JPH0447992Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to an external device connection device for electronic equipment.

[Summary of the invention] This invention rotates a rotating arm by inserting an external device into the insertion part of an electronic device in a removable manner, and connects the connecting terminal provided on the rotating arm to the connecting terminal of the external device. It is designed to be pressed into contact with and electrically connected.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, external devices such as data cassettes and RAM cards are removably inserted into the insertion part of electronic equipment, and the structure for connecting the external equipment to the electronic equipment is as follows: There is also a generally "concave"-shaped connector with a structure in which connection terminals of a circuit board protruding from an external device are removably sandwiched between the connectors. In addition, as another method, a leaf spring for a contact provided on a circuit board in an electronic device is made to protrude into the insertion part,
Some devices have a structure in which a connecting terminal in an external device is brought into contact with this protruding leaf spring.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] In the former structure described above, the connection terminals provided on the circuit board in the external device are inserted into the connector of the electronic device, so the contacts are easily rubbed and worn when they are connected and disconnected, and the durability is low. There are problems with gender and lack of reliability.

In addition, the latter structure includes one in which the external device is inserted by sliding it into the insertion part of the electronic device, and another in which it is pressed into the insertion part from above, but the one with the structure to slide is similar to the above. In addition, in the case of a push-fit structure, the insertion port must be enlarged and the leaf spring for the contact must protrude into the insertion part because the external device is inserted from the top, so the leaf spring can be touched from the outside. Not only does this have the disadvantage that the internal circuit is susceptible to the effects of static electricity, but the insertion port is large and open at the top, making the structure complicated as it requires a cover etc., and it is difficult to attach external devices. There are disadvantages such as being troublesome.

This is because the connection terminals and leaf springs for the contacts are made of gold, which has particularly good conductivity, to ensure continuity, so if the slide is used, the gold parts are very weak and wear out quickly. Another problem is that in the case of a device that presses an external device, the opening must be made larger in order to insert the external device from the top, making it easier to touch the leaf spring.

In this case, it would be better to have a structure in which the external device is slid and inserted through the insertion slot, and in which the connection terminal and the leaf spring for the contact do not slide.

An object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which an external device is slid and inserted into an electronic device, so that the connection terminal can be pressed into contact with the connection terminal of the external device without sliding.

[Means to solve the problem] The means of this invention are as follows.

(1) An insertion part that is provided in the case of an electronic device and into which an external device such as a data cassette can be slid and removed; for example, it is formed inside the upper and lower cases of the device case, and is approximately half the size of the data cassette. something that can be inserted and removed freely, or
A data cassette such as a RAM card is arranged and inserted into a cut holder (insertion section 3, etc.).

(2) A rotating arm that is rotatably provided within the case, one end of which protrudes freely into and out of the insertion portion, and rotates when the external device is inserted, for example, above the insertion portion within the device case or It is located below and is rotatably attached to a rotation shaft provided inside the equipment case.
One end thereof is provided with a protrusion that protrudes and retracts into the insertion portion, and the other end is bent (rotating arms 4, 20, 33, etc.).

(3) A connection terminal attached to the other end of the rotating arm and press-contacted to the connection terminal of the external device when the insertion of the external device is completed, and a conductive rubber contact, connector, etc. at the other end of the bent rotating arm. A connecting terminal consisting of a spring, a conductive rubber connector, etc. is attached, and this connecting terminal is pressed into contact with the connecting terminal portion of the data cassette containing the RAM card (conductive rubber contact 9,
Connector spring 35, conductive rubber connector 41, etc.) Note that the information in parentheses has been added for reference in order to clarify how each of the above-mentioned means has been embodied in the embodiment.

[Effect] The function of this device is as follows.

An external device such as a data cassette is slid into and removably inserted into an insertion section provided in a case of an electronic device, and a rotating arm is rotatably provided in the case, and one end can freely protrude and retract into the insertion section. It protrudes to the side and rotates when the external device is inserted.

