Dismount tablet computer assembly for wireless communication applications

• US 7,813,876 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Berry, Robert R., Gasbarro, Henry Frank, Carpenter, Joseph Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US10/634,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,625 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 701/300, 340/989, 340/991, 340/993, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/457
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/082 to be used in vehicles H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for utilizing one or more tablet computer assemblies in a portable communications system. A tablet computer assembly includes a global positioning system module, an L-band transceiver, and a processing system. The global positioning system module that produces location information associated with the position of the tablet computer assembly. The L-band transceiver broadcasts the location information to at least one portable communication device through a relay network and receives location information from the at least one portable communications device via the relay network. The processing unit provides messages to the L-band transceiver and updates a display associated with the tablet computer assembly according the received location information and the location information produced at the global positioning system module.

Claims

1. A portable computer assembly, comprising:

a global positioning system module that produces location information associated with the position of the portable computer assembly;

an L-band transceiver that broadcasts the location information to a satellite relay and receives location information from at least one portable communications device via the satellite relay;

a processing unit that provides messages to the L-band transceiver and updates a display associated with the portable computer assembly according the received location information and the location information produced at the global positioning system module; and

a Faraday cage that encloses the L-band transceiver and the global positioning system module to reduce electromagnetic interference with the L-band transceiver and the global positioning module, the Faraday cage comprising a back plate of the processing unit that forms one wall of the Faraday cage and a metallic enclosure that encloses the L-band transceiver and the global positioning system module and being configured as a heat sink to draw heat from the L-band transceiver away from the processing unit, the Faraday cage being mounted to a back of the processing unit.

2. The portable computer assembly of claim 1, the processing unit comprising a system memory that contains geographic information concerning an area of interest.

3. The portable computer assembly of claim 2, the system memory comprising at least one flash memory card.

4. The portable computer assembly of claim 1, further comprising an input/output board that regulates power and logic connections between the processing unit and the L-band transceiver.

5. The portable computer assembly of claim 1, the display associated with the processing unit being a touchscreen display.

6. The portable computer assembly of claim 1, further comprising a single, detachable antenna that can be operatively connected to the portable computer assembly by a user to facilitate the transmission and reception of messages by the L-band transceiver and reception of data at the global positioning module.

7. The portable computer assembly of claim 6, the antenna comprising a quadrifilar helix antenna.

8. The portable computer assembly of claim 1, wherein the back plate includes at least one opening to admit one or more data communication connections and a power supply cable between a digital board and the processing unit, the digital board residing in the Faraday cage and having control circuitry for controlling the L-band transceiver and the global positioning system module.

9. The portable computer assembly of claim 1, wherein the L-band transceiver comprises a plurality of discrete components, and the Faraday cage comprises metal shielding within the metallic enclosure to reduce electromagnetic interference between the plurality of discrete components within the Faraday cage.

10. A portable communications system, comprising:

a global positioning system module that produces location information associated with the position of the portable communications assembly;

a transceiver that broadcasts the location information directly to a satellite relay and receives location information from at least one portable communications device via the satellite relay;

a computer, operatively connected to the transceiver and the global positioning module through at least one aperture in a back plate of the computer, that provides messages to the transceiver and updates a display associated with the computer assembly according the received location information and the location information produced at the global positioning system module; and

a Faraday cage that encloses the transceiver and the global positioning system module to reduce electromagnetic interference, the Faraday cage comprising the back plate of the computer that forms one wall of the Faraday cage and a metallic enclosure that encloses the transceiver and the global positioning system module and forms a back of the computer, the Faraday cage being configured as a heat sink to draw heat from the L-band transceiver away from the computer.

11. The portable communications system of claim 10, further comprising an antenna operatively connected to the transceiver and the global positioning module that facilitates the transmission and reception of messages by the transceiver and reception of data at the global positioning module.

12. The portable communications system of claim 10, wherein the antenna comprises a detachable quadrifilar helix antenna.

13. The portable communications system of claim 10, wherein the transceiver comprises an L-band transceiver.

14. The portable communications system of claim 13, wherein the transceiver comprises a plurality of discrete components, and the Faraday cage comprises metal shielding within the metallic enclosure to reduce electromagnetic interference between the plurality of discrete components within the Faraday cage.

15. A portable computer assembly, comprising:

a global positioning system module that produces location information associated with the position of the portable computer assembly;

an L-band transceiver that broadcasts the location information to a satellite relay and receives location information from at least one portable communications device via the satellite relay;

a processing unit that provides messages to the L-band transceiver and updates a display associated with the portable computer assembly according the received location information and the location information produced at the global positioning system module;

a Faraday cage that encloses the L-band transceiver to reduce electromagnetic interference, the Faraday cage comprising a metallic enclosure that encloses the L-band transceiver, with a back plate of the processing unit forming one wall of the metallic enclosure and the Faraday cage being configured as a heat sink to draw heat from the L-band transceiver away from the processing unit; and

a single, detachable antenna operatively connected to the L-band transceiver and the global positioning module that facilitates the transmission and reception of messages by the L-band transceiver and reception of data at the global positioning module.

16. The portable computer assembly of claim 15, the antenna comprising a detachable quadrifilar helix antenna.

17. The portable computer assembly of claim 15, wherein the L-band transceiver comprises a plurality of discrete components, and the Faraday cage comprises metal shielding within the metallic enclosure to reduce electromagnetic interference between the plurality of discrete components within the Faraday cage.