Patent Grant
10487498
This application is a National Stage of International Application No. PCT/JP2017/005701 filed Feb. 16, 2017, claiming priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-064730 filed Mar. 28, 2016.
The present invention relates to a flexible printed circuit board structure and an indoor partition wall.
In Patent Document 1, for providing a transparent antenna, which is a sheet-like flat antenna not to be recognized as an antenna at first glance, and is able to satisfy performance as an antenna, there is suggested a transparent antenna that realizes transparency close to transparency of a base material by forming an antenna pattern by laminating a conducting material on a surface of a transparent or substantially transparent sheet-like base material, and increasing an aperture ratio thereof to 70% to 75% in an area ratio with a large number of fine transparent pores of the order of the pore diameter from 400μ to 500μ and the line width of 80μ.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Examined Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-33452
In a visible light transmissive antenna made of a resin film, which is one of flexible printed circuit boards capable of forming a high-frequency circuit thereon, since heat resistance of the film was low, for example, it was impossible to perform feeding by soldering. Therefore, a feeding structure having conduction by use of a conductive adhesive or a conductive double-faced tape at the contact point was adopted in general; however, when such a feeding structure was adopted, contact at the contact point became instable, and there occurred deterioration in PIM (Passive Inter Modulation) characteristics.
On the other hand, in recent years, requests to use a visible light transmissive antenna using a resin film performing transmission and reception at two or more different frequencies have been made. However, it was impossible to obtain preferable PIM characteristics by conventional feeding structures, and there was a difficult situation to respond to such requests.
A main object of the present invention is to stabilize the PIM characteristics with a flexible printed circuit board having the high-frequency circuit formed thereon, which is typified by, for example, a visible light transmissive antenna made of a resin film.
The invention described in claim 1 is a flexible printed circuit board structure including: a flexible printed circuit board on which a high-frequency circuit is formed; a feeding board to which a cable or a connector for feeding the flexible printed circuit board is connected; and a pressing member that sandwiches a contact point of the flexible printed circuit board and the feeding board together, and presses the contact point and the feeding board to electrically connect the contact point and the feeding board, wherein a through hole is formed at the contact point of the flexible printed circuit board, and the pressing member presses the contact point and the feeding board with a fastening tool by use of the through hole.
The invention described in claim 2 is a flexible printed circuit board structure including: a flexible printed circuit board that includes a projecting location projecting toward another portion and a high-frequency circuit formed on the flexible printed circuit board; a feeding board that includes an antenna feeding section to which a cable or a connector for feeding the flexible printed circuit board is connected and a ground section insulated from the antenna feeding section; and a pressing member that sandwiches an antenna contact point and a ground contact point as a contact point provided to the projecting location of the flexible printed circuit board together with the feeding board, presses the antenna contact point and the antenna feeding section of the feeding board with a fastening tool, and presses the ground contact point and the ground section of the feeding board with another fastening tool to attain electrical connection.
The invention described in claim 3 is the flexible printed circuit board structure according to claim 1, wherein a conductive material is interposed between the contact point and the feeding board, the flexible printed circuit board is an antenna using a resin film, and the cable or the connector is connected to the feeding board by soldering.
The invention described in claim 4 is the flexible printed circuit board structure according to claim 2, wherein a conductive material is interposed between the contact point and the feeding board, the flexible printed circuit board is an antenna using a resin film, and the cable or the connector is connected to the feeding board by soldering.
The invention described in claim 5 is an indoor partition wall including: a partition material that is formed of a film material or a plate material to partition a space in a room; an antenna that is formed on one or both surfaces of the partition material and connected to any one of end portions of the partition material; and a feeding part that is provided along the end portion of the partition material, to which a cable or a connector for feeding the antenna is connected, wherein the feeding part includes a feeding board to which the cable or the connector is connected and a pressing member that presses a contact point of the antenna and the feeding board to electrically connect the contact point of the antenna and the feeding board, a through hole is formed at the contact point of the antenna, and the pressing member sandwiches the contact point and the feeding board together by use of the through hole and presses the contact point and the feeding board with a fastening tool.
