TWI723787B - Antenna system - Google Patents

Abstract

This application discloses an antenna system including a plurality of antennas, a radio frequency module, at least one temperature sensor, and a processor. The radio frequency module is electrically connected to the antennas. The at least one temperature sensor is used to sense an ambient temperature of the electronic device. The processor is electrically connected to the at least one temperature sensor and the radio frequency module, and the processor determines a usage situation of the user according to the temperature change generated by the ambient temperatures sensed by the at least one temperature sensor in a time interval. The processor outputs at least one set of power setting parameter to the radio frequency module according to the usage situation, so that the radio frequency module adjusts transmission power of the antennas according to the power setting parameter respectively.

Description

Antenna system

The present invention relates to an antenna system, in particular to an antenna system capable of adjusting the transmission power of the antenna.

In response to the development of communication technology, the development of consumer electronic products has become very popular. When users use the convenience of consumer electronic products, they are increasingly affected by the electromagnetic radiation generated by these consumer electronic products. attention.

In the design of wireless communication antennas used in consumer electronics products, in addition to the transmission efficiency of Total Radiated Power (TRP) and Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS), an indicator is also attached great importance to electromagnetic waves. Energy Specific Absorption Ratio (SAR), which is an important indicator to measure the impact of electromagnetic radiation on human health. Since the SAR value is closely related to the radiated power of wireless communication devices, the SAR value is usually proportional to the total radiated power. Therefore, in order to avoid the adverse effects of electromagnetic waves on human health, the value of the SAR is related to the total radiated power. It is very important to strike a balance between.

In view of this, this case proposes an antenna system which is located in an electronic device and includes a plurality of antennas, a radio frequency module, at least one temperature sensor and a processor. The radio frequency module is electrically connected to the antennas. At least one temperature sensor is used to sense the environmental temperature of the electronic device. The processor is electrically connected to at least one temperature sensor and the radio frequency module, and the processor determines the user's use situation according to the temperature change generated by the ambient temperature sensed by the at least one temperature sensor within a time interval, and the processor Output at least one set of power setting parameters to the radio frequency module according to the use situation, so that the radio frequency module adjusts the transmission power of the antenna according to the power setting parameters respectively.

In one embodiment, when the temperature change is in a first temperature interval, the processor determines that the use situation is the first use situation according to the first temperature interval, and causes the radio frequency module to adjust the transmission power correspondingly according to the power setting parameters to reduce the first use situation. A value. When the temperature change is in a second temperature interval, and the temperature value of the second temperature interval is greater than the temperature value of the first temperature interval, the processor judges that the use situation is the second use situation according to the second temperature interval, and makes the radio frequency modules separately According to the power setting parameter, the transmission power is correspondingly adjusted and reduced by a second value, and the second value is greater than the first value.

In one embodiment, the antenna system is located in the housing of the electronic device, and the at least one temperature sensor further includes a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor, which are respectively located on the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing surface. The processor determines that the use situation is the first use situation according to the temperature change generated by the ambient temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor, and causes the radio frequency module to adjust the transmission power correspondingly according to the power setting parameter to reduce a first value. The processor determines that the use situation is the second use situation according to the temperature change generated by the ambient temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor, so that the radio frequency module adjusts the transmission power correspondingly according to the power setting parameters to decrease a second value, and the second The value is greater than the first value.

In summary, according to the antenna system proposed in the present invention, the antenna system can determine different usage scenarios according to different temperature changes, so as to adjust the transmission power of the antenna in stages according to the usage scenarios to reduce radiation to the human body. Impact, comply with SAR safety regulations, and can maintain good transmission performance of electronic devices.