Due to this rotation, the connection terminal attached to the other end of the rotation arm comes into pressure contact with the connection terminal of the external device when the insertion of the external device is completed.

Therefore, in an electronic device in which an external device is slid and inserted, the structure can be made so that the connection terminal can be pressed into contact with the connection terminal of the external device without sliding.

[First Example] Hereinafter, a first example will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the figure, 1 is an equipment case of an electronic device, and 2 is a data cassette. The device case 1 consists of an upper case 1a and a lower case 1b, and includes an insertion section 3 for a data cassette 2, a rotating arm 4 for connection, and the like. The data cassette 2 is removably inserted into the insertion section 3 and is connected to an electronic device to exchange data.As shown in Fig. 2, the cassette case 5 is equipped with electronic components such as LSI. A circuit board 6 is provided, a portion of which is exposed to the outside from the cassette case 5, and a connection terminal portion 7 formed by arranging a plurality of electrodes is provided on this exposed portion.

The insertion part 3 of the equipment case 1 into which such a data cassette 2 is inserted is formed inside the equipment case 1 by an upper case 1a and a lower case 1b, as shown in FIG. Approximately half of the parts are inserted removably, and in the inner part (on the left side in the figure) there is a support part 3a that supports the connection terminal part 7 of the data cassette 2, and a position control part that restricts the insertion position of the data cassette 2. A portion 3b is provided, and an opening 3c communicating with the inside of the insertion portion 3 and the inside of the device case 1 is formed in the upper part of the open side (right side in the figure).

Further, a rotating arm 4 that connects the data cassette 2 and the electronic device is arranged above the insertion section 3 in the device case 1, and is rotatably attached to a rotating shaft 8 provided in the device case 1. has been
One end (the right side in the figure) is provided with a protrusion 4a that protrudes and retracts into the insertion section 3 through the opening 3c, and the other end (the left side in the figure) is bent downward, and a conductive rubber contact 9 is provided at the lower end. is attached via a holder 10. In this case, the holder 10 is attached to the lower end of the rotating arm 4 by a pin 11 so as to rotate to some extent. In addition, the conductive rubber contact 9
When the data cassette 2 is inserted into the insertion part 3 and the connection terminal part 7 is placed on the support part 3a, it is pressed against the connection terminal part 7 from above, and conductive rubber and insulating rubber are alternately used. It is connected to a circuit board (not shown) in an electronic device via a flexible sheet (wiring connection body) 12.
Further, the rotating arm 4 is urged by a coil spring 13 so as to pull up the conductive rubber contact 9 above the support portion 3a.

On the other hand, the upper surface of the cassette case 5 of the data cassette 2 is formed with a recess 5a into which the projection 4a of the rotating arm 4 is inserted. When the data cassette 2 is inserted into the insertion part 3 and the connection terminal part 7 approaches the support part 3a, the protrusion 4a of the rotating arm 4 is inserted into this recess 5a, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. The rotating arm 4 rotates, the conductive rubber contact 9 pulls up,
Moreover, when the data cassette 2 is pushed further and the connection terminal section 7 is placed on the support section 3a, the protrusion 4a of the rotating arm 4 goes over the edge of the recess 5a and moves upward, as shown by the solid line in FIG. The rotating arm 4 is pushed up by the coil spring 1.
3 to press the conductive rubber contact 9 against the connection terminal portion 7 of the data cassette 2. Note that locking recesses 5b (one not shown) are formed in both side walls of the cassette case 5. A hook provided on the inner wall (not shown) of the insertion portion 3 is removably engaged with the locking recess 5b to prevent the data cassette 2 from slipping out accidentally.

Next, a case will be described in which the data cassette 2 as described above is inserted into the insertion portion 3 of the equipment case 1 and electrically connected.

