Antenna and radio interface

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6685383
  • Patent Number
    6,685,383
  • Date Filed
    Friday, November 2, 2001
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 3, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A novel locking mechanism for mounting a radio to an antenna. The mounting face of a radio is secured to the mounting portion of an antenna. The mounting portion of the radio has a locking ring on which a plurality of radio locking tabs are located at equally spaced positions. The ring can be fixed to the radio, or in another embodiment, is still secured to the radio but can rotate independently. The mounting portion of the antenna has a corresponding number of equidistantly spaced tension springs, which have a plurality of spring fingers. To mount the radio to the antenna, the radio locking ring with radio locking tabs is twisted so that each antenna tension spring is deflected by a corresponding radio locking tab. The engagement of the radio locking ring to the antenna spring fingers secures the radio to the antenna. The deflection force also produces a friction force. The spring fingers allow the deflection and friction forces between the tension spring and radio locking tab to increase step-wise when the radio locking ring is brought into contact with each additional spring finger. This step increase in forces allows a user, when turning the radio, to overcome the forces of each spring finger individually, instead of having to initially overcome both sum forces of one solid spring.When the adaptation of the rotating ring is used and additional polarization feature, is possible that prevents the incorrect polarization installation of the radio and antenna assembly by the user.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention generally relates to simplified device and method for securing a radio to an antenna.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




There are a number of existing ways to mount a radio, i.e. the transmitter/receiver portion of a communication system, to an antenna. High securing forces are desirable for mounting a radio to an antenna because these forces counteract the effect of shock and vibration loads caused by external forces such as wind. Some existing mounting systems use sets of individually installed latches, while others use bolts. The latches are typically manually operated and provide only a limited total compression per latch. While bolts can provide much greater compression loads, they must be individually installed and tightened. Therefore, a device that provides greater deflection and friction forces and simplicity of installation is needed.




U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,151 teaches a combined mechanical fastener and electrical connector with tabs that are rotated to engage circumferential locking members. These fasteners, however, do not provide variable deflection and friction forces. Therefore, they cannot provide the high deflection and friction forces needed to mount a radio to an antenna, while at the same time enabling a user to overcome these forces when fastening the device.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




This invention is a novel locking mechanism for mounting a radio to an antenna. The mounting face of a radio is secured to the mounting face of an antenna. The radio has a locking ring, on which a plurality of locking tabs are located at equally spaced positions. The antenna has a corresponding number of equally spaced tension springs assemblies, which are made up of a plurality of spring fingers.




To mount the radio to the antenna, the radio locking ring with locking tabs is twisted so that each tension spring finger is deflected by a corresponding locking tab. This deflection force produces a friction force that secures the radio to the antenna.




The use of spring fingers creates a variable force tension spring. The spring fingers allow the deflection and friction forces between the tension spring and locking tab to increase step-wise when the locking tab is brought into contact with each additional spring finger. This step increase in the forces allows a user, when turning the radio, to overcome the sum of forces of each spring finger individually, instead of having to overcome the entire sum of forces of one solid spring. Therefore, it is easier to mount the antenna to the radio using the individual spring fingers than it would be with one-piece tension springs.




The locking ring of the invention can be either fixed to the radio or rotatably attached to the antenna. Having a rotatable ring allows the radio to remain stationary during the installation of the radio to the antenna. If it is rotatably attached, the proper polarization of the radio antenna system can be assured by employing a polarization pin.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The advantages, nature and various additional features of the invention will appear more fully upon consideration of the illustrative embodiment of the invention which is schematically set forth in the drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

is a three dimensional view of the mounting arrangement including the radio and the antenna mounting face;





FIG. 2

is a three dimensional view of the radio;





FIG. 3

is a three dimensional view of the antenna mounting face;





FIG. 4

is a view showing how the locking tabs and tension springs are secured together to provide deflection and friction forces;





FIG. 5A

is a three dimensional view of the radio with rotating locking ring and adaptation for the polarization pins on the radio;





FIG. 5B

is an expanded view of the radio with a rotating locking ring.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




The preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained in further detail by making reference to the accompanying drawings, which do not limit the scope of the invention in any way. The invention relates to a twist-lock mounting arrangement for securing a radio


10


to an antenna


20


.




