Patent Grant
9142875
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0137409 (filed on Dec. 29, 2010), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to an antenna, and more particularly, to an antenna having a linear array antenna unit.
A user equipment has been advanced so as to be able to receive various services such as a communication service including a voice call service and a short message service, and a multimedia service including a streaming service and a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) service. In order to support such services, a user equipment is required to have an antenna for receiving corresponding signals. Since the communication services and the multimedia services are provided through different frequency bands, an antenna supporting multiple frequency bands has been demanded.
For example, a DMB service is provided by transmitting a DMB signal that is a low frequency band signal. In order to receive the DMB signal, an external antenna has been generally equipped to a user equipment. For example, a whip antenna is a typical external antenna for receiving a DMB service. The whip antenna may be a retractable antenna.
For example, a communication service including a voice call service and a data service code is provided by transmitting a code division multiple access (CDMA) signal or a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) signal. In order to receive such a CDMA signal or WCDMA signal, an internal antenna has been equipped to a user equipment. For example, a planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) or a monopole antenna has been widely used as the internal antenna for receiving such a CDMA signal or WCDMA signal.
The internal antenna provides proper performance for transmitting and receiving a respective signal in a typical environment. The performance of the internal antenna, however, is significantly deteriorated while in a weak electric field region such as in a tunnel.
A dipole antenna, which is known as an external antenna, may provide proper performance for transmitting and receiving a signal even in weak electric field regions. The dipole antenna, however, requires a certain length and width for properly transmitting and receiving a signal. Meaning, the dipole antenna has a comparatively larger size than an internal antenna such as a PIFA and a monopole antenna. Accordingly, due to the required size of the dipole antenna, it is difficult to dispose the dipole antenna inside a user equipment, and portability and user convenience may be degraded. Furthermore, the performance of the dipole antenna is also deteriorated while in a weak electric field region.
Embodiments of the present invention overcome the above disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, the present invention is not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an embodiment of the present invention may not overcome any of the problems described above.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an antenna having a linear array antenna unit may operate in dual mode according to a surrounding environment and/or to a type of a signal that is received or transmitted.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an antenna having a linear array antenna unit may change an electrical antenna structure of the linear array antenna unit according to a surrounding environment and/or to a type of a signal that is received or transmitted.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, an antenna having a linear array antenna unit may operate as a typical external antenna such as a whip antenna in a first mode, and may operate as a dipole antenna in a second mode.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, an antenna having a linear array antenna unit may provide proper performance for transmitting and receiving a respective signal even in a weak electric field region.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an antenna may include a linear array antenna unit, a first switch, and a second switch. The linear array antenna unit may be configured to include a plurality of cable elements linearly arranged and coupled to each other. The first switch may include one end coupled to a ground and another end coupled to at least one of the plurality of cable elements of the linear array antenna unit. The first switch may be configured to perform a switching operation for one of connecting and disconnecting the ground and the coupled at least one of the plurality of cable elements according to an operation mode. The second switch may include one end coupled to a power feed point and the other end coupled to at least one of the plurality of cable elements. The second switch may be configured to perform a switching operation for one of connecting and disconnecting the power feed point and the coupled at least one of the plurality of cable elements according to the operation mode. The plurality of cable elements of the linear array antenna unit may form one of a first antenna structure and a second antenna structure according to the switching operations of the first and second switches.
When the operation mode is in a first mode, the first switch may perform a first mode switching operation for disconnecting the ground from the coupled at least one cable element. Furthermore, the second switch may perform the first mode switching operation for connecting the power feed point and the coupled at least one cable element, and the linear array antenna unit may form the first antenna structure for the first mode in response to the first mode switching operations of the first switch and the second switch.
When the operation mode is in a second mode, the first switch may perform a second mode switching operation for connecting the ground and the coupled at least one cable element. Furthermore, the second switch may perform the second mode switching operation for disconnecting the power feed from the coupled at least one cable element, and the linear array antenna unit may form the second antenna structure for the second mode in response to the second mode switching operation of the first switch and the second switch.
The first antenna structure may be an external antenna including a whip antenna and receive a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) signal.
The second antenna structure may be a dipole antenna and receive one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) signal and a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) signal.
Each one of the plurality of cable elements may include an internal conductor and an external conductor. An external conductor of an Nth cable element may be electrically coupled to an internal conductor of an (N+1)th cable element. N denotes a natural number.
Another end of the first switch may be coupled to the external conductor of the Nth cable element, another end of the second switch may be coupled to the external conductor of the Nth cable element, and an internal conductor of the Nth cable element may directly contact the power feed point.
When the operation mode is in the first mode, the first switch may perform a first mode switching operation that disconnects the ground from the external conductor of the Nth cable element, the second switch may perform the first mode switching operation that couples the power feed point to the external conductor of the Nth cable element, and a power feed signal may be supplied to all internal conductors and external conductors of the N cable elements.
