Patent Grant
10270161
An aspect of this disclosure relates to an antenna device and a wireless apparatus including the antenna device.
In recent years, the number of antennas provided in, for example, a portable wireless apparatus has increased and the integration density of a circuit board of such a portable wireless apparatus has increased. For this reason, antennas are disposed, for example, on or in a housing of a portable wireless apparatus away from a circuit board.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-060268 discloses an antenna conductor (radiating conductor) that is formed on an outer surface of a housing, and is in physical contact with a feed pin provided on a circuit board (see FIG. 2 of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-060268). When such a feed pin is used, to improve the reliability of a connection in a case where an external impact is applied, a special connection terminal such as a spring-pin connector having a mechanism to reduce the impact is used. Also, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-244715 discloses a feeding mechanism as an example where such a special mechanism is not used.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-244715 discloses an antenna device where a radiating conductor is formed on a housing, and a capacitor plate is disposed at an end of an upright feeder line on a circuit board (see FIG. 1 of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-244715). The capacitor plate and the radiating conductor are capacitively coupled, and power is fed to the radiating conductor in a non-contact manner. This non-contact feeding mechanism is resistant to an impact. In a case where a brittle material such as glass or ceramics is used for a housing on which antennas are formed and a feed pin is used for feeding, the housing may be damaged and the antennas may become inoperable when a strong external impact is applied to the housing and stress is concentrated on one point on the housing. A non-contact feeding mechanism is very effective to prevent such problems.
However, with a feeding mechanism where a radiating conductor and a capacitor plate are capacitively coupled, its capacitance value greatly varies when the positional relationship between the radiating conductor and the capacitor plate, particularly a gap between them, becomes different from a designed value due to, for example, a production error. This in turn makes it difficult to achieve impedance matching. Also, the same problem may occur when the positional relationship between the radiating conductor and the capacitor plate changes due to vibration during use.
An aspect of this disclosure provides an antenna device including a feeding element connected to a feed point, and a radiating element disposed at a distance from the feeding element. The feeding element is coupled with the radiating element by electromagnetic field coupling to feed the radiating element so that the radiating element functions as a radiating conductor.
Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The antenna device 1 includes a feed point 14, a ground plane 12, a radiating element 22, a feeding part 36 for feeding the radiating element 22, and a feeding element 21 that is a conductor and disposed at a predetermined distance from the radiating element 22 in a Z-axis direction. The feeding part 36 is a feeding part solely for the radiating element 22, and is not for the antenna device 1. A feeding part for the antenna device 1 is the feed point 14.
In the example of
The radiating element 22 is a line-shaped antenna conductor that extends along an edge 12a of the ground plane 12. For example, the radiating element 22 is a linear conductor including a conductor part 23 that is at a predetermined shortest distance from the edge 12a in the Y-axis direction and extends parallel to the edge 12a in the X-axis direction. With the radiating element 22 including the conductor part 23 extending along the edge 12a, it is possible, for example, to easily control the directivity of the antenna device 1. In the example of
The feeding element 21 is connected to the feed point 14 that uses the ground plane 12 as a ground reference, and is a linear conductor that can feed the radiating element 22 by electromagnetic field coupling via the feeding part 36. In the example of
The feed point 14 is a feeding part connected, for example, to a transmission line using the ground plane 12 or a feeding line. Examples of transmission lines include a microstrip line, a strip line, and a coplanar waveguide with a ground plane (i.e., a coplanar waveguide including a ground plane disposed on a surface opposite to a conductor surface). Examples of feeding lines include a feeder line and a coaxial cable.
The feeding element 21 is connected via the feed point 14 to, for example, a feeding circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit such as an IC chip) mounted on a circuit board. The feeding element 21 may also be connected to the feeding circuit via different types of transmission lines and/or feeding lines as described above. The feeding element 21 feeds the radiating element 22 by electromagnetic field coupling.
The feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 are at such a distance from each other that they can be coupled by electromagnetic field coupling. The radiating element 22 is fed by the feeding element 21 in a non-contact manner through electromagnetic field coupling at the feeding part 36. By being fed as described above, the radiating element 22 functions as a radiating conductor of an antenna. As illustrated by
Electromagnetic field coupling uses a resonance phenomenon of an electromagnetic field, and is disclosed, for example, in a non-patent document (A. Kurs et al, “Wireless Power Transfer via Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonances,” Science Express, Vol. 317, No. 5834, pp. 83-86, July 2007). Electromagnetic field coupling is also called “electromagnetic field resonant coupling” or “electromagnetic field resonance coupling”. Electromagnetic field coupling is a technology where resonators that resonate at the same frequency are disposed close to each other, one of the resonators is caused to resonate to generate a near field (non-radiation field area) between the resonators, and energy is transmitted to another one of the resonators via coupling by the near field. Also, electromagnetic field coupling indicates coupling via an electric field and a magnetic field at a high frequency excluding electrostatic capacitive coupling and electromagnetic induction coupling. Here, “excluding electrostatic capacitive coupling and electromagnetic induction coupling” does not indicate completely eliminating electrostatic capacitive coupling and electromagnetic induction coupling, but indicates that their influence is negligible. A medium between the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 may be air or a dielectric material such as glass or resin. It is preferable to not place a conductive material such as a ground plane or a display between the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22.
