JP2001217632A - Antenna and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an antenna and electronic equipment which solve conventional problems, can be mounted automatically, and are easy to manufacture, high in yield, small-sized, and improved characteristics. SOLUTION: Antenna part 10 and 20 provided with a radiation electrode 2, having a meander line on a main surface of a substrate 1, are stacked so that the main surface opposite from the main surface where a radiation electrode 22 of an antenna part 20 and a radiation electrode 2 of the antenna part 10 face each other, and a feeding electrode 3 is provided on the flank of the laminate and the feeding electrode 3 and radiation electrodes 2 and 12 or the antenna parts 10 and 20 are connected electrically.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to wireless data communication,
The present invention relates to an antenna and an electronic device used for mobile communication and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile phones, wireless LANs, BlueToot
In systems such as h, wireless data communication is performed between various electronic devices. In such a system, since data can be exchanged at any time and place, future development is greatly expected.

Conventionally, antennas used in such a system include linear antennas such as whip antennas and helical antennas, car navigation systems and VICs.
A patch antenna that supplies power using a power supply pin that is widely used for receiving S, and a stacked type surface mounting antenna can be considered.

[0004]

However, a linear antenna such as a whip antenna or a helical antenna, or a patch antenna that feeds power by a feed pin cannot be automatically mounted, so that the mounting cost is high, and the whip antenna has a small antenna body. The patch antenna has a problem that it is difficult to handle because the power supply pin is exposed outside the substrate in the patch antenna.

[0005] A multilayer antenna for surface mounting has also been proposed. However, this multilayer antenna has excessive production facilities, is expensive to manufacture, and is fired with electrodes sandwiched between ceramic substrates. There were problems such as being extremely severe and having a very high process failure rate.

Further, in the conventional antenna, the transmission / reception band is very narrow, or it is difficult to obtain a higher gain.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and to provide an antenna and an electronic device which can be automatically mounted, are easy to manufacture, have a high yield, can be miniaturized, and have improved characteristics. With the goal.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there are provided first and second antenna portions provided with a radiation electrode having a meander line on a main surface of a substrate, and the radiation electrode of the first antenna portion is provided. The first antenna unit and the second antenna unit are stacked so that the main surface opposite to the formed main surface faces the radiation electrode of the second antenna unit, and power is supplied to a side surface of the stacked body. An electrode was provided, and the feed electrode was electrically connected to the radiation electrode of each of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit.

[0009]