Mounting Arrangement




Referring to

FIG. 1

, the mounting arrangement according to a preferred embodiment includes a radio


10


with a radio mounting face


11


and an antenna


20


with an antenna mounting face


21


.




Turning to

FIG. 2

, a radio locking ring


14


is attached to the radio mounting face


11


. The locking ring


14


is attached to the radio


10


, at a position displaced from the radio mounting face


11


. A radio nose


32


extends from the center of the mounting face


11


in a direction perpendicular to the mounting face


11


. Four radio locking tabs


12


are attached to the locking ring


14


at positions that are closer to the center of the radio, and therefore the radio nose


32


, than the locking ring


14


. These radio locking tabs


12


, like the locking ring


14


, are displaced a short distance away from the radio mounting face


11


. The locking tabs


12


are preferably spaced equidistantly around the ring


14


, although this is not critical to the invention.




In this embodiment, the diameter of the locking ring


14


is nine inches, which corresponds to an arc length of about 56.5 inches, and the distance between the radio locking tabs


12


that are across from each other is eight inches. Typically, the running length of each of the radio locking tabs


12


is from 15 degrees to 25 degrees of the ring's circumference in length, which for this embodiment is about between 2.3 and 4.0 inches. Naturally the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific dimensions.




As is shown in detail in

FIG. 2

, each radio locking tab


12


has a ramp portion


16


, a body portion


17


, and a stop portion


18


. The ramp portion


16


begins at a position a distance from the radio mounting face


11


and preferably extends to a position that is the same distance away from the radio mounting face


11


as the locking ring


14


; the main portion


17


begins at the position of the ramp portion


16


that is the same distance away from the radio mounting face


11


as the locking ring


14


and preferably extends in a direction substantially parallel to the mounting face


11


of the radio


10


; and the stop portion


18


begins at the main portion and extends toward the radio at a direction substantially perpendicular to the radio mounting face


11


.




Turning to

FIG. 3

, an antenna feed input


34


is located in the center of the antenna mounting face


11


. Four support pads


26


are located at positions the same distance away from the antenna feed input


34


and at equidistant radial positions around the antenna feed input


34


. These support pads


26


retain four equidistantly spaced tension springs


22


a short distance from the antenna mounting face


21


. The springs


22


include a plurality of individual cantilever spring fingers


24


. The spring fingers


24


are parallel to the antenna mounting face, and extend from the support pads


26


away from the center of the antenna mounting face, and thus the antenna feed input


34


. In this embodiment, rectangular fingers


24


with beveled edges are used; however, fingers


24


of other shapes, such as rods, corrugated bars, or V-shapes, can be used.




In a first embodiment of the invention, to mount the radio


10


to the antenna


20


, the radio


10


is first located at a position that it is a offset from the desired locking position in a counterclockwise direction by a predetermined rotational value. This predetermined rotational value is equal to the previously described radio locking tab


12


running length, which is from 15 to 25 degrees in this embodiment. However, the invention is not limited in this respect.




Next, the radio


10


is pushed onto the antenna


20


. It is important that the radio nose


32


be firmly engaged into the antenna feed input


34


at this time.




Then, as is shown in

FIG. 4

, the radio


10


is turned clockwise. When the radio


10


is turned, the ramps


16


of the radio locking tabs


12


gradually deflect and guide the spring fingers


24


away from the antenna mounting face


21


and toward the radio mounting face


11


until they reach the secured stop


18


of the radio locking tabs


12


.