A configuration that is resistant to an impact is obtained by coupling the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 by electromagnetic field coupling. That is, using electromagnetic field coupling makes it possible to feed the radiating element 22 using the feeding element 21 without bringing the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 into physical contact with each other, and thereby makes it possible to provide a configuration that is more resistant to an impact than a contact feeding mechanism requiring a physical contact.
Also, compared with a configuration where the radiating element 22 is fed by electrostatic capacitive coupling, the configuration where the radiating element is fed by electromagnetic field coupling makes it possible to reduce the decrease in the total efficiency (antenna gain) of the radiating element 22 at an operating frequency in relation to a change in the distance (coupling distance) between the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22. Here, total efficiency is a quantity calculated by a formula “antenna radiation efficiency x return loss”, and is defined as the efficiency of an antenna relative to input power. Therefore, coupling the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 by electromagnetic field coupling makes it possible to more flexibly determine the positions of the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22, and also makes it possible to improve positional robustness. Here, high positional robustness indicates that displacement of the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 has little influence on the total efficiency of the radiating element 22. Also, being able to flexibly determine the positions of the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 makes it possible to easily reduce the space necessary to install the antenna device 1. Also, using electromagnetic field coupling makes it possible to feed the radiating element by the feeding element 21 without using an extra component such as a capacitor plate. Accordingly, compared with a case where electrostatic capacitive coupling is used for feeding, using electromagnetic field coupling makes it possible to feed the feeding element 21 with a simple configuration.
In
In the dipole mode, the impedance of the radiating element 22 gradually increases from the center portion 90 toward the end 22a and the end 22b. When the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 are coupled by electromagnetic field coupling at high impedance greater than a predetermined value, a slight change in the impedance between the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 does not greatly affect impedance matching. Therefore, to easily achieve impedance matching, the feeding part 36 of the radiating element 22 is preferably located at a high impedance portion of the radiating element 22.
For example, to easily achieve the impedance matching of the antenna device 1, the feeding part 36 is preferably located at a portion of the radiating element 22 that is away from a lowest impedance portion (in this example, the center portion 90), whose impedance is lowest in the radiating element 22 at a resonance frequency of the fundamental mode of the radiating element 22, by a distance greater than or equal to ⅛ (more preferably ⅙, and further preferably ¼) of the entire length of the radiating element 22. In
On the other hand, when the distance between a capacitor plate and a radiating conductor increases even slightly in a case where impedance matching is achieved in low impedance coupling such as electrostatic capacitive coupling as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-244715, the capacitance decreases and the impedance between the capacitor plate and the radiating conductor increases. As a result, the impedance matching becomes unachievable.
When Le21 indicates an electrical length that imparts a fundamental mode of resonance to the feeding element 21, Le22 indicates an electrical length that imparts a fundamental mode of resonance to the radiating element 22, and λ indicates a wavelength on the feeding element 21 or the radiating element 22 at a resonance frequency f11 of the fundamental mode of the radiating element 22, Le21 is preferably less than or equal to (⅜)·λ, and Le22 is preferably greater than or equal to (⅜)·λ and less than or equal to (⅝)·λ when the fundamental mode of resonance of the radiating element 22 is the dipole mode or greater than or equal to (⅞)·λ and less than or equal to (9/8)·λ when the fundamental mode of resonance of the radiating element 22 is the loop mode.
Le21 is preferably less than or equal to (⅜)·λ. When it is desired to flexibly design the shape of the feeding element 21 including the presence or absence of the ground plane 12, Le21 is more preferably greater than or equal to (⅛)·λ and less than or equal to (⅜)·λ, and further preferably greater than or equal to ( 3/16)·λ and less than or equal to ( 5/16)·λ When Le21 is within the above ranges, the feeding element 21 resonates properly at a design frequency (resonance frequency f11) of the radiating element 22, the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 resonate with each other without depending on the ground plane 12 of the antenna device 1, and appropriate electromagnetic field coupling can be achieved.
