The present invention relates to an antenna device, and more particularly to an antenna device applied to a communication device.
With the rapid development of technology, wireless mobile communication devices have been widely used in people's daily lives. A wireless mobile communication device (such as mobile phone) is usually provided with an antenna device for receiving and transmitting wireless signals. When a user is using a mobile phone for communication, the user's head is close to the antenna device of the mobile phone and may be exposed to electromagnetic radiation. In the international standard, mobile phone electromagnetic radiation is measured in units of specific absorption rate (SAR), which represents the absorbed power of body per kilogram per unit time and is in units of W/kg. In Taiwan, for example, the national communications commission (NCC) limits that the mobile phone SAR must be under 2.0 W/kg, identical to the European standard; and the US federal communications commission (FCC) limits that the mobile phone SAR must be under 1.6 W/kg. Thus, for the industry, there is a need to design an antenna device as well as a communication device complying with the SAR legal limits.
Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an antenna device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication device equipped with the aforementioned antenna device.
The present invention provides an antenna device, which includes a radiation part and a circuit board. The radiation part includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall, a first extension part and a first protrusion part. The second sidewall is connected to a first end of the first sidewall. The third sidewall is connected to a second end of the first sidewall. The third sidewall is opposite to the second sidewall. A containing space is formed by the first sidewall, the second sidewall and the third sidewall. The first extension part extends toward the third sidewall from the second sidewall. The first protrusion part extends toward the first sidewall from the first extension part. The circuit board is disposed parallel to the first sidewall. The circuit board includes a ground layer, a feed point, a clearance area, a first metal sheet and a second metal sheet. The feed point is electrically connected to the radiation part. The clearance area is disposed in the containing space. The first metal sheet is disposed in the clearance area and extends from the ground layer. The second metal sheet is disposed in the clearance area. The second metal sheet is connected to the first metal sheet, parallel to the first extension part and connected to the first protrusion part.
The present invention further provides a communication device, which includes a radiation part, a circuit board and an earpiece. The radiation part includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall, a first extension part and a first protrusion part. The second sidewall is perpendicularly connected to the first sidewall. The third sidewall is perpendicularly connected the first sidewall. The third sidewall is opposite to the second sidewall. A containing space is formed by the first sidewall, the second sidewall and the third sidewall. The first extension part extends toward the third sidewall from the second sidewall. The first protrusion part extends toward the first sidewall from the first extension part. The circuit board is disposed parallel to the first sidewall. The circuit board includes a ground layer, a feed point, a clearance area, a first metal sheet and a second metal sheet. The feed point is electrically connected to the radiation part. The clearance area is disposed in the containing space. The first metal sheet is disposed in the clearance area and extends from the ground layer. The second metal sheet is disposed in the clearance area. The second metal sheet is connected to the first metal sheet, parallel to the first extension part and connected to the first protrusion part. The radiation part is disposed on a side of the communication device adjacent to the earpiece.
In summary, through forming the metal sheet by extending the ground layer of the circuit board to form a current path and consequently to modulate the current distribution, the antenna device as well as the communication device equipped with the antenna device of the present invention achieves the purpose of SAR reduction, meets the international standards and maintains qualifying efficiency while perusing the SAR reduction. Further, no modulation of the circuit manufacturing process or additional cost is required. Further, it is to be understood that the antenna device of the present invention may also be applied to a wireless mobile communication device having a metal shell.
For making the above and other purposes, features and benefits become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art, the preferred embodiments and the detailed descriptions with accompanying drawings will be put forward in the following descriptions.
The present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
In generally, the technology for reducing the specific absorption rate (SAR) of mobile phone antenna includes the following methods: (1) reducing conduction power of the antenna body, such as reducing electric currents to lower the electromagnetic radiation power; (2) using absorber to absorb electromagnetic waves so as to reduce SAR; (3) disposing an iron structure at the top of the antenna to block electromagnetic waves; (4) extending copper-coated area on the printed circuit board to block electromagnetic waves. However, the aforementioned methods (1) and (2) may affect the antenna characteristics, and consequently the antenna may have decreased efficiency. Further, the method (2) requires additional absorbing materials and the method (3) requires additional iron structure, which may result in increased costs. Further, the method (4) uses extended copper-coated area to block electromagnetic waves, which may not be applicable to wireless mobile communication device having a metal shell. To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an antenna device which has qualifying antenna characteristics, acceptable manufacturing cost and applicable to wireless mobile communication devices having a metal shell.
Please refer to
The antenna device 1 of the present embodiment may be applied to a communication device. Specifically, as shown in
Both of the top side and the bottom side (not shown) of the communication device may be provided with antenna devices. In one embodiment, for example, the top side of the communication device may be provided with an antenna device for a 4G LTE system, and the bottom side of the communication device may be provided with another antenna device for a 3G WCDMA system. As the earpiece is disposed relatively close to the top side of the communication device as well as the head of the user, the antenna device disposed on the top side has a greater impact on SAR; therefore, the antenna device of the present invention is exemplarily described by the antenna device disposed on the top side of a communication device. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and the antenna device of the present invention may be also disposed on the bottom side of a communication device.