When the operation mode is in the first mode, all of the internal conductors and external conductors of the N cable elements may form a whip antenna structure.
When the operation mode is in the second mode, the first switch may perform a second mode switching operation for coupling the ground and the external conductor of the Nth cable element, the second switch may perform the second mode switching operation for disconnecting the power feed from the external conductor of the Nth cable element, and a power feed signal may be supplied to the external conductor of the Nth cable element and other cable elements coupled to the external conductor of the Nth cable element.
The N cable elements form at least one dipole radiator when the operation mode is in the second mode.
The antenna may further include a switch controller configured to generate one of a first mode signal and a second mode signal according to the operation mode and output the generated one of the first mode signal and the second mode signal to the first switch and the second switch. The first switch and the second switch may perform one of the first mode switching operation and the second mode switching operation in response to one of the first mode signal and the second mode signal.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an antenna may include a switch control unit, a switch unit, and a linear array antenna unit. The switch control unit may be configured to generate one of first and second mode signals according to an operation mode. The switching unit may be configured to perform one of first and second switching operations in response to the generated one of first and second mode signals. The linear array antenna unit may include a plurality of cable elements. The linear array antenna may be configured to form one of first and second antenna structures in response to the one of first and second switching operation.
The switch control unit may generate the first mode signal when the operation mode is in a first mode. The switch control unit may generate the second mode signal when the operation mode is in a second mode.
The switch unit may perform the first switching operation in response to the first mode signal, and the linear array antenna unit may form the first antenna structure by the first switching operation.
The switch unit may perform the second switching operation in response to the second mode signal, and the linear array antenna unit may form the second antenna structure by the second switching operation.
The first switching operation may disconnect a ground from the linear array antenna unit and couples a power feed point to the linear array antenna, and the linear array antenna may form a whip antenna as the first antenna structure by supplying a power feed signal to each one of the plurality of cable elements in response to the first switching operation.
The second switching operation may couple a ground to the linear array antenna unit and disconnect a power feed point from at least one of the plurality of cable elements. The linear array antenna may form at least one dipole radiator as the second antenna structure by selectively supplying a power feed signal to at least one of the plurality of cable elements in response to the second switching operation.
The switch unit may include a first switch and a second switch. The first switch may include one end coupled to a ground and another end coupled to one end of at least one of the plurality of cable elements. The second switch may include one end coupled to a power feed point and another end coupled to the one end of at least one of the plurality of cable elements.
Each one of the plurality of cable elements may include an external conductor and an internal conductor. An external conductor of an Nth cable element may be coupled to an internal conductor of an (N+1)th cable element where N is a natural number. An external conductor of a first cable element may have one end coupled to the ground through the first switch and coupled to the power feed point through the second switch. An internal conductor of the first cable element may include one end directly coupled to the power feed point.
The above and/or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below, in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an antenna having a linear array antenna unit may operate in dual mode according to a surrounding environment and/or to a type of a signal to be received or transmitted. In order to operate in dual mode such as a first mode and a second mode, the antenna may change an electric antenna structure of the linear array antenna unit according to a surrounding environment and/or to a type of a signal to be received or transmitted. For example, the antenna may operate as a whip antenna in a typical environment and/or receive a DMB signal. The antenna may operate as a dipole antenna in a weak electric field region such as within a tunnel. Such an antenna having a linear array antenna unit will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to
As shown in
The first and second switches 110 and 120 may be disposed inside the user equipment 200. The first and second switched 110 and 120 may be electrically coupled to the switch controller 150, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first and second switches 110 and 120 may operate switching operations according to an operation mode, such as a first mode and a second mode, which is decided based on a surrounding environment or a type of signal to be transmitted or received.
The first switch 110 may include one end coupled to a ground 130 and another end coupled to one end of the linear array antenna unit 130. Particularly, the another end may be coupled to one end of a first external conductor 10A of the linear array antenna unit 130, as shown in
The first switch 110 may switch an electric path between the ground 160 and the first external conductor 10A of a first cable element 10 according to an operation mode. For example, when the operation mode is in the first mode, the first switch 110 may be open. Accordingly, the first switch 110 may electrically disconnect the ground 160 from the first external conductor 10A of the first cable element 10. On the contrary, when the operation mode is in the second mode, the first switch 110 may be closed. Accordingly, the first switch 110 may electrically couple the ground 160 with the first external conductor 10A of the first cable element 10. That is, the first switch 110 may form an electrical path between the ground 160 and the first cable element 10.
