Card Connector Locking Stability via Merged Abutment Face
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical card connectors with resilient locking arms are unstable due to the movement of the slider along the front-to-back direction, as the locking protrusion typically confronts an abutment wall provided by the housing, leading to instability during card insertion or withdrawal.
Innovation Solution
The electrical card connector features a slider with a spring abutting against it, a deformable locking device having a resilient arm with a locking protrusion that engages with the card's locking notch, and a transitional section that converts from a cantilevered beam to a constrained continuous beam by abutting against an abutment face on the slider during deflection, providing two stable abutment points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the locking arm is made resilient and outwardly deflectable to engage the locking protrusion with the abutment wall, then the card connector can accommodate slider movement during card insertion/withdrawal, but the locking mechanism becomes unstable due to the slider's movement along the front-to-back direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the abutment wall function into the slider itself by creating an abutment face on the slider's front surface. This merging eliminates the relative movement between the locking protrusion and abutment wall, as both are now part of the same moving component (slider), thereby resolving the instability issue while maintaining adaptability to slider movement.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the abutment wall fixed on the housing and the locking arm deflect relative to it, the patent inverts the arrangement by making the abutment face part of the moving slider. This inversion transforms the reference frame, making the abutment relationship stable even during slider movement, thus solving the contradiction between adaptability and stability.
2Device complexity
If the locking protrusion confronts the abutment wall provided by the housing, then the structure is simple, but the locking mechanism becomes unstable during card insertion or withdrawal due to slider movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the abutment function into the slider by providing an abutment face on the slider's front surface. This maintains structural simplicity while eliminating the instability caused by relative movement between separate components, as the abutment relationship now occurs within the same moving component.
3Ease of operation
If the resilient arm is made outwardly deflectable to allow card insertion/withdrawal, then the card can be loaded and unloaded, but the locking protrusion becomes unstable when confronting the housing's abutment wall during slider movement
Solution Approach 1:
By making the abutment face part of the slider, the patent maintains the ease of card loading/unloading through resilient arm deflection while simultaneously ensuring locking protrusion stability, as both the locking protrusion and abutment face move together as a single unit during slider movement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the stability and reliability of the card connector by ensuring secure engagement and disengagement of the card, maintaining structural integrity during operational states and preventing excessive movement.
Implementation Method 1
a spring abutting against the slider and deformable in the front-to-back direction
Implementation Method 2
a resilient locking device... a resilient arm extending from the securing part with a locking protrusion for engagement within the locking notch of the electrical card. The slider provides an abutment face of an abutment wall. The free end of the locking arm is adapted to abut against the abutment face when the electrical card is inserted into or withdrawn from the receiving cavity to outwardly deflect the resilient arm.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical card connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts retained to the housing, a metallic shield attached to the housing and cooperating with the housing to form a receiving cavity for receiving therein an electrical card, and a card holding mechanism located beside the receiving cavity. The card holding mechanism includes a slider, a spring abutting against the slider and deformable in the front-to-back direction, and a resilient locking device. The locking device includes a securing part retained to the slider, a resilient arm extending from the securing part with a locking protrusion for engagement within a locking notch of the electrical card. The slider provides an abutment face. The free end of the locking arm is adapted to abut against the abutment face when the electrical card is inserted into or withdrawn from the receiving cavity to outwardly deflect the resilient arm.