The following detailed descriptions are provided with specific embodiments and accompanying drawings, so that it is easier to understand the purpose, technical content and effects of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an antenna system according to an embodiment of the present case, and Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present case. Please refer to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 at the same time, an antenna system 10 is located in an electronic device 30 Inside, the antenna system 10 includes a plurality of antennas 12, 14, 16, 18, a radio frequency module 20, at least one temperature sensor 22, and a processor 24. The radio frequency module 20 is electrically connected to these antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 to transmit and receive radio frequency signals through the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18, and at least one temperature sensor 22 is used to sense the environment of the electronic device 30 Temperature, and the processor 24 is electrically connected to at least one temperature sensor 22 and the radio frequency module 20. The processor 24 determines the user's use situation according to the temperature change in the environment temperature sensed by the at least one temperature sensor 22 within a time interval, and the use situation may correspond to the way the user uses the electronic device 30 Or the closeness between the user and the electronic device 30. In one embodiment, the time interval is 5-10 seconds, but it is not limited to this. The processor 24 can correspondingly output multiple sets of power setting parameters to the radio frequency module 20 according to the use situation, so that the radio frequency module 20 adjusts the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, and 18 according to the power setting parameters. In one embodiment, the processor 24 can output a set of power setting parameters to the radio frequency module 20 according to the use situation, so that the radio frequency module 20 adjusts one of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 according to the set of power setting parameters. Transmission power. In one embodiment, the processor 24 can control the radio frequency module 20 to adjust the output power of all the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 or adjust the output of some of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 accordingly. power.

In one embodiment, the temperature sensor 22 may be a thermistor sensor, an infrared sensor or a digital temperature sensor, but it is not limited to this.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 30 may be a notebook computer, a tablet computer, and other consumer electronic products, but is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the electronic device 30 is a notebook computer as an example. The electronic device 30 includes a housing 32. The antenna system 10 is disposed in the housing 32. The housing 32 has an upper surface 321 and a lower surface 322. A user operation interface 34 is provided on the upper surface 321 of the housing 32. For example, a keyboard, a touch panel, or a touch screen. Here, the keyboard is taken as an example, and the lower surface 322 of the housing 32 is the placement surface on the carrier.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in this embodiment, there are four antennas 12, 14, 16, 18, and these four antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 can be arranged on the frame around the housing 32 of the electronic device 30 On the inner surface. In other embodiments, the number of antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 can also be any other number, and the electronic device 30 can select an appropriate number of antennas and their installation positions according to actual circuit design requirements, but it is not limited thereto. In addition, the temperature sensor 22 can be disposed on the housing 32 and close to the front side of the human body to facilitate sensing the environmental temperature of the electronic device 30, and help to strengthen the environmental temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 22 and The correlation between the user's use situation, but not limited to this, the temperature sensor 22 can also be arranged in other suitable positions on the housing 32 of the electronic device 30.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the electronic device 30 is turned on, the antenna system 10 will be activated and the temperature sensor 22 will start to operate. At this time, the temperature sensor 22 will start to sense the ambient temperature around the electronic device 30 When the ambient temperature changes in the time interval, the processor 24 will determine the user's use situation according to the temperature change, and perform different stages of power adjustment according to different use situations. When the temperature change is in a first temperature interval, the processor 24 determines that the use situation is the first use situation according to the first temperature interval, and the processor 24 outputs the corresponding power setting parameters to the radio frequency module 20 according to the first use situation. , So that the radio frequency module 20 correspondingly adjusts the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, and 18 according to the power setting parameters to decrease by a first value. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the first use situation is that the placement surface of the electronic device 30 is placed on the desktop 40, and the human hand 42 approaches or touches the use situation of the electronic device 30, so as to be based on this first use situation. 1. Use context to reduce the transmission power of antennas 12, 14, 16, 18. When the temperature change is in a second temperature interval, and the temperature value of the second temperature interval is greater than the temperature value of the first temperature interval, the processor 24 judges that the use situation is the second use situation according to the second temperature interval, and the processor 24 will According to the second use situation, the corresponding power setting parameters are output to the radio frequency module 20, so that the radio frequency module 20 adjusts the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, and 18 according to the power setting parameters to decrease by a second value. The second value is greater than the first value. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the second use situation is the use situation in which the placement surface of the electronic device 30 is located on the human body 44, which is, for example, the thigh of the user. Since the electronic device 30 in the second use situation is closer to the human body 44 than in the first use situation, that is, the closeness between the user and the electronic device 30 in the second use situation is higher than that in the first use situation The tightness between the user and the electronic device 30, therefore, the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 needs to be reduced more (the second value is greater than the first value).

