KR20170083949A - Wireless communication device with leaky wave phased array antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

According to various embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication device comprising an antenna device,
A millimeter wave antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements; A housing for receiving the antenna module, the housing including a conductive structure; And a leakage wave radiating part for matching the antenna module with an outer space of the housing,
Wherein the leakage radiation section includes at least one opening formed in the conductive structure of the housing,
The antenna module may radiate an electromagnetic field to the outer space through the leakage wave radiation part while being separated from the outer space by the housing.
The wireless communication apparatus and / or the electronic apparatus may vary according to the embodiment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication apparatus including a leakage wave phased array antenna,

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to an antenna device, for example, an antenna device capable of millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission and reception, and a wireless communication device including the same.

The 5G era provides electronic device connectivity scalability, extended performance and a diverse user experience by implementing connectivity (eg, wireless connectivity) with nearby devices and improved energy efficiency. Many of the fundamental problems in antenna array physics and high-speed transceiver design, equalizer design for wireless access technologies operating in the millimeter (mm) waveband have already been shown by the WiGig / 802.11ad standard. A wireless communication device supporting a 4G / 5G mobile network or a wireless local area mobile network (for example, wireless LAN) has a variable beam scanning range, May be required.

In mounting a millimeter wave antenna on a radio communication apparatus, manufacturing costs, power efficiency, ease of miniaturization, and stable connection can be considered. For example, the higher the communication frequency band, the higher the level noise component and the propagation loss in a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), so that the antenna gain can be forcibly increased to ensure a stable connection , Which may reduce power efficiency. In another example, a wide beam forming and beam scanning range may be required in order to secure a stable connection, but since the higher the communication frequency band is, the higher the directivity becomes, And the beam scanning range may be narrowed.

A millimeter wave antenna operating in a high frequency band of several tens of GHz or more can be composed of a module in which RFIC and radiation conductor are integrated on one circuit board. Such an antenna module can operate in a fairly high frequency band, provide excellent power efficiency, and can provide a stable network connection by securing a wide beamforming and beam scanning range. In addition, it can be easily mounted on a miniaturized wireless communication device and / or an electronic device such as a mobile communication terminal because of its small size.

However, in order to enhance the appearance and the like, the operating environment of the antenna module becomes poor while using a metal structure (e.g., a metal case) in the appearance of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device, By being disposed around the antenna module, the design performance of the antenna module may not be properly displayed in the wireless communication device.

Various embodiments of the present invention can provide an antenna device and a wireless communication device (or electronic device) including the same that can provide a stable communication network connection in electrical harmony with surrounding metal structures or dielectric structures.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a wireless communication device, including an antenna device,

A millimeter wave antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements;

A housing for receiving the antenna module, the housing including a conductive structure; And

And a leakage radiation unit for matching the antenna module with the external space of the housing,

Wherein the leakage radiation section includes at least one opening formed in the conductive structure of the housing,

The antenna module may radiate an electromagnetic field to the outer space through the leakage wave radiation part while being separated from the outer space by the housing.

In some embodiments, a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device, including an antenna device,

A housing having a conductive structure with at least one opening formed therein;

A circuit board in which at least a portion of the housing is disposed adjacent to the conductive structure; And

And a plurality of antenna elements formed on the circuit board,

The antenna elements may be matched to the outer space of the housing through the conductive structure to radiate an electromagnetic field to the outer space.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, antenna elements disposed in an antenna module may constitute a phased array antenna to transmit and receive millimeter waves, and may include a conductive structure (e.g., at least one A metal frame including an opening). For example, the conductive structure may be utilized as a leakage wave phased array antenna by being electrically coupled with the antenna module. The wireless communication apparatus and / or the electronic apparatus may include an array mode by arrangement of antenna elements, a leakage wave mode by a leakage wave radiation section through a conductive structure, a mixing mode by a combination of the array mode and the leakage wave mode, It is possible to secure a wide beam forming and beam scanning range.

1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a portion of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
3 is a diagram for explaining a leakage wave structure of a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
4 is a plan view showing various forms of antenna elements of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating an example in which antenna elements of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device are arranged according to various embodiments of the present invention.
6 is a diagram for describing a feed structure for an antenna element (s) of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a graph showing a radiation pattern according to phase difference feed for antenna elements of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention. FIG.
8 is a diagram for describing an example of an antenna element (s) of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
9 is a view for explaining the operation of the antenna apparatus of the radio communication apparatus and / or the electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
10 to 12 are graphs respectively showing the radiation patterns according to the radiation mode of the antenna apparatus in the wireless communication apparatus and / or the electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
13 is a view for explaining radiation characteristics according to a radiation mode of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
14 and 15 are perspective views respectively showing a beam deflector of an antenna device in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figs. 16 to 19 are views showing various types of leakage wave structures in an antenna apparatus of a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention, respectively.
20 to 22 are views for explaining the structure of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
23 to 25 are views for explaining a leakage wave structure of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
26 and 27 are views for explaining another example of the leakage wave structure of an antenna device in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
28 to 31 are views for explaining implementations of antenna elements of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
32 and 33 are views for explaining another example of the leakage wave structure of an antenna device in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.
34 and 35 are graphs showing frequency dependency of propagation constants for n = 0, n = -1 in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 36 is a graph showing Brillouing diagrams of leakage wave modes for n = 0, n = -1 in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
37 and 38 are diagrams illustrating the radiation characteristics of an antenna device in which antenna element (s) are disposed between planar conductors in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
39 and 40 are views for explaining radiation characteristics of an antenna device in which an antenna element is disposed between a planar conductor and a dielectric structure in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
41 is a graph illustrating beamforming and / or directivity in a horizontal plane of an antenna device in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
42 and 43 are graphs showing vertical deflection beamforming and directivity on a horizontal plane of an antenna device in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device, respectively, according to various embodiments of the present invention.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and some embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Terms including ordinals such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to these terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. The term " and / or " includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

In addition, relative terms described on the basis of what is shown in the drawings such as 'front', 'rear', 'top', 'under', etc. may be replaced with ordinals such as 'first', 'second' The ordinal numbers such as 'first', 'second', and the like may be arbitrarily changed in accordance with necessity, as the order is arbitrarily determined.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present invention, the term "comprises" or "having ", etc. is intended to specify that there is a feature, number, step, operation, element, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant art and are to be interpreted as ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present invention Do not.

In the present invention, the electronic device may be any device having a touch panel, and the electronic device may be referred to as a terminal, a mobile terminal, a mobile terminal, a communication terminal, a portable communication terminal, a portable mobile terminal, a display device and the like.

