This application claims the benefit of priority to Taiwan Patent Application No. 109116357, filed on May 18, 2020. The entire content of the above identified application is incorporated herein by reference.
Some references, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, may be cited and discussed in the description of this disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the disclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and an antenna module, and more particularly to an electronic device suited for three different frequency bands and an antenna module that is suited for three different frequency bands.
In order for a conventional electronic device, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, to perform wireless communication in different frequency bands, related manufacturers often install a plurality of antennas in the conventional electronic device, so as to enable the electronic device to communicate wirelessly in different frequency bands through the different antennas.
In practical applications, when a space for installing the antennas in the conventional electronic device is relatively small, the related manufacturers will face a problem of not being able to install a plurality of antennas at the same time. Therefore, how the antennas can be designed so as to be installed in a relatively small space of an electronic device has become an issue that confronts the related manufacturers.
In response to the above-referenced technical inadequacies, the present disclosure provides an electronic device and an antenna module, which are mainly used to improve the design of a conventional electronic device that needs to have a plurality of antennas installed therein in order to receive a plurality of wireless signals in different frequency bands. As the overall size of current electronic devices is to be thinner and lighter, it is not easy for related manufacturers to install the antennas that receive different frequency bands in the current electronic devices while maintaining the receiving efficiency of the antennas.
In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an electronic device. The electronic device includes a metal cover and an antenna module.
The metal cover has two slots. The two slots are respectively defined as a short slot and a long slot, and a length of the short slot is less than a length of the long slot. The short slot and the long slot each penetrate the metal cover and are arranged side by side. The antenna module includes a substrate and an antenna structure. The substrate is disposed on a side of the metal cover. The antenna structure is a conductive structure and is formed on a surface of the substrate. The antenna structure defines a feeding portion. The antenna structure includes a first excitation segment, a second excitation segment, and a connection segment. At least part of a projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the first excitation segment onto the metal cover overlaps with the short slot. At least part of a projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the second excitation segment onto the metal cover is overlapped with the long slot. The connection segment is connected to the first excitation segment and the second excitation segment. When a signal source is fed into the antenna structure through the feeding portion, the antenna structure and the short slot are configured to generate a first frequency band, the antenna structure and the long slot are configured to generate a second frequency band, and the antenna structure is configured to generate a third frequency band. A frequency range corresponding to the first frequency band, a frequency range corresponding to the second frequency band, and a frequency range corresponding to the third frequency band are different from each other.
In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an antenna module for being fixed onto a metal cover that has a short slot and a long slot. A length of the short slot is less than a length of the long slot, and the short slot and the long slot each penetrate the metal cover and are arranged side by side. The antenna module includes a substrate and an antenna structure.
The substrate is disposed on a side of the metal cover. The antenna structure is a conductive structure and is formed on a surface of the substrate. The antenna structure defines a feeding portion. The antenna structure includes a connection segment, a first excitation segment, and a second excitation segment.
The first excitation segment extends from one end of the connection segment along an extension direction. At least part of a projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the first excitation segment onto the metal cover overlaps with the short slot. The second excitation segment extends from another end of the connection segment along the extension direction. At least part of a projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the second excitation segment onto the metal cover overlaps with the long slot. When a signal source is fed into the antenna structure through the feeding portion, the antenna structure and the short slot are configured to generate a first frequency band, the antenna structure and the long slot are configured to generate a second frequency band, and the antenna structure is configured to generate a third frequency band.
Therefore, by virtue of “the first excitation segment, the second excitation segment, and the connection segment of the antenna structure” and “the long slot and the short slot of the metal cover”, when the signal source is fed into the antenna structure through the feeding portion of the antenna structure, the antenna module can generate three different frequency bands.
These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings and their captions, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
The described embodiments may be better understood by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:
The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference, and the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. Titles or subtitles can be used herein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure.
The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art. In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitions given herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more than one way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s) discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numbering terms such as “first”, “second” or “third” can be used to describe various components, signals or the like, which are for distinguishing one component/signal from another one only, and are not intended to, nor should be construed to impose any substantive limitations on the components, signals or the like.
In the following description, the word “couple” indicates a connection method that allows an electrical connection to be formed through direct or indirect conduction, and yet not in direct contact.