When the ground plane 12 is formed such that the edge 12a extends along the radiating element 22, a resonance current (distribution) can be formed on the feeding element 21 and the ground plane 12 as a result of an interaction between the feeding element 21 and the edge 12a, and the feeding element 21 resonates and is coupled with the radiating element 22 by electromagnetic field coupling. For this reason, there is no specific lower limit for the electrical length Le21 of the feeding element 21 as long as the feeding element 21 has a length that is sufficient to be physically coupled with the radiating element 22 by electromagnetic field coupling. When electromagnetic field coupling is achieved, it indicates that impedance matching is achieved. In this case, it is not necessary to determine the electrical length of the feeding element 21 according to the resonance frequency of the radiating element 22. This in turn makes it possible to freely design the feeding element 21 as a radiating conductor, and thereby makes it possible to easily implement the antenna device 1 supporting multiple frequencies. The sum of the length of the edge 12a of the ground plane 12 extending along the radiating element 22 and the electrical length of the feeding element 21 is preferably greater than or equal to (¼)·λ of the design frequency (resonance frequency f11).
When the feeding element 21 does not include a component such as a matching circuit, a physical length L21 of the feeding element 21 is determined by λg1=λ0·k1, where λ0 indicates the wavelength of a radio wave in a vacuum at the resonance frequency of the fundamental mode of the radiating element 22 and k1 indicates a shortening coefficient of a wavelength shortening effect in an actual environment. Here, k1 is calculated based on, for example, a relative permittivity, a relative permeability (e.g., an effective relative permittivity (∈r1) and an effective relative permeability (μr1) of an environment of the feeding element 21), and a thickness of a medium (environment) such as a dielectric substrate where the feeding element 21 is placed, and a resonance frequency. That is, L21 is less than or equal to (⅜)·λg1. The shortening coefficient may be calculated based on the physical properties described above, or by actual measurement. For example, a resonance frequency of a target element placed in an environment whose shortening coefficient is to be obtained is measured, a resonance frequency of the same target element is measured in an environment whose shortening coefficient for each frequency is known, and the shortening coefficient may be calculated based on a difference between the measured resonance frequencies.
The physical length L21 of the feeding element 21 is a physical length that gives Le21. In an ideal case where no other factor is considered, the physical length L21 is equal to Le21. When, for example, the feeding element 21 includes a matching circuit, L21 is preferably greater than zero and less than or equal to Le21. By using a matching circuit such as an inductor, L21 can be reduced (i.e., the size of the feeding element 21 can be reduced).
When the fundamental mode of resonance of the radiating element 22 is the dipole mode (i.e., when the radiating element 21 is a linear conductor having open ends), Le22 is preferably greater than or equal to (⅜)·λ and less than or equal to (⅝)·λ, more preferably greater than or equal to ( 7/16)·λ and less than or equal to ( 9/16)·λ, and further preferably greater than or equal to ( 15/32)·λ and less than or equal to ( 17/32)·λ. When a higher-order mode is taken into account, Le22 is preferably greater than or equal to (⅜)·λ·m and less than or equal to (⅝)·λ·m, more preferably greater than or equal to ( 7/16)·λ·m and less than or equal to ( 9/16)·λ·m, and further preferably greater than or equal to ( 15/32)·λ·m and less than or equal to ( 17/32)·λ·m. Here, m indicates a mode number of a higher-order mode and is represented by a natural number. The value of m is preferably an integer between 1 through 5, and more preferably an integer between 1 through 3. In this case, m=1 indicates the fundamental mode. When Le22 is within the above ranges, the radiating element 22 functions sufficiently as a radiating conductor, and the efficiency of the antenna device 1 becomes high.
When the fundamental mode of resonance of the radiating element 22 is the loop mode (i.e., when the radiating element 21 is a loop conductor), Le22 is preferably greater than or equal to (⅞)·λ and less than or equal to (9/8)·λ, more preferably greater than or equal to ( 15/16)·λ and less than or equal to (17/16)·λ, and further preferably greater than or equal to ( 31/32)·λ and less than or equal to (33/32)·λ. For a higher-order mode, Le22 is preferably greater than or equal to (⅞)·λ·m and less than or equal to (9/8)·λ·m, more preferably greater than or equal to ( 15/16)·λ·m and less than or equal to (17/16)·λ·m, and further preferably greater than or equal to ( 31/32)·λ·m and less than or equal to (33/32)·λ·m.
