Communications: radio wave antennas – Antennas – Microstrip
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-16
2004-06-22
Nguyen, Hoang V. (Department: 2821)
Communications: radio wave antennas
Antennas
Microstrip
C343S702000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06753815
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an antenna apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to an antenna apparatus appropriately used for an ultra small communication module installed in various electronic devices such as personal computers, portable telephones, audio devices, etc. having an information communication capability, a data storage capability, etc.
Owing to digitization of information signals, various types of information such as audio information, image information, etc. can be easily handled on personal computers, mobile devices, etc. Audio and image codec technologies are used to promote the band compression of these types of information. The digital communication and the digital broadcasting are creating an environment to easily and efficiently deliver such information to various communication terminal devices. For example, audio video data (AV data) can be received on a portable telephone.
A system for sending and receiving data is being widely used in various places including homes in accordance with a proposal for simple communication network systems available in small areas. As a communication network system, special attention is paid to, for example, a 5 GHz band narrow-area wireless communication system proposed in the IEEE802.11a, a 2.45 GHz band wireless LAN system proposed in the IEEE802.11b, and a next-generation wireless communication system such as so-called Bluetooth and other short-range wireless communication systems.
The above-mentioned various electronic devices require interface specifications capable of connection to all communication networks. A wireless communication means is provided to even mobile electronic devices exclusively for personal use, enabling communication with various devices and systems in a mobile situation for interchanging data and the like. For connection with other devices, the mobile electronic device is provided with a wireless communication function such as a plurality of wireless communication ports, wireless communication hardware, etc. having interface functions compliant with the associated communication systems.
Digitization of AV data enables to easily record and store data on personal computer's storage devices using recording media such as hard discs, optical discs including magnet-optical discs, semiconductor memory, etc. The recording media used for these types of storage devices are generally being used in place of recording media according to conventional analog recording systems such as audio or video tape cassettes, video discs, etc. having proprietary formats. Particularly, semiconductor memory chips such as flash memory are characterized by a very small cubic volume per recording capacity and ease of attaching or detaching from devices. For example, semiconductor memory chips are used for various electronic devices such as digital still cameras, video cameras, portable audio devices, notebook computers, etc.
The semiconductor memory chip helps easily move, record, store, etc. data such as audio or image information between the electronic devices. In order to move, transport, or store data, however, the semiconductor memory chip generally needs to be attached or detached from the device, causing a troublesome operation.
As mentioned above, a plurality of wireless communication functions are provided to various electronic devices. Generally, it is enough to use one function according to the usage condition, environment, etc. There is hardly a case of using a plurality of functions at a time. Because of a plurality of functions provided, the electronic devices have been subject to a problem of a cross talk or a radio interference with each other in the same or different frequency bands. Particularly, a mobile electronic device impairs the portability by mounting wireless communication ports, wireless communication hardware, etc. to provide wireless communication functions corresponding to the above-mentioned plurality of communication systems.
The electronic device provides the wireless communication function by attaching a wireless communication module having the storage function and the wireless communication function using semiconductor memory. This type of mobile electronic devices can comply with various communication systems and decrease the structural complexity by attaching appropriately selected wireless communication modules compliant with various communication systems.
FIGS. 1 and 2
show a configuration of wireless communication module used for a mobile electronic device. A wireless communication module
200
as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
comprises a printed circuit board
201
where an appropriate wiring pattern is formed on one surface and a ground pattern
202
is formed on the other surface. There are mounted an RF module
203
, an LSI
204
constituting a signal processing section, a flash memory element
205
, a transmitter
206
, etc. The wireless communication module
200
is mounted with a connector
207
for connection with the device at one end on the other surface of the printed circuit board
201
. The wireless communication module
200
contains an antenna section
208
patterned at one end of the wiring pattern surface opposite the connector
207
on the printed circuit board
201
.
The wireless communication module
200
is attached to or detached from the main device such as a mobile device via the connector
207
to store data and the like supplied from the main device in the flash memory element
205
and transfer data and the like stored in the flash memory element to the main device. When attached to the main device, the wireless communication module
200
uses the externally protruded antenna section
208
to enable wireless interchange of signals between the main device and a host device or a wireless system for wireless connection with the main device.
The antenna section
208
is patterned on a principal plane of the printed circuit board
201
. For miniaturization of the wireless communication module
200
, the antenna section
208
comprises a monopole antenna as a built-in antenna having a relatively simple structure. For example, a so-called reverse F-shaped antenna as shown in
FIG. 1
is used for the antenna section
208
. The reverse F-shaped antenna comprises an antenna element
209
formed along the width direction of the printed circuit board
201
at one end, an earth pattern
210
, and a power supply pattern
211
. The earth pattern
210
is formed orthogonally to the antenna element
209
at its one end and is short-circuited to the ground pattern
202
. The power supply pattern
211
is formed parallel to the earth pattern
210
, orthogonally to the antenna element
209
, and is supplied with power from the RF module
203
, for example. The reverse F-shaped antenna allows the main polarized wave direction to cross the antenna element
209
at the right angle.
The antenna section
208
may use not only the stick antenna element
209
formed as a pattern on the printed circuit board
201
, but also a plate antenna element
215
as shown in FIG.
3
. The antenna element
215
may be patterned on the principal plane of the printed circuit board
201
, but also be mounted in a lifted manner from the principal plane of the printed circuit board
201
as shown in FIG.
3
. At one end of the antenna element
215
, there are provided an earth section
216
connected to the ground pattern
202
and a power supply point
217
.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, the antenna section
208
may be configured as a so-called reverse L-shaped antenna by forming a power supply section
219
orthogonally to one end of the antenna element
218
. The antenna section
208
may be configured to be, e.g., a loop pattern antenna, a micro-split pattern antenna, etc. as the other monopole antennas.
The wireless communication module
200
promotes miniaturization by providing the above-mentioned antenna section
208
, but may greatly change antenna characteristics depending on states of attaching the module to the main device. The wireless communicati
Arai Hiroyuki
Hirabayashi Takayuki
Nakayama Norikazu
Okubora Akihiko
Nguyen Hoang V.
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
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