For example, the electronic device can be a smart phone, a mobile phone, a navigation device, a game machine, a TV, a head unit for a car, a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a Personal Media Player (PMP) have. The electronic device may be implemented as a pocket-sized portable communication terminal having a wireless communication function. Further, the electronic device may be a flexible device or a flexible display device.

The electronic device can communicate with an external electronic device such as a server, or can perform an operation through interlocking with an external electronic device. For example, the electronic device can transmit the image captured by the camera and / or the position information detected by the sensor unit to the server via the network. The network may include, but is not limited to, a mobile or cellular network, a local area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN) (SAN) or the like.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device includes an antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements, and an antenna module coupled electromagnetically to a conductive structure (including at least one opening) can do. Such an apparatus operates in a beam forming mode of an array mode by arranging antenna elements, a leakage wave mode by a conductive structure, and a mixing mode by a combination of an array mode and a leakage wave mode, It is possible to secure a wide beam forming and / or beam scanning range.

The antenna element and / or the antenna module for constituting the millimeter wave antenna can be accommodated in the housing of the electronic device, and the radio wave radiated from the antenna element must be able to transmit the metal part or the dielectric part of the housing. When the thickness t of the metal part or the dielectric part satisfies the following formula (1), the radio signal can be transmitted through the metal part or the dielectric part of the housing.

Here, when the center frequency of? C is a wavelength of, for example, 60.5 GHz, and a typical dielectric constant? _R is applied, the metal or dielectric portion of the housing must have a thickness of about 690 micrometers Can be smoothly transmitted. However, the structural thickness of the housing generally exceeds this value for mechanical stiffness and the like of the electronic device, and the radio signal radiated from the antenna element and / or the antenna module is transmitted to the surface of the electronic device, Can propagate along the surface of the portion. For example, the metal portion or dielectric portion of the housing that receives the antenna element and / or the antenna module may degrade antenna performance in transmitting and receiving wireless signals.

A wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention may include at least one opening in a conductive structure of a housing to implement a leakage wave structure (e.g., a leaky wave radiation portion or a leakage wave phased array antenna) The leakage wave structure can be combined with the array of antenna elements. The combination of the leakage wave structure and the antenna element arrangement can diversify the beam forming mode. For example, in the array mode in which a radio signal is radiated as the antenna elements themselves, millimeter wave transmission / reception can be performed through feeding the phase difference to each antenna element. In the mixed mode or leakage wave mode, At least a part of the energy is focused on the leakage wave structure and the millimeter wave signal can be radiated into the free space by the leakage wave structure.

According to one embodiment, in the array mode, the antenna elements can emit a radio signal through an opening formed in the conductive structure of the housing. Leaky wave phased array antennas can perform beamforming and beam scanning in a different direction and / or different angular ranges than in the array mode. For example, by selectively operating the array mode and the leakage wave mode, the wireless communication device and / or the electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention can obtain a wider beamforming and beam scanning range. In some embodiments, the antenna elements emit a radio signal through the aperture while the leakage-wave phased array antenna is operating, so that the wireless communication device and / or the electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention are capable of operating in an array mode and a leakage mode Beamforming or the like can be performed in a combined blending mode. Therefore, the wireless communication apparatus and / or the electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention can secure a wide beamforming and beam scanning range even in a high communication frequency band of several tens of GHz or more.

1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a wireless communication device and / or electronic device 100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a portion of a wireless communication device and / or electronic device 100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

1 and 2, a wireless communication device and / or electronic device 100 (hereinafter 'electronic device') according to various embodiments of the present invention includes a metal frame 101, a front cover 102, And / or a rear cover 103, and a circuit board 104 housed in the housing. The antenna module of the electronic device 100 may include a plurality of antenna elements 141 and an array of antenna elements 141 may be formed on the circuit board 104 . In some embodiments, the antenna elements 141 may be provided with independent phase difference feeds to each other. For example, the array of antenna elements 141 may form a phased array antenna. In another embodiment, the antenna elements 141 may be integrated with a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) and a circuit board (e.g., the circuit board 104).

According to various embodiments, the metal frame 101 may have a generally closed loop shape and may include at least partially conductive material. The rear cover 103 may be coupled to the metal frame 101 to form a rear surface of the housing and / or the electronic device 100. The rear cover 103 may be made of a metal material such as aluminum or magnesium or a dielectric material such as a synthetic resin. In some embodiments, the rear cover 103 may be integrally formed with the metal frame 101. For example, the rear cover 103 may be made of the same material as the metal frame 101, or may be formed through a process such as insert injection, -body. < / RTI > The front cover 102 may be coupled to the metal frame 101 in a direction opposite to the rear cover 103 to form a front surface of the housing and / or the electronic device 100. For example, the metal frame 101 may be provided to at least partially surround a space between the rear cover 103 and the front cover 103, and may be formed to cover the housing and / or the side wall (s) of the electronic device 100 . The front cover 102 may be, for example, a display device in which a window glass and a display device and / or a touch panel are integrated.

The housing may include at least one opening 111 formed to penetrate the side wall, for example, the metal frame 101. The opening (s) 111 (s) may be formed, for example, on the conductive structure of the metal frame 101. In one embodiment, the opening 111 is formed in one of the sidewalls of the housing, or in a plurality of sidewalls of the sidewalls of the housing, or in two sidewalls adjacent to each other of the sidewalls of the housing, It may be an elongated slot. In some embodiments, the antenna element 141 (s) and / or a portion of the circuit board 104 may be received within the opening 111. At least a portion of the opening (s) 111 (s) may be electromagnetically coupled to the antenna element (s) 141 (s) to form a leakage wave structure 200 (e.g., a leakage wave phased array antenna).

According to various embodiments, a plurality of openings having a circular or polygonal shape may be arranged on the side walls of the housing (e.g., the conductive structure portion of the metal frame 101). A plurality of openings formed in the side walls of the housing may be utilized as acoustic holes in the electronic device 100. For example, it can be utilized as a microphone hole for inputting user's voice and an acoustic output hole for outputting sound generated from the speaker module. In some embodiments, such acoustical holes may not be directly received by the antenna element 141 (s), but may be disposed adjacent the array of antenna elements 141 (s) or antenna elements 141 . For example, a plurality of apertures provided as acoustic holes may be electromagnetically coupled to the antenna element 141 (s), respectively, to form a leakage wave structure 200 (e.g., a leakage wave phased array antenna).