The invention according to claim 1 comprises first and second antenna portions provided with a radiation electrode having a meander line on a main surface of a substrate, and the radiation of the first antenna portion is provided. The first antenna unit and the second antenna unit are stacked such that the main surface opposite to the main surface on which the electrodes are formed and the radiation electrode of the second antenna unit face each other, and a side surface of the stacked body Changing the transmission / reception characteristics of the first and second antenna units by electrically connecting the power supply electrode to the radiation electrodes of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit. Thus, the transmission / reception band can be widened and the reception characteristics can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the directivity characteristic is improved by further laminating a substrate made of a dielectric material on the main surface of the first antenna portion on which the radiation electrode is formed. In addition, since the radiation electrode can be protected, oxidation, corrosion, chipping, and the like of the radiation electrode can be prevented, and characteristics can be prevented from being varied and characteristics can be prevented from being deteriorated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first and second aspects, at least one of the main surface or the side surface serving as the mounting surface of the laminate is provided with a fixing electrode that is in non-contact with both the radiation electrode and the power supply electrode. By doing so, the strength of the joint between the antenna and the circuit board can be improved, the antenna can be prevented from falling off from the circuit board, etc., and a stable electrical connection between the antenna and the circuit board can be realized. Characteristic deterioration, etc. can be prevented.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate, a radiation electrode provided over at least one main surface of the substrate and at least one side surface adjacent to the main surface, and having a meander line; By providing a feed electrode provided on the other side and electrically connected to the radiating electrode, the length of the radiating electrode can be increased without increasing the size of the antenna substrate. result,
A low-frequency antenna can be easily manufactured, and the characteristics can be stabilized.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; and a radiation electrode provided at least over one main surface of the substrate and at least one side surface adjacent to the main surface and having a meander line. First and second antenna units, and the first antenna unit such that a main surface of the first antenna unit opposite to a main surface on which a radiation electrode is formed and a radiation electrode of the second antenna unit face each other. And the second antenna unit were laminated, and a power supply electrode was provided on a side surface of the laminate, and the power supply electrode was electrically connected to the radiation electrodes of the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit. Thus, by changing the reception characteristics of the first and second antenna units, the transmission and reception band can be widened, the reception characteristics can be improved, and the size of the antenna substrate can be increased. No, it is possible to increase the length of the radiation electrode, as a result, the low-frequency antenna can be easily manufactured, yet the characteristics can be stabilized.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the directivity characteristic is improved by further laminating a substrate made of a dielectric material on the main surface of the first antenna portion on which the radiation electrode is formed. In addition, since the radiation electrode can be protected, oxidation, corrosion, chipping, and the like of the radiation electrode can be prevented, and characteristics can be prevented from being varied and characteristics can be prevented from being deteriorated.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate, and a radiation electrode provided on the substrate and having a strip line portion and a meander portion, wherein the length of the strip line portion is L.
1. When the length of the meander portion is L2, L1 ÷ L2
= 2.0-6.0 By forming the strip line portion and the meander portion on the substrate so as to have a relationship of 2.0 to 6.0, a high gain can be obtained by increasing the length of the strip line portion. .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the directivity characteristics can be improved by laminating a substrate made of a dielectric material so as to face the radiation electrode in the seventh aspect. Because you can also protect,
Oxidation, corrosion, chipping, and the like of the radiation electrode can be prevented, and characteristics can be prevented from being varied and characteristics can be prevented from being deteriorated.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the strip line portion and the meander portion are provided on the same main surface of the substrate in the seventh and eighth aspects, the production of the radiation electrode becomes easy, and the radiation electrode can be formed with high precision. Can be manufactured, so that variations in characteristics can be reduced.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, since the meander portion is provided on the extension of the strip line portion in the ninth aspect, the production of the radiation electrode becomes easy and the radiation electrode can be produced with high precision. Variations in characteristics can be reduced.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect, a meander portion is provided on at least one side of the strip line portion, so that the strip line portion can be formed longer. Can be obtained.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, at least a part of the strip line portion is provided on one main surface and the meander portion is provided on the other main surface. Can be formed long, so that high gain antenna characteristics can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 13 is the invention according to claims 1 to 12
An antenna according to any one of the above, and receiving means for generating a data signal by demodulating a received signal received by the antenna,
A first storage unit in which predetermined information is stored in advance, a second storage unit for storing the data signal, and a transmission signal generated by modulating the data signals from the first and second storage units Transmission means, and by providing the control means for controlling the reception, demodulation, modulation, and transmission of the data, the number of places where the mounting machine is arranged is reduced, and the layout of the device is easily performed. Data communication can be performed reliably. Further, since the antenna has extremely high durability, the installation conditions of the mounting machine are wide.
Furthermore, since the antenna does not protrude significantly outside, problems such as breakage are less likely to occur.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing an antenna according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate, on one main surface 1a of which is provided a meander line type (zigzag pattern) radiation electrode 2, and on a side surface 1b of the substrate 1, a power supply electrically connected to the radiation electrode 2. An electrode 3 is provided. In addition, a fixing electrode 4 provided in a non-contact manner with the radiation electrode 2 and the power supply electrode 3 is formed on the side surface 1 d of the substrate 1. In addition,
In order to improve the mountability and the like, it is preferable that the power supply electrode 3 and the fixing electrode 4 extend to the main surface 1c opposite to the main surface 1a.

The substrate 1 is made of a dielectric material. The relative permittivity εr of the dielectric material is preferably 4 or more and 150 or less. Due to the relative permittivity in this range,
It is possible to widen the resonance frequency band while realizing the miniaturization of the antenna. If the relative permittivity εr is smaller than 4, the substrate 1 becomes too large to reduce the size of the antenna. If the relative permittivity εr is larger than 150, the resonance frequency band becomes too narrow, and The resonance frequency band is deviated only by the difference in composition or the occurrence of chipping in the substrate 1, so that the predetermined characteristics cannot be obtained, and the characteristics vary greatly.

The specific constituent material of the substrate 1 is resin,
Examples include liquid crystal polymers and ceramics. Among these constituent materials, it is preferable to use ceramics in consideration of good weather resistance, high mechanical strength, and low cost. When ceramic is used as a constituent material of the substrate, the sintering density is 9
It is preferably at least 2% (more preferably at least 95%). Thereby, the mechanical strength, workability, and the like of the substrate 1 can be improved, and a decrease in the Q value and the relative dielectric constant can be suppressed. As a result, stable characteristics can be obtained. If the sintering density is 92% or less, an increase in dielectric loss and a variation in relative permittivity εr may increase, causing a problem.

The surface roughness of the substrate 1 is preferably 10 μm or less (especially preferably 7 μm or less, more preferably 5 μm or less) in order to form an electrode described later with good quality. As a result, an increase in conductor loss can be suppressed, a decrease in the Q value can be suppressed, and the gain of the antenna can be improved. The surface roughness is 10 μm
With the above, the conductor loss of the electrode increases, and the gain of the antenna decreases. On the other hand, if the distance is set to 0 more than necessary, the time required for the grinding step becomes extremely long, and thus the productivity is undesirably reduced.

