JPH07263949A - Method and device for improving transmission/reception gain of portable radio equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To give a higher transmission/reception gain to a portable radio machine by the same action as a passive antenna element to a driving antenna element in a general antenna by using a transmission/reception gain improving device in combination with the portable radio equipment. CONSTITUTION:A transmission/reception gain improving device 55 like a corner reflector can be opened and closed like a note; and when it is closed, it looks like one plate, and an arranging mechanism 52 is stored between reflection plates 50. When it is used, a reflecting mechanism 51 is opened to take out the arranging mechanism 52, and a portable radio equipment 53 is placed on the arranging mechanism 52. At this time, a driving antenna 54 of the portable radio equipment 53 is arranged in such position that a higher gain can be obtained. Since this transmission/reception gain improving device 55 like a corner reflector has a folding structure, it can be always carried in combination with the portable radio equipment.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for improving transmission / reception gain and directivity of a portable wireless device (for example, a wireless telephone such as a portable telephone or a cordless telephone).

Recently, data communication using a wireless telephone has been partially used. In order to perform good data communication with a wireless telephone with limited transmission power and reception sensitivity, it is necessary to devise an efficient transmission and reception of radio waves.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art In most cases, data communication using a wireless telephone is performed by using an earphone / microphone terminal (headset terminal) of the wireless telephone (hereinafter referred to as "voice data communication"). .

FIG. 9 shows the concept of voice data communication. FIG. 9 (a) shows a case where a mobile phone is used, in which a communication input / output terminal of the terminal and an earphone / microphone terminal of the mobile phone are connected by a modem, and a communication partner is communicated via a base station, a wireless network, and a public network. Data communication is being performed with the terminal or computer on the side. In this case, data transmission and reception by radio waves are performed between the mobile phone and the base station.

FIG. 9B shows a case where a cordless telephone is used. Similarly, the terminal is connected to a cordless telephone slave unit,
Data communication is performed with the terminal or computer on the other end of the communication via the base unit and the public network. In this case, data transmission and reception are performed by radio waves between the cordless telephone handset and the base unit.

[0006]

The transmission / reception characteristics of a wireless telephone are such that the propagation distance of the radio wave is
It is affected by obstacles (buildings, trees, etc.) on the propagation path, and temporal changes in the space that is the transmission medium (temperature, humidity, etc.). Therefore, the C / N ratio (carrier power to noise power ratio) of the wireless telephone may deteriorate depending on the usage conditions.

By the way, a measure of whether or not the data communication is good can be judged by BER (bit error rate).
Generally, the BER is correlated with the C / N ratio, and when the C / N ratio deteriorates (decreases), the BER also deteriorates (increases). Therefore, when a wireless telephone is used, good data communication may not always be possible even in a situation where voice communication is possible. Conversely, if the C / N ratio is improved (increased), the BER is also improved (decreased). In other words, the higher the transmission power and the reception sensitivity, the better the BER.

However, in general, most of the wireless telephones are portable and are integrated with a small omnidirectional antenna in order to satisfy the demand for smaller size and lighter weight. The gain of such an antenna is usually about several dBi. In addition, since there are legal restrictions on the transmission power and antenna gain of the wireless device, it is not allowed to increase the transmission power or connect an antenna with a large gain beyond the regulation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the transmission / reception gain without changing the circuit configuration or the antenna of a portable radio device, thereby enabling data communication and voice communication. To make good calls.

[0010]

FIG. 1 illustrates the principle of the present invention. Generally, an antenna is composed of a combination of an excited antenna element and a non-excited antenna element. However, the transmission / reception gain improving device of the present invention is a portable radio device at the position where the unexcited antenna element and the originally excited antenna element of the antenna should exist. And an arrangement mechanism for arranging the excitation antenna.

FIG. 1 (a) simply shows the structure of a transmission / reception gain improving device (a corner reflector is shown here as an example) of the present invention. This device includes a reflector mechanism 51 including two reflectors 50 that are openably and closably connected to each other in a notebook shape, and an arrangement mechanism 52 that arranges an excitation antenna of a portable wireless device at a predetermined position with respect to the reflector mechanism 51. Is equipped with.

In FIG. 1 (b), the portable antenna 53 is placed on the arrangement mechanism 52 of the transmission / reception gain improving device to arrange the excitation antenna 54 at a predetermined position with respect to the reflector mechanism 51, and Shows a method of improving the transmission / reception gain of the portable wireless device 53.