In one embodiment, the circuit board 104 may be made of a printed circuit board (PCB) or a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC). The antenna element 141 (s) may be a patch (s) disposed on at least one side of the circuit board 104 or a patch (s) disposed on the circuit board 104 if the circuit board 104 is a multi- Or a grid structure composed of a combination of conductive patterns and / or via holes formed in the multilayer circuit board. In some embodiments, the antenna element 141 (s) may be a zeroth order mode resonator. In the housing of the circuit board 104, the antenna element 141 (s) may be received in the opening 111 or disposed adjacent the opening 111.

According to various embodiments, the housing may be provided with a beam deflector 105, for example, in the opening 111. The beam deflector 105 may be inserted into the opening 111 from the outside of the housing. According to one embodiment, the beam deflector 105 may include a body of generally dielectric (e.g., synthetic resin) material and a parasitic conductor formed in the body. When inserted into the opening 111, , One side may be exposed in a free space (e.g., the outer space of the housing). In some embodiments, the beam deflector 105 may be combined with the aperture 111 to form a leaky wave structure 200 (e.g., a leaky wave phased array antenna). For example, when a radio signal is transmitted / received through the antenna element 141 (s), the beam deflector 105 is combined with the opening 111 to form a conductive structure (e.g., the metal frame 101) It is possible to convert the flow of the surface current into a leaked wave and radiate it into the free space.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a leakage wave structure 200 of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 100 of FIG. 1) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the structure in which the openings are formed on both sides of the housing is illustrated, but the present embodiment is not limited to this structure in which the openings are formed in the housing (e.g., metal frame 101) (200) as an example.

3, the leakage wave structure 200 includes an opening 111 formed on one side of the housing, for example, one straight line section on the metal frame 101, And a beam deflector 105. On the outside face of the metal frame 101, the opening 111 may have a size of 0.2? 0.5 (where? 'Is the wavelength of the resonant frequency formed in the leakage wave structure) The beam deflector 105 may be inserted into the opening 111 from the outside of the metal frame 101 to close the opening 111. [ The beam deflector 105 may have a thickness of, for example, 0.095 lambda and the opening 111 may have a depth of 0.5 lambda from the inner surface of the beam deflector 105.

In the leakage wave structure 200 as described above, the electromagnetic wave propagates along the longitudinal direction of the opening 111, as indicated by reference numeral 211, or passes through the beam deflector 105 to the free space . The radiation direction (or radiation angle) of electromagnetic waves and / or radio signals radiated into the free space may vary according to the phase distribution of the array of the above-described antenna elements, the propagation constant of the leakage wave structure, and the like.

4 is a plan view showing various forms of antenna elements 411, 413, 415, 417 of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention. In the following detailed description, only the reference numeral '411' may be described for the antenna element, but this does not mean only the antenna element indicated by '411' in FIG. 4 but the reference numerals '413', '415' May include an antenna element labeled '417'.

Referring to FIG. 4, the antenna element 411 (s) may have a patch shape formed on at least one side or one side of the circuit board, as mentioned above. In general, the antenna elements 411, 413, 415, 417 (s) may be in the form of a circular patch (e.g. a patch indicated by reference numeral "411") or a rectangular patch And may have the form of a triangle, a diamond, a polygon (e.g., a patch indicated by reference numeral '415' or '417') depending on the permissible placement area or radiation direction on the circuit board.

5 is an illustration showing an example in which antenna elements 411 of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device are arranged according to various embodiments of the present invention. 6 is a diagram illustrating a feed structure for an antenna element 411 (s) of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.

5 and 6, the antenna element 411 may have a circular patch shape, for example, and may be supplied with power through a pair of feed ports 421 and 423. The positions of the feed ports 421 and 423 may be set in a radial direction of a radio signal or in an installation environment of an antenna array (for example, an array 143 of the antenna elements 141 of FIG. 1) And the like. For example, the antenna array comprising the antenna element 411 may be disposed adjacent a corner in an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 100 of FIG. 1) and / or within a housing, May be disposed in the opening 111 formed in the metal frame (e.g., the metal frame 101 in Fig. 1). The feed signals provided to each of the feed ports 421 and 423 may have a phase difference with respect to each other so that the radiation direction of a radio signal transmitted and received through the antenna element 411 can be variously set. 5 and 6, a structure in which only one antenna element 411 is disposed in the opening 111 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the antenna element 411 can form one of the antenna elements (e.g., the antenna element 141) that make up the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2 have.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing a radiation pattern according to phase difference feed for antenna elements of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, the graph indicated by reference numeral 501 denotes a first feed port (for example, a reference numeral 501 in FIG. 6) for providing feed to an antenna element (e.g., antenna element 411 in FIG. 6) (For example, the feed port indicated by reference numeral '423' in FIG. 6) to the feed signal provided to the first feed port (indicated by "421" The pattern is measured. The graph indicated by reference numeral 502 is formed when, for example, a -90 degree phase difference signal is supplied to the second feed port 423 with respect to the feed signal provided to the first feed port 421 The radiation pattern is measured.

Under the condition of the above-described feed signal, a beam scanning range of approximately 125 degrees (approximately + - 62 degrees) from -106.25 degrees to -18.75 degrees can be secured while forming a gain variation range of less than 3 dB from the maximum gain there was. When only +90 phase difference signals are fed to the same antenna element (for example, the antenna element 411 in FIG. 6), the beam scanning range is -76.67 degrees to +18.04 degrees and a beam scanning range of approximately 95 degrees is secured. It can be seen that a beam scanning range of about -107.08 degrees to -13.00 degrees is secured when only the phase difference signal is fed. For example, by providing a phase difference feed signal to the antenna element 411, it can be seen that the beam scanning range is extended by about 30 degrees. In some embodiments, by providing an independent phase difference feed signal to each antenna element (e.g., antenna element 141 in FIG. 1) that makes up an antenna array (e.g., array 143 of antenna elements 141 in FIG. 1) The beam scanning range of the antenna array can be secured more widely.

8 is an illustration of an example of an antenna element 841 (s) of a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.

As mentioned above, the antenna module of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 100 of FIG. 1) according to various embodiments of the present invention may be a patch formed on at least one and / or one layer of a circuit board, Or may have a grid structure formed in a multilayer circuit board or an antenna element (s) of a zero-order mode resonator structure, and Figure 8 illustrates an antenna module 800 including an antenna element 841 using a zero-order mode resonator structure . A metal frame 801 (and / or a housing) including a conductive structure may be disposed around the antenna element 841, and the metal frame 801 may be provided with a ground base for the antenna element 841 can do. Feeding of the antenna element 841 may be provided through a printed circuit pattern formed in the circuit board 804. [ For example, the antenna module 800 may include the antenna element 841 of the zero-order mode resonator structure, the metal frame 801, the circuit board 804, and / And a cavity (811) in the frame (801). The antenna element 841 of the zeroth-order mode resonator structure is easy to reduce volume and is therefore a region occupied by the antenna array (e.g., array 143 of antenna elements 141 in FIG. 1) on the circuit board 804 . For example, by utilizing a zero order mode resonator structure, the internal space of the electronic device can be more efficiently arranged and utilized.