The second switch 120 may have one end coupled to a power feed point 140 and another end coupled to one end of the linear array antenna unit 130. Particularly, the another end may be coupled to one end of the first external conductor 10A of the linear array antenna unit 130, as shown in
The second switch 120 may switch an electrical path between the power feed point 140 and the first external conductor 10A of the first cable element 10 according to the operation mode. For example, when the operation mode is in the first mode, the second switch 120 may be closed. Accordingly, the second switch 120 may electrically couple the power feed point 140 to the first external conductor 10A of the first cable element 10. When the operation mode is in the second mode, the second switch 120 may be open. Accordingly, the second switch 120 may electrically disconnect the power feed point 140 form the first external conductor 10A of the first cable element 10.
The first and second switches 110 and 120 may be controlled in response to a control signal from the switch controller 150. The switch controller 150 may generate one of a first mode signal and a second mode signal according to a surrounding environment or a type of a service. The present invention, however, is not limited thereto. The first and second switches 110 and 120 may also be manually controlled by a respective user.
The linear array antenna unit 130 may include a plurality of cable elements 10, 20, 30, and 40, as shown in
The linear array antenna unit 130 may be extractable to the outside of the user equipment 200 and also insertable to the inside of the user equipment 200. Accordingly, the linear array antenna unit 130 may be extracted to the outside of the user equipment 200 or inserted inside the user equipment 200 according to a type of a signal to be transmitted or received.
The linear array antenna unit 130 may change an electrical antenna structure according to a mode decided based on a surrounding environment or a type of a signal to be transmitted or received. In order to change the electrical structure of the linear array antenna unit 130, the first and second switches 110 and 120 are controlled. The linear array antenna unit 130 may be electrically coupled to the first switch 110 and the second switch 120. The first switch 110 and the second switch 120 may be disposed inside the user equipment 200. The first switch 110 and the second switch 120 may be also electrically coupled to the switch controller 150. The first switch 110 and the second switch 120 may perform switching operations in response to the switch controller 150. According to the switching operation of the first and second switches 110 and 120, the linear array antenna unit 130 may operate in dual modes, such as a first mode and a second mode.
In a first mode, the linear array antenna unit 130 may operate as a typical external antenna such as a whip antenna. In order to control the linear array antenna unit 130 to operate as the external antenna, the first switch 110 may be controlled to be open and the second switch 120 may be controlled to be closed. For example, in the first mode, the linear array antenna unit 130 may have an electrical antenna structure that may receive a DMB signal.
In a second mode, the linear array antenna unit 130 may operate as a dipole antenna. That is, a plurality of cable elements of the linear array antenna unit 130 may operate as at least one dipole radiator in the second mode. In order to control the linear array antenna unit 130 to operate in the second mode, the first switch 110 may be controlled to be closed and the second switch 120 may be controlled to be open. For example, in the second mode, the linear array antenna unit 130 may have an electric antenna structure proper for transmitting and receiving a voice call signal in a weak electric field region. The voice call signal may include a CDMA signal, a WCDMA signal, and/or a personal communication service (PCS) signal.
Referring to
The first to fourth cable elements 10 to 40 may include external conductors 10A, 20A, 30A, and 40A, and internal conductors 10B, 20B, 30B, and 40B, respectively. For example, the first cable element 10 may include a first internal conductor 10A and a first external conductor 10B. The second cable element 20 may include a second internal conductor 20A and a second external conductor 20B.
The plurality of cable elements 10, 20, 30, and 40 may be electrically coupled to each other. For example, an internal conductor of an Nth cable element may be electrically coupled with an external conductor of an (N+1)th cable element. Furthermore, an external conductor of an Nth cable element may be electrically coupled with an internal conductor of an (N+1)th cable element. Herein, N denotes a natural number.
For example, a first internal conductor 10A of the first cable element 10 may be electrically coupled with the second external conductor 20B of the second cable element 20. The first external conductor 10B of the first cable element 10 may be electrically coupled with the second internal conductor 20A of the second cable element 20.
Such a coupling structure of the first and second cable elements may be similarly applied to other cable elements including the third cable element 30 and fourth cable element 40. For example, the second internal conductor 20A of the second cable element 20 may be electrically coupled with the third external conductor 30B of the third cable element 30, and the second external conductor 20B of the second cable element 20 may be electrically coupled with the third internal conductor 30A of the third cable element 30. The third internal conductor 30A of the third cable element 30 may be electrically coupled with the fourth external conductor 40B of the fourth cable element 40, and the third external conductor 30B of the third cable element 30 may be electrically coupled with the fourth internal conductor 40A of the fourth cable element 40.
