WO1998058421A1

WO1998058421A1 - A housing assembly for a portable radio that communicates within a satellite communication system

Info

Publication number: WO1998058421A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/011398
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gary George Sanford
Original assignee: Ericsson Inc.
Priority date: 1997-06-17
Filing date: 1998-06-11
Publication date: 1998-12-23
Also published as: AU9136898A

Abstract

A housing assembly for a portable radio device that communicates with an orbiting satellite is positioned to a deployed position by rotating an extension piece attached to an elongated housing around a single rotation axis. The extension piece is pivoted to the elongated housing at a pivot point, for positioning the extension piece substantially parallel to a reference plane, when the elongated housing is held at an angled position.

Description

A HOUSING ASSEMBLY FOR A PORTABLE RADIO THAT COMMUNICATES WITHIN A SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

BACKGROUND This invention generally relates to the field of housing assemblies and more particularly to a housing assembly for a portable radio device.

Portable radios that communicate through satellites are now coming into commercial use. These radios allow users from any point on earth to engage in voice and data communication via orbiting satellites. For receiving and transmitting satellite signals, the portable radios require a different kind of antenna arrangement from that commonly used by portable radios that communicate in terrestrial communication systems. Generally, portable antennas that communicate with satellites usually require circular polarization that is directed towards an orbiting satellite .

One type of portable antenna that is used for satellite communication is a flat planar radiator. The planar radiator, which may be a microstrip patch, can be integrated into an elongated extension piece that is pivoted preferably at a top portion of an elongated housing. In this way, the extension piece can be properly positioned, when the antenna is deployed, and conveniently stowed, when the antenna is not in use. In the stowed position, the extension piece also serves as a cover for a keypad that maybe disposed on the front surface of the elongated housing. The planar radiator radiates generally in the direction normal to the surface of the patch. In a deployed position, the radiating surface should be directed towards a satellite, to provide optimum communication. As a result, the radiating surface should be pointed upwardly. Pointing the radiating surface upwardly requires positioning the extension piece substantially parallel to a horizontal ground surface. While using the portable radio, however, a user usually holds the elongated housing at a 30° to 40° angle with respect to the horizontal ground surface. Therefore, with the elongated housing in this angled position, the extension piece, which houses the radiating surface, must lie in the horizontal position.

A conventional housing assembly uses a two-axis pivoting mechanism for rotating the extension piece about the elongated housing. A first axis of rotation is near the top portion of the elongated housing and perpendicular to its surface. A second axis is perpendicular to, and over, the first rotation axis. The two-axis arrangement of the conventional assembly, however, is large and mechanically complex. The complexity of the two independent axes of rotation is exacerbated by the need to pass one or more coaxial cables through both of these axes. Furthermore, the two-axis arrangement is not a user friendly deployment mechanism for positioning the antenna to a correct deployed position. This is because the user is forced to adjust the extension piece along two rotation axes, which makes the adjustment intuitively difficult.

Therefore, there exists a need for a housing assembly that allows for a simple and intuitively obvious positioning of an extension piece that houses an antenna for a portable radio used for satellite communication. SUMMARY

The present invention that addresses this need is exemplified in a housing assembly for a portable radio that includes an extension piece that rotates around a single rotation axis about an elongated housing. The extension piece, which houses an antenna that allows the portable radio to communicate with an orbiting satellite, attaches to the elongated housing at a pivot point. In this way the housing assembly of the present invention positions the extension piece substantially parallel to a reference plane, when the elongated housing is held at an angled position.

According to some of the more detailed features of the invention, the elongated housing has a front side with a slanted surface at a top portion. The present invention preferably positions the pivot point at the center of the slanted surface. In this way, the housing assembly of the invention is so arranged that the rotation of the extension piece around the rotation axis defines a conical surface. Preferably, the front side of the elongated housing has a partially conical shape and the extension piece has a conical mating inner surface.

In yet other more detailed features of the invention, the antenna disposed in the extension piece is a planar radiator antenna, for example, a microstrip patch. In one embodiment of the invention, the extension piece is attached to the elongated housing by an snap ring. In another, the extension piece is attached to the elongated housing by a spring loaded latch that locks the extension piece to the elongated housing in a stowed position and allows the rotation of the extension piece to a deployed position. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGs . 1(a) -1(d) are plan views of side, front, top and bottom surfaces of a housing assembly according to the invention, respectively.

FIGs. 2 (a) -2 (d) are plan views of side, front, top and bottom surfaces of an elongated housing, respectively, for the housing assembly shown by FIGs. 1(a) -1(d) . FIGs. 3 (a) -3 (d) are plan views of side, front, top and bottom surfaces of an extension piece, respectively, for the housing assembly shown by FIGs. 1(a) -1(d) .

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the extension piece shown by FIGs. 3 (a) -3 (d) . FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the housing assembly shown by FIGs. 1(a) -1(d) in a deployed position.