In one embodiment, the first temperature interval is 2 to 3°C, and the second temperature interval is 4 to 5°C, but it is not limited to this. In the first use scenario, the user puts the electronic device 30 on the table for use, and only the hand 42 will touch the electronic device 30; while in the second use scenario, the user puts the electronic device 30 directly on It is used on the thigh, that is, the human body 44 contacts the electronic device 30 in a relatively larger area. As a result, in the same time interval, the temperature change in the second use situation will be greater than the temperature change in the first use situation, and the first use situation The temperature value of the second use situation will be higher than the temperature value of the first use situation, so the use situation can be judged by the temperature range and the temperature value.

Moreover, when the temperature change is in a third temperature interval, and the temperature value of the third temperature interval is less than the temperature value of the first temperature interval, the processor 24 judges that the use situation is the third use situation according to the third temperature interval, and the processor 24 The same power setting parameters are still maintained for the radio frequency module 20, so that the radio frequency module 20 maintains the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 according to the power setting parameters, respectively. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the third use situation is a use situation in which a wired external peripheral device 46 is used to operate the electronic device 30. Since the human body is relatively close to the electronic device 30 (that is, compared to the first The first use situation and the second use situation, the user in the third use situation is far away from the electronic device 30), the radiation of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 has less impact on the human body, so the same antennas 12, 14 can be maintained , 16, 18 transmission power. In an embodiment, the third temperature range is 1 to 2°C, but it is not limited to this.

In one embodiment, after the processor 24 correspondingly adjusts the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 according to the aforementioned first use scenario, second use scenario, or third use scenario, it may wait for a preset time. For example, the preset time is 180 seconds before the temperature sensor 22 starts to operate to sense the ambient temperature of the electronic device 30. In one embodiment, when the processor 24 correspondingly adjusts the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 according to the aforementioned first use scenario, second use scenario, or third use scenario and waits for a preset time, the temperature feels The sensor 22 starts to operate again to sense the ambient temperature of the electronic device 30, and the temperature value sensed this time is the same as the temperature value sensed last time or the change is lower than a threshold value (for example, 1 to 2°C), it indicates the use situation No change, the processor 24 will not adjust the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 accordingly.

In one embodiment, if the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 22 does not change or the temperature change is very small, it can be regarded as the fourth use situation, and the processor 24 will output according to the fourth use situation. The corresponding power setting parameters are given to the radio frequency module 20, so that the radio frequency module 20 correspondingly increases or maintains the transmission power values of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 according to these power setting parameters, so that the antennas 12, 14, 16 , 18 to play a better transceiver performance. This fourth use scenario is a use scenario where the human body is far enough away from the electronic device 30. For example, the electronic device 30 is operated by a wireless peripheral device, so the user can be a safe distance away from the electronic device 30, even if the antenna 12 is raised. The transmission power of, 14, 16, 18 or maintaining the preset higher transmission power of antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 will not cause harm to human health.

