Patent Application
20250125515
This application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 112139511 filed on Oct. 17, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The disclosure generally relates to a mobile device, and more particularly, to a mobile device that supports wideband operations.
With the advancements being made in mobile communication technology, mobile devices such as portable computers, mobile phones, multimedia players, and other hybrid functional portable electronic devices have become more common. To satisfy consumer demand, mobile devices can usually perform wireless communication functions. Some devices cover a large wireless communication area; these include mobile phones using 2G, 3G, and LTE (Long Term Evolution) systems and using frequency bands of 700 MHZ, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHZ, 1900 MHZ, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz. Some devices cover a small wireless communication area; these include mobile phones using Wi-Fi systems and using frequency bands of 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.
Antennas are indispensable elements for wireless communication. If an antenna for signal reception and transmission has insufficient operational bandwidth, it may degrade the communication quality of the relative mobile device. Accordingly, it has become a critical challenge for designers to design a small-size, wideband antenna structure.
In an exemplary embodiment, the invention is directed to a mobile device supporting wideband operations. The mobile device includes a first metal mechanism element, a dielectric substrate, a first feeding radiation element, a second feeding radiation element, a ground element, and a second metal mechanism element. The first metal mechanism element includes a main portion and a sidewall portion. The sidewall portion of the first metal mechanism element has a first slot. The dielectric substrate is adjacent to the sidewall portion of the first metal mechanism element. The first feeding radiation element is coupled to a feeding point. The first feeding radiation element extends across the first slot of the first metal mechanism element. The second feeding radiation element is coupled to the feeding point. The second feeding radiation element extends across the first slot of the first metal mechanism element. The first feeding radiation element and the second feeding radiation element are disposed on the dielectric substrate. The ground element is coupled to the main portion of the first metal mechanism element. An antenna structure is formed by the first slot of the first metal mechanism element, the dielectric substrate, the first feeding radiation element, the second feeding radiation element, and the ground element. The second metal mechanism element is disposed opposite to the main portion of the first metal mechanism element. The second metal mechanism element has a second slot.
In some embodiments, the first slot of the first metal mechanism element is a first closed slot. The second slot of the second metal mechanism element is a second closed slot. The first closed slot and the second closed slot are substantially parallel to each other.
In some embodiments, an angle is formed between the first feeding radiation element and the second feeding radiation element. The angle is from 30 to 90 degrees.
In some embodiments, the antenna structure covers a first frequency band, a second frequency band, and a third frequency band. The first frequency band is from 2400 MHz to 2500 MHz. The second frequency band is from 5150 MHz to 5850 MHz. The third frequency band is from 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz.
In some embodiments, the length of the first slot of the first metal mechanism element is substantially equal to 0.5 wavelength of the first frequency band.
In some embodiments, the length of the second slot of the second metal mechanism element is substantially equal to 0.5 wavelength of the first frequency band.
In some embodiments, the length of the first feeding radiation element is substantially equal to 0.25 wavelength of the third frequency band.
In some embodiments, the length of the second feeding radiation element is substantially equal to 0.25 wavelength of the third frequency band.
In some embodiments, the mobile device further includes a nonconductive support element for filling the first slot of the first metal mechanism element. The nonconductive support element is configured to carry the dielectric substrate.
In some embodiments, the second metal mechanism element further has a cutting retraction design, which is not parallel to the main portion of the first metal mechanism element.
The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In order to illustrate the purposes, features and advantages of the invention, the embodiments and figures of the invention are shown in detail as follows.
Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following description and in the claims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “include, but not limited to . . . ”. The term “substantially” means the value is within an acceptable error range. One skilled in the art can solve the technical problem within a predetermined error range and achieve the proposed technical performance. Also, the term “couple” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Accordingly, if one device is coupled to another device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections.
The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.
The first metal mechanism element 110 includes a main portion 120 and a sidewall portion 130. The main portion 120 and the sidewall portion 130 may be substantially perpendicular to each other. The sidewall portion 130 of the first metal mechanism element 120 may have a first slot 140. It should be noted that the first metal mechanism element 110 and the second metal mechanism element 180 may be appearance elements of the mobile device 100, that is, the elements which eyes of a user can directly observe.
For example, the dielectric substrate 150 may be an FR4 (Flame Retardant 4) substrate, a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), or a FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit). The dielectric substrate 150 has a first surface E1 and a second surface E2 which are opposite to each other. The first surface E1 of the dielectric substrate 150 is adjacent to the sidewall portion 130 of the first metal mechanism element 110. Both of the first feeding radiation element 160 and the second feeding radiation element 165 are disposed on the second surface E2 of the dielectric substrate 150. It should be noted that the term “adjacent” or “close” over the disclosure means that the distance (spacing) between two corresponding elements is smaller than a predetermined distance (e.g., 10 mm or the shorter), or means that the two corresponding elements directly touch each other (i.e., the aforementioned distance/spacing between them is reduced to 0). In some embodiments, the first surface E1 of the dielectric substrate 150 is directly attached to the sidewall portion 130 of the first metal mechanism element 110, such that the dielectric substrate 150 can at least partially cover the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110.
The first feeding radiation element 160 may substantially have an L-shape. Specifically, the first feeding radiation element 160 has a first end 161 and a second end 162. The first end 161 of the first feeding radiation element 160 is coupled to a feeding point FP. The second end 162 of the first feeding radiation element 160 is an open end. The feeding point FP may be further coupled to a signal source 199. For example, the signal source 199 may be an RF (Radio Frequency) module. In some embodiments, the first feeding radiation element 160 can extend across the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110. That is, the first feeding radiation element 160 has a first vertical projection on the sidewall portion 130 of the first metal mechanism element 110, and the first vertical projection at least partially overlaps the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110.
