CN108803777B

CN108803777B - Deformable mobile device and radiation enhancement device

Info

Publication number: CN108803777B
Application number: CN201710308729.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 魏仕强
Original assignee: Wistron Neweb Corp
Current assignee: Wistron Neweb Corp
Priority date: 2017-05-04
Filing date: 2017-05-04
Publication date: 2021-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 2037-05-04
Also published as: CN108803777A

Abstract

A deformable mobile device and a radiation enhancement device. The deformable mobile device comprises: an upper cover, a base, a rotating shaft assembly, and an antenna assembly; the upper cover comprises an upper cover shell and a display frame opposite to the upper cover shell; the base comprises a frame and a base shell opposite to the frame; the rotating shaft assembly is connected between the upper cover and the base, so that the deformable mobile device can be turned over to operate in a notebook mode or a tablet mode; the antenna assembly is arranged on the upper cover, wherein the antenna assembly is used for operating at least one operating frequency band; the base shell comprises a metal covering component, wherein the metal covering component is provided with a first slotted hole and a second slotted hole. The deformable mobile device and the radiation enhancement device can effectively overcome the problem of reduction of radiation efficiency of the antenna component in the panel mode, and are suitable for various deformable mobile communication devices to improve the communication quality.

Description

Deformable mobile device and radiation enhancement device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a deformable Mobile Device (deformable Mobile Device) and a radiation enhancement Device, and more particularly, to a deformable Mobile Device and a radiation enhancement Device capable of improving Antenna Efficiency (Antenna Efficiency).

Background

With the development of mobile communication technology, mobile devices have become increasingly popular in recent years, such as: portable computers, mobile phones, multimedia players and other portable electronic devices with mixed functions. To meet the demand of people, mobile devices generally have a function of wireless communication. Some cover long-range wireless communication ranges, such as: the mobile phone uses 2G, 3G, LTE (Long Term Evolution) system and its used frequency bands of 700MHz, 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz and 2500MHz for communication, while some cover short-distance wireless communication ranges, for example: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth systems use frequency bands of 2.4GHz, 5.2GHz, and 5.8GHz for communication.

An antenna is an indispensable component in a mobile device supporting wireless communication. However, the antenna is susceptible to being affected by adjacent metal components. For example, in a mobile device with a deformable structure, when the mobile device operates in different modes, the antenna elements are interfered and the overall communication quality is degraded due to the relative positions of the antenna elements and the metal elements therein. In view of the above, a new solution is needed to overcome the problems of the conventional technology.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a deformable mobile device and a radiation enhancement device to solve this problem.

Disclosure of Invention

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a deformable mobile device comprising: an upper cover including an upper cover housing and a display frame opposite to the upper cover housing; a base including a frame and a base housing opposite the frame; a rotating shaft component connected between the upper cover and the base, so that the deformable mobile device can be overturned to operate in a notebook mode or a tablet mode; and an antenna assembly disposed on the upper cover, wherein the antenna assembly is configured to operate in at least one operating frequency band; the base shell comprises a metal covering component, and the metal covering component is provided with a first slotted hole and a second slotted hole.

In some embodiments, the antenna element is a slot antenna element disposed in the top cover housing, and the frame is a keyboard frame.

In some embodiments, the length of the first slot and the length of the second slot are both approximately equal to 0.5 wavelength of the operating frequency band.

In some embodiments, the length of the first slot is slightly greater than the length of the second slot.

In some embodiments, the first slot and the second slot are each substantially straight.

In some embodiments, the first slot and the second slot are substantially parallel to each other.

In some embodiments, the first and second slots each operate between 2400MHz to 2500MHz and 5150MHz to 5850 MHz.

In some embodiments, when the transformable mobile device is operated in the tablet mode, the display frame, the cover housing, the base housing, and the frame are arranged in sequence with the antenna element adjacent to the first slot and the second slot such that the metal cover element and the first slot and the second slot thereof are excited by the antenna element and generate radiation.

In some embodiments, the metal cover element covers a portion or all of an outer surface of the base housing.

In some embodiments, the base housing has a structural hinge.

In some embodiments, the metal cover assembly includes a first metal plane and a second metal plane, and the structural hinge of the base housing is located between the first metal plane and the second metal plane such that the extension planes of the first metal plane and the second metal plane are different.

In some embodiments, the first slot is located on the first metal surface, and the second slot is located on the second metal surface.

In some embodiments, the structural hinge of the base housing is adjacent to the antenna element when the transformable mobile device is operated in the tablet mode.