In an embodiment, the temperature sensor 22 can be integrated with at least one of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 to form a physical module. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the temperature sensor 22 is connected to the antenna 18. The antenna module 36 is integrated into a physical antenna. Here, the antenna 18 is taken as an example, but it is not limited to this. The temperature sensor 22 can also be integrated with other antennas 12, 14, and 16. The antennas 12, 14, 16, and 18 are electrically connected to the radio frequency module 20, and the temperature sensor 22 is electrically connected to the processor 24, so that the processor 24 is in time according to the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 22 The temperature change generated in the interval determines the user's use situation to determine whether the electronic device 10 is in the first use situation, the second use situation, the third use situation, or the fourth use situation, and the processor 24 adjusts or maintains it accordingly Transmission power of antennas 12, 14, 16, 18.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of an antenna system according to another embodiment of the present case, and Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present case. Please refer to Figs. 7 and 8 at the same time. The antenna system 10 includes There are two temperature sensors, a first temperature sensor 26 and a second temperature sensor 28. The first temperature sensor 26 and the second temperature sensor 28 are respectively electrically connected to the processor 24, and the first temperature sensor 26 and the second temperature sensor 28 are electrically connected to the processor 24, respectively. A temperature sensor 26 is located on the upper surface 321 of the housing 32, the second temperature sensor 28 is located on the lower surface 322 of the housing 32, and a first window 323 is further provided on the upper surface 321 of the housing 32 , To expose the first temperature sensor 26, a second window 324 is further provided on the lower surface 322 of the housing 32 to expose the second temperature sensor 28, so as to use the first temperature sensor 26 and the second temperature sensor The two temperature sensors 28 respectively sense the environmental temperature of the electronic device 30. When the ambient temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor 26 changes in the time interval (5-10 seconds), the processor 24 determines that the use situation is the first use situation based on the temperature change, and the processor 24 will follow The first use scenario outputs the corresponding power setting parameters to the radio frequency module 20, so that the radio frequency module 20 correspondingly adjusts the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 according to the power setting parameters to decrease by a first value. In this embodiment, the first use situation is when the electronic device 30 is placed on the desktop, the human hand approaches or touches the use situation of the electronic device 30 (as shown in FIG. 3), and the first temperature sensor 26 passes through the first The window 323 can more accurately sense the temperature change caused by the heat of the user's hand. On the other hand, if the ambient temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 28 produces a temperature change within the time interval, the processor 24 determines that the use situation is the second use situation based on the temperature change, and the processor 24 will determine the use situation according to the second use situation. Use the situation to output the corresponding power setting parameters to the radio frequency module 20, so that the radio frequency module 20 correspondingly adjusts the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 according to the power setting parameters to a second value, where the second value is greater than The first value. In this embodiment, the second use situation is the use situation in which the placement surface of the electronic device 30 is directly placed on the human body (as shown in FIG. 4), and the second temperature sensor 28 can be changed through the second window 324. Accurately sense the temperature change caused by the heat of the user's thigh.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, if the ambient temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor 26 and the second temperature sensor 28 both produce temperature changes within the time interval, it means that the human body is very close to the electronic device 30. At this time, the second use situation will be the main one, and the processor 24 will directly adjust the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, and 18 according to the second use situation to reduce the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 by a larger second value. The transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 is directly adjusted to a safe range. Or, if the ambient temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor 26 and the second temperature sensor 28 at the same time both produce temperature changes within the time interval, and the temperature of the ambient temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor 28 When the change is high, the processor 24 will determine the second use situation; if the ambient temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor 26 and the second temperature sensor 28 at the same time both produce temperature changes within the time interval, and the first When the temperature change of the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 26 is relatively high, the processor 24 will determine the first use situation.

In an embodiment, the first temperature sensor 26 and the second temperature sensor 28 can be integrated with two of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 to form a physical module according to the installation position, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. As shown in 9, the first temperature sensor 26 is integrated with the antenna 16 to form a physical first antenna module 37, and the second temperature sensor 28 is integrated with the antenna 18 to form a physical second antenna module 38. Here, the antennas 16 and 18 are taken as examples, but not limited to this. The first temperature sensor 26 or the second temperature sensor 28 can also be integrated with other antennas 12 and 14. The antennas 12, 14, 16, 18 are also electrically connected to the radio frequency module 20. The first temperature sensor 26 and the second temperature sensor 28 are respectively electrically connected to the processor 24, so that the processor 24 is The temperature sensor 26 or the second temperature sensor 28 senses the temperature change in the time interval of the ambient temperature to determine the user's use situation to determine whether the electronic device 130 is in the first use situation or the second use situation , The processor 24 adjusts the transmission power of the antennas 12, 14, 16, 18.

In this case, one or more temperature sensors are installed on the electronic device in the direction where the human body often approaches, so as not to affect the antenna receiving and transmitting performance, to more accurately determine the use situation and conditionally reduce the transmission power of the multiple antennas. Reduce the harm to human body radiation in response to the future trend of 5G multi-antenna. In addition, the existing antenna design architecture can be used in this case, and there is no need to make major changes to the antennas, circuits and structures that have been designed and formed, which can save costs and save space at the same time.