As described above, the radiation part 10 of the antenna device 1 includes the first sidewall 101, the second sidewall 102 and the third sidewall 103 which are perpendicular to one another. The first sidewall 101 may constitute the back cover of the communication device; that is, the first sidewall 101 and the display device (e.g., liquid crystal display) of the communication device are disposed on different sides of the circuit board 20. In
The circuit board 20 may be disposed in the communication device. In one embodiment, the circuit board 20 is a printed circuit board, on which microprocessor, signal processing chip, display driver and RF circuit of the communication device are disposed. As described above, the circuit board 20 includes the ground layer 201, which may be made of copper and can be used as a ground voltage connection for the circuits on the circuit board 20. In
As described above, the circuit board 20 includes the feed point 202 electrically connected to the radiation part 10, through which the signals generated by the circuits (e.g. RF circuit) on the circuit board 20 can be fed to the radiation part 10, and consequently generating the electromagnetic radiation. In addition, through the feed point 202, the RF signal received by the radiation unit 10 may also be transmitted to the circuits on the circuit board 20 for signal processing.
As described above, the circuit board 20 includes the clearance area 203 which is disposed in the containing space formed by the first sidewall 101, the second sidewall 102 and the third sidewall 103. The disposition of the clearance area 203 is for preventing the interference between the radiation part 10 and the circuits and components on the circuit board 20 from affecting the antenna characteristics. In one embodiment, the clearance area 203 is defined as an area on the circuit board 20 without copper coating.
As described above, the radiation part 10 includes the first extension part 104 which extends toward the third sidewall 103 from the second sidewall 102. Specifically, the first extension part 104 may be perpendicular to the second sidewall 102. A current path is formed by the feed point 202, the first sidewall 101, the second sidewall 102 and the first extension part 104 in sequence; and an antenna is formed by the current path together with the clearance area 203. Through proper adjustment of the length of the first extension part 104, the current path is adjusted to have a radiation frequency ranging from 1710 MHz to 2170 MHz. However, although the radiation signals of desired frequencies are generated, SAR of the antenna may exceed the legal limit. Therefore, as described above, the antenna device 1 of the present embodiment further includes the first protrusion part 105 and the metal sheets properly disposed in the clearance area 203.
As described above, the radiation part 10 of the antenna device 1 further includes the first protrusion part 105 which extends toward the first sidewall 101 from the first extension part 104. Specifically, the first protrusion part 105 may be perpendicular to the first extension part 104. As described above, the first metal sheet 204 and the second metal sheet 205 are disposed in the clearance area 203 of the circuit board 20. The first metal sheet 204 extends from the ground layer 201 and the second metal sheet 205 is connected to the first metal sheet 204. In the present embodiment, the first metal sheet 204 and the second metal sheet 205 are the area on the printed circuit board coated with copper. As described above, the second metal sheet 205 is parallel to the first extension part 104 and connected to the first protrusion part 105.
The first protrusion part 105 may be connected to the second metal sheet 205 via a metal connector (not shown). The metal connector may be metal shrapnel, through which the first protrusion part 105 is fixed to the second metal sheet 205.
In the present embodiment, the second metal sheet 205 extends toward the third sidewall 103 from the first metal sheet 204 and is connected to the first protrusion part 105 at an end thereof.
Therefore, a first current path is formed by the feed point 202, the first sidewall 101, the second sidewall 102, the first extension part 104, the first protrusion part 105, the second metal sheet 205 and the first metal sheet 204 in sequence; wherein the current distribution along the first current path is different with that along the above-described current path without the second metal sheet 205. Through proper adjustments of the length ratio of the first current path to the second metal sheet 205, desired radiation frequency and complying SAR are obtained. In one embodiment, the length ratio of the first current path to the second metal sheet 205 is ranged from 4.5 to 5.
Table 1 shows a SAR comparison between the antenna device 1 provided with the second metal sheet 205 and an antenna device provided without the second metal sheet 205; wherein the conductive power of both of the two antenna devices is set to 22 dBm. The adopted testing frequency band is frequency band B2 (with a radiation frequency of about 1900 MHz) of the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS). In addition, as shown in Table 1, the frequency band B2 is further divided into three channels, which are low frequency channel (L), medium frequency channel (M) and high frequency channel (H). Further, the length ratio of the first current path to the second metal sheet 205 of the adopted antenna device 1 for testing is 4.7. As shown in Table 1, the SAR of the antenna device 1 provided with the second metal sheet 205 is lower than the SAR of the antenna device provided without the second metal sheet 205 at all channels.