As the radio is turned, the deflection and friction forces provided by each spring


22


is increased in steps. This occurs because each radio locking tab


12


first comes into contact with the closest spring finger


24




a,


which is deflected toward the radio mounting face


11


to provide deflection and friction forces. Next, a second spring finger


24




b


comes into contact with the radio locking tab


12


to provide a step increase in the deflection and friction forces. Thus, the deflection and friction forces increases step-wise as each additional finger


24




a


-


24




e


comes into contact with the radio locking tab


12


and is deflected toward the radio mounting face


11


in the manner described with respect to the first spring finger


24




a.


This step increase in deflection and friction forces allows a user to overcome the deflection and friction forces of each spring finger


24


individually when turning the radio instead of having to overcome the entire sum of deflection and friction forces of a solid spring


22


at one time. Therefore, it is easier to mount the radio


10


to the antenna


20


using the individual spring fingers


24


than it would be with a one-piece tension spring.




Furthermore, as each individual spring finger


24


is gradually deflected closer to the radio mounting face by the ramp portion


16


, the deflection and friction forces between the spring finger


24


and the radio locking tab


12


gradually increase. A maximum deflection and friction force sum is provided when all spring fingers


24


are at a position where they are deflected by the body portion


17


of the locking ring.




All of the spring fingers'


24


resistance to this deflection provides deflection and friction forces that secure the radio


10


to the antenna


20


. In order to produce the desired deflection and friction forces, all four radio locking tabs


12


should preferably engage the four tension springs


22


on the antenna


20


.




Rotating Locking Ring




In the first embodiment discussed above, the locking ring


14


, on which the radio locking tabs


12


are located, is fixed to the radio


10


. Consequently, as the ring


14


is rotated, the radio


10


is also rotated. In another embodiment, the ring


14


is rotatably attached to the radio


10


. This allows both the radio


10


and the antenna


20


to remain stationary as they are secured.




As shown in

FIGS. 5A and 5B

, in this embodiment, the radio mounting face has four bosses


50


, each including a cut out portion


60


. There are a corresponding number of ring tabs


54


that are respectively attached the bosses


50


leaving a gap corresponding to each of the cut-out portions


60


. The locking ring


14


of this embodiment is a C-channel (i.e., in cross section), with an opening


52


that faces toward the radio nose


32


. The inner flange of the C-channel is received in the respective gaps that are dimensioned to allow the ring


14


to rotate with respect to the radio


10


.




As in the previously described embodiment, the radio locking tabs


12


are located on the locking ring


14


. But in this embodiment, only the locking ring


14


needs to be rotated to bring the radio locking tabs


12


, disposed on the ring


14


, into contact with the spring fingers


24


.




A variety of means for preventing the locking ring


14


from turning after the radio


10


has been mounted to the antenna


20


can be used, such as a bushing located on the face opposite the opening


52


in combination with a bar or pin, which is inserted into the bushing. Additionally, handles can be attached to the locking ring


14


to allow a user to more easily apply the torque needed to turn the locking ring


14


.




An additional advantage of this embodiment is that the direction of antenna polarization can be controlled by placement of a polarization pin


40


into either of two pinholes


42


,


44


located on the radio mounting face


11


and either of two pinholes


43


,


45


located on the antenna mounting face


21


.




More specifically, the radio mounting face


11


has a first radio pinhole


42


that is located at a first predetermined distance from the center of the radio mounting face


11


, and a second radio pinhole


44


that is a second distance from the center of the radio mounting face


11


. The first radio pinhole


42


is located at a position that is 90 degrees from the position where the second radio pinhole


44


is located.




Turning back to

FIG. 3

, the antenna mounting face


21


has a first antenna pinhole


43


that is located the first predetermined distance from the center of the antenna mounting face


21


, and a second antenna pinhole


45


that is located at the second distance from the center the antenna mounting face


21


. Unlike the radio pinholes


42


,


44


with respect to the radio mounting face


11


, the first antenna pinhole


43


is located at the same circumferential position as the second pinhole


45


, with respect to the circumference of the antenna mounting face


21


.




