This invention relates to handheld data processing devices and to accessories for use therewith. In particular, this invention relates to personal digital assistants.
Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld, portable, computing devices that provide at least some of the features of a conventional desktop personal computer. Such devices are intended to be of use to those who are not able, or for whom it is inconvenient to access a conventional desktop personal computer. Certain PDAs include one or more expansion interface. The expansion interfaces are for receiving an expansion accessory by connecting a -connector of the accessory to a mating connector of the expansion interface such that the accessory is able to communicate with the PDA and add to the PDA's existing features. For example, the interface may be a universal serial bus (USB) interface with a female USB connector and the accessory may be a USB Wireless transceiver with a male USB connector that plugs into the female connector to add a wireless communications feature to the PDA. As another example, the interface maybe a PCMCIA interface and the accessory may be a PCMCIA memory card that plugs into the interface and increases the memory, capacity of the PDA.
A form of PDA is also used in industrial environments, such as manufacturing facilities and industrial storage facilities. This form of PDA will hereinafter be referred to as an “industrial PDA”. In facilities such as these, industrial PDAs are used for tasks such as recording operational data from manufacturing machines and for stock control purposes. The environment in which industrial PDAs are used is therefore a much harsher environment than that to which a conventional PDA might be exposed. The industrial PDA is likely to be exposed to corrosive materials, airborne particles and contaminants; and mechanical impact, vibration and wear. As a result, industrial PDAs must be of more rugged design that conventional PDAs if they are to be of use.
Expansion accessories for coupling to a PDA by way of a USB, PCMCIA or similar interface are therefore unsuited to use with an industrial PDA: such accessories can easily become disconnected from the industrial PDA if they are knocked or the PDA is dropped during use, and may even break or become damaged at the point at which they connect to the PDA. The interface between the PDA and such accessories is also such that it tends not to guard against the ingression of extraneous material such as liquids and airborne particles into the PDA and the expansion accessory.
One-way in which the suitability of industrial PDAs to their intended environment can be indicated is by way of an ingression protection (IP) rating. This rating is a measure of the degree of protection a PDA has against the ingression of liquids and particles. PDAs can also be assessed in terms of the height of a vertical drop which the PDA can survive without substantial damage. It will therefore be appreciated that PDAs with expansion accessories fitted thereto by way of interfaces such as the USB and PCMCIA interface tend not to score well in such tests.
It is an object of this invention to provide a handheld data-processing device that is arranged to receive an expansion accessory in a manner that is suited to use in an industrial environment.
According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a handheld data-processing device and an accessory therefor, each of the device and the accessory having a respective data communications connector for connecting the device and the accessory together for data communication therebetween, wherein each connector is substantially the same as the respective other connector, having electrical terminals of substantially the same shape and arrangement as the terminals of the respective other connector, and further arranged such that each terminal of each connector is arranged to contact a respective terminal of the respective other connector when the device and the accessory are connected together.
By providing the handheld data-processing device with a connector that can connect with a like connector, the usual male-to-female type of connection is dispensed with. Thus, the problems associated with have an accessory fixed to the device in a cantilevered manner, that is with one end inserted into a female socket, are avoided. Instead, embodiments of the present invention may use a lower profile, face-to-face connection between an accessory and a device. As there is no male-to-female connection with the connector of the present invention, the present connector may be thought of as an “hermaphroditic” connector.
According to a second aspect of this invention, there is provided a handheld data-processing device having a data communications connector for connecting the device to an accessory for data communication therewith, wherein the connector of the device is arranged so as to connect to another connector that is substantially the same, with electrical terminals of substantially the same shape and arrangement as terminals of the connector of the device.
According to a third aspect of this invention, there is provided an accessory for a handheld data-processing device, the accessory having a data communications connector for connecting the accessory to the device for data communication therewith, wherein the connector of the accessory is arranged so as to connect to another connector that is substantially the same, with electrical terminals of substantially the same shape and arrangement as terminals of the connector of the accessory.
Preferably, the handheld data-processing device is a computing device; and may be, for example, a laptop computer, a portable digital assistant or a tablet computer. The handheld data-processing device may be, or may additionally be, a communications device; such as, for example, a cellular telephone, a smartphone
Preferably, each connector includes resiliently-deformable projecting terminals that are each arranged to contact a respective terminal of the respective other connector when the two connectors are connected together.
Preferably, each connector includes a first group of terminals that projects further from the remainder of the connector than a second group of terminals of the connector.
Preferably the groups of terminals are arranged such that each group of each connector contacts the respective other group of the respective other connector when the two connectors are connected together. The two groups of terminals and/or the device and the accessory may be, arranged such that the accessory and the device may be brought together in a preferred direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of projection of the terminals, such that the second group of terminals of each connector relatively pass over the second group of the respective other connector without making contact, before being brought into contact with the first group of the respective other connector.