Table 2 shows an antenna efficiency comparison between the antenna device 1 provided with the second metal sheet 205 and an antenna device provided without the second metal sheet 205; wherein the adopted testing frequency band is frequency band B2 (with a radiation frequency of about 1900 MHz) of UMTS.
Through the above Tables 1 and 2, it is observed that by using specific antenna structure to change the current distribution, the antenna device 1 of the present embodiment can have lowered SAR (as shown in Table 1) without sacrificing the efficiency (as shown in Table 2). Thus, the antenna device 1 of the present embodiment meets not only the SAR 1.6 W/kg requirement of the American FCC but also the stricter SAR 2.0 W/kg requirement in Taiwan and Europe.
In summary, through forming the first metal sheet 204 and the second metal sheet 205 by extending the ground layer 201 of the circuit board 20, disposing the second metal sheet 205 parallel to the first extension part 104 and connecting the second metal sheet 205 to the first protrusion part 105, a current path is formed and consequently the current distribution is modulated. As a result, the antenna device of the present invention achieves the purpose of SAR reduction, meets the international standards and maintains qualifying efficiency while perusing the SAR reduction. Further, as the first metal sheet 204 and the second metal sheet 205 are formed by properly extending the metal in the ground layer 201 and coating with copper, no modulation of the circuit manufacturing process or additional cost is required. Further, it is to be understood that the antenna device of the present invention may also be applied to a wireless mobile communication device having a metal shell.
In the structure of the second embodiment, a second current path is formed by the feed point 202, the first sidewall 101, the second sidewall 102, the first extension part 104, the first protrusion part 105, the second metal sheet 205 and the first metal sheet 204 in sequence. Similarly, through proper adjustments of the length ratio of the second current path to the second metal sheet 205, desired radiation frequency and complying SAR are obtained. In one embodiment, the length ratio of the second current path to the second metal sheet 205 is ranged from 4.5 to 5. Therefore, although the metal sheet in the clearance area 203 of the antenna device 2 of the second embodiment is different from that of the antenna device 1 of the first embodiment, the antenna device 2 of the second embodiment still has the second metal sheet 205 parallel to the first extension part 104. As a result, the current distribution along the second current path is modulated and consequently the purpose of reducing the SAR is also achieved in the second embodiment.
In the structure of the present embodiment, a high-frequency current path is formed by the feed point 202, the first sidewall 101, the third sidewall 103 and the second extension part 106 in sequence; and an antenna is formed by the high-frequency current path together with the clearance area 203. Through proper adjustments of the length of the second extension part 106, the high-frequency current path is adjusted to have a radiation frequency ranged from 2500 MHz to 2690 MHz. It is to be noted that the antenna device 3 of the present embodiment includes at least two different radiation frequency ranges, so that the antenna device 3 of the present embodiment is capable of processing RF signals of different frequency bands.
In the structure of the present embodiment, through connecting the second protrusion part 107 to the first metal sheet 204, the antenna device 4 of the present embodiment has a total of three current paths, which are the first current path (a loop formed by the first extension part 104, the first protrusion part 105 and the second metal sheet 205 in sequence; with a radiation frequency ranging from 1710 MHz to 2170 MHz), the high-frequency current path (via the second extension part 106; with a radiation frequency ranging from 2500 MHz to 2690 MHz), and a third current path (a loop partially formed by the second protrusion part 107 and the first metal sheet 204). Having at least three different radiation frequency ranges, the antenna device 4 of the present embodiment thus has broad applications to various areas.
The antenna device of the present invention has various implementations as described above in the first to fifth embodiments and is capable of achieving the purpose of SAR reduction and complying with the international standards. It is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
The present invention further provides a communication device (e.g., mobile phone) equipped with the aforementioned antenna devices.
The communication device 9 further includes a display device 92, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic liquid crystal display (OLED) panel. The display device 92 is provided on the front side of the communication device 9, through which an operation interface and display data are provided to the user.
The metal back cover 93 may be also provided with one or more ground points (not shown), through which the metal back cover 93 is electrically connected to the ground layer 201 of the circuit board 20. In one embodiment, the metal back cover 93 is provided with six ground points which are evenly disposed around the edge of the metal back cover 93, so that the antenna characteristics of the antenna device 1 would not be affected by the metal back cover 93.
In summary, through forming the metal sheet by extending the ground layer of the circuit board to form a current path and consequently to modulate the current distribution, the antenna device as well as the communication device equipped with the antenna device of the present invention achieves the purpose of SAR reduction, meets the international standards and maintains qualifying efficiency while perusing the SAR reduction. Further, no modulation of the circuit manufacturing process or additional cost is required. Further, it is to be understood that the antenna device of the present invention may also be applied to a wireless mobile communication device having a metal shell.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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104103397 A | Feb 2015 | TW | national |
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20140285384 | Hong | Sep 2014 | A1 |
20140375522 | Lin | Dec 2014 | A1 |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160226147 A1 | Aug 2016 | US |