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The metal cover 1 has two slots respectively defined as a short slot 11 and a long slot 12, and the short slot 11 and the long slot 12 each penetrate the metal cover 1. In actual application, the short slot 11 and the long slot 12 may each be a rectangular closed hole, but the shape of the short slot 11 and the long slot 12 is not limited thereto. A length L1 of the short slot 11 is less than a length L2 of the long slot 12. The difference between the length of the short slot 11 and the length of the long slot 12 can be changed according to requirements, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
Referring to
The antenna module 2 includes a substrate 21 and an antenna structure 22. The substrate 21 is disposed on a side of the metal cover 1. The antenna structure 22 is a conductive structure and is formed on a surface of the substrate 21. In practical applications, the substrate 21 can be selected as a FR4 (i.e., flame retardant 4) substrate, a printed circuit board (i.e., PCB), or a flexible circuit board (i.e., FCB) according to requirements, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The antenna structure 22 may be a conductive sheet structure (e.g., copper foil) formed on the surface of the substrate 21.
The antenna structure 22 defines a feeding portion 221 that is configured to connect to a signal source, and a signal delivered from the signal source is fed into the antenna structure 22 through the feeding portion 221. The antenna structure 22 includes a first excitation segment 222, a second excitation segment 223, and a connection segment 224. Two ends of the connection segment 224 are connected to the first excitation segment 222 and the second excitation segment 223, respectively, and the first excitation segment 222, the second excitation segment 223, and the connection segment 224 are integrally formed on the substrate 21. The first excitation segment 222 may be extended and formed at one of the two ends of the connection segment 224 along an extension direction, and the second excitation segment 223 may be extended and formed at another one of the two ends of the connection segment 224 along the extension direction. The first excitation segment 222, the second excitation segment 223, and the connection segment 224 can jointly form a structure that is similar to an inverted U shape, and the feeding portion 221 is located at the first excitation segment 222.
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As mentioned above, when a signal source is fed into the antenna structure 22 through the feeding portion 221, the antenna structure 22 can interact with the short slot 11 to generate a first frequency band, the antenna structure 22 can interact with the long slot 12 to generate a second frequency band, and the antenna structure 22 as a whole can resonate to generate a third frequency band. A frequency range corresponding to the first frequency band, a frequency range corresponding to the second frequency band, and a frequency range corresponding to the third frequency band are different from each other. Alternatively, a part of the frequency range corresponding to the first frequency band overlaps with a part of the frequency range corresponding to the second frequency band, and a part of the frequency range corresponding to the second frequency band overlaps with a part of the frequency range corresponding to the third frequency band. In the embodiment in which each of the long slot 12 and the short slot 11 is a rectangular closed hole, the length L1 of the short slot 11 is within a range from ½ to 4 times of the wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the first frequency band. The length L2 of the long slot 12 is within a range from ½ to 4 times of the wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of second first frequency band.
In a specific implementation, the antenna module 2 further includes a grounding member 23 that is a conductive structure and is used for grounding. The ground member 23 includes a first ground structure 231 and a ground plate body 232. The first ground structure 231 is formed on the substrate 21 and may be disposed adjacent to the first excitation segment 222. The ground plate body 232 is coupled with the first ground structure 231 and the second excitation segment 223. In practical applications, the first ground structure 231 and the ground plate body 232 may be integrally connected, or the first ground structure 231 and the ground plate body 232 may be fixed to each other by soldering with a solder, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In practical applications, a part of the ground plate body 232 can be fixed to the metal cover 1 by other means.
The electronic device 100 in the present embodiment further includes a coaxial cable 3 having an inner conductor 31 and an outer conductor 32. The inner conductor 31 and the outer conductor 32 are electrically isolated from each other by an insulation structure. The outer conductor 32 is coupled with the first ground structure 231, and the inner conductor 31 is coupled with the feeding portion 221 of the antenna structure 22. The outer conductor 32 may be connected to the ground plate body 232 by soldering with a solder, so that the outer conductor 32 is electrically connected to the first ground structure 231 by the ground plate body 232. The inner conductor 31 may be connected and fixed to the feeding portion 221 of the antenna structure 22 by soldering with a solder. Nevertheless, the outer conductor 32 of the coaxial cable 3 can be directly connected to the first ground structure 231 without passing through the ground plate body 232, and the same connection effect can also be achieved. It is worth mentioning that, the ground plate body 232 may further include a notch 2321 set corresponding to the position of the feeding portion 221, and the notch 2321 is used to prevent positive and negative poles of the coaxial cable 3 from being connected to each other. In actual application, the width of the notch 2321 can be designed according to the position of the feeding portion 221 and the position of the first ground structure 231, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the distance between the feeding portion 221 of the antenna structure 22 and a grounding member for connecting with the coaxial cable 3 is greater than or equal to 2 mm.
In particular, for the electronic device 100 and the antenna module 2 in the specific implementation, a relevant personnel can “adjust the position of the first excitation segment 222 relative to the short slot 11”, “adjust the position of the second excitation segment 223 relative to the long slot 12”, “change the appearance of the first excitation segment 222”, “change the appearance of the second excitation segment 223”, and “change the overall size or appearance of the antenna structure 22” to change the frequency range corresponding to the first frequency band, the frequency range corresponding to the second frequency band, and the frequency range corresponding to the third frequency band.