In this case, it is sufficient to simply insert the connection terminal section 7 side of the data cassette 2 into the insertion section 3. That is,
When the data cassette 2 is inserted into the insertion section 3, the top surface of the cassette case 5 pushes up the protrusion 4 of the rotating arm 4 and pushes down the conductive rubber contact 9 toward the support section 3a, and in this state, the data cassette 2 is inserted. When the connection terminal section 7 of the data cassette 2 approaches the support section 3a, the rotating arm 4 is inserted into the recess 5a formed on the upper surface of the cassette case 5.
The projection 4a is inserted. Then, the rotating arm 4 is pulled up by the coil spring 13 and rotated, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, thereby pulling up the conductive rubber contact 9. When the data cassette 2 is further inserted in this state, the protrusion 4a of the rotating arm 4 slides within the recess 5a, and the connection terminal portion 7 of the data cassette 2 is placed on the support portion 3a. and,
When the cassette case 5 approaches slightly in front of the position regulating part 3b of the insertion part 3, the protrusion 4a is moved to the recess 5.
a and is pushed up again by the upper surface of the cassette case 5. Then, the rotating arm 4 rotates against the coil spring 13, and presses the conductive rubber contact 9 against the connection terminal portion 7 on the support portion 3a. Thereby, the data cassette 2 is electrically connected to the electrical equipment via the conductive rubber contacts 9 and the flexible sheet 12, and data can be exchanged between them. Note that in this state, the data cassette 2 is not completely inserted into the insertion section 3. Therefore, push the data cassette 2 slightly and insert the cassette case 5 into the position regulating section 3b of the insertion section 3.
All you have to do is make it come into contact with it. At this time, the connection terminal part 7 of the data cassette 2 moves slightly on the support part 3a, but since the conductive rubber contact 9 that is in pressure contact with it is rotatably attached to the holder 10 by a pin 11, the connection terminal part 7 of the data cassette 2 moves slightly on the support part 3a. As the terminal portion 7 moves, it rotates slightly. Further, when the data cassette 2 is inserted into the insertion section 3 in this way, the hook (not shown) of the insertion section 3 engages with the locking recess 5b formed in the side wall of the cassette case 5, and the data cassette is inserted into the insertion section 3. 2 is held so that it does not slip out.

In addition, when pulling out data cassette 2,
It is sufficient to pull out the cassette case 5 against the engagement between the locking recess 5b and the hook. Then, the rotating arm 4, the conductive rubber contact 9, and the protrusion 4a operate in the opposite manner to that described above, and the data cassette 2 is smoothly pulled out.

However, according to the connection device configured in this way, the rotation arm 4 can be connected by simply inserting and removing the data cassette 2 into the insertion section 3 of the device case 1.
The conductive rubber contact 9 attached to the data cassette 2 comes into pressure contact with the connection terminal part 7 of the data cassette 2.
Since the electronic device can be electrically connected to the electronic device, operability is good, the connection terminal part 7 and the conductive rubber contact 9 do not wear out, and their durability is improved, and the conductive rubber contact 9 and the connection It is possible to obtain a device with excellent conduction reliability with the terminal portion 7. In this case, in particular, since the insertion part 3 is provided with the support part 3a that supports the connection terminal part 7 of the data cassette 2, the conductive rubber contact 9 can be securely and well pressed against the connection terminal part 7, and the conductivity can be further improved. You can get something highly reliable.

[Second Example] Next, a second example will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the same parts as in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this second embodiment, when the data cassette 2 is inserted into the insertion section 3 of the equipment case 1 and the protrusion 20a of the rotating arm 20 engages with the locking recess 5c of the cassette case 5, the data cassette 2 is locked. The conductive rubber contact 9 is connected to the connection terminal section 7 of the data cassette 2.
It is designed to press into contact with the