A physical length L22 of the radiating element is determined by λg2=λ0·k2, where λ0 indicates the wavelength of a radio wave in a vacuum at the resonance frequency of the fundamental mode of the radiating element 22 and k2 indicates a shortening coefficient of a wavelength shortening effect in an actual environment. Here, k2 is calculated based on, for example, a relative permittivity, a relative permeability (e.g., an effective relative permittivity (εr2) and an effective relative permeability (μ2) of an environment of the radiating element 22), and a thickness of a medium (environment) such as a dielectric substrate where the radiating element 22 is placed, and a resonance frequency. Thus, L22 is greater than or equal to (⅜)·λg2 and less than or equal to (⅝)·λg2 when the fundamental mode of resonance of the radiating element 22 is the dipole mode, and is greater than or equal to (⅞)·λg2 and less than or equal to (9/8)·λg2 when the fundamental mode of resonance of the radiating element is the loop mode. The physical length L22 of the radiating element 22 is a physical length that gives Le22. In an ideal case where no other factor is considered, the physical length L22 is equal to Le22. Even when L22 is reduced by using, for example, a matching circuit such as an inductor, L22 is preferably greater than zero and less than or equal to Le22, and more preferably greater than or equal to 0.4×Le22 and less than or equal to 1×Le22. In the case of the loop radiating element 24 of
For example, when BT resin (registered trademark), CCL-HL870 (M) (MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC.) with a relative permittivity of 3.4, tan δ of 0.003, and a substrate thickness of 0.8 mm is used as a dielectric substrate, L21 is 20 mm when the design frequency of the feeding element 21 used as a radiating conductor is 3.5 GHz, and L22 is 34 mm when the design frequency of the radiating element 22 is 2.2 GHz.
Also, when the interaction between the feeding element 21 and the edge 12a of the ground plane 12 can be used as illustrated by
When the radiation function of the feeding element 21 is used and the feeding element 21 does not include a component such as a matching circuit, the physical length L21 of the feeding element 21 is determined by λg3=λ1·k1, where λ1 indicates the wavelength of a radio wave in a vacuum at the resonance frequency f2 of the feeding element 21 and k1 indicates a shortening coefficient of a wavelength shortening effect in an actual environment. Here, k1 is calculated based on, for example, a relative permittivity, a relative permeability (e.g., an effective relative permittivity (εr1) and an effective relative permeability (μr1) of an environment of the feeding element 21), and a thickness of a medium (environment) such as a dielectric substrate where the feeding element 21 is placed, and a resonance frequency. That is, L21 is greater than or equal to (⅛)·λg3 and less than or equal to (⅜)·λg3, and is preferably greater than or equal to ( 3/16)·λg3 and less than or equal to ( 5/16)·λg3. The physical length L21 of the feeding element 21 is a physical length that gives Le21. In an ideal case where no other factor is considered, the physical length L21 is equal to Le21. When, for example, the feeding element 21 includes a matching circuit, L21 is preferably greater than zero and less than or equal to Le21. By using a matching circuit such as an inductor, L21 can be reduced (i.e., the size of the feeding element 21 can be reduced).
In the simulations performed to obtain the results of
When λ0 indicates the wavelength of a radio wave in a vacuum at the resonance frequency of the fundamental mode of the radiating element 22, a shortest distance x (>0) between the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 is preferably less than or equal to 0.2×λ0 (more preferably less than or equal to 0.1×λ0, and further preferably less than or equal to 0.05×λ0). Arranging the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 at the shortest distance x described above makes it possible to improve the total efficiency of the radiating element 22.
Here, the shortest distance x indicates a linear distance between the closest parts of the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22.
Although the matching circuit 15, which is an inductor, is used in this example, a capacitor may be used instead of an inductor. Also, although an inductor is inserted in series in this example, the circuit configuration is not limited to this example, and any known matching technology may be used. Further, even when the length of the feeding element 21 is constant, it is possible to adaptively change operating frequencies and frequency bands by electronically changing the constant of the matching circuit 15. This in turn makes it possible to implement a tunable antenna.
The radiating element 22 is disposed away from the feeding element 21 in the Z-axis direction such that when seen from the Z-axis direction, the end 22a of the radiating element 22 overlaps a portion of the feeding element 21 between the end 21a and the end 21b. In this case, the shortest distance x corresponds to the linear distance between the end 22a of the radiating element 22 facing the feeding element 21 and the end 21b of the feeding element 21 facing the radiating element 22.
The results of
As illustrated by
Also, a distance for which the feeding element and the radiating element 22 run parallel to each other at the shortest distance x is preferably less than or equal to ⅜, more preferably less than or equal to ¼, and further preferably less than or equal to ⅛ of the physical length of the radiating element 22. Because the coupling strength between portions of the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 at the shortest distance x is high, when the distance for which the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 run parallel to each other at the shortest distance x is long, the feeding element 21 is coupled strongly with both of a high-impedance portion and a low-impedance portion of the radiating element 22. As a result, the impedance matching may become unachievable. Therefore, the distance for which the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 run parallel to each other at the shortest distance x is preferably short so that the feeding element 21 is strongly coupled with only a portion of the radiating element 22 having relatively constant impedance, and the impedance matching is achieved.
