UNIVERSAL ENCLOSURE SYSTEM

• US 20100079346A1
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ARC Wireless, Inc. (ARC Group Worldwide, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARC Wireless Solutions, Incorporated
• Inventors: Dewey, Chad E., Dyke, David E., Leahy, Craig S., Olson, Steven C.
• Application Number:
  US12/566,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20100079346A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/12 Supports; Mounting means

Abstract

An enclosure system for a radio board and an antenna circuit has a downwardly opening, concave housing with a interior housing cavity, a base that fits across the bottom of the housing, and a mounting plate that mounts on the base and extends into the housing cavity. The radio board and antenna mount on the mounting plate. A transparent cable access door has spaced knockouts that allow routing of communication interface cables. Mounting bolts attached to the exterior of the housing allow mounting of a mounting bracket. The bottom of the base is flat for placement on a flat surface.

Claims

1. A universal enclosure system for a radio board and an antenna comprising:

a housing having a bottom opening and defining an enclosed, downwardly opening housing cavity,

a base sized and shaped to fit into and close said bottom opening, said base being secured in said bottom opening, said base including at least one communications cable port for routing a communications interface cable to said radio board, and

a mounting plate mounted on said base and projecting upwardly into said housing cavity, said mounting plate having a substantially flat mounting portion with a first face, an oppositely facing second face, a plurality of board standoffs selectively positioned on and attached to said first face to space and mount said radio board, and a plurality of antenna standoffs selectively positioned on and attached to said second face to space and mount an antenna circuit for said antenna,

whereby said housing and base are substantially weatherproof without the need for gaskets or grommets.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mounting portion is metal and functions as a groundplane.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said mounting portion includes a transition for connecting said radio board to said mounting portion and to said antenna circuit.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mounting plate includes means for selectively positioning said board standoffs.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said means for selectively positioning said board standoffs includes adhesive between said mounting portion and said board standoffs.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mounting plate includes means for selectively positioning said antenna standoffs.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said means for selectively positioning said antenna standoffs includes a plurality of arrays of antenna mounting holes through said mounting portion.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base has a plurality of mounting points for selectively positioning said mounting plate on said base,

whereby said mounting plate is selectively positioned in said housing cavity.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base has a flat bottom wall,

whereby said base supports said housing in an upright position when said base is placed on a flat surface.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said housing has a bottom portion defining said bottom opening, said bottom portion has a cable routing channel, and said base has a cable routing channel coincident with said cable routing channel in said bottom portion,

whereby cables are routed through said cable routing channels in said base and said bottom portion when said base is placed on a flat surface.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said bottom wall includes an upwardly opening cable access aperture adjacent to said cable routing channel in said base, and said base includes a removable access door with a door portion that extends across said cable access aperture and a cable access portion, transverse to said door portion, that extends across said cable routing channel in said base, with said communications cable port extending through said cable access portion.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said access door is transparent,

whereby LEDs on said radio board can be viewed without removing said base from said housing.

13. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said cable access portion includes a plurality of spaced knockouts sized to receive said communications interface cable,

whereby a selected said knockout is removed to selectively position said communications cable port in said cable access portion.

14. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said bottom wall has at least one locating dimple spaced from said cable access aperture, said locating dimple being drillable to allow use of alternative cable interconnects.

15. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said housing has a back wall that includes an exterior bracket mount having a pair of spaced, downwardly opening bracket bolt plate holders and a removable bracket bolt plate for each said bracket bolt plate holder, each said bracket bolt plate having rearwardly projecting bolts, said base closing said bracket bolt plate holders when said base is assembled to said housing,

whereby said bolts mount said housing to a mounting bracket for outside use without penetrating said housing, and said bracket bolt plates are removed for inside use.

16. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said housing has a top wall, a front wall, a back wall spaced from said front wall, and spaced, opposed side walls connecting said front and back walls, said front, back and side walls extending downwardly from said top wall, said top, front, back and side walls defining said enclosed, downwardly opening housing cavity.

17. A universal enclosure system for a radio board and an antenna comprising:

a housing having a top wall, a front wall, a back wall spaced from said front wall, spaced, opposed side walls connecting said front and back walls, and a bottom opening, said front, back and side walls extending downwardly from said top wall to said bottom opening, said top, front, back and side walls defining an enclosed, downwardly opening housing cavity, said back wall having an exterior bracket mount with a pair of spaced, downwardly opening bracket bolt plate holders and a removable bracket bolt plate for each said bracket bolt plate holder, each said bracket bolt plate having rearwardly projecting bolts,

a base sized and shaped to fit into and close said bottom opening, and to close said bracket bolt plate holders, said base being secured in said bottom opening, said base having a removable, transparent access door with a plurality of spaced knockouts, said knockouts being selectively removable to selectively position a communications cable port for routing a communications interface cable to said radio board, said base having a plurality of mounting points, and

a mounting plate projecting upwardly into said housing cavity, and mounting on selected said mounting points on said base to selectively position said mounting plate in said housing cavity, said mounting plate having a substantially flat, metal mounting portion with a first face, an oppositely facing second face, a plurality of board standoffs selectively positioned on and attached to said first face to space and mount said radio board, and a plurality of antenna standoffs selectively positioned on and attached to said second face to space and mount an antenna circuit for said antenna, said mounting portion including a transition for connecting said radio board to said mounting portion and to said antenna circuit,

whereby said housing and base are substantially weatherproof without the need for gaskets or grommets, and a variety of different radio boards and antenna circuits can be mounted on said mounting plate and enclosed in said housing.