The invention described in claim 6 is an indoor partition wall including: a partition material that includes a projecting location projecting toward another portion, the partition material being formed of a film material or a plate material to partition a space in a room; an antenna that is formed on one or both surfaces of the partition material and is connected to the projecting location of the partition material; and a feeding part that is provided along the projecting location of the partition material and includes an antenna feeding section for feeding the antenna, to which a cable or a connector is connected, and a ground section insulated from the antenna feeding section, wherein an antenna contact point and a ground contact point provided to the projecting location of the partition material are sandwiched together with the feeding part by a pressing member, the antenna contact point and the antenna feeding section of the feeding part are pressed with a fastening tool, and the ground contact point and the ground section of the feeding part are pressed with another fastening tool to attain electrical connection.
According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to stabilize electrical connection between the flexible printed circuit board and the cable or the connector, and to reduce deterioration of the PIM characteristics.
According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to further stabilize the electrical connection between the flexible printed circuit board and the cable or the connector.
According to the invention of claim 3, even when soldering is carried out onto the feeding board, heat generated in the course of soldering is not transmitted to the resin film, and therefore, no problem of overheating occurs.
According to the invention of claim 4, when the antenna device is installed indoors, it is possible to reduce spoilage of the indoor sights.
According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to provide the antenna device indoors that stabilizes the electrical connection between the flexible printed circuit board and the cable or the connector.
Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to attached drawings.
The film antenna 1 to which the exemplary embodiment is applied functions as one of flexible printed circuit board structures. Then, the film antenna 1 to which the exemplary embodiment is applied includes: an antenna part 10 that is one of flexible printed circuit boards on which a high-frequency circuit is formed; and a feeding part 20 to which a coaxial cable 30 for feeding the antenna part 10 is connected. In the antenna part 10, in a film 11 made of a transparent resin material having high light transmittance, such as, for example, PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate) resin, an antenna 12 using a transparent conductive material having high light transmittance is formed. The antenna 12 includes a dual-frequency antenna 12a that uses two frequencies of, for example, the 800 MHz band and the 2.1 GHz band, and an antenna GND section 12b to be connected to the ground (GND). Note that, as the high-frequency circuit, a feeding circuit or a distribution circuit can be provided other than the antenna, and the flexible printed circuit board structure of the exemplary embodiment can be applied to a circuit board including these circuits.
The contact point 13 is formed, in the projecting location 11a of the film 11, on a surface on the side facing the feeding board 21 (in
The feeding board 21 include patterns formed of, for example, copper on a surface facing the contact point 13 of the antenna part 10, which is on a circuit board of a glass-epoxy material, such as FR-4 (Flame Retardant-4) or CEM-3 (Composite epoxy material-3). In the feeding board 21, a feeding board antenna feeding section 21a at the center, and a feeding board GND section 21b around the feeding board antenna feeding section 21a, which is insulated from the feeding board antenna feeding section 21a, are formed. In more detail, the feeding board antenna feeding section 21a faces the antenna contact point 13a and the feeding board GND section 21b faces the GND contact points 13b on a lower side of substantially the center of the feeding board 21. On the lower side of substantially the center of the feeding board 21, there are provided one through hole 21c in the feeding board antenna feeding section 21a and four through holes 21c, two on each of the right and left in the feeding board GND section 21b. The through holes 21c are provided corresponding to the through holes 11b in the film 11. On an upper side of substantially the center of the feeding board 21, a region for fastening the coaxial cable 30 is secured.
As shown in
Further, in the exemplary embodiment, of the contact point 13 formed in the projecting location 11a of the film 11 in the antenna part 10, at the location where the antenna contact point 13a and the GND contact points 13b are formed, a silver paste 22, which is a conductive paste, as one of conductive materials is subjected to formation processing. The silver paste 22 is provided to the side on which the contact point 13 is formed on the side of the projecting location 11a in the film 11 facing the feeding board 21 (on the backside in
Note that, in the exemplary embodiment, the silver paste 22 is provided as an example of the conductive material to be interposed; however, not being limited to the silver paste 22, any other material may be used as long as the material has high conductivity and a paste form.
[Manufacturing Method of Film Antenna 1]
Next, a manufacturing method of the film antenna 1 shown in
First, the core wire 31 of the coaxial cable 30 is aligned with the feeding board antenna feeding section 21a of the feeding board 21, and the outer conductor 32 of the coaxial cable 30 is aligned with the feeding board GND section 21b of the feeding board 21, to be joined by the solder 41 and 42; accordingly, the feeding board 21 and the coaxial cable 30 are connected.