That is, the rotating arm 20 is arranged below the insertion section 3 in the device case 1, and is rotatably attached to a rotating shaft 21 provided in the device case 1, and one end thereof (right side in the figure) is attached to a rotating shaft 21 provided in the device case 1. ) is formed with a protrusion 20a that protrudes freely into the insertion portion 3 through an opening 3d formed on the lower side of the insertion portion 3.
The other end of the rotating arm 20 (on the left side in the figure) extends from the rotating shaft 21 above the insertion section 3, its upper end extends horizontally toward the back of the insertion section 3, and its tip extends downward. It is bent, and a conductive rubber contact 9 is rotatably attached to the bent lower end via a holder 10 as in the first embodiment described above. moreover,
The rotating arm 20 is biased by a coil spring 22 so as to press the conductive rubber contact 9 against the support portion 3a of the insertion portion 3 and to cause the protrusion 20a to protrude into the insertion portion 3.

On the other hand, the cassette case 5 of the data cassette 2 has a locking recess 5c formed in its lower surface. This locking recess 5c holds the rotation arm 20 when the data cassette 2 is inserted into the insertion section 3 and the data cassette 2 is in a predetermined position, that is, when the cassette case 5 abuts against the position regulating section 3b of the insertion section 3. When the protrusion 20a engages, the data cassette 2 is locked in the insertion section 3, and the rotating arm 20 is rotated to connect the conductive rubber contact 9 to the data cassette 2. It is adapted to come into pressure contact with the terminal portion 7.

Next, the operation of the connection device configured as described above will be explained.

First, when the data cassette 2 is pulled out from the insertion part 3 of the device case 1, the coil spring 22 causes the rotation arm 20 to rotate counterclockwise about the rotation shaft 21, and the protrusion 20a A conductive rubber contact 9 protrudes into the insertion portion 3 through the opening 3d and is in contact with the support portion 3a.

Further, when connecting the data cassette 2 to an electronic device, the data cassette 2 may be inserted into the insertion portion 3 of the device case 1. That is, when the data cassette 2 is inserted, the cassette case 5 is inserted into the insertion section 3.
The projection 20a comes into contact with the projection 20a projecting inward, and the projection 20
Since a is pushed down, the rotating arm 20 rotates clockwise about the rotating shaft 21 against the coil spring 22, and pulls up the conductive rubber contact 9 above the support portion 3a. When the data cassette 2 is further inserted in this state, the protrusion 20a slides on the lower surface of the cassette case 5, and the connection terminal portion 7 of the data cassette 2 is placed on the support portion 3a of the insertion portion 3. and,
When the cassette case 5 comes into contact with the position regulating part 3b of the insertion part 3, the protrusion 20a engages the locking recess 5 formed on the lower surface of the cassette case 5, as shown in FIG.
c, the data cassette 2 is locked in the insertion section 3, the rotating arm 20 is rotated about the rotating shaft 21 by the coil spring 22, and the conductive rubber contact 9 is placed on the support section 3a. Arranged connection terminal section 7
press against. Thereby, the data cassette 2 is electrically connected to the electronic device.

However, according to such a connecting device, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above, especially since the protrusion 20a of the rotating arm 20 engages with the locking recess 5c of the data cassette 2, Since the conductive rubber contact 9 is pressed against the connection terminal 7 of the data cassette 2 and the data cassette 2 is also locked, the structure is simpler than that of the first embodiment described above.

In addition, in each of the first and second embodiments described above, the support part 3a is formed integrally with the device case 1 and is hard, but the support part is not limited to this, and the support part can be made of a plate spring, rubber, etc. The connecting terminal portion 7 of the data cassette 2 may be elastically supported. Further, a connecting terminal portion 7 is provided on the lower surface of the circuit board 6, and a connector made of an elastic material such as a leaf spring or conductive rubber is provided on the support portion 3a, and the connecting terminal portion 7 is placed on the connector. It may be pressed from above with a rotating arm. In this case, it is more preferable to provide the rotating arm with an elastic body such as rubber and press the upper part of the connection terminal portion 7 with this elastic body.