The placement of a polarization pin


40


into the first radio pinhole


42


and the corresponding antenna pinhole


43


provides a fixed alignment between the radio


10


and antenna


20


that provides antenna polarization in a vertical direction, while placement of a polarization pin


40


into the second pinhole


44


and the corresponding antenna pinhole


45


provides a fixed alignment between the radio


10


and antenna


20


that provides polarization in a horizontal direction.




The fact that the radio mounting face


11


does not rotate allows the pin


40


to be inserted into and aligned between both the radio mounting face


11


, which is in a fixed position, and the antenna mounting face


21


. The direction of antenna polarization cannot be controlled in this way in the first embodiment because the radio


10


is rotated in the first embodiment, and the radio mounting face


11


is not aligned in a fixed position with respect to the antenna mounting face


21


throughout the engagement of the radio locking tabs


12


and tension springs


22


.




Design of the Components




In this embodiment, the tension springs


22


are made from stainless steel. Certain advantages provided by the use of stainless steel include corrosion resistance. In addition, the tension springs


22


can preferably be made from copper and beryllium, although the invention is not limited in this respect. It is also preferred that the locking ring


14


of the radio


10


be made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion caused by dissimilar metals, but the invention functions with a locking ring


14


made of other materials, such as, e.g., aluminum.




The design of the tension springs


22


controls the amount of deflection and friction forces provided by the springs


22


, as well as the mounting's shock and vibration characteristics. The springs


22


can be manufactured by a standard stamping process and then heat treated after they are shaped and cut.




One can control sensitivity to tolerances by suitable selection of finger dimensional characteristics. The finger design also must be strong enough to withstand the compression forces applied to it as the ring is twisted into place. That is, as the fingers


24


of the spring


22


slide under the ramp


16


, the fingers


24


must be strong enough to withstand the deflection and friction forces placed on it. As the ring


14


is rotated, the radio locking tabs


12


slide over the springs


22


, deflecting the springs upward. The amount of deflection is usually less than 0.1 inches. In this embodiment, there is a 0.06 inch deflection. The shape and thickness of the springs affects the amount of deflection and friction forces applied to the radio


10


. A general rule is that the thicker the springs


22


are, the greater the deflection and friction forces become. However, if the springs


22


are thicker, more torque is needed to twist-lock the ring


14


. The individual springs


24


included in a single tension spring


22


can each have a different shape or thickness. Again, however, the specific dimensions of the spring are not critical to the invention and are not intended to be limiting.




In this embodiment, the spring


22


is 0.09 inches thick; however, a thickness from 0.05 to 0.15 inches has produced adequate results. In this embodiment, the length of the springs


22


is 1.5 inches although springs ranging in length from 0.5 to 1.5 inches have produced adequate results.




The amount of deflection force (F) required to deflect stainless steel is a cubic function of its thickness according to the equation:









F
=


Δ3





E





I


L
3






(
1
)













where Δ is the nominal deflection, E is the material property, I is the moment of inertia, and L is length of spring. For the springs of this embodiment:









I
=


1
2



bh
3






(
2
)













where b is width and h is thickness. The length (L) of the spring


22


is dependent on the size of the radio


10


.




Friction limits the amount of deflection forces that can be applied to the radio


10


. This is because friction between the radio locking tabs


12


and the tension springs


22


increases the torque required to twist the ring


14


into place. If the fingers


24


and/or the radio locking tabs


12


are coated, then the friction coefficient is reduced, and greater deflection forces can be applied. In this embodiment, both Teflon and molybdenum can be used as coatings to the springs


22


.




Another way to decrease the torque required when mounting the radio


10


to the antenna


20


, is by using radio locking tabs


12


with a longer running length along the ring's


14


circumference. This forms a shallower angle for introduction of the springs


22


, which provides slower deflection rates of the spring fingers


24


and, thus, lower installation torques.