The wireless communication apparatus 2 is a portable wireless apparatus. Examples of the wireless communication apparatus 2 include electronic apparatuses such as an information terminal, a cellphone, a smartphone, a personal computer, a game machine, a television, and music and video players.
The wireless communication apparatus 2 includes a housing 30, a display 32 disposed in the housing 30, and a cover glass 31 that entirely covers an image display surface of the display 32. Here, the housing 30 is a component that forms a part or the whole of the outer shape of the wireless communication apparatus 2, and is a container that houses and protects, for example, a circuit board including the ground plane 12. The housing 30 may be composed of multiple components including a back cover 33.
The display 32 may include a touch sensor function. The cover glass 31 is a dielectric substrate that is transparent or translucent to allow a user to see an image displayed on the display 32, and is a tabular component stacked on the display 32. The cover glass 31 has a size that is the same as or slightly smaller than the size of the outer shape of the housing 30.
An outer surface of the cover glass 31 that is opposite to a surface of the cover glass 31 facing the display 32 is defined as a first surface, and the surface facing the display 32 is defined as a second surface.
When the radiating element 22 is formed on the second surface of the cover glass 31, the feeding element 21 exemplified in
The radiating element 22 exemplified in
When a metal is used for a part of the housing 30 forming a part or the whole of the outer shape of the wireless communication apparatus 2, the radiating element 22 may be implemented by the metal constituting the part of the housing 30. In, for example, recent smartphones, only a small space is available for installing an antenna. Therefore, using a metal constituting a part of a housing as a radiating element makes it possible effectively use a space.
As a wireless apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated by
When the radiating element 22 is formed on a surface of the cover glass 31, the radiating element 22 may be formed by applying a conductive paste of, for example, copper or silver onto the surface of the cover glass 31 and firing the applied conductive paste. As the conductive paste, a low-temperature-firing conductive paste that can be fired at a temperature that does not reduce the strength of a chemically-strengthened glass forming the cover glass 31 may be used. Also, to prevent the degradation of a conductor due to oxidation, the conductive paste may be, for example, plated. Also, the radiating element 22 may be formed by attaching a copper or silver foil via an adhesive layer to a surface of the cover glass 31. A decorative print may be formed on a part of the cover glass 31, and a conductor may be formed on the part of the cover glass 31. When a black masking film is formed on the periphery of the cover glass 31 to hide, for example, wiring, the radiating element 22 may be formed on the black masking film.
Although a resin such as ABS resin is generally used as a material of the housing 30 and the back cover 33, other materials such as transparent glass, colored glass, and opalescent glass may also be used for the housing 30 and the back cover 33.
Colored glass may be produced by adding, for example, Co, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Cr, V, Zn, Bi, Er, Tm, Nd, Sm, Sn, Ce, Pr, Eu, Ag, or Au as a colorant to components of glass. Examples of opalescent glass include crystallized glass and phase-separated glass that use scattering of light. As crystalized glass, lithium disilicate (Li2Si2O5) crystal, nepheline ((NaK)AlSiO4) crystal, and sodium fluoride (NaF) are particularly preferable.
Also, a glass-ceramic substrate obtained by sintering a mixture of glass powder, ceramic powder, and pigment powder may be used as a material for the housing 30 and the back cover 33.
Glass powder having any composition may be used as long as it can be sintered together with ceramic powder at an appropriate temperature. When silver wiring is formed by sintering at a temperature between 800° C. and 900° C., glass composition with a softening point between 700° C. and 900° C., is preferable. Also, to improve the strength as a housing, glass composition including SiO2 such as SiO2—B2O3—Al2O3—RO—R2O is preferable. Here, RO indicates alkaline earth metal oxide, and R2O indicates alkali metal oxide. Al2O3 is not essential.
Characteristics such as color and strength of glass ceramic can be flexibly adjusted by changing a combination of glass powder and ceramic powder.