In summary, according to the embodiment of the antenna system proposed in this case, the antenna system can determine different usage scenarios according to different temperature changes, so as to adjust the transmission power of the antenna in stages according to the usage scenarios to reduce radiation to the human body. The impact of SAR is in line with the safety regulations of SAR, such as 1.6 W/kg of the Federal Telecommunications Commission (FCC) of the United States or 2.0 W/kg of the European Union CE, and can maintain good transmission performance of electronic devices.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only to illustrate the technical ideas and features of the case. Their purpose is to enable those who are familiar with the technology to understand the content of the case and implement them accordingly. If they cannot be used to limit the scope of the patent in this case, that is, according to the case. Equal changes or modifications made to the spirit of the disclosure should still be included in the scope of the patent application in this case.

10: Antenna system 12, 14, 16, 18: antenna 20: Radio frequency module 22: Temperature sensor 24: processor 26: The first temperature sensor 28: The second temperature sensor 30: Electronic device 32: shell 321: upper surface 322: lower surface 323: The first window 324: The second window 34: User interface 36: Antenna Module 37: The first antenna module 38: The second antenna module 40: Desktop 42: Hands 44: human body 46: External peripheral devices

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an antenna system according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device applied according to the present application in a first use situation. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device applied according to the present application in a second use situation. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device applied according to this case in a third use situation. Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an antenna system according to another embodiment of the present application. Fig. 7 is a block diagram of an antenna system according to another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to still another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an antenna system according to another embodiment of the present application.

10: Antenna system

12, 14, 16, 18: antenna

20: Radio frequency module

22: Temperature sensor

24: processor

Claims (11)

An antenna system is located in an electronic device. The antenna system includes: a plurality of antennas; a radio frequency module electrically connected to the antennas; at least one temperature sensor for sensing the environmental temperature of the electronic device And a processor electrically connected to the at least one temperature sensor and the radio frequency module, the processor according to the temperature change generated in a time interval of the ambient temperature sensed by the at least one temperature sensor Judging the user's use situation, the processor outputs at least one set of power setting parameters to the radio frequency module according to the use situation, so that the radio frequency module adjusts the transmission power of the antennas according to the power setting parameters; When the temperature change is in a first temperature interval, the processor determines that the use situation is the first use situation according to the first temperature interval, so that the radio frequency module adjusts the transmission correspondingly according to the at least one set of power setting parameters. Power is reduced by a first value; and when the temperature change is in a second temperature range, and the temperature value of the second temperature range is greater than the temperature value of the first temperature range, the processor determines the use according to the second temperature range The scenario is a second use scenario, so that the radio frequency module adjusts the transmission power to decrease by a second value according to the at least one set of power setting parameters, and the second value is greater than the first value. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein when the temperature change is in a third temperature interval, and the temperature value of the third temperature interval is less than the temperature value of the first temperature interval, the processor according to the third temperature interval It is determined that the use situation is the third use situation, so that the radio frequency module correspondingly maintains the transmission power. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the first temperature interval is 2~3°C, and the second temperature interval is 4~5°C. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor and one of the antennas are integrated into an antenna module. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device further includes a housing, and the antenna system is located in the housing. The antenna system according to claim 5, wherein the at least one temperature sensor further includes a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor, which are respectively located on the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing, The processor determines that the use situation is the first use situation according to the temperature change generated by the ambient temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor, so that the radio frequency module is adjusted accordingly according to the at least one set of power setting parameters The transmission power is reduced by the first value; and the processor determines that the use situation is the second use situation according to the temperature change generated by the ambient temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor, so that the radio frequency modules are respectively According to the at least one set of power setting parameters, the transmission power is adjusted correspondingly to reduce the second value. The antenna system according to claim 6, wherein the upper surface of the casing has a user operation interface, and the lower surface of the casing is a placement surface. The antenna system according to claim 6, wherein a first window is further provided on the upper surface of the housing to expose the first temperature sensor, and a first window is further provided on the lower surface of the housing Open the window twice to expose the second temperature sensor. The antenna system according to claim 6, wherein the first temperature sensor and one of the antennas are integrated into a first antenna module; and the second temperature sensor and the other antenna are integrated into a second day Line module. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the time interval is 5-10 seconds. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is a thermistor sensor, an infrared sensor or a digital temperature sensor.

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