Communications: radio wave antennas – Antennas – With radio cabinet
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-19
2001-02-20
Wong, Don (Department: 2821)
Communications: radio wave antennas
Antennas
With radio cabinet
C455S090300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06191742
ABSTRACT:
PRIORITY
This application claims priority to an application entitled “Whip Antenna Structure of Mobile Terminal” filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Nov. 19, 1998 and assigned Ser. No. 98-49718, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an antenna device of a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a whip antenna structure of a mobile terminal having a non-conducting projection at the lower end of the whip antenna.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, mobile terminals have an antenna device for data communication, which includes a helical antenna and a whip antenna.
An example of this type of the mobile terminal is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,678, in which the helical antenna is incorporated with the upper portion of the whip antenna. In this patent, the mobile terminal further includes a conducting projection electrically connected to the whip antenna, and an antenna bushing for fixing a receiving means and the antenna to the terminal. When retracting the whip antenna, the helical antenna descends in the retracting direction of the whip antenna so that a connector electrically connected to the helical antenna is electrically connected to a spring clip provided in the antenna bushing. Here, only the helical antenna operates since the whip antenna is electrically isolated from the helical antenna.
In another type of the mobile terminal, the helical antenna is mounted to the main body of the mobile terminal. An example of this mobile terminal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,178, in which the whip antenna includes a conducting projection electrically connected to a conducting wire, and an antenna bushing for fixing a receiving means and the antenna to the mobile terminal. When the whip antenna is retracted, only the helical antenna is used; and otherwise when the whip antenna is extended, the projection is brought in contact with the spring clip to allow the whip antenna to be operated.
FIG. 1
is a cross section of a mobile terminal having an antenna with a conducting projection according to prior art.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, when extending a whip antenna
110
, the conducting projection
119
is associated with a spring clip (not shown) provided in a bushing
120
so as to secure the whip antenna. However, there is a problem that the whip antenna cannot be extended when the spring force is stronger than a driving force of the antenna. Particularly, when using a small-sized driving motor
130
in order to miniaturize the mobile terminal, a force for extending the whip antenna
110
is too weak to allow the conducting projection
119
to be associated with the spring clip.
Further, the antenna having the driving motor
130
uses a power transmission device such as rollers
131
to impart an up-and-down motion to the whip antenna
110
to be extended/retracted. Here, the rollers
131
are positioned at the lower end of the bushing
120
for fixing the whip antenna. As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, the force transmitted from the motor
130
makes the rollers
131
rotate, thereby extending the whip antenna
110
between the rollers
131
. As described previously, the conducting projection
119
is positioned lower than the bushing
120
due to the position of the rollers
131
such that the whip antenna is not entirely extracted from the mobile terminal and the conducting projection
119
is left in the mobile terminal. As a result, radiation and matching characteristics of the whip antenna are deteriorated. That is, in a general automotive antenna having a lower portion which includes a conductive stopper and an intermediate portion which has a different diameter for stopping extension of the antenna the whip antenna portion of the automatic antenna suffers deterioration of its radiation and matching characteristics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an antenna in a mobile terminal with enhanced reception gain.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an antenna that requires a minimal amount of power to drive a motor during retraction/extension of a whip antenna in a mobile terminal.
To achieve the above objects of the present invention, there is provided an antenna structure of a mobile terminal including a whip antenna, a helical antenna mounted to the mobile terminal and pierced with the whip antenna in a lengthwise direction thereof, a bushing for fixing the helical antenna to the mobile terminal and connecting the helical antenna or the whip antenna to a radio frequency (RF) block, a projection for stopping extension of the whip antenna, a driving motor for generating a driving force to retract/extend the whip antenna according to a specified control signal, and rollers for transmitting torque generated from the driving motor to the whip antenna to be retracted/extended. The whip antenna includes: a non-conducting upper portion disposed at a position adjacent the helical antenna when the whip antenna is retracted; an intermediate portion including a conducting wire isolated with an insulating material of a predetermined thickness, and a conducting connection having a predetermined width to be coupled to the bushing when the whip antenna is extended; and a non-conducting lower portion having the projection at the lower end thereof, wherein the upper portion, the intermediate portion and the lower portion are equal in diameter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5204678 (1993-04-01), Foley
patent: 5479178 (1995-12-01), Ha
patent: 5999133 (1999-12-01), Svensson
Ha Dong-In
Kim Dong-Hwan
Kim Seong-Joong
Krylov Konstantin Stanialavovich
Clinger James
Dilworth & Barrese LLP
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Wong Don
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