BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are schematic diagrams of examples of a conventional antenna apparatus;
FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are schematic diagrams of a UWB flat antenna apparatus, for which patent application has been made by the applicant hereto;
FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram of a portable telephone according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of a battery cover and vicinity of the portable telephone shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective diagram showing correspondence of the battery cover to a battery space, where a cross section of a part of the battery cover is presented;
FIG. 6 is a perspective diagram showing a part that constitutes a UWB flat antenna apparatus;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the portable telephone shown in FIG. 3; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective diagram of a digital camera according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the following, embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show a portable telephone 50 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The portable telephone 50 includes a UWB flat antenna apparatus 100. The UWB flat antenna apparatus 100 uses a surface 83 (front surface) of a battery 80; the surface 83 serves as a ground plane. Directions X1-X2 represent width, directions Y1-Y2 represent length, and directions Z1-Z2 represent thickness of the portable telephone 50.
The portable telephone 50 includes a loudspeaker 52, a liquid crystal panel 53, an operating unit 54, and a microphone 55, which are arranged on an upper surface 51a of a body 51. On an undersurface 51b of the body 51, a camera unit 56, a battery holding section 57, and a connector 58 are arranged. Further, the battery holding section 57 holds a battery 80, and a battery cover 60 covers the battery 80. A shielding member 59 is arranged inside of the body 51.
The connector 58 is arranged near the battery holding section 57 as shown in FIG. 3B, and is electrically connected to a UWB communication unit 70 as shown in FIG. 7.
The portable telephone 50 according to Embodiment 1 is different from the conventional portable telephone in that the former includes the UWB communication unit 70 and the connector 58 as shown in FIG. 7. Commands are issued to the controlling unit 71 by the operating unit 54. The controlling unit 71 controls the UWB communication unit 70, a telephone communication unit 72, and an image processing unit 73. A telephone unit 74 includes the loudspeaker 52 and the microphone 55, and is operated by the telephone communication unit 72 so that communications are performed through the UWB flat antenna apparatus 100. The liquid crystal panel 53 is driven by a signal provided by the image processing unit 73. Image data photographed by the camera unit 56 are processed by the image processing unit 73, are displayed on the liquid crystal panel 53, and are transmitted from the UWB flat antenna apparatus 100. The battery 80 supplies a driving voltage Vcc to the controlling unit 71, the UWB communication unit 70, the telephone communication unit 72, the image processing unit 73, and so on.
The battery 80 is constituted by a battery element 82 contained in a battery box 81 made of a steel plate in the shape of a flat square as shown in FIG. 5. The battery 80 is accommodated in the battery holding section 57 for supplying the driving voltage Vcc to the controlling unit 71, and the like. Further, when the battery 80 is accommodated in the battery holding section 57, the battery box 81 and the shielding member 59 are electrically connected at a point 75 shown in FIG. 7. Accordingly, where the battery 80 is accommodated in the battery holding section 57, the surface 83 of the battery 80 is exposed in the Z2 direction, as shown in FIG. 5. The surface 83 is flat and square, and has ground potential.
The battery cover 60 is made by molding resin in the shape of a plate as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. An antenna film 90 is insert-molded inside the battery cover 60. An antenna element unit 91 in the shape of a home plate and a wire-element part 92 are formed on the antenna film 90. The wire-element part 92 is prolonged from an apex section (feeding point) 91a of the antenna element unit 91. At the other end of the wire-element part 92, a contact part 93 is formed. The contact part 93 is bent at a right angle to the wire-element part 92, and is projected from the undersurface of the battery cover 60. An angle 0 at the feeding point 91a of the antenna element unit 91 is about 60°.
The size (length) of the battery cover 60 is greater than the size (length) of the battery holding section 57; the size of the wire-element part 92 is equivalent to the battery holding section 57. That is, the antenna element unit 91 is prolonged in the Y2 direction beyond the battery holding section 57. The battery cover 60 is attached to the body 51 with the antenna element unit 91 arranged immediately next to the battery holding section 57 in the Y2 direction.
Where the battery 80 is installed in the battery holding section 57, and the battery cover 60 is attached to the undersurface 51b of the body 51 to cover the battery 80 as shown in FIG. 4, a relationship between the antenna film 90 and the surface 83 of the battery 80 is as shown by FIG. 6. That is, the antenna element unit 91 is located in a first plane that is parallel to a second plane in which the surface 83 of the battery 80 is located. The first plane and the second plane are separated by a distance “a” (FIG. 4) that is one half of a thickness t1 of the battery cover 60, the distance “a” being equal to or less than 1 mm. Further, the feeding point (apex) 91a is located approximately immediately above in the Z2 direction a side 82a (FIG. 6) of the surface 83, where the side 82a is in the Y2 direction. The wire-element part 92 is arranged in the first plane, and runs along the surface 83 in the Y1 direction. Further, the contact part 93 is connected to the connector 58.
As described above, the UWB flat antenna apparatus 100 is constituted by the antenna element unit 91, the wire-element part 92, and the surface 83, where the surface 83 serves as a ground element (ground plane). Since the battery 80 is installed in the battery holding section 57, and the battery box 81 is electrically connected to the shielding member 59, it becomes unnecessary to connect a coaxial cable to the UWB flat antenna apparatus 100, simplifying the structure of the UWB flat antenna apparatus 100.
The portable telephone 50 employs the UWB flat antenna apparatus 100 wherein the surface 83 of the battery 80 serves as the ground element, and accordingly, is made smaller, especially thinner than conventional portable telephones that employ an independent UWB flat antenna apparatus.
Embodiment 2
FIG. 8 shows a digital camera 110 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The digital camera 110 includes a main body 111, a lens (not illustrated) attached to a first side of the body 111, a liquid crystal panel 112 arranged on a second side 111b that is opposite to the first side, a battery holding section 113, a connector 114, a battery 80A shaped like a flat square accommodated in the battery holding section 113, and a battery cover 60A. Inside of the battery cover 60A, an antenna film 90A is insert-molded. The battery cover 60A is attached to the main body 111 such that the battery 80A is covered. Further, a contact part 93A is connected to the connector 114.
With the structure described above, a surface 83A of the battery 80A functions as a ground element, and a UWB flat antenna apparatus 100A is constituted by an antenna element unit 91A, the surface 83A, and a wire-element part 92A.
Since the digital camera 110 employs the UWB flat antenna apparatus 100A wherein the surface 83A of the battery 80A serves as the ground element, the digital camera 110 is made smaller, especially thinner than conventional digital cameras that employ an independent UWB flat antenna apparatus.
Further, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The present application is based on Japanese Priority Application No. 2006-108872 filed on Apr. 8, 2006 with the Japanese Patent,Office, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Patent Application
20070238492
