This application is a 371 of PCT/JP03/12643 filed on Oct. 02, 2003.
The present invention relates to an antenna device used mainly for mobile communications.
A communication module allowing use of a plurality of information communication systems is shown in
Conventional art related to the present invention is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3114582 or Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2001-177330, for example.
In the structure discussed above, two antennas 101 and 102 must be disposed physically separately, so that the size of a housing for storing communication module 100 consequentially increases. Two antennas 101 and 102 require two mounted positions and double manufacturing cost.
The present invention provides an antenna device having a ground plate, a radiation plate faced to the ground plate, and a plurality of power supply ports in a region having zero electric potential on the radiation plate. The radiation plate has four slits axisymmetric with respect to a first straight line group for connecting respective power supply ports to the midpoint of the radiation plate. A second straight line group orthogonal to the first straight line group substantially contacts with two sides of each slit at an arbitrary point between an end of the radiation plate and the midpoint of the radiation plate.
When a signal having the desired frequency is fed into only first power supply port 3, radiation plate 1 and ground plate 2 operate as a ½ wavelength resonator opening in the periphery on second straight line 10, and first resonance current 7 flows on radiation plate 1. As discussed above, second straight line 10 (first straight line group) connects first power supply port 3 to the midpoint of radiation plate 1. The ½ wavelength resonator opening in the periphery has zero electric potential at its midpoint (a point ¼ wavelength away from the end). In other words, electric potential on first straight line 9 (first straight line group) on radiation plate 1 is always zero. Second power supply port 4 is positioned on first straight line 9 having zero electric potential, so that a high frequency signal fed from first power supply port 3 does not leak to second power supply port 4.
Similarly, when a signal having the desired frequency is fed into only second power supply port 4, second resonance current 8 flows on radiation plate 1, and electric potential is always zero on second straight line 10 (first straight line group) on radiation plate 1. Therefore, a signal having the desired frequency fed from second power supply port 4 does not leak to first power supply port 3 positioned on second straight line 10. For realizing the characteristic discussed above, the positions of respective power supply ports are determined so that second straight line 10 intersects first straight line 9 at right angles at the midpoint of radiation plate 1. First straight line 9 (first straight line group) connects second power supply port 4 to the midpoint of radiation plate 1, as discussed above.
Line width of first straight line 9 is changed from first line width 15 to second line width 16 by disposing slits 6. Therefore, when radiation plate 1 and ground plate 2 are considered to form a resonator, characteristic impedance is lower in a region having large first line width 15, and characteristic impedance is higher in a region having narrow second line width 16. Varying the characteristic impedance between the radiation plate 1 and ground plate 2 can provide a stepped impedance resonator (SIR) structure and shorten resonator length, so that the antenna device can be downsized.
Line width is varied at a point ⅛ wavelength away from the periphery of radiation plate 1 in embodiment 1. That is because the resonator can be minimized when the characteristic impedance of the resonator is varied at the point ⅛ wavelength away from the end.
Forming radiation plate 1 in an elliptical shape can make resonant frequency of first power supply port 3 different from that of second power supply port 4. In a using example of this antenna device, first power supply port 3 can be used for transmission of a global system for mobile communications (GSM), and second power supply port 4 can be used for reception. Isolation between both power supply ports 3 and 4 is secured in the antenna device itself, so that a shared apparatus need not be disposed just under the antenna device. This antenna device can be also used in response to two systems, so that first power supply port 3 can be used for W-LAN and second power supply port 4 can be used for Bluetooth, for example.
As a result, by adjusting the interval of the gap, the antenna device can be aligned without using a matching circuit and cost and mounting space required for the matching circuit can be reduced.
Third power supply port 26 is disposed at the midpoint of radiation plate 1. That is because the midpoint of radiation plate 1 always has zero electric potential even when power is supplied to first power supply port 3 and second power supply port 4. In other words, on first straight line 9, the electric potential generated on radiation plate 1 when a signal having a desired frequency is supplied to only first power supply port 3 is always zero. On second straight line 10, the electric potential generated on radiation plate 1 when a signal having the desired frequency is supplied to only second power supply port 4 is always zero. First straight line 9 and second straight line 10 intersect at the midpoint of radiation plate 1.
A matching circuit for matching with radiation plate 1 is generally required to lie just under third power supply port 26, so that substrate 5 filled between radiation plate 1 and ground plate 2 is formed in a lamination structure and the matching circuit may be formed of substrate 5.
When frequency used in third power supply port 26 is set different from the frequency used in first power supply port 3 and second power supply port 4, isolation between third power supply port 26 and each of power supply ports 3 and 4 can be increased.
When the antenna device is used in consideration of the characteristics discussed above, for example, first power supply port 3 and second power supply port 4 are used as a polarization diversity antenna of the W-LAN, and third power supply port 26 is used as an antenna for a system employing a frequency other than 2.4 GHz band such as a television, a global positioning system (GPS), or a personal digital cellular (PDC).
Radiation plate 1 has four slits 6 symmetric with respect to the midpoint thereof. Two sides of the outer periphery of each slit 6 contact with respective straight lines orthogonal to the first straight line group connecting power supply ports to the midpoint of radiation plate 1, at points ⅛ wavelength (electric length) away from the periphery of radiation plate 1. First power supply port 3 and second power supply port 4 are disposed not in the periphery of radiation plate 1, but inside radiation plate 1. Power supply ports 3 and 4 are arranged so that first straight line 9 (first straight line group) connecting power supply port 3 to the midpoint of radiation plate 1 intersects second straight line 10 (first straight line group) connecting power supply port 4 to the midpoint at right angles at the midpoint of radiation plate 1. Each of power supply ports 3 and 4 is disposed at an arbitrary position on each of first and second straight lines 9 and 10, so that impedance matching of power supply ports 3 and 4 can be performed without using a matching circuit.
