US3701016A

US3701016A - Miniature transmitter receiver housing

Info

Publication number: US3701016A
Application number: US815693A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leonard W Bennett; Thomas R Hutchinson; Winston H Schilling
Original assignee: Motorola Inc
Current assignee: Motorola Solutions Inc
Priority date: 1969-04-14
Filing date: 1969-04-14
Publication date: 1972-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 1989-10-24
Also published as: HK68076A; GB1266675A

Abstract

A radio transmitter and receiver housing is formed of a rectangular frame structure which is open at the front and back sides thereof. Separate front and rear cover means are detachably mounted to the rectangular frame structure to cover the front and rear openings. A printed circuit board carries substantially all of the components of the radio transmitter receiver device and is mounted within the rectangular frame structure. The circuit side of the printed circuit board is substantially level with one of the front and back openings. The rectangular frame structure is formed of a material having poor soldering characteristics and capable of withstanding soldering temperatures so that the components may be mounted on the printed circuit board and the assembly soldered without removal of the printed circuit board from the rectangular frame. The rectangular frame structure also permits the addition of other rectangular frame structures thereto to enlarge the size of the housing.

Description

United States Patent Bennett et al.

MINIATURE TRANSMITTER RECEIVER HOUSING 51 Oct. 24,1972

3,435,456 3/ 1969 Robb ..343/702 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Richardson Assistant Examiner-Kenneth W. Weinstein Attorney-Mueller and Aichele [57] ABSTRACT A radio transmitter and receiver housing is formed of a rectangular frame structure which is open at the front and back sides thereof. Separate front and rear cover means are detachably mounted to the rectangular frame structure to cover the front and rear openings. A printed circuit board carries substantially all of the components of the radio transmitter receiver device and is mounted within the rectangular frame structure. The circuit side of the printed circuit board is substantially level with one of the front and back openings. The rectangular frame structure is formed of a material having poor soldering characteristics and capable of withstanding soldering temperatures so that the components may be mounted on the printed circuit board and the assembly soldered without removal of the printed circuit board from the rectangular frame. The rectangular frame structure also permits the addition of other rectangular frame structures thereto to enlarge the size of the housing.

7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDHBIM I912 3.701.016

SHEET 1 0F 4 4| m 38 38 4| 1 29 .mmw m I I! i O 0 Q) F IG. 2

ATTYS.

PAIENIEnnm 24 ran SHEEI 2 BF 4 INVENTORS THOMAS R. HUTCHINSON,

LEONARD W. BENNETT, WINSTON H SCHILLING.

ATTYS.

PATEN'I'El'lnm 24 I972 SHEET 3 0F 4 INVENTORS THOMAS R. HUTCHINSON, LEONARD W BENNETT,

WINSTON H. SCHILLING.

M, (EM

AT TYS.

PA TENTED 24 3. 701. 016

saw u (If 4 1 lNVENTORS THOMAS RHUTCHINSON, LEONARD W BENNETT. BY WINSTON H. SCHILLING.

MINIATURE TRANSMITTER RECEIVER HOUSING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a hand held radio transmitter and receiver. The structure disclosed is an improvement over that described and claimed in US. Pat. No. 3,345,568, issued Oct. 3, 1967 to Errichiello et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the present application. The radio device of the present application is smaller than the device of the prior patent, and is such that the manufacture and servicing of the radio device is greatly facilitated.

With the development of transistors and other semiconductor devices it has become possible to build miniature radio transmitter and receiver devices of the type which can be carried in the hand and operated from a self-contained battery power source. As the semiconductor art has advanced and integrated circuits have been developed, it has been possible to reduce the size of the transmitter and receiver devices still further. This reduction in size has caused problems in that the size of the devices have been reduced without a reduction in the complexity of the devices. In fact even with the reduction in size the complexity of the devices has increased.

The reduction in size of the radio devices has caused problems in the mechanical housing for the device, the battery power supply, and the manufacture of the device. Since printed circuit boards are almost universally used in miniature transmitter and radio receiver devices of this type, the size of the printed circuit boards has also been greatly reduced. With large numbers of components required on each printed circuit board it has become increasingly difiicult for personnel building the devices to handle the printed circuit boards during manufacture and to solder the large numbers of connections by automatic soldering processes. Since the advances in the battery art have not kept pace with the advances in the semiconductor art with regard to size the battery has become an increasingly larger portion of the transmitter and receiver package so that it has become more difficult to provide a convenient place for the battery. In addition, in order to add options to the transmitter radio and receiver devices it is necessary to provide housings which are larger than required for some radios or to provide separate housings for each different type of radio, both of which are unsatisfactory solutions. Once constructed the radio device becomes difficult to repair because of the inaccessibility of the components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved housing for a hand held radio transmitter and receiver device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a housing for a radio transmitter and receiver device which provides for good accessibility to components.