By avoiding contact between the second group of terminals of the accessory and the second group of terminals of the device, undesirable connections that may lead to short-circuits ban be avoided.
The first group of terminals may be arranged on the connector into a respective first series and the second group maybe arranged on the connector into a respective second series, with thee two series running substantially along side one another. Preferably, for each connector, the second series made up of the second group is arranged closest to a preferred direction from with the respective other connector is brought towards the connector for connection therebetween. Preferably, the first group is arranged into a first row and the second group is arranged into a second row, and preferably the two rows are substantially parallel and preferably substantially perpendicular to the preferred direction from which the respective other connector is introduced.
The first group of terminals may be resiliently-deformable upon contact with the second group of the respective other connector.
Preferably each of the device and the accessory have respective cooperating structure that ensures that the accessory is in a desired position relative to the device when the device and the accessory are connected together, such that each connector contacts the other for data communication therebetween. The cooperating structure on each of the device and the accessory may guide the accessory into the desired position when the device and the accessory are brought together. The cooperating structure nay include guide rails on one or both of the device and the accessory for cooperating with structure on the respective other of the device and the accessory, such that the accessory can be slid into the preferred position relative to the device. Preferably, the cooperating structure is arranged so as to cause the device and the accessory to approach one another from the respective preferred direction. One or both of the device and the accessory may include a connecting structure to releasably hold the two together with the accessory in the desired position. The connecting structure may include a latch mechanism. The connecting structure may include a locking mechanism to guard against separation of the device and the accessory.
Each connector may include supporting structure through which each of the terminals of that connector projects, the terminals extending from an inner side of the supporting structure that is for communication with an inside of the device or accessory to an outer side that is exposed for contact with the respective other connector. Preferably the supporting structure creates a seal around each terminal projecting therethrough. Preferably the seal is liquid-tight and/or air-tight. Preferably the seal is formed by the supporting structure being insert moulded around the terminals. The supporting structure may be plastic and may be substantially planar. Additional supporting structure may be ultrasonically welded to the supporting structure to at least partially enclose at least some of the terminals.
The connector may be arranged such that the parts of the terminals that extend to the inner side of the supporting structure are resiliently deformable such that the connector may be positioned against other terminals, such as traces of a printed circuit board (PCB) with those parts of the terminals pressed against the other terminals so as to maintain good contact therewith. Thus soldered connections between the terminals of the connector and other terminals may be avoided.
Preferably, the device includes a recess formed in the body thereof that is shaped to accommodate the accessory therein such that the accessory abuts walls of the recess and does not substantially protrude beyond the external contours of the body. Preferably, a mouth of the recess is at an end of the device such that the accessory maybe slid into the recess via the mouth. Preferably, the recess is formed such that the accessory is slid into the recess in a preferred direction that is in the plane of the device.
Preferably, the releasable connecting means acts to resist the accessory being withdrawn from the device in the reverse direction to the preferred direction.
Preferably, the cooperating structure is arranged to resist the accessory being withdrawn from the device in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the device.
According to a fourth aspect oft is invention, there is provided an connector as defined herein.
According to a fifth aspect of this invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a connector as defined herein, the method including the step of insert moulding supporting structure of the connector around the terminals thereof to create a seal between the terminals and the supporting structure.
According to a sixth aspect of this invention there is provided and device and/or an accessory as defined herein, each being without the connector.
Specific embodiments of this invention are described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
As can be seen from
A method of manufacturing the connectors 50, 150 will now be described. This will be followed by a description of the way in which the connector 50 is accommodated in the PDA and the connector 150 is accommodated in the module 100. A description of the way in which the module 100 slots into the PDA 10 for data communication therebetween will then follow.
A second part 220 of the insert moulding apparatus 200 holds a second set of eleven terminals 70 thereon. The second set of terminals 70 is the same as the first set 60 in that each terminal 70 is a C-shaped strips 70 of beryllium copper attached to a web 74 having an aperture 76 therethough by which the terminals 70 are fitted to a spigot 222 of the second part 220 of the insert moulding apparatus 200. However, the first C-shaped terminals 60 and the second C-shaped terminals differ. The second C-shaped terminals 70 each have a flattened end furthermost from the web 74 to which they are attached, whereas the first C-shaped terminals 60 each have an outwardly-pointed and V-shaped end furthermost from the web 64 to which they are connected.
Although it is preferred that the terminals 60, 70 be of beryllium copper in this embodiment, it is envisaged that other materials suitable for forming an electrical contact terminal may be used. For example, in other embodiments, the terminals 60, 70 may be of phosphorous bronze.
