Electrical card connector having grounding plate

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an electrical card connector, and more particularly to an electrical card connector having a grounding plate.

2. Description of Prior Art

Modern times, the PC card is always used as an external equipment for increase the storage of the electrical consumer products, like Mobile phone, Digital camera, etc. The electrical card connector is used for electrically connecting the PC card and the electrical consumer products, and always comprises a grounding plate cover the parts of the terminals beyond the housing for stopping the Electro-Magnetic Interference. Usually, the housing forms a protuberance, and the grounding plate defines a hole mating with the protuberance for retaining with the card connector. However, this retaining structure between the grounding plate and the housing is not steady after the card repetitiously inserted into the card connector.

Hence, it is desirable to have an improved card connector to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector having a grounding plate, which is steadily retained with the electrical card connector.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical card connector for receiving a card, comprises an insulating housing defining a card receiving space, a plurality of terminals received in the insulating housing, a shield plate mounted on the insulating housing, a box member mounted on housing and encircling the terminals and a grounding plate sandwiched by the insulating housing and the shield plate, and retained to the box member.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical card connector in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the card connector shown in FIG. 1 with a shield plate removed;

FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of the card connector; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view of the card connector but taken from another view.

Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 , a stand-off electrical card connector 100 for receiving a card, comprises an insulating housing 1 , a plurality of terminals 5 received in the insulating housing 1 , a shield plate 2 assembled on the insulating housing 1 , a grounding plate 4 sandwiched by the shield plate 2 and the housing 1 , a spacer 6 assembled on the terminals 2 , and a metallic box member 3 .

With respect to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the insulating housing 1 is configured of a frame with two opposite lateral sides constructed by two beams 11 and a card receiving space between the two beams 11 . The two beams 11 together defines a card inserting opening 12 and an engaging portion 13 opposite to the card inserting opening 12 , and each beam 11 further comprises two supporting legs 112 , 132 arranged along a card inserting direction, and a guiding slot 111 extending along the card inserting direction and communicating with the receiving opening for guiding a card inserting. The engaging portion 13 forms a plurality of blocks 1310 thereon. The first supporting legs 112 are formed adjacent to the card inserting opening, and the second supporting legs 132 are formed adjacent to the engaging portion 13 . Each first supporting leg 112 comprises a cutout 1120 at the top end thereof and a locking bar 1121 at the bottom end thereof for positioning on a motherboard or something like this. The pair of second supporting leg 132 , respectively, defines a depressing cutout 1320 face to each other. A connecting portion 121 is formed adjacent to the card inserting opening connecting the two beams 11 . Moreover, each beam 11 defines a plurality of holes 113 extending therethrought in a vertical direction.

The shield plate 2 comprises a main body 21 , a pair of resilient arms 24 correspondingly located in the card inserting opening 12 of the insulating housing 1 , a plurality of retaining tabs 22 correspondingly received in the holes 113 of the insulating housing 1 , and a pair of mating pieces correspondingly inserted into the cutouts 1120 of the insulating housing 1 .

Each terminal 5 comprises a retaining portion (not labeled) retained in the engaging portion 13 of the insulating housing, a contacting portion 51 extending from the retaining portion into the card receiving space, and a tail portion 52 extending downwardly from the retaining portion and sandwiched by the second supporting legs 13 .

Turning to FIG. 4 , the longitudinal spacer 6 comprises a tabulate body 61 having a plurality of pinpricks 62 thereron, and a pair of restricting protuberances 63 formed at the opposite ends of the tabulate body 61 . The tail portions 52 of the terminals 5 extend through corresponding pinpricks 62 . Meanwhile, the restricting protuberances project into corresponding depressing cutouts 1320 of the second supporting legs 132 . The depressing cutouts 1320 restrict the spacer moving in upward direction and transverse direction.

The box member 3 encircling the second supporting legs 132 and the tail portions 52 of the terminals 5 , is approximately configured of a box without the top and bottom face, and comprises a pair of grounding tails 34 extending downwardly for electrically connecting with motherboard, a vertical wall (not labeled) extending upwardly. The vertical wall defines a plurality of mounting pores 32 .

The grounding plate 4 comprises a base portion 41 , a plurality of pins 44 extending from the base portion 41 , a plurality of pressing piece 43 arranged in a transverse direction on the base portion 41 to press the card, and a plurality of locking cutouts 42 arranged in the transverse direction on the base portion 41 . The grounding plate 4 is placed between the insulating housing 1 and the shield plate 2 with the locking cutouts 42 mating with corresponding blocks 1310 of the insulating housing 1 and the pins 44 retained to the corresponding pores 32 of the box member 3 . The base portion 41 covers the contacting portions 51 of the terminals 5 . Moreover, in present embodiment, the pins 44 are soldered to corresponding pores 32 of the box member 3 . Thereby, the grounding plate 4 is firmly retained on the electrical card connector 100 .

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.