[0013]

The transmission / reception gain improving device of the present invention functions as a non-excitation antenna element with respect to the excitation antenna element in a general antenna, and acts to increase the transmission / reception gain of the portable radio device. Further, the arrangement mechanism of the transmission / reception gain improving device is provided to arrange the excitation antenna of the portable wireless device at a position where the transmission / reception gain of the portable wireless device becomes larger.

The corner reflex-shaped transmission / reception gain improving device 55 shown in FIG. 1 can be opened and closed like a notebook, and when closed, it becomes a single plate and the arrangement mechanism 52 has a reflection plate 50.
It is structured to be stored between. At the time of use, the reflection mechanism 51 is opened, and the arrangement mechanism 52 is taken out.
The portable wireless device 53 is placed on the. At this time, the portable wireless device 5
The excitation antenna 54 of No. 3 is arranged at a position where a larger gain is obtained.

By using the transmitting / receiving gain improving device of the present invention in combination with the portable wireless device as described above, the transmitting / receiving gain improving device has a function similar to that of the non-excited antenna element with respect to the excited antenna element in the general antenna, and is larger in the portable wireless device. Gives a send / receive gain.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as an example of the transmission / reception gain improving device of the present invention, a corner reflector type transmission / reception gain improving device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a corner reflector) will be described.

Before giving concrete examples, constants defining the shape and performance of the corner reflector and their relations will be described. FIG. 2 shows the definition of each constant of the corner reflector. The meaning of each constant is as follows. a: length of the vertical side of the reflector of the corner reflector b: length of the horizontal side of the reflector of the corner reflector d: distance between the origin position of the corner reflector and the excitation antenna (portable radio antenna) φ: Opening angle (vertical angle) of the corner reflector t: Thickness of the reflector (metal part) of the corner reflector G: Total gain radiated in free space λ: Wavelength of radio wave

G (dB) is d / λ with φ as a parameter.
It is experimentally known to be related to. FIG. 3 shows an example of the relationship between the power gain G and d / λ when the apex angle φ of the corner reflector is 60 °, 90 °, and 180 °, assuming that the size of the reflector is infinite. Is represented.

There is also a relationship between the two sides a and b that define the size of the corner reflector, the power gain G, the wavelength λ of the radio wave used, and the apex angle φ. FIG. 4A shows an example of the relationship. Therefore, the apex angle φ of the corner reflector that gives the maximum gain can be obtained from the relationship with d / λ. FIG. 4B shows an example of the relationship between φ and d / λ.

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of the corner reflector of the present invention. The corner reflector 1 is a structure in which a thin metal plate 4 (copper, aluminum, etc.) is attached to the surface of a core material 3 made of an insulating material (plastic, paper, etc.), and two reflectors 2 are connected by a hinge mechanism 5. A mounting table 7 for mounting the portable wireless device is attached.

The two arms 8 of the mounting table 7 are connected to the two reflectors 2, respectively. When the corner reflector 1 is closed, the arms 8 bend at the center, and when they are completely closed, the arms 8 are attached to the surface of the reflector 2. The mounting table 7 and the arm 8 are stored in the mounting table storage groove 9 provided. The mounting table 7 can be rotated about the arm 8 so as to fit snugly into the mounting table storage groove 9 during storage. The corner reflector 1 can be opened to an angle at which the arm 8 can be fully extended. Since the length of the arm 8 defines the opening angle φ of the corner reflector and the distance d between the mounting table 7 and the corner reflector origin position 6 during use, the transmission / reception gain of the portable wireless device mounted on the mounting table 7 is maximized. The length of the arm 8 is determined so that φ and d can be obtained.

Next, the value of each constant of the corner reflector 1 will be examined. In this embodiment, it is assumed that an ultra-small mobile phone 10 connected to an automobile / mobile phone network is used. The frequencies of automobiles and mobile phones are specified by law as follows. Transmission frequency of terminal (mobile phone): f _T = 925MH
z to 942 MHz Reception frequency: f _R = 870 MHz to 887 MHz The wavelength λ is obtained from this frequency as follows. Maximum transmission wavelength λ _Tmax = 0.324 [m] Minimum transmission wavelength λ _Tmin = 0.318 [m] Maximum reception wavelength λ _Rmax = 0.345 [m] Minimum reception wavelength λ _Rmin = 0.338 [m]

Assuming that the corner reflector 1 has a notebook size, the lengths of the two sides a and b that define the size are as follows. A4 size a = 210.0 × 10 ⁻³ [m] b = 296.5 × 10 ⁻³ [m] B5 size a = 182.0 × 10 ⁻³ [m] b = 256.0 × Since the sides a and b of 10 ⁻³ [m] need only be 1/2 or more of the wavelength (λ) of the radio wave used, both the A4 size and the B5 size satisfy this condition.