In some embodiments, the metal covering assembly further has a third slot and a fourth slot respectively located on the first metal surface and the second metal surface.

In some embodiments, the length of the third slot and the length of the fourth slot are both approximately equal to 0.5 wavelength of the operating frequency band.

In some embodiments, the length of the third slot is slightly greater than the length of the fourth slot.

In some embodiments, the third slot and the fourth slot are each substantially straight.

In some embodiments, the first slot, the second slot, the third slot, and the fourth slot are all substantially parallel to one another.

In another preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a radiation enhancement device, comprising: an antenna element operating in at least one operating frequency band; and a metal covering assembly having a first slot and a second slot; wherein the length of the first slot and the length of the second slot are both approximately equal to 0.5 wavelength of the operating frequency band; wherein the antenna element is adjacent to the first slot and the second slot such that the metal cover element and the first slot and the second slot thereof are excited by the antenna element and generate radiation.

In some embodiments, the first slot and the second slot are each substantially straight-bar shaped, and the first slot and the second slot are substantially parallel to each other.

The transformable mobile device and the radiation enhancement device can effectively overcome the problem of reduction of radiation efficiency of the antenna component in the panel mode, so that the transformable mobile device and the radiation enhancement device are suitable for being applied to various transformable mobile communication devices to improve communication quality.

Drawings

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a deformable mobile device according to an embodiment of the invention when operating in a notebook mode;

FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a deformable mobile device according to an embodiment of the invention when operating in a pad mode;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a base housing and a metal cover assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a deformable mobile device according to an embodiment of the invention when operating in a pad mode;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a base housing and a metal cover assembly according to an embodiment of the invention; and

fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating antenna efficiency of an antenna assembly of a transformable mobile device according to an embodiment of the invention.

Main assembly notation:

100. 300 transformable mobile device

102 display

104 keyboard

110 upper cover

112 upper cover shell

114 display frame

120. 320 base

126. 326 frame (keyboard frame)

128. 328, 428 base casing

130 rotating shaft assembly

140 antenna assembly

150. 350, 450 metal covering assembly

161. 361, 461 first slot

162. 362, 462 second slot

Structural turning part of 329 base shell

351 first metal surface

352 second metal face

463 third slot aperture

464 fourth slotted hole

First curve of CC1

Second curve of CC2

Third curve of CC3

Outer surface of E1 base housing

L1, L2, L5, L6, L7, L8 length

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, specific embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This specification and claims do not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following description and in the claims, the terms "include" and "comprise" are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "include, but not limited to. The term "substantially" means within an acceptable error range, within which a person skilled in the art can solve the technical problem to achieve the basic technical result. In addition, the term "coupled" is used herein to encompass any direct or indirect electrical connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections.

Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a Convertible Mobile Device (Convertible Mobile Device)100 operating in a Notebook Mode according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating the morphable mobile device 100 operating in a Tablet Mode according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to fig. 1A and fig. 1B together. In the embodiment of fig. 1A, 1B, the deformable mobile device 100 comprises at least: a top Cover (Upper Cover)110, a Base (Base)120, a Hinge assembly (Hinge Element)130, and an Antenna Element (Antenna Element) 140. It must be understood that, although not shown in fig. 1A, 1B, the deformable mobile device 100 may also include other components, such as: a Touch pad (Touch Control pad), a Processor (Processor), a Battery Module (Battery Module), and an Input/Output Device (Input/Output Device).

The Upper Cover 110 includes an Upper Cover Housing 112 and a Display Frame 114 opposite to the Upper Cover Housing 112. A Display Device 102 may be embedded in the Display frame 114. The Base 120 includes a Frame 126(Frame) and a Base Housing 128 (Base Housing) opposite the Frame 126. For example, the Frame 126 may be a Keyboard Frame (Keyboard Frame), wherein a Keyboard (Keyboard)104 may be embedded in the Keyboard Frame 126. It should be understood that cover housing 112, display frame 114, keyboard frame 126, and base housing 128 refer to what is commonly referred to as "part a," "part B," "part C," and "part D," respectively, in a notebook computer. The rotation shaft assembly 130 is connected between the upper cover 110 and the base 120. By using the hinge assembly 130, the transformable mobile device 100 may be selectively flipped (Flip Over) to operate in either a notebook mode or a tablet mode.