FIGs. 6(a) and 6(b) are perspective views of the housing assembly of the present invention in two deployed positions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGs. l(a)-l(d), side, front, top and bottom plan views of a portable radio that advantageously incorporates a housing assembly 10 according to the present invention are shown. FIG. 1(a) shows the side view of the housing assembly 10 in a stowed position. The housing assembly 10 includes an elongated housing 12 and an extension piece 14, which is rotatably attached to the elongated housing 12 at a pivot point 16. The extension piece 14 attaches to the elongated housing 12 by an attachment mechanism 17. A positioner 15 fixes the extension piece 14 to the elongated housing 12 in the stowed position. A battery 18, which powers the portable radio, attaches to a back side of the housing assembly 10. As described later in detail, the attachment mechanism 17 allows the extension piece 14 to rotate about the elongated housing 12 around a single axis A-A.

In one embodiment of the invention, the elongated housing 12, which houses electronic circuitry of the portable radio, has a substantially conical curvature on its front surface 19. At a top portion, the front surface 19 of the elongated housing 12 is angularly displaced by a predefined angle, μ, to form a slanted surface 20 upon which the extension piece 14 pivots, to rotate around the rotation axis A-A. As described later, the extension piece 14, which primarily houses a thin planar radiator antenna, has a complementary conical inner surface 21 that fits to the elongated housing 12 in the stowed position.

FIGs. 2 (a) -2 (d) respectively show side, front, top and bottom views of the elongated housing 12 as a separate assembly. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the slanted surface 20 has a pivot sleeve 22 that allows attachment of a mating assembly for pivoting the extension piece 14 to the elongated housing 12 at the pivot point 16. As shown in FIG. 2(b), in an exemplary embodiment, the front surface 19 of the elongated housing includes a keypad 24 for entry of information into the portable radio. The top view in FIG. 2 (c) shows the slanted top surface 20 and a series of curves 21 that represent the front surface 19 of the elongated housing 12. The curve with the smallest radius shows the curvature near the top of the elongated housing 12. Curves of progressively larger radii represent the surface at points progressively approaching the bottom of the elongated housing 12. The largest radius is the only one that is visible in the bottom view shown by FIG. 2(d) . Under this arrangement, the conically curved front surface 19 of the elongated housing 12 allows the extension piece 14, which has a mating surface 21, to rotate around the rotation axis A-A.

FIGs. 3 (a) -3 (d) show side, front, top and bottom views of the extension piece 14 as a separate assembly from the elongated housing 12. As explained before, the extension piece 14 has an inner mating surface 21 contoured to match the front surface 19 of the elongated housing 12. The outer surface 26 of the extension piece is flat. However, the outer surface 26 could be curved for aesthetic purposes. FIGs. 3(a) and 3(d) also show an exemplary pivoting means that allows for pivoting of the extension piece 14 to the elongated housing 12. As shown, the extension piece 14 has a pivot recess 28, which slides over the pivot sleeve 22 (shown in FIGs. 2 (a) -2 (c) ) , to attach the elongated housing 12 to the extension piece 14. Alternatively, the pivot sleeve 22 could be threaded to be screwed to a thin nut (not shown) on the elongated housing 12.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the extension piece 14, which houses a planar antenna 29 that includes two typical microstrip patch radiators 30. Under this configuration, separate coaxial cables 32 are coupled to the microstrip patches 30. The coaxial cables 32, which are relatively flexible with small diameters, for example, 2 mm or less, extend along sides of the microstrip patches 30 toward the top of the extension piece 14. Through the attachment mechanism 17 (shown in FIG. 1) , which attaches the extension piece 14 to the elongated housing 12, the cables 32 extend into the interior of the elongated housing 12 and attach to suitable electrical circuitry therein. Connections to a circuit board (not shown) inside the elongated housing 12 are made by coaxial connectors 34, or by hard soldered connections. In another exemplary arrangement, the coaxial cables 32 may be semi-rigid coaxial cables with a small rotary joint at the pivot point 16. It would be appreciated that the attachment mechanism 17 must provide a sufficiently large opening to accommodate the extension of the coaxial cables 32 from the extension piece 14 into the elongated housing 12. According to the invention, the extension piece 14 rotates about the elongated housing 12 around a single rotation axis A-A. When rotating around the rotation axis A-A, the extension piece 14 is pivoted to the elongated housing 12 at the pivot point 16, which is preferably positioned at a center top point of the elongated housing 12. In the preferred embodiment, the pivot point 16 is positioned at the center of the slanted surface 20. In this way, the extension piece 14 is rotatable around the single rotation axis A-A, which crosses through the pivot point 16 and is perpendicular to the slanted surface 26. In an exemplary embodiment, a perpendicular axis B-B (shown in

Figs. 1, 2 and 3) extends from the pivot point 16 and has an approximately 135° angle with respect to the slanted surface 20. When the extension piece 14 is moved relative to the elongated housing 12, it can be positioned parallel to the reference horizontal plane, for example the ground plane.

