionally C-shaped rear-side attachment
parts 84b' and 84b of the frame 80. As a result, the frame 80 is
attached to the upper sides of the left and right guide arms 50 and
60. Then, the brackets 90, 90 are respectively attached to the left
and right guide arms 50 and 60 so that the respective board mounts
93 are positioned on the lower side with respect to the frame 80.
Specifically, the engaging sections 92 of the respective brackets
90 are inserted into the respective through-holes 55 and 69 of the
left and right guide arms 50 and 60 via the through-holes 86 in the
frame 80. The ejection bar 71 is then attached to the right-side
guide arm 60 so that the supporting opening 75 of the ejection bar
71 is supported by the projection 65b of the right-side guide arm
60, and so that the supporting plate 74 is supported by the rail
projections 65a. As a result, the frame assembly 40 equipped with
the ejection mechanism is completed.
[0039] Then, as is shown in FIG. 3, the board connection tines 33
are soldered to the conductive pads on the circuit board, and the
board mounts 23 of the header 10 are attached to the circuit board
by attachment screws (not shown in the figures).
[0040] Afterward, the guide members 58 and 68 are then inserted
from above into the guide pockets 24 of the header 10, and the
upper surfaces of the connecting sections 57 and 67 are engaged by
the undersurfaces of the engaging sections 25. As a result, the
frame assembly 40 equipped with the ejection mechanism (excluding
the arm 72) is attached to the header 10 such that the frame 80 is
positioned on the side opposite the circuit board. Then, the board
mounts 93 of the left and right brackets 90, 90 are screwed to the
circuit board such that the board mounts 93 contact the ground
pattern on the circuit board.
[0041] When the card C is inserted from the rear of the frame
assembly 40 the electrical contacts inside the card C contact the
contact sections 32 of the electrical contacts 30 in the header 10,
so that the card C and circuit board are electrically connected to
each other. The outside casing of the card C also contacts the
metal ground plate 34 to ground the card to the circuit board.
Furthermore, the metal parts of both sidewalls of the card C
contact the pair of tongues 87' and 87 of the frame 80. When the
metal parts of both side walls of the card C contact the pair of
tongues 87' and 87 of the frame 80, they are grounded to the
circuit board via the brackets 90, 90. Then, when this card C is to
be pulled out of the connector 1, the card C is ejected from the
connector 1 by pushing the ejection bar 71 forward so that the arm
72 is caused to swing. Cutouts are formed in the portion of the
circuit board on which the card C is accommodated, so that
accommodation is also possible in the case of HDD packages, in
which the thickness of the card C is large.
[0042] Here, in cases where it is desired to replace the frame
assembly 40 equipped with the ejection mechanism after this frame
assembly 40 has been mounted on the circuit board, the attachment
screws attached to the board mounts 93 are removed, and the left
and right guide arms 50 and 60 are slightly twisted to release the
connecting sections 57 and 67 from the engaging sections 25. Then,
the guide members 58 and 68 are pulled out of the guide pockets 24.
Accordingly, the frame assembly 40 equipped with the
above-mentioned ejection mechanism can be simply and easily
replaced even after the header 10 has been soldered to the circuit
board.
[0043] In cases where it is desired from the outset to mount the
ejection bar 71 on the left side of the header 10 instead of the
right side, the arm 72 is first installed inside the insulating
housing 20 of the header 10 so that one end 72a of the arm 72
protrudes from the left-side arm opening 27. Then, this header 10
is mounted on the circuit board as described above. Afterward, the
frame 80 is attached to the undersides of the left and right guide
arms 50 and 60. The respective brackets 90, 90 are attached to the
left and right guide arms 50 and 60 so that the respective board
mounts 93 are positioned on the upper side of the frame 80. Then,
in this state, the ejection bar 71 is attached to the side surface
of the right-side guide arm 60, and the entire body is inverted so
that the frame 80 is positioned on the upper side of the left and
right guide arms 50 and 60. Afterward, the guide member 58 of the
left-side guide arm 50 is inserted from above into the guide pocket
24 formed in the right side of the insulating housing 20, and the
guide member 68 of the right-side guide arm 60 is inserted from
above into the guide pocket 24 formed in the left side of the
insulating housing 20 of the header 10. Thus, without any need for
additional parts, the ejection bar 71 used to eject the card C can
be attached on the left or right using a minimal number of parts.
Furthermore, since the right side guide arm 60 to which the
ejection bar 71 is attached is interchanged with the left-side
guide arm 50 to which the ejection bar 71 is not attached, there is
no change in the width of the overall connector.
[0044] An embodiment of the present invention has been described
above. However, the present invention is not limited to this
embodiment and various alterations are possible. For example, the
header 10 is a header in which a metal ground plate 34 is installed
on the side of the circuit board. However, it would also be
possible to install this ground plate 34 on the opposite side of
the header. In this case, the frame 80 would installed on the
underside and the board mounts 93 of the brackets 90 are installed
on the same side as the frame 80. If this is done, then the upper
side of the frame 80 is open to accommodate a thick HDD package
without cutting away the circuit board. Of course, in this case as
well, the left and right guide arms 50 and 60 are interchangeable,
and the frame 80 can be attached to the respective left and right
guide arms 50 and 60 from above or below. Accordingly, attachment
of the ejection bar 71 on the left or right can be accomplished
using a minimal number of parts.
[0045] Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the ejector knob
79 attached to the ejection bar 71 uses a "rotary type button"
which has a fixed part 79a and a pivoting part 79b. However, it
would also be possible to use a "push-push type button" which uses
a cam mechanism so that the button is caused to protrude to the
outside from the computer casing when the card is to be ejected,
and so that the button is pulled into the inside of the computer
casing when the card is to be accommodated.
* * * * *