During an insert moulding operation, each of the first and second terminals 60, 70 are held by the respective first and second parts 210, 220; and other parts of the insert moulding apparatus are positioned around the terminals 60, 70 to form a moulding cavity 250 that extends from one end of each series of C-shaped strips 60, 70 to the other. Plastic material is then injected into the cavity 250.
When the moulding operation has been completed, the first and second terminals 60, 70 are withdrawn from the moulding apparatus 200 and the webs 64, 74 are trimmed off to leave discrete C-shaped terminals 60, 70. Thus, the arrangement is one of two parallel rows of generally C-shaped beryllium copper terminals embedded in a substantially rectangular plastic plate 80. This arrangement is shown in
With reference to
A printed circuit board (PCB) 28 of the PDA 10 is then placed over the bottom of the connector 50 and against the inside of the rear casing 22. As is shown in
Assembly of the PDA 10 is completed by fixing a front half of the PDA casing 20 to the rear half 22.
With reference again to
As can also be seen from
With continued reference to
The module also includes two latch mechanisms 104. Each latch mechanism 104 includes a finger 105 that extends through the casing 110 of the module 100 to project therefrom on the same side as the connector 150 and the spigot portion 102. Each finger 105 is adjacent an end of a respective one of the rails 103 and is positioned in a respective slot 106 so as to be moveable towards the other finger 105 against a respective spring (not shown). As can be seen in
In order to connect the expansion module 100 to the PDA 10, the module 100 is moved towards the mouth of the recess 40 in the PDA 10 such that the rails 103 of the module 100 are inserted beneath the rails 42 in the recess 40. The module 100 is then slid towards the PDA 10 such that it is slotted into the recess 40. As the, module 160 is slotted into the recess 40, the connector 150 of the module 100 approaches the connector 50 of the PDA 10. This is shown in
Continuing to push the module 100 as far as possible along the length of the slot formed by the recess 40 causes the second terminals 70 of the connector 150 in the module 100 to approach the first terminals of the connector 50 in the PDA 10; and the first terminals 60 of the connector 150 in the module 100 to approach the second terminals of the connector 50 in the PDA 10. This is shown in
When the expansion module 100 is attached to the PDA 10 in this way, there is secure attachment between the two. This secure attachment is provided by the rails 103, which extend across a large part of the module 100 being held under the cooperating rails 43 in the recess 40 on the rear face of the PDA 10; and by the two latch mechanisms 104, each latching over a respective one of the catches 44 in the recess 40. In addition, it should be understood that the module 100 substantially fits into the recess 40 in the rear face of the PDA 10, within the external contours of the PDA 10, and such that one end and two sides of the module 100 each abut a respective wall of the recess 40 in the rear face of the PDA 10. Again, this serves to assist in keeping the module 100 in position.
Thus, should the PDA 10 with the expansion module 100 attached thereto be dropped during operation or subject to other mechanical shocks, the expansion module 100 tends not to become dislodged from the position in which it is connected to the PDA 10. In addition, because the terminals 60, 70 of the connectors 50, 150 are not soldered to the PCBs for which they act as connectors, but instead are pressed thereagainst, electrical connection between the terminals 60, 70 and the PCBs tends not to be lost when the PDA 10 is subject to mechanical shock.
It should also be understood that, with the connector 50 fitted into place in the recess 40 of the PDA 10, there is no aperture that connects the inside of the PDA 10 with the outside environment. In particular, there is no such aperture through the connector 50 because the terminals 60, 70 of the connector 50 are insert moulded in the plate 80 of the connector 80. Similarly, there is no aperture through material of the expansion module 100 that connects the inside of the module 100 with the outside world. The absence of an aperture that connects the inside of either the PDA 10 or the expansion module 100 with the surrounding environment guards against the ingress into the PDA 10 and the module 100 of unwanted material, such that corrosive particles or liquids.
Should the PDA 10 with the expansion module 100 attached thereto be dropped during operation, the fixation of the aerial 120 to the casing 110 of the module 100 (instead of, for example, to the PCB therein) guards against the aerial 120 coming free and becoming damaged or damaging any other component in the casing 110 of the module 100.
The expansion module 100 shown in
In an alternative embodiment, a shock-absorbing material that is electrically conductive may be placed between the terminals 60, 70 and the conductors of the PCBs with which the terminals 60, 70 are in contact. The shock-absorbing material may be attached to, or form part of, the terminals 60, 70 and/or may be attached to or form part of the conductors of the PCBs. In use, the shock-absorbing material acts to absorb shock resulting from the PDA being knocked or dropped such that damage to the terminals 60, 70 and the PCB conductors tends to be avoided and such that contact therebetween tends to be maintained. The sock-absorbing material may be a resiliently-deformable material such as a conductive elastomeric compound.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/SG2005/000277 | 8/16/2005 | WO | 00 | 2/15/2008 |