The antenna element 140 is disposed on the cover housing 112, wherein the antenna element 140 is operable in at least one operating frequency band. In some embodiments, the lid housing 112 is an all-Metal Back Cover (Metal Back Cover) and the Antenna assembly 140 is a Slot Antenna assembly (Slot Antenna Element) formed or disposed on the all-Metal Back Cover. It must be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the Antenna element 140 may be a Monopole Antenna (Monopole Antenna), a Dipole Antenna (Dipole Antenna), a Loop Antenna (Loop Antenna), a Patch Antenna (Patch Antenna), a Planar Inverted-F Antenna (PIFA), or a Chip Antenna (Chip Antenna) and disposed in the top cover 110. Generally, the antenna element 140 can enjoy better radiation efficiency when the transformable mobile device 100 is operated in the notebook mode. Conversely, when the transformable mobile device 100 is operated in the tablet mode, the antenna elements 140 are more susceptible to interference from metal parts on the base housing 128 or electronic components within the base 120 because of their proximity to the base housing 128. In order to improve the radiation efficiency of the antenna assembly 140 in the flat mode, the present invention proposes a novel solution, as described in the following embodiments.

In the preferred embodiment, the base housing 128 includes a Metal Covering Element (Metal Covering Element)150, wherein the Metal Covering Element 150 has a first Slot (Slot)161 and a second Slot 162. The metal covering member 150 may be a single piece of metal foil or may be formed by large-area metal plating. The pivot assembly 130 may include an electrically conductive element that electrically couples the metal cover assembly 150 of the base housing 128 to the lid housing 112 (e.g., an all-metal back lid). In some embodiments, the metal cover element 150 covers at least a portion of an outer surface E1 of the base housing 128. In other embodiments, the metal cover assembly 150 covers the entire outer surface E1 of the base housing 128.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the base housing 128 and the metal cover assembly 150 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment of fig. 2, the first slot 161 and the second slot 162 are each substantially straight-bar shaped, wherein the first slot 161 and the second slot 162 are substantially parallel to each other. The length L1 of the first slot 161 and the length L2 of the second slot 162 are both substantially equal to 0.5 times the wavelength (λ/2) of the operating frequency band of the antenna element 140. For example, the aforementioned operating band may be approximately between 2400MHz and 2500 MHz. In some embodiments, the length L1 of the first slot 161 is slightly greater than the length L2 of the second slot 162. For example, the length L1 of the first slot 161 may be approximately equal to 0.5 wavelength of 2400MHz, and the length L2 of the second slot 162 may be approximately equal to 0.5 wavelength of 2500MHz, so the length L1 will be greater than the length L2. In other embodiments, the length L1 of the first slot 161 is slightly less than the length L2 of the second slot 162. For example, the length L1 of the first slot 161 may be approximately equal to 0.5 wavelength of 2500MHz, and the length L2 of the second slot 162 may be approximately equal to 0.5 wavelength of 2400MHz, so the length L1 will be less than the length L2. Moreover, in some embodiments, the first slot 161 and the second slot 162 may each have a different shape (not shown), and each operating frequency band thereof may be approximately between 2400MHz to 2500MHz and between 5150MHz to 5850 MHz. The length of the first slot 161 and the length of the second slot 162 are both substantially equal to 0.5 wavelength (λ/2) of the operating frequency band of the antenna element 140.

Please refer to fig. 1B and fig. 2. When the transformable mobile device 100 is operated in the tablet mode, the antenna element 140 is adjacent to the first slot 161 and the second slot 162, and the order of arrangement of the elements in the transformable mobile device 100 is: the display frame 114, the cover housing 112, the base housing 128, and the keyboard frame 126 are such that the metal cover assembly 150 and its first slot 161 and second slot 162 are excited by the antenna assembly 140 and generate radiation. It should be noted that the term "adjacent" may mean that the shortest distance between the antenna element 140 and the first slot 161 or the second slot 162 is less than 5mm, but greater than 0 mm. In this design, the metal cover element 150 can be considered as an extension of the antenna element 140 due to coupling effects between adjacent elements. Therefore, the metal covering element 150 not only reduces the interference to the radiation pattern of the antenna element 140, but also resonates with the antenna element 140 to enhance the radiation efficiency of the antenna element 140.