Glass powder may be colored by adding, as a colorant, an element such as Co, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Cr, V, Zn, Bi, Er, Tm, Nd, Sm, Sn, Ce, Pr, Eu, Ag, or Au that causes absorption when added to glass component. Also, the color of glass ceramic may be more flexibly adjusted by mixing pigment powder with glass powder and ceramic powder and sintering the mixture. A typical example of an inorganic pigment is a composite oxide pigment composed of elements selected from, for example, Fe, Cr, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Ti, Sb, Zr, Al, Si, and P. To improve the strength, glass powder with glass composition and a particle size that are suitable to be co-sintered with ceramic powder may be selected. As ceramic powder, for example, Al2O3 or ZrO2 with a high strength may be used. The shape of ceramic powder also greatly influences the strength. The permittivity may be adjusted by selecting ceramic powder with a desired permittivity. The thermal expansion coefficient may be adjusted by selecting a combination of glass powder (glass composition) and ceramic powder having desired thermal expansion coefficients. Also, sintering shrinkage of glass ceramic may also be adjusted by selecting the shape of ceramic powder. A conductor pattern may be formed by screen-printing a pattern with a commercial silver paste for sintering at a temperature between 800° C. and 900° C., and drying the printed pattern. Alternatively, a conductor pattern may be formed by pasting a copper or silver foil.
When the glass ceramic substrate is used for the back cover 33, the back cover 33 may be formed as a multilayer structure. In this case, a conductor pattern may be formed on an inner layer of the multilayer structure, and a part of the conductor pattern may be used as a radiating element. For example, as illustrated by
When the radiating element 22 is formed on the cover glass 31, the radiating element 22 is preferably formed as a linear conductor. On the other hand, when the radiating element 22 is formed on the housing 30 or the back cover 33, the radiating element 22 may be disposed in any position and may be formed as any one of a linear conductor, a loop conductor, and a patch conductor. The patch conductor may have any planar shape such as a substantially-square shape, a substantially-rectangular shape, a substantially-circular shape, or a substantially-oval shape.
Also, as exemplified by
As a wireless apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated by
In the example of
In the example of
Also in the examples of
In the example of
When a wireless apparatus of the present invention includes multiple antennas, the antennas may include both of an antenna employing a non-contact feeding mechanism based on electromagnetic field coupling and an antenna employing another feeding mechanism. Examples of other feeding mechanisms include a contact mechanism using a cable, a flexible substrate, a pin with a spring, and any other elastic part.
The antenna device 3 includes a feeding element 51 connected to a feed point 44, a radiating element 52 that is disposed at a distance from the feeding element 51 and coupled with the feeding element 51 by electromagnetic field coupling, and a microstrip line 40 connected to the feed point 44. The feeding element 51 is connected at the feed point 44 to a strip conductor 41 of the microstrip line 40, and therefore the microstrip line 40 practically functions as a feeding line. The radiating element 52 is formed on one of the surfaces of a cover substrate 61 that is closer to a resin substrate 43 on which the feeding element 51 is formed.
The microstrip line 40 includes the resin substrate 43. A ground plane 42 is formed on one surface of the resin substrate 43, and the linear strip conductor 41 is formed on the opposite surface of the resin substrate 43. The feed point 44 is a connection point between the strip conductor 41 and the feeding element 51. It is assumed that an integrated circuit such as an IC chip connected via the microstrip line 40 to the feed point 44 is mounted on the resin substrate 43.
The feeding element 51 and the strip conductor are disposed on the same surface of the resin substrate 43. As illustrated in
Also, as illustrated by
Commercial copper particles may be used as the copper particles. Using surface-modified copper particles (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2011-017067) makes it possible to form a conductor film with a low volume resistivity, and is therefore preferable. As the resin binder, any known thermosetting resin used for a metal paste may be used. It is preferably to select a resin component that sufficiently sets at a setting temperature. Examples of thermosetting resin include phenolic resin, diallyl phthalate resin, unsaturated alkyd resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin, bismaleimide triazine resin, silicone resin, and thermosetting acrylic resin. Among them, phenolic resin is particularly preferable.
The amount of thermosetting resin in the copper paste needs to be determined so that the set resin does not reduce the conductivity of the copper particles. When the amount of the set resin is too large, the set resin prevents the copper particles from contacting each other, and increases the volume resistivity of the conductor. The amount of thermosetting resin may be determined based on the ratio between the volume of the copper particles and the gaps between the copper particles. Generally, the amount of thermosetting resin is preferably 5 to 50 parts by mass and more preferably 5 to 20 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the copper particles. When the amount of thermosetting resin is greater than or equal to 5 parts by mass, the copper paste has a good rheological property. When the amount of thermosetting resin is less than or equal to 50 parts by mass, the volume resistivity of the conductor film can be maintained at a low level.