When the substrate 1 is made of ceramic, specific materials include forsterite ceramics and alumina ceramics when the relative dielectric constant εr is 10 or less, and when the relative dielectric constant εr is 10 to 25, Materials such as magnesium titanate and calcium titanate are used. When εr is 25 to 40, zirconia earth-titanium-based material is used. When εr is 60 to 150, barium titanate or lead-based material is used. Calcium-titanium-based materials are exemplified.

The shape of the substrate 1 can be a square plate as shown in FIG. 1 or an elliptical plate or a polygonal plate (cross section is triangular, quadrangular, pentagon ...). In view of the necessity of forming electrodes on the side surfaces, a rectangular plate or a polygon is preferable.

In this embodiment, the characteristics can be made uniform or the characteristics can be stabilized by making the thickness of the substrate 1 uniform (the thickness of the central portion and the thickness of the end portion are substantially the same). The thickness of the antenna may be varied between predetermined portions depending on the use condition, the type of machine used, and the like. That is, for example, a plurality of concave portions can be formed in the substrate 1, and the thickness of one end of the antenna can be made thicker or thinner than the thickness of the opposite end.

Further, by chamfering or tapering the corners of the substrate 1, it is possible to prevent a change in antenna characteristics due to the occurrence of a large chip in the corners of the substrate 1.

Therefore, as described above, if the corners are chamfered, tapered, or the like in advance, the transmission and reception characteristics are hardly changed by the occurrence of a large chipping in the corners of the substrate 1 on the way. Disappears.

At this time, it is preferable to perform the C chamfering in consideration of productivity and the ability to perform a reliable corner processing.
The C chamfer at this time is 0.1 mm or more (preferably 0.2 mm
mm or more), even if a slight impact or the like is applied to the substrate 1, the occurrence of chipping at the corners of the substrate 1 is almost eliminated, and even if a large impact or the like is applied so that the substrate 1 is chipped, only a slight Only the lack occurs, and there is no significant change in the transmission and reception characteristics of the antenna. The chamfering and tapering of the substrate 1
Whatever material the substrate 1 is made of, it is necessary. However, it is particularly effective when a ceramic which is relatively easily chipped as described above is used. Further, as another embodiment, an organic resin or the like for preventing chipping is provided at the corner of the substrate 1 without performing C-chamfering or tapering at the corner of the substrate 1 so that the corner can be enlarged. Chipping can be prevented.

By performing such a chipping prevention measure, it is possible to suppress a process defect due to the chipping, and to improve the productivity and yield of the antenna.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a radiation electrode, and the radiation electrode 2 is formed on one main surface of the substrate 1 and has a strip-shaped zigzag pattern formed of a strip line.
The operating frequency of the antenna can be adjusted by adjusting the width and length of the zigzag pattern, the line spacing, the number of zigzag turns, and the like.

As described above, the power supply electrode 3 is connected to the side surface 1b.
And the main surface 1c, and the fixing electrode 4 is formed on the side surface 1c.
d and the other main surface 1c, and are provided for surface mounting. The power supply electrode 3 serves as another fixing electrode when the antenna is mounted on the circuit board together with the connection with the circuit. The fixing electrode 4 is fixed by soldering or the like to a pattern on a circuit board provided independently of the circuit. Here, the radiation electrode 2 is formed only in a linear pattern. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The zigzag is folded in a U-shape, and the folded corner is formed on a C plane that is approximately half the line width. You may cut it off.

It is preferable that a taper or R is provided at a corner of the substrate 1 located at the boundary between the radiation electrode 2 and the feed electrode 3. When the above-mentioned corner is sharp, disconnection may occur at the time of electrode formation, or peeling of the electrode may be caused depending on handling conditions. Thus, by providing a taper or R at the corner of the substrate 1, these problems can be suppressed.

In practice, the preferred range is C even when the taper is used.
= Approximately 0.2 (approximately 0.1 to 0.3).
= 0.2 (approximately 0.1 to 0.3) is sufficient.

Since the power supply electrode 3 and the fixing electrode 4 are arranged on the side surface and the back surface of the substrate 1 as described above, the protrusions such as the power supply pins can be eliminated, so that surface mounting is possible. Antenna can be realized.
Also, since the mounting state can be checked from the side of the antenna, the operation check of the antenna can be easily performed. Further, the fixing electrode 4 is formed on one side surface in the drawing, but it is not necessary to stick to this. The number of the fixing electrodes 4 may be increased in order to increase the fixing strength as long as unnecessary electrical coupling between the radiation electrode 2 and the fixing electrode 4 does not occur.