Another object of this invention is to provide a housing for a radio device which will aid in the manufacturing of the device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a housing for a radio device which will permit automatic soldering of the components in the device while the components are in the housing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a housing for a radio transmitter and receiver device in which the battery power source is conveniently located as part of the housing.

In practicing this invention a radio transmitter and receiver device of the type to be carried on the person and operate from a self-contained battery power source is provided with a housing in the shape of a rectangular frame structure opened at the front and back sides. The rectangular frame structure is formed of a material having poor soldering characteristics and also capable of withstanding soldering temperatures. The rectangular frame structure mounts a printed circuit board with the circuit side of the board even with one of the openings so that when the rectangular frame structure and circuit board is passed over an automatic soldering machine the circuit and components can be soldered together automatically. Since the rectangular frame structure can withstand the soldering temperatures and since it has poor soldering characteristics the solder will not stick to the rectangular frame structure nor will it affect it in any way.

The rectangular frame structure has front and rear cover means detachably mounted thereon. The front cover means covers the front opening of the rectangular frame structure and includes a speaker and microphone which are also detachably connected to the printed circuit board. The rear cover means is detachably fastened to the rectangular frame structure and covers the rear opening. The rear cover contains the antenna which is electrically connected to the printed circuit board through spring contacts.

In one embodiment of the invention the rear cover means is recessed to receive a battery portion which mates with the rear cover means to provide an integral housing structure. The battery portion is separately detachable for replacement as required. If a larger housing structure is required for additional components, a piggy back" rectangular frame structure can be used which mounts on the back opening of the rectangular frame structure. The piggy back" frame contains the antenna structure which is electrically connected to the printed circuit board through spring contacts. Cover means enclose the piggy back" portion to complete the housing enclosure.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a rear view of the housing showing the rear cover means;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the housing with the front cover opened;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rectangular frame structure;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the housing with the rear covers opened;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the housing showing the piggy back" structure;

FIG. 6 illustrates the spring contact connection between the printed circuit board and the antenna;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a separate embodiment of the invention showing the rectangular frame structure, the recessed rear closure cover and the battery positioned in the rear closure;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the battery portion of the structure of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 illustrates the rectangular frame structure being automatically soldered.

3 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIGS. 1-5 there is shown a miniature hand held radio transmitter and receiver of the type to be operated from a self-contained battery power source. The basic housing structure consists of a rectangular frame structure 15 which is opened at the front and back sides. The rectangular frame structure is formed of a material which can withstand the heat and temperature used for soldering electronic components and which has poor solderability characteristics so that solder does not adhere to it. An example of a material which may be used for the rectangular frame structure is a zinc-lead alloy such as Zamac.

The rectangular frame structure may be divided into two portions, one a component section 16 and the other a battery section 17. A printed circuit board 19 is mounted in the component section of the rectangular frame structure. The printed circuit board has a component side 20 and a wiring or circuit side 21. The wiring side 21 is mounted so that it is substantially even or flush with one side of the rectangular frame structure. The printed circuit board is held in place by screws 24 which holds the board against a mounting structure 26 which is within the rectangular frame structure.

A front cover 28 is provided which contains a speaker microphone 29 and battery terminals 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminals 30 are provided on conductors which extend along the front cover 28 upwardly toward the circuit board, with two of the conductors extending downwardly to the bottom of the front cover. A back cover consisting of two sections is also provided. The top section 32 covers the component section of the rectangular frame structure. Both the top rear cover 32 and the front cover 28 are held in place by screws which are not shown.

A second rear cover portion 34 is provided which closes the rear opening of the battery portion of the rectangular frame structure. The rear cover for the battery portion is held in place by a lip which is inserted in the upper portion 32 (not shown) and the lever arm 35 which rotates to engage spring 36 which is supported on the front cover 28 and extends through the battery section 17 of the rectangular frame structure. This provides means whereby the battery cover can be quickly removed for battery replacement without the operator gaining access to the component portion.