In the measurement of
As the results of
Moving the cover substrate 61 results in a change in the positional relationship between the feeding element 51 and the radiating element 52, and it is possible to evaluate how the S11 characteristic of the radiating element 52 changes depending on the change in the positional relationship. As the results of
An antenna device of an embodiment of the present invention can function as a multiband antenna that uses a second-order mode where a radiating element resonates at a resonance frequency that is about two times greater than the resonance frequency of a fundamental mode (first-order mode). Next, conditions in which excellent matching can be achieved in the fundamental mode and the second-order mode of a radiating element of an antenna device of an embodiment when the radiating element operates in the dipole mode are described with reference to an analytic model of
The microstrip line 140 includes a substrate 143. A ground plane 142 is formed on one surface of the substrate 143, and the linear strip conductor 141 is formed on the opposite surface of the substrate 143. The feed point 144 is a connection point between the strip conductor 141 and the feeding element 151. It is assumed that an integrated circuit such as an IC chip connected via the microstrip line 140 to the feed point 144 is mounted on the substrate 143.
The feeding element 151 and the strip conductor 141 are disposed on the same surface of the substrate 143. The boundary between the feeding element 151 and the strip conductor 141 is the feed point 144 and coincides with an edge 142a of the ground plane 142 in plan view from the Z-axis direction. The feeding element 151 is a linear conductor that extends linearly in the Y-axis direction from an end 151a connected to the feed point 144 to an end 151b.
Also, the antenna device 4 includes a cover substrate 161 that is disposed at a distance from the substrate 143 in the direction of a normal line of the substrate 143 that is parallel to the Z-axis direction. The radiating element 152 is formed on one of the surfaces of the cover substrate 161 that is closer to the substrate 143 on which the feeding element 151 is formed. The radiating element 152 is a linear conductor that linearly connects an end 152a and an end 152b.
The radiating element 152 is disposed away from the feeding element 151 in the Z-axis direction such that when seen in the Z-axis direction, the end 152a of the radiating element 152 overlaps a portion of the feeding element 151 between the end 151a and the end 151b. The shortest distance between the feeding element 151 and the radiating element 151 coupled by electromagnetic field coupling corresponds to a gap L68 between the substrate 143 and the cover substrate 161.
Also, the line width of the feeding element 151 was set at a constant value of 1.9 mm, and the line width of the radiating element 152 was set at a constant value of 1.9 mm. As the substrate 143, a dielectric substrate (BT resin (registered trademark), CCL-HL870 (M) (MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC.)) with a relative permittivity of 3.4, tan δ of 0.003, and a substrate thickness of 0.8 mm was assumed to be used. As the cover substrate 161, a dielectric substrate (LTCC)) with a relative permittivity of 9.0, tan δ of 0.004, and a substrate thickness of 1.0 mm was assumed to be used.
In
With an antenna device of an embodiment of the present invention, the resonance frequency f21 of a feeding element can be shifted without changing the resonance frequencies f11 and f12 of a radiating element, by changing the length of the feeding element with the width of the radiating element fixed. For example, by decreasing the length of the feeding element, the resonance frequency f21 of the feeding element can be shifted toward the high-frequency side between the resonance frequencies f11 and f12 of the radiating element, and can also be shifted to a frequency higher than the resonance frequency f12 of the radiating element. On the other hand, by increasing the length of the feeding element, the resonance frequency f21 of the feeding element can be shifted toward the low-frequency side, and can also be shifted to a frequency lower than the resonance frequency f11 of the radiating element.
p=f21/f12
When the frequency ratio p is 1, f12 and f21 are the same frequency. When the frequency ratio p is less than 1, f21 is lower than f12. When the frequency ratio p is greater than 1, f21 is higher than f12. As the length L51 of the feeding element 151 decreases, the resonance frequency f21 of the feeding element 151 shifts toward the high-frequency side, and the frequency ratio p increases.
In
When the S11 characteristic at a resonance frequency of a radiating element satisfies S11<−4 [dB], it is easier to achieve excellent matching of the radiating element. According to the results of
Because the coupling strength of electromagnetic field coupling changes depending on the length of the gap L68 (see
According to
p2=0.1801·x−0.468
Thus, assuming that a resonance frequency of the fundamental mode of the feeding element is f21, a resonance frequency of the second-order mode of the radiating element is f12, a wavelength in a vacuum at the resonance frequency of the fundamental mode of the radiating element is λ0, and a value obtained by normalizing the shortest distance between the feeding element and the radiating element by λ0 is x, excellent matching is achieved at the resonance frequency of the fundamental mode and the resonance frequency of the second-order mode of the radiating element when the frequency ration p (=f21/f12) is greater than or equal to 0.7 and less than or equal to (0.1801·x−0.468).
For example, even when the shape of the feeding element 151 is changed to an L-shape as illustrated in
The feeding element 151 of the antenna device 5 is a linear conductor that bends at a right angle at a bent part 151c between an end 151a and an end 151b. The feeding element 151 includes a linear conductor portion extending in the Y-axis direction between the end 151a and the bent part 151c, and a liner conductor portion extending in the X-axis direction between the bent part 151c and the end 151b. The radiating element 152 includes a linear conductor portion that overlaps the linear conductor portion of the feeding element 151 between the bent part 151c and the end 151b in plan view seen from the Z-axis direction. The bent part 151c is located between the end 152a and the end 152b in plan view seen from the Z-axis direction.