[Third Example] Next, a third example will be described with reference to FIG. In this case as well, the same parts as in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

An insertion section 3 is formed in an electronic device case 1 consisting of an upper case 1a and a lower case 1b, and a card holder 30 is provided inside the insertion section 3 so as to be freely drawn out. This card holder 30 stores a RAM card 31 in the insertion section 3, and has a flat plate shape, and has a cover section 30a formed at one end (on the right side in the figure) for closing the insertion section 3. An insertion hole 30b is formed on the inner side, and a pressing member 32 consisting of a coil spring 32a and a pressing plate 32b is provided in the lid portion 30a. Therefore, when storing the RAM card 31 in the insertion section 3 of the device case 1 using the card holder 30, the card holder 30 is inserted from inside the insertion section 3.
, place the RAM card 31 inside this card holder 30, and in this state, remove the RAM card 31 from the card holder 30.
into the insertion section 3. As a result, the RAM card 31 is housed in the insertion section 3 and is elastically pressed by the pressing member 32 to be held within the insertion section 3.

Further, the RAM card 31 is used to exchange data with electronic devices, and the card case 3
A circuit board 31b is provided inside 1a, and an electronic component 31c such as an LSI is mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board 31b.
is provided, and a connection terminal portion 31d formed by arranging a plurality of electrodes is provided on the lower surface side. In this case, an opening/closing lid 31e is provided below the connection terminal portion 31d. The opening/closing lid 31e can be opened and closed freely to expose the connection terminal section 31d to the turn section, and can be opened when placing the RAM card 31 on the card holder 30, or
When the RAM card 31 is inserted into the insertion section 3, it is automatically opened.

On the other hand, a rotating arm 33 is provided inside the device case 1. That is, the rotating arm 33 rotates when the card holder 30 is pushed into the insertion section 3, and the rotating arm 33 rotates when the card holder 30 is pushed into the insertion section 3. It is rotatably attached to the top of the. in this case,
The rotating arm 33 is a flat plate bent into an approximately "L" shape, and the vicinity of the corner thereof is attached to the support base 34 via a rotating shaft 34a, and one end (left side in the figure) is inserted into the support base 34. The protrusion 33a protrudes freely into the insertion portion 3 through the opening 3e of the portion 3, and a connector spring 35 is attached to the other end (on the right side in the figure). This connector spring 3
Numerals 5 and 5 are elastically press-contacted to the connection terminal portion 31d in the RAM card 31, and are shaped like a plate spring made of wire, and are arranged in the same number as the electrodes of the connection terminal portion 31d. The rotary arm 33 extends obliquely downward, and each lower end thereof comes into elastic contact with a circuit board 36 in the equipment case 1 to be electrically connected. Further, the connector spring 35 side of the rotating arm 33 is pulled down by a coil spring 37. That is, when the card holder 30 is pulled out from the insertion part 3, the rotating arm 33 rotates around the rotating shaft 34a, and the connector spring 35 side touches the stopper part 38 provided in the lower case 1b. The protrusions 33a on the opposite side protrude into the insertion portion 3. In this case, each rear end side 35a of the connector spring 35 rotates together with the rotation arm 33,
It moves upward away from the circuit board 36 inside the equipment case 1.

Next, the operation of the connection device configured as described above will be explained.

When storing the RAM card 31 in the insertion section 3 of the device case 1 and connecting it to an electronic device, first,
Pull out the card holder 30 from inside the insertion section 3. Then, the rotating arm 33 is rotated clockwise by the coil spring 37, the connector spring 35 side comes into contact with the stopper part 38, and the protrusion 33a on the opposite side contacts the insertion part 3.
protrude inward.