Next, electrode materials used for each electrode will be described.

Radiation electrode 2, feed electrode 3, fixing electrode 4
As the electrodes (hereinafter, abbreviated as electrodes), Ag, Au, Cu, Pd metal material alone, or an alloy thereof, or an alloy of the metal material with another metal (Ti, Ni, or the like) is used. Among these materials, in particular, Ag or A
An alloy of g and another metal material is preferably used because of its excellent characteristics and workability when forming each electrode. Further, each electrode may be formed in one layer,
It may be composed of a plurality of layers of layers or more. That is, a film of another metal material is formed as a buffer layer between the substrate 1 and each electrode for the purpose of improving adhesion strength or the like, or for the purpose of protecting each electrode on each electrode. Alternatively, a metal material or a protective film having good corrosion resistance may be formed. Gold, platinum, titanium or the like is used as the metal material having good corrosion resistance, and epoxy-based or silicon-based resin is used as the protective film having good corrosion resistance. Further, each electrode may contain at least one of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon as an impurity to such an extent that characteristics are not affected.

The electrodes and the like are formed by a printing method, a plating method, a sputtering method, or the like. In particular, when each electrode is formed to be relatively thin, it is preferable to use a sputtering method or a plating method, and when it is formed to be relatively thick, it is preferable to use a printing method. In the case of the present embodiment, the printing method is used because the productivity is good. Specifically, a paste in which metal particles such as Ag, a glass frit, a solvent, and the like were mixed was applied on the substrate 1 in a predetermined shape, and heat treatment was applied to form each electrode.

The thickness of each electrode is 0.01 μm to 50 μm.
μm (preferably 1 μm to 40 μm). When the film thickness of each electrode is 0.01 μm or less, the gain of the antenna may be reduced because it is thinner than the skin depth, and when the film thickness of each electrode is 50 μm or more, the electrode is easily peeled, In addition, problems such as an increase in cost occur.

The following describes the features of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 2, a substrate 1, a radiation electrode 2, a feed electrode 3, and a fixing electrode 4 (hereinafter abbreviated as an antenna unit 10) are the same as those shown in FIG. The antenna unit 20 is stacked on the antenna unit 10. The antenna unit 20 has almost the same configuration as the antenna unit 10, but differs in that the fixing electrode 4 is not provided. In the present embodiment, the antenna 20 is stacked such that the main surface of the antenna 20 opposite to the surface on which the radiation electrode 12 is formed and the surface of the antenna unit 10 on which the radiation electrode 2 is provided face each other. That is,
Radiation electrodes 2 and 12 of antenna unit 10 and antenna unit 20
Is configured not to directly contact. The bonding between the antenna unit 10 and the antenna unit 20 is formed by bonding with a bonding material such as glass, using a double-sided tape, or by a method such as crimping.

Further, a substrate 30 made of a dielectric material is laminated on the antenna section 20. The substrate 30 is preferably made of the same dielectric material as the substrate 1 forming the antenna unit 10. With such a configuration, the radiation electrode formed on the antenna unit 20 can be protected, deterioration of characteristics can be prevented, and characteristics related to directivity can be improved. Further, the substrate 30 may not be provided depending on the use environment and specifications.

In the present embodiment, two antenna units 10 and 20 are used as antenna units, but three or more antenna units may be stacked. That is, by laminating three or more antenna portions having the radiation electrodes, the band and the like can be further expanded. Also in this case, by providing the substrate 30 at the uppermost part, the radiation electrode can be protected and the like. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the substrate 30. However, as described above, it is not necessary to provide the substrate 30 depending on the use environment and specifications. Is also good.

Also, on the side surface 20a of the antenna section 20,
A power supply electrode 23 electrically connected to the radiation electrode 12 is provided. When the antenna unit 10 and the antenna unit 20 are stacked, the power supply electrode 23 is stacked such that the side surfaces 1b and 20a face in the same direction. And the power supply electrode 3 are electrically connected. At this time, for example, by forming the power supply electrode 23 over the main surface opposite to the main surface on which the side surface 20a and the radiation electrode 12 are provided, the power supply electrode 23 and the power supply electrode 3 can face each other. Reliable joining can be performed. When the power supply electrode 23 is formed on the main surface opposite to the main surface on which the radiation electrode 12 is provided, the power supply electrode 23 is
It is effective from the viewpoint of preventing deterioration of characteristics and alignment at the time of joining that the length does not reach the zigzag pattern in FIG.

With the above configuration, a plurality of radiation electrodes (two radiation electrodes 2 and 12 in the present embodiment) are provided.
Are provided in parallel by the feed electrodes, so that the operating frequency bandwidth of the antenna can be widened by slightly shifting the resonance frequency of each radiation electrode. In this embodiment, as the number of radiation electrodes is increased (the number of stacked antenna units is increased), the bandwidth adjustment range is widened, but the configuration becomes complicated and the cost increases. In addition, the number of radiation electrodes is desirably 5 or less (the number of stacked antenna units is 5 or less).

