Electronics Enclosure for a Needle-Inflated Object

Abstract

An electronics enclosure assembly includes: a housing having a convex side and a concave side opposite the convex side; at least one electronic device arranged within the housing; and a mounting stem having at least a shank portion extending from the concave side of the housing for connecting the housing to a valve of a needle-inflated ball. A support spans an interior of the housing for transferring an impact force around the at least one electronic device. Upon connecting the housing to a valve of a needle-inflated ball by insertion of the shank portion of the mounting stem into the valve, the housing resides outside of the ball.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electronics enclosure assembly comprising:
 a housing having a convex side and a concave side opposite the convex side;   at least one electronic device arranged within the housing; and   a mounting stem having at least a shank portion extending from the concave side of the housing for connecting the housing to a valve of a needle-inflated ball.   
     
     
         2 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one support that spans an interior of the housing for transferring an impact force around the at least one electronic device. 
     
     
         3 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 1 , wherein, upon connecting the housing to a valve of a needle-inflated ball by insertion of the shank portion of the mounting stem into the valve, the housing resides outside of the ball. 
     
     
         4 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one electronic device includes at least one of a pressure sensor, a global positioning system, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a gyroscope. 
     
     
         5 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one electronic device comprises a battery and a battery charging mechanism operatively connected to the battery. 
     
     
         6 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the battery charging mechanism is configured to be coupled by inductive coupling to an external charging device. 
     
     
         7 . An electronics enclosure assembly comprising:
 a housing comprising a base, a cap opposite the base, and an interior defined between the base and the cap; and   a mounting stem having at least a shank portion extending from the base for connecting the housing to a valve of a needle-inflated ball.   
     
     
         8 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 7 , further comprising at least one support that spans an interior of the housing for transferring an impact force from the cap to the base. 
     
     
         9 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the mounting stem comprises:
 a cylindrical shank having the at least a shank portion extending from the base; and   a head connected to the cylindrical shank, wider than the cylindrical shank, and trapped between the base and cap.   
     
     
         10 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the base includes an interior support collar extending into the interior of the housing around the cylindrical shank. 
     
     
         11 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the cap includes a cylindrical interior support shroud extending into the interior of the housing around the head of the mounting stem and around the interior support collar. 
     
     
         12 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the shank portion of the mounting stem extends from the base in a first direction; and   the cap has a convex outer surface facing a second direction opposite the first direction.   
     
     
         13 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the base has a concave outer surface facing the first direction. 
     
     
         14 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the housing further comprises a circularly cylindrical perimeter wall extending from the base to the cap. 
     
     
         15 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 7 , further comprising a sleeve that at least partially covers the cap and has a tapered outer perimeter edge. 
     
     
         16 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 7 , further comprising an electronic device within the housing. 
     
     
         17 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 16 , further comprising a motion tracking device within the housing. 
     
     
         18 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the motion tracking device comprises a circuit board, a battery, and a battery charging mechanism. 
     
     
         19 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the circuit board comprises a processor, a memory device, an acceleration sensor, and an input and output device. 
     
     
         20 . The electronics enclosure assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the battery charging mechanism is configured to be powered by inductive coupling.