Mobile device enclosure with integrated wireless-to-serial bridge

A method of providing secure, identifiable communication between a dock mount and a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

• disposing a wireless-to-serial bridge within a mounting portion of a device enclosure configured to receive the mobile electronic device;
• docking the device enclosure to a mount having a microcontroller and a serial interface;
• supplying power and serial data from the mount to the wireless-to-serial bridge over a first electrical path across a mount–enclosure interface;
• supplying charging power and device-level data directly to the mobile electronic device over a second electrical path separate from the first electrical path;
• wirelessly pairing the mobile electronic device with the wireless-to-serial bridge;
• converting, at the wireless-to-serial bridge, data between wireless packets exchanged with the mobile electronic device and serial data exchanged with the mount microcontroller;
• and
• providing, from the mount microcontroller to the mobile electronic device via the wireless-to-serial bridge, a unique device identifier that enables an application running on the mobile electronic device to definitively identify the mount to which the device enclosure is docked.

A docking apparatus comprising:

• a docking mount having a housing with a front surface, a back surface, and a side surface, the docking mount configured to removably receive and secure a device enclosure;
• a locking mechanism disposed within the housing, the locking mechanism comprising:
• a lock plate configured to rotate about a first axis to capture and release a mounting plate of the device enclosure,
• a motor ring configured to be driven by a motor pinion mounted to a motor disposed on a second axis parallel to and offset from the first axis,
• a key ring configured to be driven by a key pinion mounted to a locking unit disposed on an axis perpendicular to the first axis, and
• an annular slot in the lock plate arranged such that, when either the motor ring or the key ring is in a neutral centered position, the other ring can drive the lock plate without interference;
• an electrical interface at a mount–enclosure interface comprising spring-loaded contacts on the docking mount arranged to mate with conductive pads on an interface board of the device enclosure;
• a first power/data channel configured to provide a direct, device-level power and data connection to a primary charge/data port of electronic equipment housed in the device enclosure, independent of the docking mount electronics;
• and
• a second power/data channel configured to provide power to the docking mount electronics and serial data connectivity between a microcontroller of the docking mount and a wireless-to-serial bridge disposed within a mounting portion of the device enclosure;
• wherein the wireless-to-serial bridge, when paired with the electronic equipment, wirelessly exchanges data with an application running on the electronic equipment and converts data to and from serial data communicated over the second power/data channel;
• and
• wherein the mounting interface includes alignment lead-ins and magnetically assisted attraction to facilitate tight mechanical coupling, reliable electrical contact, and docking in any of four primary orientations.

A system comprising:

• a docking mount comprising:
• a motor, a motor pinion, and a motor ring arranged to rotate a lock plate about a first axis,
• a key-operated locking unit, a lock pinion, and a key ring arranged to rotate the lock plate about the first axis, and
• a microcontroller configured to receive signals from limit switches indicating locked, unlocked, and ring-neutral positions, to control the motor accordingly, and to communicate over a serial interface;
• a device enclosure comprising a mounting plate configured to be captured by the lock plate, an interface board having conductive pads arranged to mate with spring-loaded contacts of the docking mount, and a wireless-to-serial bridge disposed within a mounting portion of the device enclosure;
• a first cable providing a direct power/data connection to a primary charge/data port of a mobile electronic device within the device enclosure;
• and
• a second cable providing power to the docking mount electronics and serial connectivity between the microcontroller and the wireless-to-serial bridge through the mount–enclosure interface;
• wherein, when docked, the application running on the mobile electronic device wirelessly pairs with the wireless-to-serial bridge and exchanges serial data with the microcontroller over the second cable, including receiving identifying data associated with the docking mount, and issuing lock/unlock commands to the motorized locking mechanism.

A method of securing electronic equipment and providing power and communication through a docking apparatus, the method comprising:

• disposing, within a mounting portion of a device enclosure, a wireless-to-serial bridge configured to wirelessly communicate with electronic equipment housed in the device enclosure and to convert between wireless protocol packets and serial data;
• providing, at a docking mount, a motorized locking mechanism and a key-driven locking mechanism, each configured to rotate a lock plate about a first axis, and arranging the mechanisms with rings and an annular slot to enable motor or key actuation without interference by placing the non-actuated ring in a neutral position;
• docking the device enclosure to the docking mount such that spring-loaded contacts on the docking mount mate with conductive pads on an interface board of the device enclosure;
• supplying charging power and device-level data to the electronic equipment over a first power/data channel that directly connects to a primary charge/data port of the electronic equipment and bypasses docking mount electronics;
• supplying power to the docking mount electronics and serial data connectivity between a docking mount microcontroller and the wireless-to-serial bridge over a second, separate power/data channel;
• wirelessly pairing the electronic equipment with the wireless-to-serial bridge and exchanging, via the bridge, serial data with the docking mount microcontroller including commands to operate the motorized locking mechanism and receiving status and identifying data;
• and
• maintaining reliable electrical connection and mechanical stability across four primary docking orientations using alignment lead-ins and magnetic attraction at the mount–enclosure interface.

A device enclosure for electronic equipment comprising:

• a rear housing and a mounting plate configured to be captured by a lock plate of a docking mount;
• a mounting flange comprising an interface board with conductive pads arranged to mate with spring-loaded contacts of a docking mount across four rotational orientations;
• a wireless-to-serial bridge integrated into the mounting flange, the bridge including a wireless radio and a microcontroller configured to translate between wireless protocol messages and serial data;
• a board-to-board connector coupling the interface board to an interconnect board;
• a first internal cable terminating in a connector configured to directly couple to a primary charge/data port of electronic equipment housed in the device enclosure;
• and
• circuitry arranged such that power and serial data received from the docking mount are routed to the wireless-to-serial bridge, while charging power and device-level data are routed directly to the electronic equipment independently of the docking mount electronics.