The radio is also provided with a plurality of control knobs 38 and a push-to-talk switch 39. An antenna is provided mounted on the upper rear cover portion 41. This antenna fits within a specially molded portion 42 of the rear cover 32.

The structure of FIG. is similar to that of FIGS. 1-4 and includes the rectangular frame

structure having openings

16 and 17 therein. In some radios it is desirable to incorporate more features than in others. However, with the miniature hand held radios one of the most important objectives is to make the radio as small, compact and light as possible. Therefore, in order to achieve this objective a number of different housings would be required, one for each of the radio configurations. The structure of FIG. 5 provides the extra room required in some radios while still using many of the housing components of the smaller radio in FIGS. 1-4. In addition the structure of FIG. 5 maintains the advantages of the rectangular frame structure I5.

In order to enlarge the radio a second rectangular frame structure 44 is mounted on the rectangular frame structure 15 in a piggy back" fashion. The frame structure 44 also includes the antenna structure 45. A pair of rear covers 46 and 47 similar to

covers

32 and 34 complete the rear enclosure. A battery 48 is shown in its relative position in the structure. Cover 46 does not have the antenna mounting structure of cover 32. With the structure of FIG. 5 assembled, a housing for the miniature hand held radio is achieved which has the same general dimensions as the housing of FIGS. 1-4 except that it is thicker by the thickness of the rectangular frame structure 44.

The front and rear covers of the housings of FIGS. l-S are easily removable for maintenance or the construction of the unit. For example, front cover 28 is removed by unscrewing a plurality of screws (not shown) and unplugging wires 50. The rear covers 32 and 34 or 46 and 47 are removed without any need for disconnecting components. The antenna 41 includes a metallic portion 52 (also shown in FIG. 6) which is part of the antenna. As shown in FIG. 6 a spring structure 53 mounted on the circuit board 19 makes contact with the metallic portion 52 to establish contact between the antenna and the radio circuit mounted on the printed circuit board.

A second embodiment of this structure of this invention is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The rectangular frame structure 56 is similar to the rectangular frame structure 15 of FIGS. 1-5. The rectangular frame structure 56 has a rear opening 57 and a front opening (not shown). The front opening is covered by the from cover 59 upon which the speaker microphone structure 60 is mounted. The front cover can be completely removed by unplugging the wires 63 from the printed circuit board. A rear cover 61 is also provided to completely cover the rear opening of the rectangular frame structure 56.

Wires

65 and 66 can be disconnected to permit complete removal of the rear cover 61. Front cover 59 and rear cover 61 are held to the rectangular frame structure by mounting screws which are not shown. The radio also contains control knobs 68 and antenna 70.

The battery for the radio structure of FIGS. 7 and 8 is part of the housing structure and is mounted in a recess in the rear of the rear cover 61. The battery is mounted by inserting lip 73 in opening 74 and is held in place by screw 75 engaging threaded hole 76. Connection to the circuitry is made through

terminals

79 and 80. With this structure a very compact hand held radio transmitter and receiver can be manufactured.

The housing shown in FIGS. 1-5 may have the dimensions, for example, of 7 inches by 2.7 inches. The structure shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 may have, for example, the dimensions 4.1 inches by 2.7 inches by 1.5 inches. Thus it can be seen that both housings are extremely small. The printed circuit board which contains most of the components of the radio and which, in the structures shown, may have over 300 components mounted thereon has the dimensions, for example, of 2-5116 inches by 3-5/8 inches. Because of the extremely small size of the radio it can be seen that it could be difficult to manufacture and maintain the radio. Thus, the rectangular frame structure which permits removal of the front and rear covers, so that the entire radio structure is available for servicing, is an important feature.

The rectangular frame structure, made of a material capable of withstanding soldering temperatures yet having poor soldering characteristics has an even more important advantage in the manufacture of the radio. In previous radios it has been necessary to assemble the components on the printed circuit board and, after the assembly is complete, place the printed circuit board in a special structure for soldering. After soldering is completed the component leads are trimmed and the printed circuit board together with its components can then be mounted in the radio housing. This type of procedure, with the repetitious handling of the components and the printed circuit board is awkward and may lead to breakage of the components. As radios become smaller and smaller it becomes more and more difficult to handle the components and the printed circuit board.