The substrates constituting the substrate 30 and the antenna sections 10 and 20 (hereinafter, abbreviated as respective substrates) may be formed of the same material, or may be formed of materials having different relative dielectric constants. .

In particular, by making the relative permittivity of each substrate different, it becomes possible to make the size of each substrate different.

For example, by making the relative permittivity of the substrate 30 larger than the relative permittivity of the substrate 1 of the antenna unit 10 and the substrate of the antenna unit 20, the substrate 30 is made smaller than the substrate 1 of the antenna unit 10 and the substrate of the antenna unit 20. Can also be reduced. As a result, the antenna can be reduced in size or can have a predetermined shape, so that the antenna can be easily mounted. In particular, when the antenna is covered with a housing such as a radome, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the upper part of the housing is narrowed down. Even when the electronic device is mounted, the space utilization efficiency inside the electronic device can be improved.

On the other hand, by increasing the relative permittivity of the substrate 1 of the antenna unit 10 and the relative permittivity of the substrate of the antenna unit 20 with respect to the relative permittivity of the substrate 30, The substrate of the antenna unit 20 can be made smaller. As a result, the mounting area of the antenna can be reduced, so that the size of the antenna circuit board of the electronic device on which the antenna is mounted can be reduced, and the size of the board 30 differs from the size of the board of the antenna unit 20. As a result, by placing electronic components and the like in a gap formed between the antenna circuit board and the board 30 of the electronic device in which the antenna is arranged, it is possible to further improve the space use efficiency.
The size of the antenna circuit board on which it is mounted and, consequently, the size of the electronic device on which it is mounted can be reduced, and it is possible to meet the demands of the age of miniaturization of the device. In addition, since the mounting area on the circuit board is reduced, reliability such as thermal shock is improved.

By varying the relative permittivity of each substrate, the degree of freedom of the shape of each substrate can be improved.

Further, if the thickness of each substrate constituting the antenna is t, it is preferable that 0.05 ≦ t ≦ 3 [mm], but they need not necessarily be the same thickness. From the operating frequency, mechanical strength, etc., the overall thickness of the under-stacked antenna is about 3 to 5 mm, and for multi-layering, it is generally possible to configure the entire antenna with six layers.
Because it is almost the limit in terms of characteristics, cost, and good product rate,
These values are optimal.

The thickness of each substrate is 0.05 m.
If it is less than m, the substrate becomes relatively thin, which may cause damage due to a decrease in mechanical strength.

Next, the bonding between the substrates will be described.

As another configuration method of the antenna shown in this embodiment, each of the antenna unit 10 and the antenna unit 20 is formed by forming predetermined members such as a radiation electrode, a feed electrode, and a fixing electrode. 10, 20 and the substrate 30 are joined. As a joining material used for this joining, it is preferable to use a material having a high joining strength such as joining glass or joining resin. In particular, by using the bonding glass, it is possible to withstand heat treatment such as reflow. Further, since the composition can be easily changed so that the thermal expansion coefficient is substantially the same as the thermal expansion coefficient of the substrate material, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of inconvenience such as substrate peeling due to thermal shock.

Further, the gap between the substrates at the time of bonding is 1 μm to
It is preferably 200 μm. By setting the gap to this range, a sufficient bonding force can be ensured, alignment between the substrates can be easily performed, and a highly reliable small-sized surface mountable antenna can be stably supplied. .

If the gap is less than 1 μm, the bonding between the substrates tends to be insufficient, and the substrates may be separated during use, and ringing between the substrates is likely to occur. Becomes difficult. 200 μm
Above, it is difficult to achieve impedance matching of the antenna due to the influence of glass or resin as a joining medium, and the effective relative dielectric constant of the antenna is reduced. The inconvenience that it becomes difficult to generate the image occurs.

Next, a method of manufacturing the antenna having the above-described configuration will be specifically described briefly.

Since the manufacturing steps of the antenna units 10 and 20 are almost the same, the antenna unit 10 will be described as a representative here.

First, as a step 1, a molding die is filled with a material for forming a substrate, and pressed by a press device to obtain a molded body to be the substrate 1. By providing irregularities and the like in the shape of the mold at this time, the shape of the substrate 1 can be freely formed.

Next, as a step 2, the formed bodies formed in the step 1 are set in a firing furnace along with a sheath, and fired under predetermined firing conditions to form a fired body.