Next, positions of the portion subjected to the processing by the silver paste 22 at the contact point 13 of the antenna part 10 and the contact point of the feeding board 21 are aligned. More specifically, the silver paste distribution section 22a and the feeding board antenna feeding section 21a of the feeding board 21 are aligned, the silver paste GND sections 22b and the feeding board GND section 21b of the feeding board 21 are aligned, and positions of the through holes 11b of the film 11 and the through holes 21c of the feeding board 21 are aligned.
Thereafter, the pressing member 23 is disposed on the side of the film 11 on which the contact point 13 is not formed, and the male screws (vises) 24 are penetrated into the through holes in the pressing member 23, the through holes 11b in the film 11 and the through holes 21c in the feeding board 21. Then, from the side of the feeding board 21 on which the feeding board antenna feeding section 21a and the feeding board GND section 21b are not formed (from the backside in
[Improvement Effect of PIM Characteristics by Film Antenna 1]
Next, description will be given of measurement results of improvement effects on intermodulation distortion (PIM) when the first exemplary embodiment is adopted.
Here, measurement of the PIM was performed in a case where the feeding part 20 of the exemplary embodiment was not adopted (hereinafter, abbreviated as “before taking measures”) and in a case where the feeding part 20 of the exemplary embodiment was adopted (hereinafter, abbreviated as “after measures being taken”). As this “before taking measures”, the antenna contact point 13a of the contact point 13 and the core wire 31 of the coaxial cable 30 are connected by the conductive adhesive, and the GND contact point 13b of the contact point 13 and the outer conductor 32 of the coaxial cable 30 are similarly connected by the conductive adhesive. As a prototype antenna, a dual-frequency antenna for the 800 MHz band and the 2.1 GHz band was used.
First, when each of signals of two waves, the 800 MHz band and the 2.1 GHz band, was transmitted at 1 W, the level of the seventh-order PIM appeared in the 800 MHz band was “−82 dBm” before taking measures and was “−129 dBm” after measures being taken; therefore, a distortion component of “47 dB” was improved. Moreover, the level of the nineteenth-order PIM appeared in the 2.1 GHz band was “−110 dBm” before taking measures and was “−135 dBm” after measures being taken; therefore, a distortion component of “25 dB” was improved. In this manner, it can be understood that, by adopting the exemplary embodiment, the PIM characteristics are improved, and thereby a more stable state can be obtained.
The film antenna 2 to which the second exemplary embodiment is applied also functions as one of the flexible printed circuit board structures, and includes the feeding part 60 to which the connector 70 for feeding the antenna part 10 is connected.
As shown in
The feeding board 61 is configured with a microstrip line with impedance, for example, of the order of 50Ω, on an upper surface (front surface) of which a transmission line 61d for feeding is provided and on a lower surface (back surface) of which a conductor is provided, to thereby form a feeding board antenna feeding section 61a and a feeding board GND section 61b. The feeding board GND section 61b and the feeding board antenna feeding section 61a, which are the conductor on the lower surface, are insulated. The transmission line 61d on the upper surface of the feeding board 61 and the feeding board antenna feeding section 61a on the lower surface thereof are connected via a through hole 61e.
At one end of the feeding board 61, which is on the right side in the illustration in each of
As the connector 70 used in the film antenna 2, for example, a screw type male connector or the like can be adopted, and the connector 70 includes a screw portion 72 on one end side thereof, and is connected to an external cable (not shown) via the screw portion 72. Moreover, the other end of the connector 70 is connected to a conductive plate 80. The screw portion 72 and the conductive plate 80 of the connector 70 function as a GND line. In the conductive plate 80, a surface to have conduction or entirety is composed of a material having high conductivity, such as copper, and in the example shown in
From the connector 70, a signal line 71 is extracted, and the signal line 71 is joined to the transmission line 61d on the upper surface of the feeding board 61 by the solder 41. By assembling the antenna part 10 after feeding the feeding board 61 by soldering, even when a film with low heat resistance, for example, a resin film, is used as the film 11, the film 11 is not affected by heat generated in soldering.