9 is a view for explaining the operation of the antenna apparatus of the radio communication apparatus and / or the electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

In the following various embodiments of the present invention, reference numerals for structures and structures that can be easily understood through the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2 are given or omitted And its detailed description can be omitted.

9, an opening 111 may be formed in two sides of the metal frame 101 of the electronic device 100, and an array of antenna elements may be formed at the corner of the metal frame 101. In this case, (E.g., the above-described array mode). [0031] In one embodiment, In one embodiment, a beam deflector 105 may be mounted on each of two adjacent sides of the metal frame 101 to close at least another portion (s) of the opening 111, The leakage wave structure 200 may be formed on both sides of the array 143 of the plurality of light sources. The leakage wave structure 200 (s) may form an electromagnetic coupling with at least one of the antenna elements constituting the array 143, thereby functioning as a leakage wave phase array antenna. The length L of the leakage wave structure 200 may be determined by a frequency or a wavelength of a radio signal transmitted and received and a structure or property value of the metal frame 101 or the beam deflector 105 ), Design radial direction / radiation angle range, and the like.

10 to 12 are graphs respectively showing the radiation patterns according to the radiation mode of the antenna apparatus in the wireless communication apparatus and / or the electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention. 13 is a view for explaining radiation characteristics according to a radiation mode of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 10 graphically shows, for example, the radiation pattern that can be obtained by the radiation of the array of antenna elements 143 itself. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the length L of the leakage wave structure (e.g., leakage wave structure 200 in Fig. 9) and the resonance frequency of the electronic device A radiation pattern that can be obtained when operating in one of the array mode, the mixed mode, and the leakage wave mode is shown graphically. 12 is a graph showing the relationship between the length L of the leakage wave structure 200 and the radiation pattern that can be obtained when the electronic device operates in any one of the array mode, As a graph. Referring to FIGS. 10 to 13, the radiation characteristics of the antenna device will be described with reference to FIG.

10, when the electronic device operates in the array mode (and / or the length of the leakage wave structure is substantially '0'), for example, the array of eight antenna elements 143 itself When radiated, the beam scanning range can be secured at an approximately + -60 degree angle, and the antenna gain can be varied in the range of 6.4 dBi to 9.4 dBi.

Referring to FIG. 11, when the electronic device operates in the array mode, the beam scanning range can be expanded to an angle of + -30 degrees, when the electronic device operates in the mixed mode, the beam scanning range can be expanded to an angle of + The beam scanning range can be magnified by an angle of + -68 degrees. At this time, the antenna gain can be varied in the range of 6dBi to 9dBi.

12 and 13, when the electronic device operates in the array mode, the beam scanning range can be expanded to an angle of + -30 degrees, and when the electronic device operates in the mixed mode, the beam scanning range can be expanded to an angle of + -60 degrees, When operating in the leakage wave mode, the beam scanning range can be magnified by an angle of + -72 degrees. At this time, the antenna gain can be varied in the range of 6 dBi to 10 dBi.

The antenna gain and / or the beam scanning range measured while varying the length L of the leakage wave structure 200 as described above are shown in Table 1 below.

Leakage wave structure length Antenna gain (dBi) Beam scanning range
Degree (deg) Center beam
(center beam) Maximum beam scanning
Gain at angle 0 9.4 6 + -60 1.5 9 6.6 + -68 2.3 9 8.1 + -68 3.3 9 8.9 + -70 4.3 8.8 10.0 + -72 4.5 9 9.3 + -72

Thus, the electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention can operate in an array mode, a mixed mode, and a leakage wave mode, respectively, through a combination of the array of antenna elements 143 and the leakage wave structure 200, The beam scanning range can be extended to an angle of + -72 degrees.

In general, millimeter wave antennas (e.g., phased array antennas comprised of the array of antenna elements 143 described above) disposed within an electronic device can be used to detect beam scanning ranges, etc., by various surrounding structures (e.g., housings, conductive structures, etc.) Can be limited. In addition, as the electronic device is miniaturized, the beam scanning range of the antenna disposed inside the electronic device can be further restricted. On the other hand, as described above, the electronic device including the antenna device according to the various embodiments of the present invention is capable of radiating a surface current, which may occur according to the operation of the antenna elements 141, The beam scanning range can be extended. For example, an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention may well acquire a beam scanning range through a mixed mode and / or a leakage mode without substantially degrading the antenna gain.

14 and 15 are perspective views respectively showing beam deflectors 105a and 105b of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

14 and 15, a beam deflector 105a, 105b according to various embodiments of the present invention includes an opening or housing formed over two adjacent sides of a housing (e.g., metal frame 101 of FIG. 1) And may include a parasitic conductor 151 formed on the outer side or inside thereof, for example, a conductive pattern. In certain embodiments, if an aperture is formed on one side of the housing, the beam deflector 105a, 105b may have a planar shape. The parasitic conductor, for example, the conductive pattern, can emit electromagnetic energy, which is focused on the above-described leakage wave structure or aperture, into free space in a mixed mode or a leakage wave mode.

Figs. 16 to 19 are views showing various types of leakage wave structures in an antenna apparatus of a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention, respectively.

16, the beam deflector 105c of the electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention may be exposed to the outer surface of the metal frame 101, and the outer surface of the beam deflector 105c, And may include a conductive pattern as a parasitic conductor 151 formed on a side surface or received (buried) therein.

17, a beam deflector 105d of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention includes at least one parasitic conductor 153, e.g., a conductive element, (S)), it is possible to form a partial reflection surface (s).

18 and 19, a beam deflector of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention includes a conductive structure, for example, a metal frame 101 and a plurality of openings 155 formed in the metal frame 101 , 157). The arrangement of a portion of the metal frame 101 and the arrangement of the openings 155 and 157 is determined by the arrangement of the antenna elements (e.g., array 143 of FIG. 1) And can radiate into the free space by converting the surface current into a leakage current. In certain embodiments, the openings 155, 157 may have a polygonal or circular shape and may be partially filled with a dielectric material. If an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention has a function of inputting or outputting sound, at least some of the openings 155, 157 may be utilized as acoustic holes through which sound propagates.