In other embodiments, both the antenna element 140 and the metal cover element 150 may be used alone to form a Radiation Enhancement Device (Radiation Enhancement Device). The radiation enhancement device need not be integrated with the deformable mobile device 100, and the design features are the same as those described in the embodiments of fig. 1A, 1B, and 2, and thus are not described again.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a deformable mobile device 300 according to an embodiment of the invention when operating in a pad mode. Fig. 3 is similar to fig. 1B. In the embodiment of fig. 3, a base housing 328 of a base 320 of the transformable mobile device 300 has a structural hinge 329. The design of the structural hinge 329 allows the base 320 to be retracted inward and to accommodate electronic components, such as: one or more speaker holes. A metal cover element 350 of the base housing 328 is attached to the structural transition 329, so that it also assumes a transition shape. In detail, the metal covering assembly 350 includes a first metal plane 351 and a second metal plane 352 connected to each other, wherein the structure turning point 329 of the base housing 328 is located between the first metal plane 351 and the second metal plane 352, so that the extension planes of the first metal plane 351 and the second metal plane 352 are different. For example, an acute included angle between the first metal surface 351 and the second metal surface 352 may be between 0 degrees and 80 degrees, such as 45 degrees. In some embodiments, the first metal surface 351 and the second metal surface 352 may be parallel to each other but not located on the same plane to form a step shape. In addition, a first slot 361 is formed on the first metal surface 351, and a second slot 362 is formed on the second metal surface 352. In this design, when the transformable mobile device 300 is operated in the tablet mode, the structural hinge 329 of the base housing 328 is adjacent to the antenna element 140, and the metal covering element 350 and its first and

second slots

361 and 362 are excited by the antenna element 140 and generate radiation. It should be noted that, since the first slot 361 and the second slot 362 are located on different planes (e.g. the first metal plane 351 and the second metal plane 352), it will increase the radiation intensity of the antenna assembly 140 in a wider direction (as shown by the arrows pointing to the right and downward in fig. 3, to enhance the direction of the antenna radiation). Thus, the design of the base housing 328 with the structural hinge 329 helps to direct the antenna assembly 140 to a radiation pattern that more closely approximates omni-directional (omni-directional). The remaining features of the transformable mobile device 300 of fig. 3 are similar to those of the transformable mobile device 100 of fig. 1A and 1B, so that both embodiments can perform similar operations.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a base housing 428 and a metal cover assembly 450 according to an embodiment of the invention. The base housing 428 and metal cover assembly 450 of fig. 4 may be used with the deformable

mobile devices

100, 300 described above. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the metal cover 450 has a first slot 461, a second slot 462, a third slot 463, and a fourth slot 464. The first slot 461, the second slot 462, the third slot 463, and the fourth slot 464 may each be substantially in the shape of a straight bar, wherein the first slot 461, the second slot 462, the third slot 463, and the fourth slot 464 may be substantially parallel to each other. The length L5 of the first slot 461, the length L6 of the second slot 462, the length L7 of the third slot 463, and the length L8 of the fourth slot 464 are all substantially equal to 0.5 times the wavelength (λ/2) of the operating frequency band of the antenna element 140. In some embodiments, the length L5 of the first slot 461 is slightly greater than the length L6 of the second slot 462, and the length L7 of the third slot 463 is slightly greater than the length L8 of the fourth slot 464. In other embodiments, the length L5 of the first slot 461 is slightly less than the length L6 of the second slot 462, and the length L7 of the third slot 463 is slightly less than the length L8 of the fourth slot 464. This design with more slots can further increase the overall resonance bandwidth of the metal cover assembly 450. It should be noted that, if the embodiments of fig. 4 and fig. 3 are combined, the first slot 461 and the second slot 462 may be respectively located on the first metal surface 351 and the second metal surface 352, or the third slot 463 and the fourth slot 464 may be respectively located on the first metal surface 351 and the second metal surface 352. The remaining features of the base housing 428 and the metal cover assembly 450 of fig. 4 are similar to those of the base housing 128 and the metal cover assembly 150 of fig. 2, so that both embodiments can operate similarly.

Fig. 5 is a graph showing Antenna Efficiency (Antenna Efficiency) of the Antenna assembly 140 of the transformable mobile device 100 (or 300) according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the horizontal axis represents operating frequency (MHz) and the vertical axis represents Antenna Efficiency (dB). In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a first curve CC1 represents the radiation characteristics of the antenna element 140 when the transformable mobile device 100 does not use any metal covering elements and slots, a second curve CC2 represents the radiation characteristics of the antenna element 140 when the transformable mobile device 100 uses a metal covering element 150 with two slots (as shown in FIG. 2), and a third curve CC3 represents the radiation characteristics of the antenna element 140 when the transformable mobile device 100 uses a metal covering element 450 with four slots (as shown in FIG. 4). From the measurements shown in FIG. 5, the antenna efficiency of the antenna element 140 at the low-frequency center 2450MHz is about-5.42 dB (no metal covering element and slot). After the solution of the present invention is added, the metal cover component 150 with two slots can increase the antenna efficiency of the antenna component 140 to about-4.5 dB, and the metal cover component 450 with four slots can increase the antenna efficiency of the antenna component 140 to about-4.48 dB, which can meet the practical application requirement of the general mobile communication device.