The distance d between the origin position 6 of the corner reflector 1 and the excitation antenna 11 of the mobile phone 10 is (1/4) λ.
Since (3/8) λ is sufficient, d ₈ ≈8 cm in the case of (1/4) λ and d ₁₂ ≈12 cm in the case of (3/8) λ.
Then, the value of d / λ is as follows. d = the case of _{8cm d 8 / λ Tmax ≒ 0.247} d 8 / λ Tmin ≒ 0.252 d 8 / λ Rmax ≒ 0.232 case of _{d 8 / λ Rmin ≒ 0.237 d} = 12cm d 12 / λ _Tmax ≈ 0.370 d ₁₂ / λ _Tmin ≈ 0.377 d ₁₂ / λ _Rmax ≈ 0.348 d ₁₂ / λ _Rmin ≈ 0.355 Here, from a table (see FIG. 4) according to a known experimental example in the past. , The apex angle φ that gives the maximum gain is d = 12 cm
At this time, φ≈100 °.

The thickness of the thin metal plate 4 on the surface of the reflector 2 is about 5
It may be 0 μm or more. The material of the thin metal plate 4 is copper or aluminum. If the thickness is 50 μm or more, copper foil or aluminum foil may be attached to the surface of the core material 3.

The constant values of the corner reflector 1 thus obtained are summarized as follows. Vertical length of reflector a = 210.0 × 10 ^-3 [m] Horizontal length of reflector b = 296.5 × 10 ^-3 [m] Corner reflector apex angle φ = 100 ° From the origin position Distance to excitation antenna d = 12 × 10
^-2 [m] Reflector (metal part) thickness t = 50 μm or more Material of reflector (metal part) = copper or aluminum

In this embodiment, a thin metal plate or a metal foil attached to the surface of an insulating core material is used as the reflecting plate, but the entire reflecting plate may be made of a metallic material. In this case, the thickness of the reflection plate may theoretically be 50 μm or more, but is practically about 1 to 2 m. Further, like a commonly used corner reflector antenna, it may be a reflector whose surface is a comb-shaped conductor.

Further, in this embodiment, the position of the mounting table and the opening angle of the corner reflector are defined by the length of the arm of the mounting table, but the position of the mounting table can be changed by changing the length of the arm. The opening angle can be adjusted.

Further, in this embodiment, a mounting table accommodating groove is provided on the surface of the reflecting plate, and when the corner reflector is closed, the mounting table is fitted into the accommodating groove so that the two reflecting plates come into close contact with each other. However, there is no practical problem if the mounting table is sandwiched between the two reflectors when the corner reflector is closed, even if the storage groove is not provided. The method of accommodating the mounting table shown in this embodiment is only an example, and the shape of the entire corner reflector should be convenient for carrying when the reflectors are closed.

Further, in this embodiment, the mounting table is provided as the arrangement mechanism of the mobile phone, but other than that, for example, a support mechanism for fixing the mobile phone by some method may be provided. Alternatively, the arrangement mechanism may not be provided and the user may arrange the mobile phone at an appropriate position by visual inspection.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 uses a corner reflector type transmission / reception gain improving device, but in this embodiment, a Yagi antenna type transmission / reception gain improving device is used. This transmission / reception gain improving device 20 has a structure in which the excitation element is removed from a normal Yagi antenna and a mounting table 23 for a wireless telephone is installed at that position. In this case, the reflection element 21 and the waveguide element 22
Corresponds to a non-excited antenna element. When the radio telephone 24 is placed on the mounting table 23, the excitation antenna 25 is arranged in parallel with the reflection element 21 and the waveguide element 22 at the original position of the excitation element. If the direction of the transmission / reception gain improving device 20, the length of each element, and the distance between each element are appropriate, the transmission / reception gain and directivity of the wireless telephone 24 are improved by this.

FIG. 7 shows still another embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, a parabolic antenna-like transmission / reception gain improving device is used. When the wireless telephone 33 is placed on the mounting table (or support mechanism) 32 provided in the transmission / reception gain improving device 31, the excitation antenna 34 is arranged at the focal point 35 of the radio wave.
This improves the transmission / reception gain and directivity of the wireless telephone 33.

FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. This is an example of a method of adjusting the direction of the corner reflector so that the transmission / reception antenna system including the corner reflector and the wireless telephone can obtain the maximum gain.