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Another difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is that the antenna structure 22 further includes two frequency adjustment segments that are respectively defined as a first frequency adjustment segment 225 and a second frequency adjustment segment 226. The first frequency adjustment segment 225 is connected to the connection segment 224 and the first excitation segment 222, and at least part of projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the first frequency adjustment segment 225 onto the metal cover 1 overlaps with the short slot 11. The relevant personnel can change the shape and size of the first frequency adjustment segment 225, as well as its position relative to the short slot 11, so as to adjust the frequency range from the first frequency band generated by the antenna module 2 when the signal source is fed into the antenna module 2. That is, the first frequency adjustment segment 225 is mainly used to adjust the frequency range from the antenna module 2 in the WI-FI® 6E frequency band.
The second frequency adjustment segment 226 is connected to the connection segment 224 and the second excitation segment 223, and at least part of projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the second frequency adjustment segment 226 onto the metal cover 1 overlaps with the long slot 12. The relevant personnel can change the shape and size and position of the second frequency adjustment segment 226, as well as its position relative to the long slot 12, so as to adjust the frequency range from the second frequency band generated by the antenna module 2 when the signal source is fed into the antenna module 2 is adjusted. That is, the second frequency adjustment segment 226 is mainly used to adjust the frequency range from the antenna module 2 in the 2.4G frequency band. Regarding the drawings of the present embodiment, the appearance of the first frequency adjustment segment 225 and the second frequency adjustment segment 226 can be designed according to requirements, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
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At least part of a projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the first frequency adjustment branch member 24 onto the metal cover 1 overlaps with the short slot 11, and at least part of a projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the second frequency adjustment branch member 25 onto the metal cover 1 overlaps with the long slot 12. In actual application, the first frequency adjustment branch member 24 and the first grounding structure 231 may be integrally formed, and the second frequency adjustment branch member 25 and the second ground structure 233 may be integrally formed. In another embodiment, the first grounding structure 231, the ground plate body 232, the second ground structure 233, the first frequency adjustment branch member 24 and the second frequency adjustment branch member 25 may be integrally formed. In actual application, when the signal source is fed into the antenna structure 22, the frequency range corresponding to the first frequency band generated by the interaction of the antenna structure 22 and the short slot 11 can be adjusted by the relevant personnel through changing the appearance and size of the first frequency adjustment branch member 24, as well as its position relative to the short slot 11. When the signal source is fed into the antenna structure 22, the frequency range corresponding to the second frequency band generated by the interaction of the antenna structure 22 and the short slot 11 can be adjusted by the relevant personnel through changing the appearance and size of the second frequency adjustment branch member 25, as well as its position relative to the short slot 11.
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Another difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is that the first frequency adjustment segment 225 is connected to a junction between the first excitation segment 222 and the connection segment 224. The second frequency adjustment segment 226 is connected to the second excitation segment 223, and arranged at a junction between the second excitation segment 223 and the connection segment 224. More specifically, the first frequency adjustment segment 225 can be a rectangular structure, a short side of the first frequency adjustment segment 225 is connected to the connection segment 224, and a long side of the first frequency adjustment segment 225 is connected to the first excitation segment 222. The second frequency adjustment segment 226 can be a rectangular structure, and a short side of the second frequency adjustment segment 226 is connected to the connection segment 224.
In the specific implementation as described above, the relevant personnel can slightly adjust the frequency range from the first frequency band, the frequency range from the second frequency band, and the frequency range from the third frequency band generated by the antenna module 2 by changing the appearance, size, and arrangement position of the first frequency adjustment segment 225 and the second frequency adjustment segment 226. That is, the appearance, size, and arrangement position of the first frequency adjustment segment 225 and the second frequency adjustment segment 226 shown in the drawing of the present embodiment are only one of the implementation aspects, and the actual application is not limited thereto.
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In actual application, the relevant personnel can adjust the frequency ranges corresponding to the first frequency band, the second frequency band, and third frequency band generated by the antenna module 2 after the signal source is fed into the antenna module 2 by selecting the auxiliary frequency adjustment member 26 with different dielectric constants. In addition, in practical applications, the substrate 21 may be fixed onto the metal cover 1 by a screw S. The auxiliary frequency adjustment member 26 may include an avoiding hole 261 for avoiding the screw S, and the screw S does not need to be fixed onto the auxiliary frequency adjustment member 26.
In conclusion, the electronic device and the antenna module of the present embodiment can generate three different frequency bands after the signal source is fed thereinto, so that the antenna module can be applied to electronic devices with a small size or installation space.
The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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109116357 | May 2020 | TW | national |