20 to 22 are views for explaining the structure of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

20 to 22, the electronic device can be provided with a part of the metal frame 101 as the leakage wave surface 113 (e.g., a partial reflection surface). For example, the metal frame 101 may be provided with a plurality of openings 155 (e.g., waveguides) filled with a dielectric and the conductive structure (or conductive pattern) between the openings 155 adjacent to each other And can function as the leakage wave surface 113. On the inside of the metal frame 101, a circuit board 104 including the antenna element 141 (s) can be accommodated. The antenna elements 141 may be disposed adjacent to the opening 155 inside the metal frame 101. In some embodiments, the electronic device may include first and second planar conductors 106, 107 adjacent to the conductive structure, for example, adjacent to the metal frame 101. The first planar conductor 106 and the second planar conductor 107 may include at least a portion of the circuit board 104, such as at least the antenna element 141 (and / or the antenna element 141) (I.e., an arrangement region of the plurality of light emitting diodes).

According to various embodiments, the first planar conductor 106 and / or the second planar conductor 107 may be disposed within the metal frame 101 to improve the rigidity of the electronic device described above. In another embodiment, the first planar conductor 106 and / or the second planar conductor 107 provide an electromagnetic shielding function between the circuit board 104 and other electronic components (e.g., display elements) . In yet another embodiment, the first planar conductor 106 and / or the second planar conductor 107 may comprise various electronic components (e.g., a processor, an RFIC, an audio module , Power management module, etc.) can be spatially and / or electromagnetically isolated.

In one embodiment, the space enclosed by the metal frame 101, the first planar conductor 106, and the second planar conductor 107 is defined by the openings 155 (e.g., openings filled with dielectric) It is possible to form a leakage wave structure (for example, a waveguide). For example, the electromagnetic energy focused in the space and / or the surface current formed in the metal frame 101 may be converted into a leakage wave through the leakage wave surface 113 and radiated into a free space. For example, the leakage wave front surface 113 may be utilized as an impedance matching circuit between the antenna element 141 (s) and the free space. In some embodiments, the space and the conductive structures that form it may be electromagnetically coupled with the array of antenna elements 141 (s) and / or the antenna elements 141 to form a plurality of waveguide structures. For example, a plurality of the antenna elements 141 may be supplied with power from the RFIC through independent channels to each other, and may form the waveguide structure (s) together with surrounding conductive structures.

23 to 25 are views for explaining a leakage wave structure 200 of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

23 to 25, a plurality of openings 155 are arranged in the metal frame 101 and a cavity (for example, the openings 155 and the openings 155) accommodating the antenna element 141 A cavity between the antenna element 141 (s)) can be combined with the openings 155 to form the leaky wave structure 200. The plurality of antenna elements 141 may be arranged at regular intervals (periodically) at a distance larger than? C / 4 ('? C' is a center frequency wavelength) and smaller than? C. By arranging the antenna elements 141 periodically, the gain of the antenna and the beam scanning range can be easily controlled. The larger the array period of the antenna elements 141, the higher the gain, but the beam scanning range can be reduced.

In some embodiments, the antenna element 141 (s) may include a patch 141a disposed on both sides of the circuit board 104, as shown in Fig. 25, and a patch 141b disposed on the circuit board 104, And a via conductor 141b connecting the patches 141a to each other. However, the shape or structure of such an antenna element (s) does not limit the present invention, and the antenna element (s) may be formed in various structures such as a grid structure of a patch of different shapes, a combination of patches and via holes, 141) < / RTI >

In another embodiment, the leakage wave structure 200 may be provided with a feed through the probe feed structure directly to the cavity and / or the aperture 155. For example, in the above-described embodiment, at least a part of the electromagnetic energy radiated from the antenna elements 141 is radiated to the free space through the leakage wave structure 200. However, (A leakage wave phase array antenna) by receiving a power supply through a path independent of the antenna 141.

26 and 27 are views for explaining another example of the leakage wave structure 200 of the antenna apparatus in the radio communication apparatus and / or the electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 26 and 27, an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention may include an antenna module formed of an array of eight antenna elements 241 inside a metal frame 101. The antenna elements 241 may form a horizontal deflection antenna arrangement and may be located inside the beam deflector and / or leakage wave structure 200 described above.

28 to 31 are views for explaining implementations of antenna elements of an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

In the antenna device and / or the electronic device of the embodiment disclosed in Figs. 20 to 27, the arrangement of the antenna elements 141 and 241 is adjacent to the leakage wave structure 200 including a part of the metal frame 101, And may be formed on the circuit board 104 housed inside the frame 101. Fig.

In the embodiment disclosed with respect to the vertical deflection beam forming (E _? ) in the plane of? = 0 degree, for example in Figs. 20 to 25 and / or Figs. 28 and 29, etc., ) Or a waveguide coupler in the form of a probe-fed planar waveguide including a director coupler. In this embodiment, the antenna element 141 or 241 may be connected to the RFIC via a stripline (e.g., a strip line indicated by reference numeral 243) to be supplied with power. In some embodiments, a portion (and / or layer) of the circuit board 104 indicated by 'a2' in Figures 28 and / or 30 is substantially a dielectric layer, at the edge of the circuit board 104, And may function as a dielectric transducer to match the antenna elements 141 and 241 with the leakage structure 200 and / or the free space.

In the embodiment disclosed with respect to the horizontal deflection beamforming (E _? ) in the plane of? = 0 degrees, for example, Figs. 26-27 and / or Figs. 30 and 31, the horizontal deflection wave couplers Can be implemented as monopole elements with reflective walls.

Exemplary specifications (dimension (s)) regarding the antenna elements 141 or 241 shown in Figs. 28 to 31 and their arrangement and the like are disclosed in the following [Table 2].

parameter Specifications (mm) parameter Amount (mm) parameter Amount (mm) a1 2.20 b1 0.56 c1 1.25 a2 1.56 b2 0.72 c2 1.05 d1 0.58 b3 0.51 c3 0.30 b4 0.52 c4 0.50 b5 0.53 c5 0.66

Depending on the mechanical, structural design within the electronic device, various embodiments such as the specifications of the antenna and / or antenna elements may be applied. For example, the specifications described in the above [Table 2] can be appropriately changed depending on the size of the electronic device, the arrangement of the electronic parts or structures in the electronic device, and the like.

For example, in the structure of the electronic device described above, the circuit board may be mechanically coupled or assembled with the planar conductor. In some embodiments, the circuit board on which the antenna elements are disposed may be spaced apart from the metal frame so that mechanical stress is not applied. In another embodiment, the leakage wave is smoothly tapered to convert a surface wave into a radiated space wave, and a matching condition between the dielectric slab and the free space it is possible to improve the matching condition.

