WO1994009460A1

WO1994009460A1 - Computer card data receiver

Info

Publication number: WO1994009460A1
Application number: PCT/US1993/009418
Authority: WO
Inventors: William R. Vandyky, Jr.; Gregory W. Fuller; Tony Y. Maroun; Alan Zabarsky
Original assignee: Motorola, Inc.
Priority date: 1992-10-19
Filing date: 1993-10-04
Publication date: 1994-04-28
Also published as: TW264544B; AU5169893A; MX9306452A; CN1045671C; CN1086325A

Abstract

A computer card data receiver comprises a housing (10) having a first portion (12) shaped to fit within a recessed data interface port of an external computer (103), and a second portion (14) remaining external to the recessed data interface port. A printed circuit board (16) is contained within the first housing portion (12) for supporting a receiver (22, 104). An antenna (20) is contained within the second housing portion (14), and is coupled to the receiver (22, 104) supported on the printed circuit board (16). A battery (18) is contained within the second housing portion (14) and is coupled to the receiver (22, 104).

Description

COMPUTEE CARD DATA RECEIVER

Field of the Invention

This invention relates in general to communications receivers, and more specifically to a computer card data receiver which can be coupled to an external computer.

Background of the Invention

Communications receivers having data ports for coupling with external computers are well-known in the art. An example is the NewsStream™ Advanced Information Receiver manufactured by Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, IL. Some laptop computers are now being built with a standard interface, e.g., the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) interface. Today's microminiature communications receivers designed for use with the PCMCIA interface are so small that much of the communications receiver disappears behind housing walls surrounding the PCMCIA interface when the receiver is coupled with the external computer.

Because of the thinness of such a computer card data receiver, there is very little space to locate an antenna within the device, as well as very little space to locate a battery, other than a button cell battery. In addition, because the computer card data receiver is mostly contained within the external computer, significant desensitization of the receiver can occur due to operation of the computer, thereby greatly reducing the receiver's sensitivity, and in some instances can even cause the receiver to be non¬ functional. To overcome the desensitization problem, shielding between the communication receiver and the external computer is generally required. However, when such shielding is added, receiver sensitivity is generally reduced significantly. Thus, what is needed is a way to enable a communication receiver, such as a computer card data receiver, to be located within the external computer, while maintaining receiver sensitivity and reasonable battery life.

Summary of the Invention

One aspect of the present invention is a computer card data receiver comprising a housing having a first portion shaped to fit within a recessed data interface port of an external computer, and a second portion remaining external to said recessed data interface port. A printed circuit board is contained within the first housing portion for supporting a receiver. An antenna is contained within the second housing portion, and is coupled to the receiver supported on the printed circuit board. A battery is also contained within the second housing portion and is coupled to the receiver supported on the printed circuit board.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a top orthographic view of a computer card data receiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side orthographic view of the computer card data receiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the computer card data receiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top orthographic view of the computer card data receiver coupled to the external computer in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an electrical block diagram of the computer card data receiver operating from an external antenna in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an electrical block diagram of a computer card data receiver coupled to an external computer in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a top orthographic view of a computer card data receiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. A housing 10 includes a first housing portion 12 which encloses a printed circuit board 16 which supports the majority of the components of the computer card data receiver, and a second housing portion 14 which contains a battery 18 and a loop antenna 20 which is mounted to a portion of the printed circuit board 16 which extends into the second housing portion 14. It will be appreciated that at high frequencies, such as 931 MHz, only a single turn loop antenna will be required to achieve a reasonable receiver sensitivity. At lower frequencies, such as 450 MHz, multiple loops may be required to achieve reasonable receiver sensitivity, which are partly resonated by series capacitors to reduce the loop inductance, as is well known by one of ordinary skill in the art. At still lower frequencies, such as 150 MHz and lower, a dielectric material, such as ferrite, may also be required to achieve reasonable receiver sensitivity.

The thickness of the first housing section 12 is dimensionally similar to the Type II PC Card described in the PC Card Standard released by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), while the thickness of the second housing portion is increased in order to accommodate the battery 18, such as a AAA battery. It will be appreciated that other battery types can be utilized as well, but may result in a greater second housing portion thickness . The housing 10 is preferably formed from a plastic material, such as a polycarbonate plastic, and is formed using such manufacturing techniques as injection molding.

A described above the printed circuit board 16, manufactured using such printed circuit materials as FR-4 glass epoxy and supports the majority of the computer card data receiver components, such as receiver circuitry positioned approximately in an area 22 and decoder and interface circuits positioned approximately in an area 24. A connector 26 is coupled to the printed circuit board 16 using such manufacturing techniques as reflow soldering, and is held in place by the first housing portion 12.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention to be described below, a microminiature 50 ohm coaxial jack 36 is provided to enable coupling an external antenna to the computer card data receiver. The external antenna provides increased sensitivity when needed.