Although the Figures show tension spring


22


with five spring fingers


24


, a greater or lesser number of spring fingers


24


may be used to control the magnitude of the friction and deflection forces.




It is of course understood that departures can be made from the preferred embodiment of the invention by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention that is limited only by the following claims. For example, the mounting system can be used to provide a secure connection between two housings that have similar structures to the antenna


20


and radio


10


structures described, or the springs


22


can provide compression by being gradually pushed or dragged, without a twisting or turning motion, into a mating position with the radio locking tabs


12


.



Claims
  • 1. A mounting device, comprising:a first housing with a first mounting face, including at least one locking tab displaced from the first mounting face; and a second housing with a second mounting face, including at least one tension spring displaced from the second mounting face, wherein the tension spring comprises a plurality of cantilever spring fingers; wherein upon a movement of the at least one locking tab into contact with the tension spring, the at least one tension spring is positioned between the first housing and the at least one locking tab, and the at least one tension spring is deflected toward the first mounting face to provide deflection and friction forces against the at least one locking tab.
  • 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the movement of the at least one locking tab into contact with the tension spring first finger causes a first of the plurality of the spring fingers to make contact with the locking tab to provide the forces, and next causes a second finger of the plurality of the spring fingers to make contact with the locking tab to provide a step increase in the deflection and friction forces.
  • 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the at least one locking tab comprises:a ramp portion, which begins at a first position a distance from the first mounting face and extends to a second position near the first mounting face; and a main portion, which begins at the second position of the ramp portion and extends in a direction substantially parallel to the first mounting face to an end of the main portion; wherein the spring fingers first make contact with the ramp portion and then make contact with the main portion.
  • 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the at least one locking tab further comprises a stop portion, which extends from the end of the main portion toward the first mounting face at a direction substantially perpendicular to the first mounting face.
  • 5. The device of claim 2, wherein the movement of the at least one locking tab into contact with the tension spring is a rotation of the first housing.
  • 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first housing includes a locking ring attached to the first mounting face, wherein the at least one locking tab is attached to the locking ring.
  • 7. The device of claim 6, the movement of the at least one locking tab is a rotation of the locking ring, which first finger causes a first of the plurality of the spring fingers to make contact with the locking tab to provide the forces, and next causes a second finger of the plurality of the spring fingers to make contact with the locking tab to provide a step increase in the deflection and friction forces.
  • 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the at least one locking tab comprises:a ramp portion, which begins at a first position a distance from the first mounting face and extends to a second position near the first mounting face; and a main portion, which begins at the second position of the ramp portion and extends in a direction substantially parallel to the first mounting face to an end of the main portion; wherein the spring fingers first make contact with the ramp portion and then make contact with the main portion.
  • 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the at least one locking tab further comprises a stop portion, which extends from the end of the main portion toward the first mounting face at a direction substantially perpendicular to the first mounting face.
  • 10. The device of claim 7, wherein the at least one locking tab is a plurality of radio locking tabs, and the at least one tension spring is a plurality of tension springs.
  • 11. The device of claim 7, wherein the locking ring is fixed to the first housing.
  • 12. The device of claim 7, wherein the locking ring is rotatably attached to the first housing.
  • 13. The device of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of ring tabs attached to the first mounting face and displaced from the first mounting face that extend radially away from a center of the first mounting face,wherein the locking ring has a channel shape with an opening that faces radially toward the center of the first mounting face, and the ring is rotatably attached to the first housing by the plurality of ring tabs, which extend into the opening.
  • 14. A mounting device comprising:a radio housing with a radio mounting face including a radio nose, and at least one radio locking tab displaced from the radio mounting face; and an antenna housing with an antenna mounting face, including: an antenna feed input, and at least one tension spring displaced from the mounting face of the antenna housing, wherein the tension spring comprises a plurality of cantilever fingers; wherein the radio nose engages the antenna feed input, and wherein upon a movement of the at least one radio locking tab into contact with the tension spring, the at least one tension spring is positioned between the radio housing and the at least one radio locking tab and is deflected toward the radio mounting face to provide deflection and friction forces against the at least one radio locking tab.