Such a structure of the linear array antenna unit 130 may form different electrical antenna structures according to operation modes. For example, in the first mode, the plurality of cable elements 10, 20, 30, and 40 of the linear array antenna 130 may form an external antenna such as a whip antenna in response to a first mode switching operation of the first and second switches 110 and 120. In the second mode, the plurality of cable elements 10, 20, 30, and 40 of the linear array antenna 130 may form at least one dipole radiator in response to a second mode switching operation of the first and second switches 110 and 120. Such an electric antenna structure of the linear array antenna unit 130 and the first and second mode switching operations will be described, in more detail, with reference to
Referring to
The second switch 120 may be disposed between the power feed point 140 and the first external conductor 10B of the first cable element 10. Particularly, one end of the second switch 110 may be electrically coupled to the power feed point 140 and another end of the second switch 110 may be electrically coupled to the external conductor 10B of the first cable element 10. The second switch 120 may switch an electrical path between the power feed point 140 and the external conductor 10B of the first cable element 10.
In the first mode, the first switch 110 may be controlled to be open and the second switch 120 may be controlled to be closed. Such a first mode switching operation may cause the electrical path between the first external conductor 10B and the ground 160 to be disconnected because the first switch is open. Furthermore, the first mode switching operation may also cause the first external conductor 10B to be electrically coupled to the power feed point 140 because the second switch 120 is closed.
As a result of the first mode switching operation, a power feed signal may be supplied to both of the first external conductor 10B and the first internal conductor 10A in the first mode. Accordingly, the power feed signal may be also supplied to all internal and external conductors 10A, 10B, 20A, 20B, 30A, 30B, 40A, and 40B of the cable elements 10, 20, 30, and 40 of the linear antenna array unit 130. Therefore, the plurality of cable elements 10, 20, 30, and 40 may form a structure of an external antenna such as a whip antenna.
That is, the linear array antenna 130 may operate as a typical external antenna such as a whip antenna in the first mode. For example, the linear array antenna 130 can operate as a DMB antenna in the first mode.
In the second mode, the first switch 110 may be controlled to be closed and the second switch 102 may be controlled to be open. As the first switch 110 is closed, the first external conductor 10B may be electrically coupled to the ground 160, and the first internal conductor 10A may only be electrically coupled to the power feed point 140.
Such a second mode switching operation may cause the first cable element to be electrically coupled to the ground 160 because the first switch 110 is closed. Furthermore, the second mode switching operation may cause only the second external conductor 20B of the second cable element to be electrically coupled with the first internal conductor 10A. Accordingly, the second external conductor 20B may be electrically coupled with the power feed point 140 and the second internal conductor 20A of the second cable element may be electrically coupled with the ground 160. Accordingly, the second cable element may be coupled with the power feed point 140.
That is, the second mode switching operation may cause the first cable element 10 and the second cable element 20 to operate as a dipole radiator as the first cable element 10 is coupled with the ground 160 and the second cable element 20 is coupled with the power feed point 140.
In a similar manner, the third cable element 30 may be coupled with the ground 160, and the fourth cable element 40 may be coupled with the power feed point 140. Accordingly, the second mode switching operation may cause the third and fourth cable elements 30 and 40 to operate as another dipole radiator.
As described above, the linear array antenna unit 130 may form at least one dipole radiator in the second mode. Such a structure of the linear array antenna unit 130 can enable proper transmission and reception of a signal even in a weak electric field region. For example, when transmitting or receiving a signal through the antenna 100 becomes unstable in a weak electric field region, the plurality of cable elements of the linear array antenna unit 130 form at least one dipole radiator through the second mode switching operation. Accordingly, the antenna 100 can transmit and receive a voice call signal and a data communication signal properly even in a weak electric field region.
The first and second switches 110 and 120 may be controlled in response to a control signal from the switch controller 150. The switch controller 150 may generate one of a first mode signal and a second mode signal according to a surrounding environment or a type of a service. For example, the switch controller 150 may generate the first mode signal when an operation mode is the first mode. Particularly, the switch controller 150 may generate the first mode signal when the surrounding environment is a typical environment and/or when a user wants to have a DMB service, which are common scenarios for the first mode. In response to the first mode signal, the first and second switches 110 and 120 may perform the first mode switching operation. That is, the first switch 110 may be opened and the second switch 120 may be closed in response to the first mode signal from the switch controller 150. The present invention, however, is not limited thereto. The first and second switches 110 and 120 may be manually controlled by a user.
As described above, the antenna 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may control an electrical antenna structure of the linear array antenna unit 130 according to a surrounding environment and/or to a service type. Particularly, the antenna 100 may control an electrical antenna structure of the linear array antenna unit 130 to be formed of at least one dipole radiator when a surrounding environment is a weak electric field region. Accordingly, the antenna 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can properly perform a signal transmitting and receiving operation even in the weak electric field region.
The term “coupled” has been used throughout to mean that elements may be either directly connected together or may be coupled through one or more intervening elements.
Although embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, it should be understood that the foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely examples and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention or the scope of the claims. Numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure, and the present teaching can also be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.
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