In order to maintain a stable communication connection state even in an irregular change in the use environment (e.g., a change in the propagation environment due to movement of the user, etc.), the arrangement of the antenna elements may have a function of generating a deflection control means or a vertical / horizontal deflection . This allows the electronic device to maintain a stable communication connection condition under various operating environmental conditions.

32 and 33 are views for explaining another example of the leakage wave structure of an antenna device in a wireless communication apparatus and / or an electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

32 and 33, the planar conductors (e.g., the first and second planar conductors 106 and 107 of FIGS. 21 and 22) of the embodiment described above are coupled with the antenna element 141 (s) It can be replaced with a conductive layer formed on the circuit board. For example, first and second planar conductors 161 and 163 may be formed on two different layers of a circuit board, respectively, and the antenna element 141 (s) may be formed on the first planar conductor 161 ) And the second planar conductors 163. In some embodiments, the electronic device and / or the antenna device may further include a third planar conductor 165 connecting the first planar conductor 161 and the second planar conductor 163. The third planar conductor 165 at least partially surrounds the antenna elements 141 (or array) with the first planar conductor 161 and the second planar conductor 163 So that a waveguide structure can be formed.

The transmission quasi-TEM mode has a low frequency dispersion of the phase constant beta so that when operating in the frequency band of 57 to 66 GHz, the beam- squinting effect can be minimized. (See FIG. 43)

Referring again to FIG. 22, by using a partially leak-tight leak wave structure, the effective permittivity? _Eff can be minimized. The effective dielectric constant epsilon _eff can be calculated through the following equation (2).

Here, l ₁ is the length of the section filled with air in the leakage wave structure, and l ₂ indicates the length of the section filled with dielectric in the leakage wave structure.

In some embodiments, quasi-uniform dielectric structures may be formed by a partial reflective surface (e.g., partial reflective surface 113 of FIG. 20) with a period of 1.6 mm. The arrangement of the openings (e.g., openings 155 in FIG. 22) that form the partially reflective surface in such a small period can substantially act as a leaky antenna. The aperture (s) for forming the partially reflective surface are only optimized for radiation from the fundamental fast wave mode and may not be combined with other spatial harmonics. At this time, the antenna can emit a single beam without having parasitic nulls in the beam scanning range.

Leakage wave radiation can extend the beam scanning range of the array of antenna elements (e.g., array 143 of FIG. 1) from the normal direction to a maximum angle of? ₀ = 70 degrees. Propagation constant β ₀ ^W in accordance with the leaky wave radiation angle may be defined by the following [Equation 3] on the.

)는 0.8 이상, 1 이하를 만족할 수 있다. Here, k ₀ = can be defined as 2π / λ _0, and, in an electronic device, which means the free space wave number (free space wavenumber), and including an antenna device and / or him in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, the sinθ ₀ The absolute value, that is, the absolute value ratio of? ₀ ^W to k ₀ (

) Is 0.8 or more and 1 or less.

34 and 35 are graphs showing frequency dependency of propagation constants for n = 0, n = -1 in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention. Figure 36 is a graph showing Brillouing diagrams of leakage wave modes for n = 0, n = -1 in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.

34 and 35 illustrate measurement results relating to the frequency dependence of propagation constants of n = 0, -1 for a rectangular waveguide filled with a dielectric (e.g., aperture 155 in FIG. 18). The rectangular waveguide to be measured has a length of 2.9 mm, an effective permittivity of 1.5, and a partial reflection surface (for example, a partial reflection surface 113 of FIG. 20) arranged at a period of 1.6 mm.

According to the measurement results as described above, the dominant mode, n = 0, the length in a direction supporting the propagation of fast waves (β ₀ ^W <k _0), and the first spatial harmonic of the n = -1 to block region β _{- 1} ^W <-k ₀ . Thus, only the dominant mode n = 0 can be emitted. The beam of the leakage wave can be deflected from 55 degrees to 75 degrees while varying in the 57 to 66 GHz frequency band. (See FIG. 43)

37 and 38 are diagrams illustrating the radiation characteristics of an antenna device in which antenna element (s) are disposed between planar conductors in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention. 39 and 40 are views for explaining radiation characteristics of an antenna device in which an antenna element is disposed between a planar conductor and a dielectric structure in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.

In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 37 and / or 38, a circuit board on which an array of antenna elements is formed may be positioned between the first and second planar conductors. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 39 and / or 40, the circuit board may be replaced with a planar conductor and a planar dielectric (e.g., the back cover or other dielectric substrate of Figure 1).

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a metal frame (e.g., metal frame 101 of FIG. 1), such as an electronic device, is based on an array of beam deflectors and / or apertures including parasitic conductors, And a cavity between the metal frame and the like. For example, the waveguide structure (s) may be formed by a cavity and / or a dielectric structure (arrangement of beam deflectors and / or apertures) between the circuit board (and / or antenna element have. The opening (or dielectric structure) may separate the quasi-uniform dielectric structure of the cavity from the free space. The surface wave generated by the antenna element (s) is a bound wave but can radiate into a free space when a discontinuity occurs.

에 이르면, 바닥에서의 단락 회로는 인터페이스에서의 개방회로로 변환될 수 있다. 이러한 공진점에서, 안내된 표면파는 공간으로 전파하는 방사파로 효율적으로 변환될 수 있다. 또한, 상기 개구(155)의 두께 증가는 총 전력에 대한 공동 도파로 내부의 전력 비율을 증가시키며, 이는 보다 많은 전력 또는 전자기파 에너지가 누설파 구조에 집중된다는 것을 의미할 수 있다. 메탈 프레임에서 생성되는 기생 표면파는 메탈 프레임의 내측에서 회로 기판을 따라 전파되면서 안테나 소자들의 방사 패턴을 왜곡시킬 수 있다. The cavity waveguide, for example, the opening 155, can be regarded as a z-direction transmission line shorted at the bottom. The thickness of the opening 155, for example, a l ₂ of Fig. 22

The short circuit at the bottom can be converted to an open circuit at the interface. At such a resonance point, the guided surface wave can be efficiently converted into the radiation wave propagating in space. Also, increasing the thickness of the opening 155 increases the power ratio within the cavity waveguide to total power, which may mean that more power or electromagnetic wave energy is concentrated in the leakage wave structure. The parasitic surface waves generated in the metal frame can propagate along the circuit board inside the metal frame, distorting the radiation pattern of the antenna elements.