FIG. 2 is a right side orthographic view of the computer card data receiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the battery is accessed through a battery door 28, thereby enabling the battery to be changed when the battery becomes depleted. The second housing portion 14 is also formed preferably with finger reliefs 34, shown in FIG. 1, which assist in inserting the computer card data receiver into - the recessed PCMCIA data port of the external computer as well as assist in removing the computer card data receiver from the recessed data port of the external computer

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the computer card data receiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The receiver, decoder and interface components (not shown) are enclosed in the first housing portion using a bottom cover 30 and a top cover 32 which are formed preferably from a sheet metal such as stainless steel, and affixed to the first housing portion by such fastening techniques as screws or adhesives. The top cover 32 can also be formed so as to provide a portion of a cover for the second housing section (not shown) . When so formed, and with the top and bottom covers coupled to the receiver ground, the bottom cover 30 and the top cover 32 minimize the transmission of interfering signals which are generated within the external computer and the computer card date receiver, when the computer card data receiver is placed within the external computer data port. The top cover 32 may also be formed to cover the part of the second housing portion adjacent to the external computer, thereby minimizing transmission of interfering signals generated from within the external computer from being coupled into the antenna 20.

FIG. 4 is an orthographic view of the computer card data receiver 50 which is coupled to an external computer 52 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and depicts the computer card data receiver 50 fully inserted into a PCMCIA receptacle 54 which is recessed into the external computer 52. When the computer card data receiver 50 is fully inserted into the recessed data port 54, only the second housing portion 14 remains extending from the external computer 52. By placing the antenna outside of the external computer 52, interference between the receiver and external computer is minimized, as described above, and maximum antenna sensitivity is realized, as the antenna is not embedded within the recessed data port 54 the external computer 52. FIG. 5 is an electrical block diagram of the computer card data receiver operating from an external antenna in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Normally, the internal loop antenna 20 couples to an antenna matching circuit 42 which matches the antenna 20 to the input of the RF amplifier 44 in a manner well known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The computer card data receiver can be also configured to operate with an external antenna 40, such as a quarter wave whip antenna, thereby increasing the receiver sensitivity when needed. When the external antenna 40 is utilized, a coaxial plug 38, such as a microminiature 50 ohm coaxial plus such as the CCR Series manufactured by Murata Erie, can be plugged into a corresponding microminiature coaxial jack 36 which couples the external antenna 40 to the antenna matching circuit 42, which matches the external antenna 40 to the input of the RF amplifier 44. When the external antenna 40 is used in conjunction with the internal antenna 20, the antenna matching circuit 42 is configured to match only the internal antenna 20 or the combination of the internal antenna 20 and the external antenna 40. Optimally, the computer card data receiver can be configured for use only with the external antenna 40, the internal antenna 20 being omitted from the receiver printed circuit board assembly. With reference to FIG. 6, an electrical block diagram of a computer card data receiver 101 coupled to an external computer 103 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an antenna 20 for intercepting RF signals. The antenna 20 is coupled to a receiver 104 for receiving and demodulating the RF signals intercepted. A decoder 106 is coupled to the receiver 104 for decoding demodulated address information transmitted in any of a number of well-known signaling protocols, such as the Golay Sequential Code (GSC) or POCSAG signaling formats. A microprocessor 108, e.g., a MC68HC05C9 or Cll manufactured by Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, IL, is also coupled to the receiver 104 for processing the demodulated information to recover messages in a manner well-known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The microprocessor 108 is coupled to a random access memory (RAM) 110 for storing the messages recovered, and the microprocessor 108 controls the storing and recalling of the messages . An alert generator 112 is coupled to the microprocessor 108 for providing an audible or tactile alert to a user when the microprocessor 108 has a message ready for presentation. An output device 114 such as a visual display or a speaker, or both, is also controlled by the microprocessor 108. The control section 116 comprises user accessible controls for allowing the user to command the microprocessor 108 to perform the selective call receiver operations well known to one of ordinary skill in the art, and typically includes control switches such as an on/off control button, a function control, etc.

The microprocessor 108 is coupled to a read-only memory (ROM) 121 and a data interface 118 for controlling and communicating with the ROM 121 and the data interface 118, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a EEPROM can be substituted for the ROM 121 without deviating from the intent of the invention. The ROM 121 comprises a number of firmware routines in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. A control routine 140 comprises firmware for executing control functions, e.g., on-off, alert mode, etc., in response to control function messages received by the data interface 118. Decoding routines 142 enable the microcomputer, when so enable to decode the received selective call signaling and message information, in a manner well known by one of ordinary skill in the art. An alerting routines 144 includes firmware for causing the external computer 103 to generate an audible alert, and also contains firmware for disabling the alert generator

112 when the selective call receiver 101 is coupled to the external computer 103. Data transfer routines 146 comprises firmware for sending information stored in the random access memory 110 from the computer card data receiver 101 to the external computer 103.