In the rectangular frame structure of this invention a few of the components such as the connecting lugs are mounted on the printed circuit board. Components such as the controls are then mounted on the rectangular frame structure and the circuit board is inserted in the frame structure. The rectangular frame structure then serves as a holder for the printed circuit board during the assembly of the radio circuit. After assembly the entire structure is placed in an automatic soldering machine, such as is shown in FIG. 9. The rectangular frame structure 79 containing the circuit board and components is mounted on a belt 80 which carries the radio to the automatic wave soldering machine 77. Solder machine 77 creates a wave 78 which applies a coating of solder to the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is mounted flush with one opening of the frame so that the entire board including components thereon is soldered in one operation without removal of the board from the frame. The rectangular frame structure has poor soldering characteristics, therefore the solder will not stick to the frame during this process.

The front and rear cover portions are then assembled to the rectangular frame structure and the electrical connections are made to the covers as required to complete the assembly of the unit without requiring further handling of the components and the printed circuit board structure.

We claim:

1. A portable radio transmitter and receiver device having a self-contained battery power supply, such device including in combination, a housing having a rectangular frame structure open at the front and rear sides thereof and having mounting means positioned thereon, said frame structure being of a size to be held in the hand with said rear side thereof toward the palm of the hand, said frame structure including a partition wall defining an upper circuit board structure receiving portion and a lower battery receiving portion, a circuit board structure carrying circuits and components of said radio transmitter and receiver device attachable in a predetermined position within said upper portion of said frame structure and supported on said mounting means thereof, said circuit board structure having front and rear sides accessible for servicing through said open front and rear sides of said frame structure when attached to said frame structure in said predetermined position, conductive means connected to said circuit board structure, front cover means for the housing detachably fastened to said rectangular frame structure extending across both said upper and lower portions and covering said front side opening thereof, audio transducer means secured to said front cover means and connected to said circuit board structure, rear cover means detachably fastened to said rectangular frame structure and covering said rear side opening thereof, said rear cover means including a first cover extending over said circuit board structure receiving portion and a second cover closing said battery receiving portion, said first cover being molded as a single piece with an elongated tubular antenna receiving portion therein and being adapted to be fastened to said frame structure in a predetermined position, and an elongated antenna within said antenna receiving portion of said first cover and having a conductive contact positioned to engage said conductive means connected to said circuit board structure when said first cover and said circuit board means are secured in said predetermined positions, one of said conductive means and said conductive contact being resilient to provide resilient engagement therebetween, said antenna receiving portion being outside the space defined by said rectangular frame structure.

2. The device of claim 1 further including a plurality of controls supported by said frame structure on one end thereof which forms a wall of said upper circuit board structure receiving portion, said controls being connected to said circuit board structure and having actuating elements extending outside said housing, said antenna having a portion extending from said first cover and adjacent to said actuating elements.

3. A portable radio transmitter and receiver device having a self-contained battery power supply, such device including in combination, a housing having a first rectangular frame structure open at the front and rear sides thereof and having mounting means positioned thereon, said first frame structure being of a size to be held in the hand with said rear side thereof toward the palm of the hand, said first frame structure including a partition wall defining an upper circuit board structure receiving portion and a lower battery receiving portion, a circuit board structure carrying circuits and components of said radio transmitter and receiver device attachable in a predetermined position within said upper portion of said frame structure and supported on said mounting means thereof, said circuit board structure having front and rear sides accessible for servicing through said open front and rear sides of said frame structure when attached to said frame structure in said predetermined position, front cover means for the housing detachably fastened to said rectangular frame structure extending across both said upper and lower portions thereof and covering said front side opening thereof, audio transducer means secured to said front cover means and connected to said circuit board structure, a second rectangular frame structure having substantially the same shape as said first rectangular frame structure and being open at the front and rear sides thereof, said second rectangular frame structure including an upper portion having a tubular antenna receiving portion molded therein and a lower portion, an elongated antenna within said antenna receiving portion, said second rectangular frame structure being placed in juxtaposition with said first rectangular frame structure with said front side opening of said second rectangular frame structure being adjacent said rear side opening of said first rectangular frame structure, said lower portion of said second frame structure being adjacent said lower portion of said first frame structure for increasing the size of said battery receiving portion, rear cover means detachably fastened to said second rectangular frame structure and covering said rear side opening thereof, said rear cover means including a first cover extending over said upper portion of said second frame structure and a second cover closing said lower battery receiving portion, and fastening means for assembling said second rectangular frame structure and said rear cover means to said first rectangular frame structure, said fastening means including a part secured to said front cover means extending through said first rectangular frame structure into said second rectangular frame structure, and latch means on Said second cover engageable with said part.

