Grounding system for ic cards

摘要

The grounding system includes a header connector (20) which has a dielectric connector housing (24) which receives at least the front insertion end of the IC card. Several terminals (42) are mounted in the connector housing with pins (44) for mating to corresponding terminals in the IC card. A grounding shroud (50) extends over the pins of the terminals and includes a main body plate with several ground contacts formed in it for engaging corresponding contacts on the receptacle grounding shield (21) of the IC card. Each ground contact has a C-shaped spring arm (62) with opposite ends of the C integrally joined to the shroud and the portion of the spring arm between the ends formed downwardly. Each C-shaped spring arm is stamped out of an opening in the main body plate and its ends are integrally joined at opposite edges of the opening. Adjacent spring arms are mirror-images and their openings face the opening of an adjacent spring arm. Upon engaging the contact of the receptacle grounding shield, the C-shape of the spring arms causes the ground contact to deflect about two separate axes.