Next, as step 3, the radiation electrode 2 and the feeding electrode 3 are formed on the substrate 1 formed in step 2. At this time, as a method of forming these electrodes, a method of printing, sputtering, vapor deposition or the like can be considered, but here, for each condition such as thickness and shape by using printing, relatively accurately, and An electrode can be formed in a short time. Here, in the case of the antenna section 10, it is advantageous to form the fixing electrode 4 in addition to the radiation electrode 2 and the feed electrode 3, from the viewpoint of improving the fixing strength of the antenna.

Next, in step 4, a quenching process is performed on the fired body on which each electrode is formed to improve the bonding strength between each electrode and the fired body.

Next, as a step 5, if necessary, fine adjustments are made to the shapes of the radiation electrodes 2, 12 formed in the steps 3, 4. Here, the radiation electrodes 2 and 12 are specifically subjected to trimming, etching, and the like.
In the case where the area of the radiating electrodes 2 and 12 is reduced or the thickness of at least a part of the radiating electrodes 2 and 12 is reduced, or a conductive material such as a conductive paste is added to the radiating electrodes 2 and 12, In some cases, the formation area may be substantially increased, or the thickness of at least a part of the radiation electrodes 2 and 12 may be increased. This step is unnecessary when the precision of forming the radiation electrodes 2 and 12 is sufficiently high.

Through the above steps, the antenna unit 1
0,20 are formed. The substrate 30 is formed by, for example, the steps 1 and 2 described above.

Then, as step 6, the antenna unit 1
A bonding material is applied to at least one of the surfaces where the substrates 0, 20 and the substrate 30 are bonded. At this time, in consideration of the characteristic surface and the like, it is preferable that the radiation electrode 2 and the radiation electrode 12 are joined so as not to directly face each other, that is, to face each other via the substrate constituting the antenna unit 20. Regarding the method of applying the bonding material to each of the antenna units 10 and 20 and the substrate 30, the bonding material may be applied in a dot shape or a planar shape. Here, especially by forming by printing, the distribution of the bonding material can be made uniform and the variation in the thickness of the bonding portion can be suppressed to the minimum, so that an antenna having stable antenna characteristics can be realized. Also, by bonding the substrate 30 on which no electrodes are formed to the uppermost surface,
An antenna having stable antenna characteristics can be realized.

At this time, it is preferable to control the bonding state so that the thickness of the bonding portion between the antenna units 10 and 20 and the substrate 30 is 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less. By adjusting the thickness of the joining portion in this range, it is possible to realize an antenna with small variations and stable antenna characteristics.

The antenna unit 10 having such a configuration,
20 and the substrate 30 have a thermal expansion coefficient of 4 to 8 p.
By using a material of about pm / ° C., it is possible to minimize the stress generated due to the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion, and when the materials of the substrates of the antenna units 10 and 20 and the substrate 30 are made different from each other. However, even if there is a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion, cracks and the like at the joint surface can be made less likely to occur. As a particularly suitable material, it is preferable to use lead glass, and among lead glass, in particular, at least ₁₀ to 70 wt% of SiO _{2 and 2} to 25 wt% of B ₂ O ₃ .
%, Al ₂ O ₃ is 3 to 15%, PbO is 10~65w
Using lead glass containing materials in the range of t%,
Even if there is a difference in thickness or a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the substrates, it is preferable because cracks and the like can be efficiently prevented from being generated in the joint.

Thereafter, as a step 7, an appearance inspection, a characteristic inspection, and the like are performed to complete the antenna.

With this configuration, each electrode can be formed after each substrate is fired, so that the firing conditions of each substrate can be adjusted to the firing temperature of the material forming each substrate, The characteristics and strength of the substrate, and hence the characteristics and strength of the antenna, can be optimized.

Further, since each electrode is applied after each substrate is fired, deterioration of each electrode due to high-temperature firing can be eliminated as compared with the case where each electrode is formed and then the substrate is fired.

Further, after the antenna portions 10 and 20 are formed and before the antenna portions 10 and 20 are joined, the antenna characteristics of each antenna portion are measured once, and the shape of each electrode is determined based on the result. By performing the adjustment (step 6), the antenna characteristics can be easily adjusted, so that the adjustment range is very wide. Therefore, a highly reliable antenna with an extremely low defect rate can be realized.

Further, as compared with the case where electrodes are formed between the laminates and firing is performed integrally, since there are no complicated production steps and no expensive and large-scale production equipment is required, the production cost can be reduced. Inexpensive antennas can be supplied stably.

(Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing an antenna according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The difference from the first embodiment is that the zigzag pattern portion of the radiation electrode 2 extends to the side surface 1d of the substrate 1 and the side surface 1e opposite to the side surface 1d. By doing so, the length of the zigzag pattern of the radiation electrode 2 can be lengthened, and a low-frequency surface mount antenna can be configured. Although the fixing electrode is omitted in the drawing, a fixing electrode may be provided as necessary. Further, in the configuration of FIG. 3, the radiation electrode 2 can also serve as a fixing electrode by extending the zigzag pattern not only to the side surface but also to the main surface 1c of the substrate 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, a laminated structure can be obtained similarly to the first embodiment, and the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained. In the present embodiment, the radiation electrode 2 is provided over the three surfaces of the side surfaces 1d and 1e and the main surface 1a of the substrate 1, but the two surfaces of the main surface 1a and at least one side surface adjacent to the main surface are provided. However, the same effect can be obtained although the characteristics are slightly deteriorated.
As an example, there is a configuration in which a radiation electrode is provided over two surfaces of the main surface 1a and the side surface 1d of the substrate 1.

Embodiment 3 Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 5 to 10 are perspective views showing an antenna according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, parts different from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the radiation electrode 2 is composed of a linear (band) strip line portion 2a and a meander portion 2b in a zigzag pattern.
a1 is L1 and the length of the meander portion 2b in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 1 is L2, where L1 ÷ L2 = 1.0 to 6.0.
Is formed so as to have the following relationship. That is, the length L1 of the strip line portion 2a is changed to the length L2 of the meander portion 2b.
It is formed longer than or equal to. Further, a meander portion 2b is arranged on an extension of the strip line portion 2a, and the meander portion 2b is arranged on the open end 1z side which is the end of the substrate 1. At this time, the strip line section 2a and the meander section 2b are provided on the same main surface. In addition,
As shown in FIG. 8, a substrate 30 made of a dielectric material may be laminated on the antenna section 10 shown in FIG.

The antenna shown in FIG. 6 is a modification of the antenna shown in FIG. 5, in which the meander portion 2b does not exist on the extension of the strip line portion 2a and the strip line portion 2a
Is formed at a position shifted from the central portion of the substrate 1, and a meander portion 2b is provided alongside the end portion of the strip line portion 2a. Of course, also in this case, the strip line section 2a
And the meander part 2b are electrically connected. In the case of this modification, the length of the strip line portion 2a can be formed very long, so that the characteristics can be further improved.
At this time, the strip line section 2a and the meander section 2b are provided on the same main surface. As shown in FIG. 9, a substrate 30 made of a dielectric material may be laminated on the antenna section 10 shown in FIG.

The antenna shown in FIG. 7 is a modification of the antenna shown in FIG. 6, in which meander portions 2b are dispersedly arranged on both sides of the end of the strip line portion 2a. In the case of this modification, the length of the strip line portion 2a can be formed very long, so that the characteristics can be further improved. At this time, the strip line section 2a and the meander section 2
b is provided on the same main surface. As shown in FIG. 10, a substrate 30 made of a dielectric material may be stacked on the antenna unit 10 shown in FIG.

In the case of the antenna shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, when the length of the strip line portion 2a is L1 and the length of the meander portion 2b in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 1 is L3, L1 ÷ L3 = 2.0 to 6.0.

The feature of the present embodiment is that the radiation electrode 2 near the feed electrode 3 which most contributes to the antenna gain is formed by the linear strip line portion 2a where the gain can be most easily obtained. The meander portion 2b, which is a zigzag pattern that is convenient for matching,
The antenna gain is improved by intensively arranging the antennas on the open end side.

In particular, the meander portion 2b, which is a zigzag pattern that mainly achieves impedance matching, is formed of a high impedance line having a narrow line width due to the wide low impedance line of the linear strip line portion 2a that contributes to the antenna gain. By arranging them intensively on the open end side of the radiation electrode 2, a small antenna with high gain can be configured. At this time, the line width of the zigzag pattern is at least 500 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less.
It is desirable that the thickness be 0 μm or less and 50 μm or more.

(Embodiment 4) FIGS. 11 to 13 are perspective views showing the configuration of an antenna according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows a further modification of (Embodiment 3), in which a strip line portion 2a is provided on the main surface 1c and the side surface 1f of the substrate 1 and on a part of the main surface 1a. By providing 2b on the main surface 1a, a small and high-gain antenna can be provided. That is, by providing a part of the strip line portion 2a and the meander portion 2b on different main surfaces, in addition to the effect of (Embodiment 3), it is possible to form a small, high-gain antenna, This has the effect of improving In addition,
As shown in FIG. 10, a substrate 30 made of a dielectric material may be laminated on the antenna unit 10 shown in FIG.

In the antenna shown in FIG. 11, when the length of the strip line portion 2a is L1 and the length of the meander portion 2b in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 1 is L3, L
It is formed so as to have a relationship of 1 ÷ L3 = 2.0 to 6.0.