4. A portable radio transmitter and receiver device having a self-contained battery power supply, such device including in combination, a housing having a rectangular frame structure open at the front and rear sides thereof and having mounting means positioned thereon, said frame structure being of a size to be held in the hand with said rear side thereof toward the palm of the hand, a circuit board structure carrying circuits and components of said radio transmitter and receiver device attachable in a predetermined position within said frame structure and supported on said mounting means thereof, said circuit board structure having front and rear sides accessible for servicing through said open front and rear sides of said frame structure when attached to said frame structure in said predetermined position, said circuit board structure including resilient conductive means connected to said circuits thereof, front cover means for the housing detachably fastened to said rectangular frame structure and covering said front side opening thereof, audio transducer means secured to said front cover means and connected to said circuit board structure, rear cover means detachably fastened to said rectangular frame structure and covering said rear side opening thereof, said rear cover means including a first molded portion extending over said circuit board structure and fastened to said frame structure in a predetermined position and having an elongated tubular antenna receiving portion molded therein, and an elongated antenna within said antenna receiving portion of said first portion and having a conductive contact positioned to engage said resilient conductive means of said circuit board structure when said first portion and said circuit board means are secured in said predetermined positions, said antenna receiving portion being outside the space defined by said rectangular frame structure, said rear cover means including a second portion containing a battery and electrical terminals connected to the battery, said first portion of said rear cover means including a recess for receiving said second portion and contacts for engaging said terminals for connecting said battery to said circuit board structure, said first and second portions of said rear cover means cooperating with said frame structure and sai i f nt cover me to form hgusin for the device.

. e device 0 c arm 1 me u ing astemng means extending from said front cover means through said battery receiving portion along a side thereof remote from-said circuit board structure receiving portion, and latch means secured to said second cover and adapted to engage said fastening means, said second cover having a portion engaging said first cover which cooperates with said latch means for holding said second cover in position with said frame structure between said front cover means and said second cover.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said front cover means includes conductors having terminals adapted to engage a battery within said battery receiving portion and extending to the bottom of said front cover means.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said rectangular frame structure is formed of metallic material having poor soldering characteristics and capable of withstanding soldering temperatures, and said circuit side of said circuit board structure is substantially even with said rear side of said rectangular frame structure and faces outward therefrom when attached in said predetermined position on said frame structure, so that said circuit board structure is in position for automatic wave soldering of said circuit side thereof while supported on said frame structure.

i i IF

Claims

4. A portable radio transmitter and receiver device having a self-contained battery power supply, such device including in combination, a housing having a rectangular frame structure open at the front and rear sides thereof and having mounting means positioned thereon, said frame structure being of a size to be held in the hand with said rear side thereof toward the palm of the hand, a circuit board structure carrying circuits and components of said radio transmitter and receiver device attachable in a predetermined position within said frame structure and supported on said mounting means thereof, said circuit board structure having front and rear sides accessible for servicing through said open front and rear sides of said frame structure when attached to said frame structure in said predetermined position, said circuit board structure including resilient conductive means connected to said circuits thereof, front cover means for the housing detachably fastened to said rectangular fraMe structure and covering said front side opening thereof, audio transducer means secured to said front cover means and connected to said circuit board structure, rear cover means detachably fastened to said rectangular frame structure and covering said rear side opening thereof, said rear cover means including a first molded portion extending over said circuit board structure and fastened to said frame structure in a predetermined position and having an elongated tubular antenna receiving portion molded therein, and an elongated antenna within said antenna receiving portion of said first portion and having a conductive contact positioned to engage said resilient conductive means of said circuit board structure when said first portion and said circuit board means are secured in said predetermined positions, said antenna receiving portion being outside the space defined by said rectangular frame structure, said rear cover means including a second portion containing a battery and electrical terminals connected to the battery, said first portion of said rear cover means including a recess for receiving said second portion and contacts for engaging said terminals for connecting said battery to said circuit board structure, said first and second portions of said rear cover means cooperating with said frame structure and said front cover means to form a housing for the device.

5. The device of claim 1 including fastening means extending from said front cover means through said battery receiving portion along a side thereof remote from said circuit board structure receiving portion, and latch means secured to said second cover and adapted to engage said fastening means, said second cover having a portion engaging said first cover which cooperates with said latch means for holding said second cover in position with said frame structure between said front cover means and said second cover.