Consequently, the antenna 29 disposed in the extension piece 14 can be easily positioned to a deployed position by being rotated around a single rotation axis A-A, as opposed to the two-axis arrangement of the conventional assembly. Under the single axis pivoting arrangement of the present invention, the antenna 29 radiates upwardly, at the deployed position, for allowing the portable radio to communicate with orbiting satellites, even when the elongated housing is held at an angled position. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the housing assembly of the present invention in a deployed position. As shown the rotation axis A-A is substantially normal to the slanted surface 20. In this way, the extension piece 14 may be rotated about the rotation axis A-A to be positioned parallel to a horizontal plane 40, when the elongated housing 12 is held at an angled position (shown by β) .

FIGs. 6(a) and 6(b) show the position of the extension piece relative to the elongated housing in two deployed positions. FIG. 6(a) illustrates the deployed position of the extension piece 14, which is rotated by a negative 70° in one direction (a negative direction) , for deployment by a right handed user. FIG. 6(b) illustrates the extension piece rotated approximately 70^° in an opposite positive angle (a positive direction) , for deployment by a left handed user. As shown, when the elongated housing 12 is held at a 30° to 40° angle relative to the reference ground plane, the antenna moves into a proper deployed position by being rotated approximately 70^° in either of the positive or negative directions. In the deployed position, the radiation direction of the antenna 29 (shown in FIG. 4) is upward and in the direction of the orbiting satellites. It would be appreciated that the rotation of the extension piece 14 around the A-A axis describes a conical surface. Thus, the conical shape of the mating surfaces minimizes the gap between the extension piece 14 and the elongated housing 12. Alternatively, however, the present invention may be implemented to accommodate other structural shapes. For example, the elongated housing 12 and extension piece 14 may be substantially rectangular. Under this arrangement, the pivot point 16 may be equipped with a rotating spring loaded latch mechanism that locks the elongated housing 12 to the extension piece 14, when the portable radio is in the stowed position. Under this arrangement, a traversal force could be exerted along the A- A axis pulling the extension piece 14 away from the elongated housing 12, to unlock and allow for the rotation of the extension piece 14. In an exemplary embodiment, the attachment mechanism 17 (shown in FIG. 1) may be a well known spring loaded latch that is keyed to lock co-centric rotating snap rings in the stowed position. By being pulled, the spring loaded latch may be unlocked to allow the rotation of the extension piece 14.

Preferably, the housing assembly 10 of the invention incorporates a stop and/or detent mechanism to facilitate the correct positioning of the extension piece 14 by the user. The extension piece 14 may be made to stay in a desired position by providing an appropriate amount of friction in the bearing or preferably by using a system of detents. Detente positioners 36 are shown on the housing assembly in FIGs. 2(a) and 2(b) . Mating detent recesses 38 are shown in FIG 3 (a) . A center detention positioner would hold the antenna in the stowed position. Two side detents hold the antenna in either of the two deployed positions as shown by Figs. 6(a) and 6(b) . It would be appreciated that, the exact angular direction of the rotation axis and the exact amount of angular rotation are inter-related. The present invention is intended to encompass all embodiments of the invention that result in a generally upward direction of radiation. From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the housing assembly of the present invention provides a simple way of adjusting an extension piece to a deployed position. By being rotated around a single rotation axis, a user that holds the elongated housing in an angled position can easily adjust the position of the antenna disposed in the extension piece.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference only to the presently preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications can be made without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the invention is defined only by the following claims which are intended to embrace all equivalents thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A housing assembly for a portable radio, comprising: an elongated housing; and an extension piece attached to the elongated housing at a pivot point, wherein the extension piece is rotatable around a single rotation axis, for positioning the extension piece substantially parallel to a reference plane, when the elongated housing is held at an angled position.

2. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotation of the extension piece around the rotation axis defines a conical surface.

3. The housing assembly of claim 2, wherein the elongated housing has a front side with a slanted surface.

4. The housing assembly of claim 3 , wherein the pivot point is positioned on the slanted surface.

5. The housing assembly of claim 4, wherein the slanted surface is at a top portion of the elongated housing and the pivot point is positioned at the center of the slanted surface.

6. The housing assembly of claim 2, wherein the front side has a partially conical shape.

7. The housing assembly of claim 6, wherein the extension piece has a conical mating inner surface.

8. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein the extension piece houses an antenna that allows the portable radio to communicate with an orbiting satellite.

9. The housing assembly of claim 8, wherein the antenna is a planar radiator antenna.

10. The housing assembly of claim 9, wherein the planar radiator antenna includes a microstrip patch.

11. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein the extension piece is attached to the elongated housing by a snap ring.

12. The housing assembly of claim 1, wherein the extension piece is attached to the elongated housing by a spring loaded latch that locks the extension piece to the elongated housing in a stowed position.

13. The housing assembly of claim 12, wherein the spring loaded latch allows rotation of the extension piece to a deployed position.

14. The housing assembly of claim 1, further including at least one positioner for fixing the position of the extension piece relative to the elongated housing at a deployed position.