The data interface 118 is constructed and controlled in a manner that meets the well-known Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard interface. The data interface 118 couples with the external computer 103 by a PCMCIA bus 119. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other types of interfaces, e.g., an RS- 232 serial interface, could be used as well. The external computer 103, e.g., the HP95LX laptop computer manufactured by Hewlett Packard, Inc. of Palo Alto, CA, comprises a data interface 128 coupled to a microprocessor 120 for communicating with the PCMCIA bus 119. The microprocessor 120 is coupled to a display 122 and a keyboard 124 for interfacing with a user. A RAM memory 126 is coupled to and controlled by the microprocessor 120 for storing software instructions and other information received by or generated within the external computer 103. A sound generator 130 is also coupled to the microprocessor 120 for alerting the user in response to signals sent from the microprocessor 120.

A computer card data receiver has been described which can be plugged into a standard computer type of interface such as the PCMCIA interface. A housing portion external to the external computer houses the antenna and the data receiver battery, and when so coupled, minimizes interference between the data receiver and the external computer, and also optimizes the antenna sensitivity, by minimizing the shielding of the antenna. The external housing portion also improves the way the data receiver is inserted into and removed from the external computer, because the larger size coupled with molded finger grips provides better finger grip control. When the data receiver is inserted into the external computer, data received by the data receiver can be transferred to the external computer, thereby enabling the wireless transmission of data to the external computer, thereby freeing up the external computer user to travel wherever the user wants within the communication system, and still be in continuous contact which information which is directed to the computer user. We claim:

Claims

1. A computer card data receiver comprising: a housing having a first portion shaped to fit within a recessed data interface port of an external computer, and a second portion remaining external to said recessed data interface port; a printed circuit board contained within said first housing portion for supporting a receiver; an antenna contained within said second housing portion, and coupled to said receiver supported on said printed circuit board; and a battery contained within said second housing portion and coupled to said receiver.

2. The computer card data receiver according to claim 1, wherein said first housing portion has a first thickness, and said second housing portion has a second thickness, and wherein said second thickness is substantially thicker than said first thickness.

3. The computer card data receiver according to claim 1, wherein said second housing portion includes means for accessing said battery.

4. The computer card data receiver according to claim 1, wherein said second housing portion provides means for inserting said housing into said recessed data interface port and for removing said housing from said recessed data interface port.

5. The computer card data receiver according to claim 1, wherein said antenna is a loop antenna positioned along an axis parallel to the width of said second housing portion.

6. The computer card data receiver according to claim 5, wherein said loop antenna is a multi-turned loop antenna.

7. The computer card data receiver according to claim 5, wherein said loop antenna includes a ferrite rod positioned within said antenna loop.

8. The computer card data receiver according to claim 1 further comprising connector means, coupled to said printed circuit board, and located within said first housing portion, for providing connection between data receiver circuits and said recessed data interface port.

9. The computer card data receiver according to claim 8, wherein said connector means provides a data port constructed and operated in accordance with the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard.

10. The computer card data receiver according to claim 8, wherein said connector means provides a data port constructed and operated in accordance with the RS 322C standard.

11. The computer card data receiver according to claim 1 further comprising: a first conductive plate forming a cover over a bottom portion of said first housing portion; and a second conductive plate forming a cover over a top portion of said first housing portion.

12. The computer card data receiver according to claim 11, wherein said second conductive plate further forms a cover over a least a portion of said second housing portion.

13. The computer card data receiver according to claim 11, wherein said first and second conductive plates or coupled to a receiver ground.

14. The computer card data receiver according to claim 1, further comprising: an external antenna; and connecting means, for connecting said external antenna to said receiver.

15. The computer card data receiver according to claim 14 wherein said antenna remains coupled to said receiver when said external antenna is coupled to said receiver.

16. A computer card data receiver comprising: a housing having a first section shaped to fit within a recessed data interface port of an external computer, and a second section remaining external to said recessed data interface port; a printed circuit board contained within said first housing section; an antenna contained within said second housing portion, and supported by said printed circuit board for intercepting transmitted selective call messages; a selective call receiver, supported by said printed circuit board, and coupled to said antenna, for receiving the intercepted selective call messages; a decoder, supported by said printed circuit board and coupled to said selective call receiver, for decoding the received selected call messages; a data interface, coupled to said decoder for transferring the received selective call message to an external computer; and a battery, contain within said second housing section, for supplying power to said selective call receiver, decoder and data interface.

17. The computer card data receiver according to claim 16 wherein said data interface includes a connector to provide a data port constructed and operated in accordance with the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard.

18. The computer card data receiver according to claim 16 further comprising: a first conductive plate forming a cover over a bottom portion of said first housing section; and a second conductive plate forming a cover over a top portion of said first housing section.

19. The computer card data receiver according to claim 18, wherein said second conductive plate further forms a cover over a least a portion of said second housing section.

20. The computer card data receiver according to claim 18, wherein said first and second conductive plates or coupled to the selective call receiver ground.

21. The computer card data receiver according to claim 16, further comprising: an external antenna; and connecting means, for connecting said external antenna to said receiver.

22. The computer card data receiver according to claim 21 wherein said antenna remains coupled to said receiver when said external antenna is coupled to said receiver.