After that, when the RAM card 31 is placed inside the card holder 30 pulled out from the insertion section 3 and the card holder 30 is pushed into the insertion section 3, the opening/closing lid 31e opens and the RAM card 31 is stored inside the insertion section 3. be done. That is, the RAM card 31 is inserted into the insertion section 3 together with the card holder 30, the end of the RAM card 34 comes into contact with the back wall of the insertion section 3, and the lid section 30
When the pressing member 32 on the a side starts pressing the other end of the RAM card 31, the rear end of the card holder 30 comes into contact with the protrusion 33a of the rotating arm 33, causing the rotating arm 33 to resist the coil spring 37. and rotate counterclockwise. Then, the connector spring 35 provided on the rotating arm 33 rotates upward, and the RAM card is inserted through the opening 3e of the insertion section 3, the insertion hole 30b of the card holder 30, and the open part of the opening/closing cover 31e of the RAM card 31. It protrudes into the inside of the RAM card 31 and comes into pressure contact with the connection terminal section 31d inside the RAM card 31. On the other hand, the rear end side 35a of the connector spring 35 rotates downward together with the rotation arm 33, and comes into elastic contact with the circuit board 36 inside the device case 1. Thereby, the RAM card 31 is connected to the electronic device via the connector spring 35, and data can be exchanged. Note that after this, push the card holder 30 further,
The lid part 30a closes the insertion part 3, and the pressing member 3
2 presses the RAM card 31 and holds it in the insertion portion 3, the RAM card 31 does not slide, so the connector spring 35 and the connection terminal portion 31d do not wear out.

However, it goes without saying that such a connection device also has the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

[Fourth Example] Next, a fourth example will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the same parts as in the third embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this fourth embodiment, instead of the connector spring 35,
A leaf spring 40 is provided on the rotating arm 33, and a conductive rubber surface 41 is provided at the tip of the leaf spring 40, so that the conductive rubber connector 41 is brought into pressure contact with the connection terminal portion 31d within the RAM card 31. In this case, the leaf spring 40 is connected to the conductive rubber connector 4
1 elastically held. The conductive rubber connector 41 is formed by alternately arranging conductive rubber and insulating rubber, and the conductive rubber portion is in pressure contact with each electrode of the connection terminal portion 31d, and a flexible sheet (wiring body ) 42 to a circuit board (not shown) in the equipment case 1.

However, according to such a connection device, the conductive rubber connector 4 elastically held by the leaf spring 40
1 is in pressure contact with the connection terminal portion 31d in the RAM card 31, so the connection can be made very softly, and the connection is more reliable and durable than that of the third embodiment described above. Become something.

In addition, in each of the third and fourth embodiments described above, the RAM card 31 is placed on the cover 30a side of the card holder 30.
Although the pressing member 32 is provided to press the insertion portion 3, the pressing member 32 is not limited to this.
Of course, it is also possible to provide a.

Further, this invention is not limited to the data cassette 2 or the RAM card 31 as in each of the embodiments described above, but can be widely applied to the connection of other external devices such as a ROM card.

[Effects of the invention] Friction in the connection terminals of external devices and leaf springs for contacts used as connection terminals is eliminated, extending their lifespans and improving the reliability of data transmission.
Moreover, it is no longer affected by static electricity,
The internal circuit protection of external equipment is also ensured.

Furthermore, since the connecting terminal does not need to be slid, conductive rubber that has a high elastic modulus and can be reliably pressed can be used as the terminal, and the reliability of data transfer can be further improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 and 2 show a first embodiment;
The figure is a sectional view of the main part, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the data cassette, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the main part of the second embodiment.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the main part of the third embodiment, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the main part of the third embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of an example. 1...Equipment case, 2...Data cassette, 3
...Insertion section, 4, 20, 33 ... Rotating arm, 4
a, 20a, 33a...Protrusion, 7, 31d...Connection terminal section, 9...Conductive rubber contact, 31...RAM
Card, 35... Connector spring, 41... Conductive rubber connector.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] An insertion part provided in a case of an electronic device, into which an external device such as a data cassette can be slid in and removed; a rotating arm that protrudes freely and retracts from one end and rotates when the external device is inserted; and a rotating arm that is attached to the other end of the rotating arm and presses into contact with a connection terminal of the external device when the external device is inserted. An external device connection device for an electronic device, comprising a connection terminal.