Notches 27 are formed in the periphery of radiation plate 1 so that radiation plate 1 is axisymmetric with respect to first straight line 9 and second straight line 10, thereby decreasing resonant frequency of the antenna device. As a result, the antenna device can be downsized.
Notches 27 are formed in the periphery of square radiation plate 1 in embodiment 6; however, a circular, regular polygonal, or quadrangular radiation plate can produce a similar advantage.
Radiation plate 1 has four slits 6 symmetric with respect to the midpoint thereof. Two sides of the outer periphery of each slit 6 contact with the second straight line group orthogonal to the first straight line group, at points ⅛ wavelength (electric length) away from the periphery of radiation plate 1. Here, the first straight line group connects power supply ports 3 and 4 to the midpoint of radiation plate 1. The substrate is selected so that a value derived by dividing relative magnetic permeability of first substrate 5 by relative dielectric constant thereof is lower than that of second substrate 17.
Between radiation plate 1 and ground plate 2, characteristic impedance in the region filled with second substrate 17 can be larger than that in the region filled with second substrate 5. The interval (distance) between radiation plate 1 and ground plate 2 is larger in the region filled with second substrate 17 than in the region filled with second substrate 5, so that the antenna device structure can be designed so that the characteristic impedance in the region filled with second substrate 17 is large.
The present embodiment produces an advantage similar to that of embodiment 1 by forming four slits 6 in radiation plate 1. Therefore, on the first straight line group, the characteristic impedance in the region between the periphery of radiation plate 1 and the position ⅛ wavelength (electric length) away from the periphery can be set smaller than that in the other region. The first straight line group connects each of power supply ports 3 and 4 to the midpoint of radiation plate 1, discussed above.
In this antenna device structure, the characteristic impedance can be largely changed at the position ⅛ wavelength (electric length) away from the periphery of radiation plate 1, depending on the material, structure, and radiation plate shape. Therefore, the SIR structure can be realized and the antenna device can be downsized.
An arbitrary number of slits are disposed in arbitrary positions of the periphery of the radiation plate axisymmetric with respect to the first straight line group, so that the radiation plate can be designed to have equivalently long electric length thanks to the slits. As a result, the antenna device can be downsized.
Reactance elements 28 and 29 allow electric length to be extended in supplying power to each of power supply ports 3 and 4, so that the antenna device can be downsized. Impedance of the antenna device can be adjusted by polishing and adjusting the shapes of reactance elements 28 and 29. When the other end of each of reactance elements 28 and 29 that is not connected to radiation plate 1 is connected to ground plate 2, a similar advantage can also be produced.
The isolation between ports in the antenna device is adjusted by cutting the periphery of the opening tip of the reactance element. The characteristic of the antenna device varies depending on a mounted housing, but can be adjusted by adjusting length of a conductive element having an opening tip. Therefore, the antenna device can rapidly correspond to various housings.
The antenna device of the present invention has one of the following radiation plates:
an elliptic radiation plate where electric length of each of the major axis and the minor axis is substantially ½ wavelength of a desired frequency; and
a radiation plate having a quadrangular shape except a regularly polygonal shape in which electric length from one peripheral point to the other peripheral point on the first straight line group is substantially ½ wavelength. Here, the first straight line group connects each power supply port to the midpoint of the radiation plate. Two power supply ports having different resonant frequency between which isolation is secured can be realized in one antenna device.
The antenna device of the present invention has power supply ports at ends of the radiation plate. Disposing the power supply ports in the outer periphery of the radiation plate facilitates manufacturing of the antenna device and mounting of it to a substrate.
The antenna device of the present invention has power supply ports on the first straight line group that connects arbitrary points at the ends of the radiation plate to the midpoint of the radiation plate. Disposing power supply sections inside the periphery of the radiation plate allows matching of the power supply ports.
In the antenna device of the present invention, respective power supply ports are used for communications of different systems. The isolation between the ports is secured, so that a shared apparatus for branching signals of respective systems need not be provided just under the antenna and hence cost and mounting space required for the shared apparatus can be reduced. In a portable terminal simultaneously using W-LAN and Bluetooth, both systems use the same frequency, so that a filter shared apparatus cannot divide signals of both systems. Two antennas must be therefore prepared and separated from each other at a certain interval to secure the isolation between the antennas. When the antenna device of the present invention is used, however, the required performance can be realized by one antenna device. As a result, cost required for the antenna is reduced and the terminal can be downsized.
In the antenna device of the present invention, the first power supply port is used for communications of the first system, and the second and third power supply ports are used for diversity type communications of the second system. A diversity antenna and the shared apparatus can be integrated, and the portable terminal can be downsized.
In the antenna device of the present invention, the first power supply port is used for communications of the first system, and second and third power supply ports are used for transmission and reception of the second system. A shared apparatus for dividing signals of the systems and a shared apparatus for dividing transmitted signals and received signals can be integrated. A multifunction-capable portable terminal can be downsized.
The present invention can provide one antenna with two or more isolated power supply ports, and realize the downsizing of the antenna device.
The present invention relates to an antenna device used mainly for mobile communications. One antenna can have two or more isolated power supply ports, and the antenna device can be downsized.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2002-290906 | Mar 2002 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP03/12643 | 10/2/2003 | WO | 00 | 4/27/2004 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2004/032282 | 4/15/2004 | WO | A |
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