값이 0.65mm보다 크면, 평면형 도전체들(예: 도 22의 제1 평면형 도전체(106)와 제2 평면형 도전체(107)) 사이의 간격을 조절함으로써, 표면파를 자유 공간으로 효율적으로 방사시키기 위한 누설파 구조를 형성할 수 있다. In a space between the circuit board 104 formed as a part of the waveguide structure and the metal frame 101 (e.g., the section indicated by ' ₁₁ ' in FIG. 22)

If the value is greater than 0.65 mm, by controlling the spacing between the planar conductors (e.g., the first planar conductor 106 and the second planar conductor 107 of Fig. 22) It is possible to form a leakage wave structure.

41 is a graph illustrating beamforming and / or directivity in a horizontal plane of an antenna device in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. 42 and 43 are graphs showing vertical deflection beamforming and directivity on a horizontal plane of an antenna device in a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device, respectively, according to various embodiments of the present invention.

The radiation performance and the like of the antenna device (including the leakage wave phased array antenna) according to the various embodiments of the present invention, which is shown graphically through Figs. 41 to 43, is shown in the following Table 3. [

Vertical deflection Horizontal deflection At 3 dB scan loss
Scanning angle + -70 degrees + -50 degrees
(+ -80 degrees at 5dB scan loss) The directivity of the center beam (θ = 0 degrees) 12 to 13.5 dBi 14 to 15 dBi Cross deflection Less than -15 dB Less than -15 dB The ripple of the partial antenna patterns Less than 3 dB Less than 3 dB Reflection loss -6 to -15 dB -6 to -15 dB The beam width in the vertical plane + -70 degrees at + -50 degrees + -40 degrees At all scan angles
Side Robe Less than 5 dB Less than 3 dB Beam deflection at 57 to 66 GHz + -5 degrees + -5 degrees

The leakage wave phased array antenna and / or the electronic device comprising it according to various embodiments of the present invention may be applied to devices such as mobile phones, tablets, wearables, as well as fixed devices such as base stations, routers, and other types of transmitters Lt; / RTI &gt; Antenna arrays can be embedded in mobile devices to provide multi-gigabit communication services such as high definition television (HDTV) and ultra high definition video (UHDV), data file sharing, movie upload / download, cloud services and other situations.

Simultaneous transmission (spatial reuse), MIMO, and full duplex techniques are examples of network function enhancement methods that can be implemented by the leakage-wave phased array antenna and / or the electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.

MmWave communication standards possible by a leakage wave phased array antenna and / or an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention include wireless personal area networks (WPAN) or wireless local area networks (WLAN), such as ECMA-387, IEEE 802.15 .3c, and IEEE 802.11ad.

In an exemplary embodiment, the physical layer and the MAC layer may support multi-gigabit wireless applications, including instant wireless sinks, wireless display of high definition (HD) streams, wireless computing, and Internet access. At the physical layer, two modes of operation may be defined: an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) mode for high performance applications (e.g., high data rate) and a single carrier mode for low power low complexity implementation.

The designated device can provide basic timing to the base service set and coordinate medium access to accommodate traffic requests from mobile devices. The channel access time is divided into a sequence of beacon intervals (BIs), and each BI may include a beacon transmission interval, concatenated beamforming training, a known transmission interval, and a data transmission interval. In the beacon transmission interval, the base station may transmit one or more mmWave beacon frames in a transmission sector sweep manner. Initial beamforming training between the assigning device and the mobile devices, and connection can then be performed via link beamforming training. Contention-based access periods and service periods may be assigned by the AP during the known transmission interval within each data transmission interval. During a data transmission interval, peer-to-peer communication between any pair of mobile devices, including a designated device and mobile devices, may be supported after completion of beamforming training. In IEEE 802.11ad, hybrid multiplexed access of carrier sensing multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) and time division multiple access (TDMA) may be employed for inter-device transmission. CSMA / CA is better suited for bursty traffic such as web browsing to reduce latency, and TDMA may be more suitable for traffic such as video transmission to support better quality of service (QoS).

In various embodiments of the present invention, antennas (e.g., antenna elements) may be disposed in at least one corner of the mobile device as shown in FIG.

In other embodiments, the antennas may be positioned at the boundary of the mobile device (e.g., the boundary between the structure and inner space of the housing or the side wall of the housing) as shown in Figures 20-25, 26-27, 37, As shown in FIG.

The achievable scan range and antenna gain can be enhanced to be equal to or better than a single operable antenna module without a mobile device. In the case of such devices, parasitic effects due to surface current, etc. can be suppressed and improved.

The proposed leakage-wave array antenna can have the following advantages.

- Beamforming distortion due to metal or dielectric device structures is eliminated. Thus, the antenna gain is increased.

- Phase controlled and beam deflection beamforming can be achieved for the 16% partial bandwidth of the array. A beam scanning range better than + -70 degrees can be secured for vertical and / or horizontal deflections.

The arrangement of the eight antenna elements provides stable end-fire radiation beams with gain realized over 10 dBi over the entire operating band.

The millimeter wave antenna array is structurally simple and conductor-backed, which would be useful for conformal integration into mobile devices with metal frames.

- Millimeter wave antennas are designed through the possibility of merging into a mobile phone with a metal frame.

- Separation or isolation of antennas from environmental factors and mechanical effects.

- Millimeter wave antennas can meet mechanical tolerance and stress robustness requirements of electronic devices and / or housings while providing stable performance.

The structures forming the leaky wave phased array antenna can provide antenna modules of small size with high gain.

The separate motion leakage wave structure in coupling to the antenna module increases the beam scanning range and improves the antenna gain for high deflection beams

- Metal frames containing beam deflectors can extend the beam scanning range.

A leakage-wave phased array antenna according to various embodiments of the present invention may be used as follows:

1. An antenna array embedded in an electronic device can be used to transmit large amounts of data, such as an unpacked HD video stream. For example, a user can simply watch a desired movie through a TV set or a monitor by simply turning on a TV set or a monitor and activating streaming from the user's electronic device.

2. If you want to share HD movies between users, you can simply transfer the entire movie to another user's mobile device that supports that standard within a few seconds by activating the data transfer feature of the electronic device.

3. When you need to download the last movie from the kiosk, you can activate the data transfer and receive the movie in 2 or 3 seconds by paying for the movie via mobile pay.

4. In an electronic book store or some digital information sharing system, you can receive your order within a few seconds, just by paying the cost.

5. In other cases where a large amount of data transmission is required, a leakage wave phased array antenna and / or an electronic device including the leaked wave phased array antenna according to various embodiments of the present invention may be usefully utilized.

As described above, a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device including an antenna device (e.g., a leakage wave phased array antenna) according to various embodiments of the present invention,

A millimeter wave antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements;

A housing for receiving the antenna module, the housing including a conductive structure; And

And a leakage radiation unit for matching the antenna module with the external space of the housing,

The leakage wave emitting portion may include at least one opening formed in the conductive structure of the housing,

The antenna module may be separated from the outer space by the housing, and may radiate an electromagnetic field to the outer space through the leakage wave emitting portion.