Further, in the exemplary embodiment, at the contact point 13 formed in the projecting location 11a of the film 11 in the antenna part 10, the silver paste 22, which is one of conductive materials, is subjected to formation processing. The silver paste 22 is applied to the side on which the contact point 13 is formed on the side of the projecting location 11a in the film 11 facing the feeding board 21, for example, by printing. Though illustration is omitted in
[Manufacturing Method of Film Antenna 2]
Next, a manufacturing method of the film antenna 2 shown in
First, GNDs of the conductive plate 80 and the connector 70 are joined by, for example, screw-in, corresponding to the structure of the connector 70. Moreover, the signal line 71 of the connector 70 is projected to the inside of the L-shaped structure of the conductive plate 80 in the state of being insulated from the conductive plate 80. Then, after aligning the conductive plate 80 and the feeding board GND section 61b of the feeding board 61, the feeding board 61 and the conductive plate 80 are fastened by the screws 81, to thereby electrically connect the feeding board GND section 61b and the conductive plate 80. Moreover, the signal line 71 of the connector 70 and the transmission line 61d of the feeding board 61 are aligned and subjected to soldering, to electrically connect them by the solder 41.
Subsequently, positions of the portion subjected to the processing by the silver paste 22 at the contact point 13 of the antenna part 10 and the contact point of the feeding board 61 are aligned. Thereafter, the pressing member 23 is disposed on the side of the film 11 on which the contact point 13 is not formed to be pressed and fastened by the male screws (vises) 24 and the female screws (nuts) 25, and thereby the antenna contact point 13a and the feeding board antenna feeding section 61a, and the GND contact point 13b and the feeding board GND section 61b are electrically connected.
[Application as Indoor Partition Wall]
Next, description will be given of an application example of the film antenna to which the exemplary embodiments are applied.
Conventionally, for installing an antenna indoors, a ceiling-mounted or ceiling-concealed antenna was used (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 9-238012). Here, in a multiple-input and multiple-output system (a MIMO system) combining multiple antennas to broaden bands for data transmission and reception, multiple antennas are required, and when the conventional ceiling-mounted or ceiling-concealed antennas were used, various kinds of problems, such as spoiling sights, losing flexibility in disposing or rise in installation costs, were caused.
In one of the inventions to which the exemplary embodiment is applied, an object is to provide an antenna device that makes installation works efficient without spoiling indoor sights.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
The vertical smokeproof wall 100 shown in
There exist end portions 120 around the film antenna 110, which is the partition material, and as shown in
Inside the covering member 121, a feeding part 130, which has the same function and structure as the feeding part 20 or the feeding part 60 described in detail in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-064730 | Mar 2016 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2017/005701 | 2/16/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2017/169248 | 10/5/2017 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4987424 | Tamura et al. | Jan 1991 | A |
| 5842873 | Gonzales | Dec 1998 | A |
| 6798383 | Nakase et al. | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 9178273 | Mikami | Nov 2015 | B2 |
| 20100090787 | Kuramoto | Apr 2010 | A1 |
| 20110227808 | Takano et al. | Sep 2011 | A1 |
| 20160043473 | Walker | Feb 2016 | A1 |
| 20160282386 | Nagata | Sep 2016 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2148388 | Jan 2010 | EP |
| 63-254804 | Oct 1988 | JP |
| 64-049302 | Feb 1989 | JP |
| 4-55810 | May 1992 | JP |
| 7-33452 | Jul 1995 | JP |
| 9-238012 | Sep 1997 | JP |
| 2005-080074 | Mar 2005 | JP |
| 2006-287729 | Oct 2006 | JP |
| 2008-187383 | Aug 2008 | JP |
| 2010-034924 | Feb 2010 | JP |
| 2011-091556 | May 2011 | JP |
| 2012-113840 | Jun 2012 | JP |
| 2013-255094 | Dec 2013 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Notification of Reasons for Refusal for Japanese Application 2016-064730 dated Sep. 12, 2017. |
| International Search Report for PCT/JP2017/005701 dated May 16, 2017 [PCT/ISA/210]. |
| EESR (Extended European Search Report) dated Oct. 14, 2019, for EP Application 17773796.2. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190112806 A1 | Apr 2019 | US |