  • 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the movement of the at least one radio locking tab into contact with the tension spring first finger causes a first of the plurality of the spring fingers to make contact with the radio locking tab to provide the deflection and friction forces, and next causes a second finger of the plurality of the spring fingers to make contact with the radio locking tab to provide a step increase in the deflection and friction forces.
  • 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the at least one radio locking tab comprises:a ramp portion, which begins at a first position a distance from the radio mounting face and extends to a second position near the radio mounting face; and a main portion, which begins at the second position of the ramp portion and extends in a direction substantially parallel to the radio mounting face to an end of the main portion; wherein the spring fingers first make contact with the ramp portion and then make contact with the main portion.
  • 17. The device of claim 16, wherein the at least one radio locking tab further comprises a stop portion, which extends from the end of the main portion toward the radio mounting face at a direction substantially perpendicular to the radio mounting face.
  • 18. The mounting device of claim 17, wherein the movement of the at least one radio locking tab into contact with the tension spring is a rotation of the radio housing.
  • 19. The device of claim 14, wherein the radio housing includes a locking ring attached to the radio mounting face, wherein the at least one locking tab is attached to the locking ring.
  • 20. The device of claim 19, the movement of the at least one locking tab is a rotation of the locking ring which first causes a first finger of the plurality of the spring fingers to make contact with the locking tab to provide the deflection and friction forces, and next causes a second finger of the plurality of the spring fingers to make contact with the locking tab to provide a step increase in the deflection and friction forces.
  • 21. The device of claim 20, wherein the at least one radio locking tab comprises:a ramp portion, which begins at a first position a distance from the radio mounting face and extends to a second position near the radio mounting face; and a main portion, which begins at the second position of the ramp portion and extends in a direction substantially parallel to the radio mounting face to an end of the main portion; wherein the spring fingers first make contact with the ramp portion and then make contact with the main portion.
  • 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the at least one radio locking tab further comprises a stop portion, which extends from the end of the main portion toward the radio mounting face at a direction substantially perpendicular to the radio mounting face.
  • 23. The device of claim 20, wherein the at least one radio locking tab is a plurality of radio locking tabs, and the at least one tension spring is a plurality of tension springs.
  • 24. The device of claim 20, wherein the locking ring is fixed to the radio housing.
  • 25. The device of claim 20, wherein the locking ring is rotatably attached to the radio housing.
  • 26. The device of claim 25, further comprising a plurality of ring tabs attached to the radio mounting face and displaced from the radio mounting face that extend radially away from a center of the radio mounting face,wherein the locking ring has a channel shape with an opening that faces radially toward the center of the radio mounting face, and the ring is rotatably attached to the radio housing by the plurality of ring tabs, which extend into the opening of the channel.
  • 27. The device of claim 26, wherein the radio mounting face has a center and the locking ring rotates about the center, the radio mounting face includes a first pinhole at a first radio pinhole position located at a first distance from the radio mounting face center and a second pinhole at a second radio pinhole position located at a second distance from the radio mounting face center,wherein the antenna mounting face has a center and the locking ring rotates about the center, the antenna mounting face includes a first pinhole at a first antenna pinhole position located at the first distance from the antenna mounting face center and a second pinhole at a second antenna pinhole position located at the second distance from the antenna mounting face center, and wherein placement of a pin in the first pinholes positions the antenna for a first polarization direction or placement of the pin in the second pinholes positions the antenna for a second polarization direction.
  • 28. The device of claim 27, wherein the radio mounting face has a circumference and the antenna mounting face has a circumference;the first radio pinhole position is located at a position that is 90 degrees, with respect to the circumference of the radio mounting face, from the position where the second radio pinhole is located; and the first antenna pinhole and the second antenna pinhole are located at the same circumferential position with respect to the circumference of the antenna mounting face.
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