According to various embodiments, the conductive structure may form at least a portion of the side walls of the housing.

According to various embodiments, the opening may be an elongated slot formed over at least one of the side walls of the housing or adjacent two side walls,

The leakage wave radiating unit may further include a beam deflector inserted into the slot.

According to various embodiments, the beam deflector may include a synthetic resin body inserted into the slot, and a side face of the body may be exposed to the external space.

According to various embodiments, the beam deflector may include a synthetic resin body inserted into the slot and at least a parasitic conductor formed in the body,

One side of the body may be exposed to the external space.

According to various embodiments, the parasitic conductor may include a conductive pattern formed on the body or at least one conductive element received in the body.

According to various embodiments, the antenna elements may provide feed to the aperture by electromagnetic coupling.

According to various embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one of an array mode by arrangement of the antenna elements, a leakage wave mode by the leakage wave radiation unit, and a mixing mode by a combination of the array mode and the leakage wave mode And can operate in a beam forming mode.

According to various embodiments, the leakage wave radiating part may include an array of a plurality of the openings formed in the conductive structure.

According to various embodiments,

A first planar conductor disposed adjacent to the conductive structure; And

And a second planar conductor adjacent to the conductive structure and disposed facing the first planar conductor,

The antenna elements may be positioned between the first planar conductor and the second planar conductor and facing the inner side of the sidewall.

According to various embodiments, at least one of the first planar conductor and the second planar conductor may be at least partially enclosed in the side wall of the housing.

According to various embodiments, such an apparatus may further include a circuit board disposed between the first planar conductor and the second planar conductor,

The antenna elements may be formed on the circuit board.

According to various embodiments, such an apparatus may further include a circuit board,

The first planar conductor and the second planar conductor may be formed on two different layers of the circuit board, respectively,

The antenna elements may be formed on the circuit board adjacent to the conductive structure.

According to various embodiments, such an apparatus comprises:

And a third planar conductor formed on the circuit board and connecting the first planar conductor and the second planar conductor,

The first planar conductor, the second planar conductor, and the third planar conductor may form a waveguide that at least partially surrounds the array of antenna elements.

According to various embodiments, the circuit board may be comprised of a printed circuit board (PCB) and a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC).

According to various embodiments, the antenna elements may be formed in a portion of the area adjacent to the edge of the circuit board, and the portion of the area may function as a dielectric transducer to match the antenna elements.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a wireless communication device and / or an electronic device including an antenna device (e.g., a leakage wave phased array antenna)

A housing having a conductive structure with at least one opening formed therein;

A circuit board in which at least a portion of the housing is disposed adjacent to the conductive structure; And

And a plurality of antenna elements formed on the circuit board,

The antenna elements may be matched to the outer space of the housing through the conductive structure to radiate an electromagnetic field to the outer space.

According to various embodiments, a plurality of the openings may be formed such that the conductive structure forms a leaky radiation portion for the electromagnetic field.

According to various embodiments, the wireless communication device and / or the electronic device may further include a beam deflector inserted into the slot,

The beam deflector may include a dielectric body.

According to various embodiments, the opening may comprise an acoustic hole.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.

100: wireless communication device (and / or electronic device)
101: metal frame 111: opening
104: circuit board 141: antenna element
143: Antenna array 105: Beam deflector

Claims (20)

A wireless communication apparatus comprising:
A millimeter wave antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements;
A housing for receiving the antenna module, the housing including a conductive structure; And
And a leakage radiation unit for matching the antenna module with an external space of the housing,
Wherein the leakage radiation section includes at least one opening formed in the conductive structure of the housing,
Wherein the antenna module is separated from an outer space by the housing and radiates an electromagnetic field to the outer space through the leakage wave radiation portion.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive structure forms at least a portion of the side walls of the housing.
The method according to claim 1,
The opening is an elongated slot formed over at least one of the side walls of the housing or adjacent two side walls,
And the leakage wave radiating unit further comprises a beam deflector inserted in the slot.
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the beam deflector includes a synthetic resin body inserted into the slot, and a side face of the body is exposed to the external space.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the beam deflector includes a synthetic resin body inserted into the slot and at least a parasitic conductor formed on the body,
Wherein one side of the body is exposed to the external space.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the parasitic conductor comprises a conductive pattern formed on the body or at least one conductive element housed in the body.
7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the antenna elements provide a feed to the aperture by electromagnetic coupling.
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises at least one of an array mode by arrangement of the antenna elements, a leakage wave mode by the leakage wave radiation section, and a mixing mode by a combination of the array mode and the leakage wave mode A device operating in a beam forming mode.
The device according to claim 1, wherein the leakage wave radiating portion comprises an array of a plurality of openings formed in the conductive structure.
The method according to claim 1,
A first planar conductor disposed adjacent to the conductive structure; And
Further comprising a second planar conductor adjacent the conductive structure and disposed facing the first planar conductor,
Wherein the antenna elements are positioned between the first planar conductor and the second planar conductor and facing the inner side of the sidewall.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first planar conductor and the second planar conductor is at least partially enclosed in a sidewall of the housing.
11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising a circuit board disposed between the first planar conductor and the second planar conductor,
Wherein the antenna elements are formed on the circuit board.
11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising a circuit board,
The first planar conductor and the second planar conductor are formed on two different layers of the circuit board respectively,
Wherein the antenna elements are formed on the circuit board adjacent to the conductive structure.
14. The method of claim 13,
And a third planar conductor formed on the circuit board and connecting the first planar conductor and the second planar conductor,
Wherein the first planar conductor, the second planar conductor, and the third planar conductor form a waveguide at least partially surrounding the array of antenna elements.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the circuit board comprises one of a printed circuit board (PCB) and a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC).
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the antenna elements are formed in a region adjacent to an edge of the circuit board, and the portion of the antenna elements functions as a dielectric converter to match the antenna elements.
In an electronic device,
A housing having a conductive structure with at least one opening formed therein;
A circuit board in which at least a portion of the housing is disposed adjacent to the conductive structure; And
And a plurality of antenna elements formed on the circuit board,
Wherein the antenna elements are aligned with an outer space of the housing through the conductive structure to radiate an electromagnetic field to the outer space.
18. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein a plurality of said openings are formed such that said conductive structure forms a leaky radiation portion for said electromagnetic field.
18. The method of claim 17,
Further comprising a beam deflector inserted in the aperture,
Wherein the beam deflector comprises a dielectric body.
18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the aperture comprises an acoustic hole.

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