The present invention provides a mobile device and a radiation enhancement device, which can effectively overcome the problem of the radiation efficiency reduction of an antenna component in a panel mode, therefore, the present invention is suitable for being applied to various mobile communication devices to improve the communication quality.

It is noted that the sizes, shapes and frequency ranges of the above-mentioned components are not limitations of the present invention. The antenna designer can adjust these settings according to different needs. The transformable mobile device and the radiation enhancement device of the present invention are not limited to the states illustrated in fig. 1-5. The present invention may include only any one or more features of any one or more of the embodiments of fig. 1-5. In other words, not all illustrated features may be implemented in the deformable mobile device and the radiation enhancement device of the present invention.

Ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," "third," etc., in the specification and claims are not used sequentially to distinguish one element from another, but only to distinguish one element from another having a same name.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A deformable mobile device, comprising:

an upper cover including an upper cover housing and a display frame opposite to the upper cover housing;

a base including a frame and a base housing opposite the frame;

a rotating shaft component connected between the upper cover and the base, so that the deformable mobile device can be overturned to operate in a notebook mode or a tablet mode; and

an antenna assembly disposed on the upper cover, wherein the antenna assembly is configured to operate in at least one operating frequency band;

wherein the base housing includes a metal cover assembly having a first slot and a second slot;

wherein the base housing has a structural hinge;

the metal covering component comprises a first metal surface and a second metal surface, and the structure turning part of the base shell is positioned between the first metal surface and the second metal surface, so that the extension planes of the first metal surface and the second metal surface are different.

2. The transformable mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element is a slot antenna element disposed on the top cover housing and the frame is a keyboard frame.

3. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein the length of the first slot and the length of the second slot are both approximately equal to 0.5 wavelengths of the operating band.

4. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein the length of the first slot is slightly greater than the length of the second slot.

5. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first slot and the second slot are each substantially in the shape of a straight bar.

6. The transformable mobile device of claim 5, wherein the first slot and the second slot are substantially parallel to each other.

7. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first and second slots each operate between 2400 MHz-2500 MHz and 5150 MHz-5850 MHz.

8. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein when the transformable mobile device is operated in the tablet mode, the display frame, the cover housing, the base housing, and the frame are arranged in sequence with the antenna element adjacent to the first slot and the second slot such that the metal cover element and the first slot and the second slot thereof are excited by the antenna element and generate radiation.

9. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein the metal cover element covers a portion or all of an exterior surface of the base housing.

10. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first slot is located on the first metal surface and the second slot is located on the second metal surface.

11. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein the structural hinge of the base housing is adjacent to the antenna element when the transformable mobile device is operated in the tablet mode.

12. The transformable mobile device of claim 1, wherein the metal cover assembly further comprises a third slot and a fourth slot located on the first metal face and the second metal face, respectively.

13. The transformable mobile device of claim 12, wherein the length of the third slot and the length of the fourth slot are both approximately equal to 0.5 wavelengths of the operating band.

14. The transformable mobile device of claim 12, wherein the length of the third slot is slightly greater than the length of the fourth slot.

15. The transformable mobile device of claim 12, wherein the third slot and the fourth slot are each substantially straight-bar shaped.

16. The transformable mobile device of claim 15, wherein the first slot, the second slot, the third slot, and the fourth slot are all substantially parallel to each other.

17. A radiation enhancement device, comprising:

an antenna element operating in at least one operating frequency band; and

a metal covering component, which is provided with a first slot and a second slot;

wherein the length of the first slot and the length of the second slot are both approximately equal to 0.5 wavelength of the operating frequency band;

wherein the antenna element is adjacent to the first slot and the second slot such that the metal cover element and the first slot and the second slot thereof are excited by the antenna element and generate radiation;

wherein the metal cover assembly is part of a base housing, and the base housing has a structural hinge;

wherein the metal covering component comprises a first metal surface and a second metal surface, and the structure turning point of the base shell is positioned between the first metal surface and the second metal surface, so that the extension planes of the first metal surface and the second metal surface are different;

the first slot is located on the first metal surface, and the second slot is located on the second metal surface.

18. The radiation enhancement device of claim 17, wherein the first slot and the second slot are each substantially straight-bar shaped and the first slot and the second slot are substantially parallel to each other.