Shielded radio card assembly

• US 6,104,620 A
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Wallace, Patrick J., Dudas, Errol, Hutton, Thomas J., Nelson, Norman H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, TUAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/333,117
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 361/799, 361/800, 361/737, 361/736, 361/748, 361/750-753, 361/816, 361/818, 174/35 R, 174/35 GC, 174/51
• US Class Current: 361/800
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0218 by printed shielding conductors, ground planes or power plane H05K1/0236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0269 Card housings therefor, e.g. covers, frames, PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0273 having extensions for peripherals, e.g. LAN, antennas details of antennas H01Q1/2275
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0039 Galvanic coupling of ground layer on printed circuit board [PCB] to conductive casing printed shielding conductors, ground planes or power planes for reduction of cross-talk or noise in printed circuits H05K1/0218
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 174/34 PCB in box or housing

Abstract

This invention is directed to a PCMCIA Type II memory card holder assembly for a spread spectrum radio communication card that provides radio frequency interference shielding, electrostatic discharge resistance and heat dissipation. The card holder assembly consists of a multilayer circuit board and a card holder. The multilayer circuit board has a ground plane disposed between a plurality of analog circuit layers and a plurality of digital circuit layers. The ground plane is connected by through vias to ground traces on the surfaces of the circuit board. The card holder consists of a card holder frame in which the memory card is slidably and rotatably mounted so that the ground traces continuously contact the frame, and two outer cover plates which are adhered to the opposing surfaces of the card holder frame.

Claims

1. A radio communications card holder assembly, comprising:

a) a multilayer, radio frequency circuit board having a connector end for connection to a connector, an antenna end for connection to an antenna, and opposite sides extending between the ends, the board including

i) a planar, electrically conductive, ground layer having opposite planar major surfaces, and

ii) an analog circuit layer and a digital circuit layer respectively located at, and disposed parallel to, the opposite major surfaces, for performing radio frequency communication to and from the board via the antenna, the circuit layers having electrically conductive, side and end traces in electrical contact with, and at a common electrical potential as, the ground layer only at the sides and the antenna end of the board, respectively, the circuit layers having electrical conductors at the connector end; and

b) a holder including

i) a frame of electrically conductive material, for holding the board, the frame having side rails for supporting and electrically contacting the side traces, a header rail for supporting and electrically contacting the end trace, and a cross rail extending between the side rails and parallel to the header rail, the electrical conductors extending past the cross rail, and

ii) a pair of covers of electrically conductive material and mounted on the frame in an overlying relationship with the analog and digital circuit layers, respectively.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the circuit layers includes a plurality of layers.

3. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the side traces are electrically connected to the ground layer by vias.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the end traces are electrically connected to the ground layer by vias.

5. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the antenna end has a cutout in which two antennas are mounted.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein each layer has four peripheral edges and has a rectangular shape.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the frame has slots at the connector end for receiving the connector.

8. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the side rails include channel portions for slidably receiving the opposite sides of the board.

9. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the holder includes a film of adhesive between the frame and a respective cover.

10. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the circuit layers are spread spectrum radio circuits.

11. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the board is dimensioned as a PCMCIA memory card.