This invention relates to handling of battery-powered handheld electronic devices, and more particularly to a transport frame which holds the device. If desired, the transport frame may be mounted in a fixture for quality control testing or other purposes.
Although particularly developed for use in quality control testing of handheld wireless communication devices, the invention is applicable to handling of any small electronic device requiring the use of a battery, not just wireless devices, and whether for testing purposes or otherwise.
When testing such devices, reliable handling is important in order to obtain consistent measurement. Commonly, fixturing and various types of guides and retainers are used, which contact external surfaces of the device to obtain a secure grip. These often result in some risk of damaging or scratching the device, due to contact with the guides or retainers. Furthermore, there can be an increased probability of inaccurate measurements due to stresses on the device introduced by the guides and retainers.
There is a therefore an ongoing need for ways of transporting and mounting such devices for testing, with minimized impact on the device. This is particularly important where, as with many devices, there is 100% testing of every device, not just occasional samples.
Examples of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
The transport frame holds the device using a battery compartment or battery compartment area of the device only, rather than external features of the device, and is defined by the accompanying claims. If desired, the transport frame may be mounted in a fixture, for example at a testing location.
For convenience, most references herein will be to mounting the device on a transport frame for testing purposes. However, it should be appreciated that the transport frame may be useful in any other situation where it is desired to mount or transport the device without handling it externally, and the invention is therefore not limited to testing applications.
In the following description, specific examples of the invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the examples being described.
The transport frame 1 supports and retains the device 2 by emulating a battery, in the sense that the transport frame provides engagement elements which fit into the device's battery compartment 3 and/or its battery compartment cover securing means, to retain the device. The frame can then be handled to transport the device and if desired mount it in a fixture for testing or other purposes, avoiding or minimizing contact with the external surfaces of the device. Typically, the transport frame is configured to mate with a fixture 4, at a fixed test location. Thus in an assembly-line process, devices can be mounted onto transport frames at one or more locations, and carried or transported to the test location for mounting in the fixture for testing. Once the testing is completed, the transport frame and device can be removed from the fixture, and the device can be removed from the transport frame for further processing, for example packaging for sale.
A first example of the invention is illustrated in
As shown in
The movable block 14 is mounted on a proximal end of a pair of shafts 40 which are movable axially through bushings 42. Springs 44 act against preferably larger-diameter distal ends of the shafts, to bias the shafts and hence the movable block 14 towards the fixed block 12. The actuator 20 operates to overcome that bias, to move the movable block away from the fixed block.
The actuator 20 includes a lever 22 mounted on a shaft 24. A cam 26 is also mounted on the shaft, so that operation of the lever produces rotation of the cam. The cam bears against the movable block 14, so that movement of the lever from the “ready” position shown in
The shaft 24 could be mounted directly on the body 10 of the frame. When the actuator was moved to the locked position, this would result in the fixed and movable blocks 12 and 14 being at a fixed minimum expanded distance from each other. That could be acceptable, but it is preferable not to have that distance fixed, and therefore preferably the shaft is permitted to float somewhat. This is accomplished by mounting the shaft on two opposing shaft mounts 28, which are free to move a limited distance within the body 10. Shaft biasing springs 29 bias the shaft away from the fixed block. Thus in the locked position, the movable block has a limited degree of freedom in both directions away from its basic locked position, i.e. slightly towards or slightly away from the fixed block. This has the significant advantage that the pressure of the blocks against the battery compartment of the device is governed by the springs 44 and 29, not by the mechanical dimensions. This of course results in more consistency, given the inevitable small differences in dimensions due to normal manufacturing tolerances.
Movement of the actuator 20 through the intermediate position via its lever 22 may result in one of the tabs 50 mating with a complementary recess 52 within the battery compartment to partially lock the device against the transport frame, as illustrated, or in both tabs moving part way towards their respective recesses.
After the device 2 has been mounted to the transport frame 1, the assembly may then mounted in an exemplary fixture 4 as shown in
Notwithstanding the preceding, as stated previously, the invention is not limited to testing applications, nor to any specific testing. It may be convenient to mount the device in a fixture for purposes other than testing.
In the preceding example, the locking of the frame to the device takes place entirely within the battery compartment, via a movable block. However, in another example of the invention, shown in
In this second example of the invention, there are still opposing engagement elements which move apart from each other to lock the device 2 in place. However, in this example, the transport frame 1′ has a main body 102, a sliding portion 104 and an actuator 20′ with a lever 22′. The main body has lugs 106 extending therefrom which engage battery compartment cover securing slots 107. The sliding portion 104 is movable away from the main body 102 by operation of the lever 22′, and has an extension 108 therefrom which corresponds in effect to the movable block 14 of the first example. The main body preferably has a handle 18′.
Note that the sliding portion 104 may be provided with electrical contacts 30′ to engage corresponding contacts in the device. The contacts are wired through the frame to a second set of contacts (not shown). When the frame is mounted on the fixture 4′, this second set of contacts connects with power supplied to the fixture in order to provide power to the battery contacts of the device.
General
Several examples of the invention are described above. Variations of those examples may be or become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. It is expected that such persons will employ such variations as appropriate, and it is therefore expected that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described above. Accordingly, the invention is defined not by the above examples, but by the claims appended hereto, and includes such variations on the above examples as may be adopted by those knowledgeable in the field of the invention.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing statement, some specific examples of possible variations may include the following, though others may be apparent to those knowledgeable in the field of the invention.
The invention may not necessarily involve a fixture, for testing or otherwise. In some applications, mounting the device on the transport frame may suffice for that application, and there may be no need to place the device and transport frame in any fixture.
Details of size, shape and specific configuration of the transport frame and the features by which it engages the device may obviously be varied according to the desired engagement details and according to the configuration of the battery compartment and battery compartment area of the device. Similarly, details of any fixture, for testing or otherwise, may also vary.
The examples described above both include cam actuation via a lever. However, it is conceivable that the engagement means might not involve any elements requiring positive actuation. For example, the engagement means could simply snap into position in the battery compartment in a manner similar to a battery. Alternatively, there could be resilient engagement elements which displace slightly on insertion in the battery compartment, and are biased by that resilience towards a locked position. Or there could be movable elements as in the above examples, without positive actuation, i.e. the elements could be biased apart, for example by one or more springs, and insertion in the battery compartment could compress the spring or springs, or they could be manually compressed during or before insertion. The spring or springs would then move the elements apart to a locked position.