The second feeding radiation element 165 may substantially have an inverted L-shape. Specifically, the second feeding radiation element 165 has a first end 166 and a second end 167. The first end 166 of the second feeding radiation element 165 is coupled to the feeding point FP. The second end 167 of the second feeding radiation element 165 is an open end. For example, the second end 167 of the second feeding radiation element 165 and the second end 162 of the first feeding radiation element 160 may substantially extend in opposite directions and away from each other. In some embodiments, the second feeding radiation element 165 can extend across the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110. That is, the second feeding radiation element 165 has a second vertical projection on the sidewall portion 130 of the first metal mechanism element 110, and the second vertical projection at least partially overlaps the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110. Furthermore, there can be an angle θ formed between the first feeding radiation element 160 and the second feeding radiation element 165. For example, the aforementioned angle θ may be an acute angle, but it is not limited thereto.
The ground element 170 is coupled to the main portion 120 of the first metal mechanism element 110. For example, the ground element 170 may be implemented with a ground copper foil. In a preferred embodiment, the antenna structure of the mobile device 100 is formed by the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110, the dielectric substrate 150, the first feeding radiation element 160, the second feeding radiation element 165, and the ground element 170.
The second metal mechanism element 180 has a second slot 190. The second slot 190 of the second metal mechanism element 180 may be a second closed slot with a first closed end 191 and a second closed end 192 away from each other. In addition, the second slot 190 of the second metal mechanism element 180 may substantially have another straight-line shape, which may be substantially parallel to the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In alternative embodiments, the second slot 190 of the second metal mechanism element 180 substantially has another meandering shape, such as another L-shape, another W-shape, or another N-shape. It should be noted that the second slot 190 of the second metal mechanism element 180 corresponds to the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110. Therefore, the antenna structure of the mobile device 100 can transmit or receive a wireless signal through the second slot 190 of the second metal mechanism element 180. In comparison to the conventional antenna window, the proposed mobile device 100 of the invention not only maintains good communication quality of the antenna structure but also significantly enhances the structural rigidity of the second metal mechanism element 180.
In some embodiments, the antenna structure of the mobile device 100 can cover a first frequency band, a second frequency band, and a third frequency band. For example, the first frequency band may be from 2400 MHz to 2500 MHz, the second frequency band may be from 5150 MHz to 5850 MHz, and the third frequency band may be from 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz. Therefore, the mobile device 100 can support at least the wideband operations of WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7.
The operational principles of the antenna structure of the mobile device 100 in some embodiments are described as follows. The first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110 can be excited to generate a fundamental resonant mode, thereby forming the aforementioned first frequency band. The first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110 can be further excited to generate a first higher-order resonant mode, thereby forming the aforementioned second frequency band. The first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110 can be further excited to generate a second higher-order resonant mode, thereby forming the aforementioned third frequency band. According to practical measurements, the first feeding radiation element 160 and the second feeding radiation element 165 are configured to fine-tune the impedance matching of the aforementioned third frequency band, thereby increasing the operational bandwidth thereof.
The element sizes of the mobile device 100 of some embodiments are described as follows. The length L1 of the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110 may be substantially equal to 0.5 wavelength (λ/2) of the first frequency band of the antenna structure of the mobile device 100. The width W1 of the first slot 140 of the first metal mechanism element 110 may be from 1 mm to 3 mm. The length L2 of the first feeding radiation element 160 may be substantially equal to 0.25 wavelength (λ/4) of the third frequency band of the antenna structure of the mobile device 100. The width W2 of the first feeding radiation element 160 may be from 0.5 mm to 1 mm. The length L3 of the second feeding radiation element 165 may be substantially equal to 0.25 wavelength (λ/4) of the third frequency band of the antenna structure of the mobile device 100. The width W3 of the second feeding radiation element 165 may be from 0.5 mm to 1 mm. The angle θ formed between the first feeding radiation element 160 and the second feeding radiation element 165 may be from 30 to 90 degrees, such as about 45 degrees, about 60 degrees, or about 75 degrees. The length L4 of the second slot 190 of the second metal mechanism element 180 may be substantially equal to 0.5 wavelength (λ/2) of the first frequency band of the antenna structure of the mobile device 100. The width W4 of the second slot 190 of the second metal mechanism element 180 may be from 3 mm to 5 mm. The distance D1 between the second slot 190 of the second metal mechanism element 180 and the sidewall portion 130 of the first metal mechanism element 110 may be from 4 mm to 6 mm. The above ranges of element sizes are calculated and obtained according to many experiment results, and they help to optimize the operational bandwidth and the impedance matching of the antenna structure of the mobile device 100.
The following embodiments will introduce different configurations and detail structural features of the mobile device 100. It should be understood that these figures and descriptions are merely exemplary, rather than limitations of the invention.
The invention proposes a novel mobile device with a novel antenna structure. In comparison to the conventional design, the invention has several advantages, including its small size, wide bandwidth, high structural rigidity, low manufacturing cost, and improved SAR. Therefore, the invention is suitable for application in a variety of communication devices.
Note that the above element sizes, element shapes, and frequency ranges are not limitations of the invention. An antenna designer can fine-tune these settings or values to meet different requirements. It should be understood that the mobile device of the invention is not limited to the configurations of
Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having the same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 112139511 | Oct 2023 | TW | national |