Corner reflector 41 and wireless telephone 42
Is placed on the turntable 43 equipped with the servomotor drive unit 44. Then, the external dedicated interface 47 of the wireless telephone 42 is connected to the electric field intensity display device 45, the electric field intensity display device 45 is connected to the motor control device 46, and the motor control device 46 is connected to the servo motor drive unit 44 of the turntable 43. By doing so, an automatic control system is configured.

The received electric field intensity of the wireless telephone 42 during communication is displayed on the display window of the electric field intensity display device 45, and the electric field intensity display device 45 sends a signal according to the received electric field intensity to the motor control device 46. Since the motor control device 46 controls the servo motor driving unit 44 so that the received electric field strength becomes maximum, the rotary base 43 rotates until the transmission / reception gain of the wireless telephone 42 becomes maximum.

The configuration shown here is an example, and any configuration or device may be used as long as it can achieve the purpose of adjusting the direction of the corner reflector 41 so that the reception electric field strength of the wireless telephone 42 is maximized. It doesn't matter.

Further, it is a method in which only the electric field strength display device 45 is connected to the radio telephone 42 and the direction of the corner reflector 41 is manually adjusted so that the displayed electric field strength is maximized while visually observing the display window. May be.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the radio wave condition is bad, the portable radio unit integrated with the antenna is simply arranged in the arrangement mechanism of the transmission / reception gain improving device. The transmission / reception gain can be improved by about 3 to 5 dB without making any changes to the portable wireless device.
In particular, in erroneous voice data communication using a wireless telephone, an improvement in gain brings about an improvement in BER, so that better and more reliable communication than before can be realized.

Further, the corner reflector type transmission / reception gain improving device according to the present invention has, for example, a notebook size of A4 or B5, and can be folded into one plate when not in use, so that it can be put in a bag together with a portable radio device or the like. It is possible to carry. The arranging mechanism attached to the corner reflector type transmission / reception gain improving device has a function of arranging the portable wireless device at a position where a large gain is obtained and a function of stabilizing the portable wireless device so as not to fall.

Since the transmission / reception gain improving apparatus of the present invention is mainly intended for voice data communication, it is necessary to mount and fix the portable wireless device on the arrangement mechanism, which is not suitable for ordinary voice communication. However, if the earphone / microphone terminal of the portable wireless device is used, it can be sufficiently applied even in the case of a voice call, and the call quality in a place where the radio wave condition is poor can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing definitions of respective constants of a corner reflector.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a gain of a corner reflector and each constant.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a gain of a corner reflector and each constant.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a concept of considered voice data communication.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Corner Reflector-like Transmission / Reception Gain Improvement Device 2 Reflector 3 Core Material (Insulating Material) 4 Metal Thin Plate or Metal Foil (Copper or Aluminum) 5 Hinge Mechanism 6 Origin Point of Corner Reflector 7 Mounting Table 8 Arm 9 Mounting Table Storage Groove 10 Mobile Telephone set 11 Excitation antenna 20 Yagi antenna transmission / reception gain improving device 21 Reflective element 22 Waveguide element 23 Mounting table 24 Mobile phone 25 Excitation antenna 31 Parabola Antenna transmission / reception gain improving device 32 Mounting table or support mechanism 33 Mobile phone 34 Excitation antenna 35 Parabola Antenna focus 41 Corner reflector-shaped transmission / reception gain improving device 42 Mobile phone 43 Rotating table 44 Servo motor drive unit 45 Electric field intensity display device 46 Servo motor control device 47 External dedicated interface for mobile phone 50 Reflector 51 Reflector mechanism 52 Arrangement Structure 53 portable radio 54 excitation antenna 55 corner reflector shaped receiving gain enhancement device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A transmission / reception gain of a portable radio device having an arrangement mechanism for arranging an excitation antenna of a portable radio device in its position in place of the excitation antenna device of an antenna composed of a combination of a non-excitation antenna device and an excitation antenna device. Improvement equipment. 2. Two reflectors (5) that open and close like a notebook.
0), and an arrangement for arranging the excitation antenna (54) of the portable wireless device (53) at a predetermined position with respect to the reflector mechanism when the reflector mechanism is opened. A device (52) for improving transmission / reception gain of a portable wireless device. 3. An antenna comprising a combination of a non-excited antenna element and an excited antenna element, in place of the excited antenna element, the exciting antenna of the portable radio device being arranged at that position to perform transmission / reception of the portable radio device. A method of improving transmission / reception gain of a portable wireless device for improving transmission / reception gain.