Also, the line width of the feeding element 151 was set at a constant value of 1.9 mm, and the line width of the radiating element 152 was set at a constant value of 1.9 mm. As the substrate 143, a dielectric substrate (BT resin (registered trademark), CCL-HL870 (M) (MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC.)) with a relative permittivity of 3.4, tan δ of 0.003, and a substrate thickness of 0.8 mm was assumed to be used. As the cover substrate 161, a dielectric substrate (LTCC)) with a relative permittivity of 9.0, tan δ of 0.004, and a substrate thickness of 1.0 mm was assumed to be used. The entire length of the feeding element 151 substantially equals to (L70+L53).
As illustrated by
An antenna device and a wireless apparatus including the antenna device according to the embodiments of the present invention are described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Combinations of some or all of the embodiments and the variation and replacement of the embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, the feeding element 21 and the radiating element 22 exemplified by
The radiating element 252 has a meander shape that is axisymmetric about a symmetric axis in the Y-axis direction, and includes a linear conductor portion that overlaps a linear conductor portion between a bent part 151c and an end 151b of the feeding element 151 in plan view seen from the Z-axis direction. The radiating element 252 is formed on one of the surfaces of the substrate 161 that is closer to the substrate 143 on which the feeding element 151 is formed. The entire length of the radiating element 252 is λ/2. In
As illustrated by
A radiating element is not necessarily formed on a flat surface. For example, a radiating element may be formed along a curved surface as illustrated by
The wireless communication apparatus 7 has a configuration similar to the configuration of the wireless communication apparatus 2 (see
The antenna device housed in the housing 330 includes a resin substrate 343 on which a microstrip line is formed. A ground plane 342 is formed on one surface of the resin substrate 343, and a linear strip conductor 341 is formed on the opposite surface of the resin substrate 343. An edge 342a is an edge of the ground plane 342.
The antenna device housed in the housing 330 includes a feeding element 351 connected via a feed point 344 to the strip conductor 341, and a radiating element 352 that is coupled with the feeding element 351 by electromagnetic field coupling. The feeding element 351 and the strip conductor 341 are disposed on the same surface of the resin substrate 343. The feeding element 351 is a meander-shaped linear conductor connected to the feed point 344 that is connected to the strip conductor 341. The radiating element 352 is formed on a recessed surface of the cover glass 331 near the feeding element 351.
Also, the line width of the feeding element 351 was set at a constant value of 0.5 mm, the line width of the radiating element 352 was set at a constant value of 2 mm, and the line width of the strip conductor 341 was set at a constant value of 1.9 mm. The cover glass 331 has a curved surface, and has a thickness of 1.1 mm. The cover glass 331 includes a portion with a radius of curvature of 200 mm in the X direction and a portion with a radius of curvature of 2000 mm in the Y direction. The cover glass 331 is attached to a frame of the housing 330.
As illustrated by
A feeding element may be formed on a surface of a substrate or inside of the substrate. Also, a chip component including a feeding element and a medium contacting the feeding element may be mounted on a substrate. This configuration makes it possible to easily mount a feeding element contacting a predetermined medium on a substrate.
A medium contacting a radiating element or a feeding element is not limited to a dielectric material, and may be a magnetic material or a substrate including a mixture of a dielectric material and a magnetic material as a base material. Examples of dielectric materials include resin, glass, glass ceramic, Low-Temperature Co-Fired Ceramics (LTCC), and alumina. A mixture of a dielectric material and a magnetic material may be any material that includes a transition element such as Fe, Ni, or Co and a metal or an oxide including a rare-earth element such as Sm or Nd. Examples of mixtures of a dielectric material and a magnetic material include hexagonal ferrite, spinel ferrite (e.g., Mn—Zn ferrite and Ni—Zn ferrite), garnet ferrite, permalloy, and Sendust (registered trademark).
An aspect of this disclosure provides an antenna device including a non-contact feeding mechanism that is highly robust in terms of the positional relationship between a radiating conductor and a feeding element, and a wireless apparatus including the antenna device.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-161983 | Jul 2012 | JP | national |
The present application is a continuation application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) claiming benefit under 35 U.S.C. 120 and 365(c) of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP2013/067135, filed on Jun. 21, 2013, which is based on and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-161983 filed on Jul. 20, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2013/067135 | Jun 2013 | US |
| Child | 14600163 | US |