The feature of this embodiment is that the radiation electrode 2 in the vicinity of the feed electrode 3 which most contributes to the antenna gain is formed by the linear strip line portion 2a which is most likely to obtain the gain. The meander portion 2b, which is a zigzag pattern that is convenient for matching,
The antenna gain is improved by intensively arranging the antennas on the open end side.

In particular, the meander portion 2b, which is a zigzag pattern mainly for impedance matching, is formed of a high-impedance line having a narrow line width by the wide low impedance line of the linear strip line portion 2a contributing to the antenna gain. By arranging them intensively on the open end side of the radiation electrode 2, a small antenna with high gain can be configured. At this time, the line width of the zigzag pattern is at least 500 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less.
It is desirable that the thickness be 0 μm or less and 50 μm or more.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, when the strip line portion 2a of the radiation electrode 2 is provided on the main surface 1c used as the antenna mounting surface, not only the fixing electrode 4 and the feed electrode 3 but also the radiation electrode Since the strip line portion 2a can also be used as a fixing electrode at the time of mounting, the mounting strength of the antenna can be increased. However, if the high-frequency characteristics of the circuit board are not very good, the antenna gain may be reduced. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The power supply electrode 3 and the fixing electrode 4 are provided on the substrate 40 which is the above, and the antenna unit 10 is sandwiched between the substrate 30 and the substrate 40. At this time, the substrate 40 is made of a dielectric material having excellent high-frequency characteristics, and the strip line portion 2b is electrically connected to the power supply electrode 3 provided on the substrate 40. In this case, the feed electrode 3 is not provided only on the side surface of the substrate 40, but is also provided partially on the main surface of the substrate 40 facing the strip line portion 2a, so that the strip line portion 2a and the feed electrode 3 Can be joined.

With such a configuration, a small-sized and high-performance antenna which can be mounted on a surface can be provided at a low cost.

(Embodiment 5) Next, an application example using the above-described antenna will be described.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a wireless LAN device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
0 and 121 are wireless LAN devices, 122 and 123, respectively.
Denotes electronic devices such as personal computers connected to the wireless LAN devices 120 and 121, respectively.
4 is a receiving means provided in the wireless LAN device 120, 1
25 is a transmitting means provided in the wireless LAN device 120,
126 is a receiving means provided in the wireless LAN device 121, 127 is a transmitting means provided in the wireless LAN device 121, and 128 and 129 are wireless LAN devices 12 respectively.
0 and 121, respectively, and are described in FIGS.
The antenna shown in FIG.

When it is desired to transfer predetermined data from the electronic device 122 to the electronic device 123, the data signal sent from the electronic device 122 is modulated by the transmitting means 125, converted into a predetermined transmission signal, and transmitted. Signal to antenna 128
Send from. The transmission signal transmitted from the antenna 128 is received by the antenna 129, demodulated into a predetermined data signal by the receiving unit 126, and the data signal is transmitted to the electronic device 123.

On the other hand, when it is desired to transfer predetermined data from the electronic device 123 to the electronic device 122, the data signal sent from the electronic device 123 is modulated by the transmitting means 127 and converted into a predetermined transmission signal. The transmission signal is transmitted from the antenna 129. The transmission signal transmitted from the antenna 129 is received by the antenna 128 and received by the receiving unit 124.
Is demodulated into a predetermined data signal, and the data signal is sent to the electronic device 122.

The wireless LAN device 12 configured as described above
0, 121, the antennas 128, 129 can be made very small, and the directivity of transmission / reception characteristics can be increased in the horizontal direction.
The arrangement of the antenna 121 and the arrangement of the antennas 128 and 129 are less limited, so that the layout is simplified and the data communication can be reliably performed.

[0100]

According to the present invention, there are provided first and second antenna portions provided with a radiation electrode having a meander line on a main surface of a substrate, and a main surface on which a radiation electrode of the first antenna portion is formed. The first antenna unit and the second antenna unit are stacked such that the main surface on the opposite side faces the radiation electrode of the second antenna unit, and a feed electrode is provided on a side surface of the stack. The power supply electrode, the first antenna unit, and the second
By electrically connecting the radiation electrodes of the respective antenna units to each other, the reception characteristics of the first and second antenna units are changed, so that the transmission / reception band can be widened and the reception characteristics can be improved. it can. In addition, since the power can be supplied from the side of the antenna, the mounting state can be confirmed from the side of the antenna. Since there is no projection such as a power supply pin, an antenna which can be surface-mounted and has high productivity can be provided. In addition, by providing a substrate on which a plurality of radiation electrodes are formed and a substrate on which a power supply electrode and a fixing electrode are formed in addition to the radiation electrode, electrode adjustment and the like can be performed for each substrate, so that antenna characteristics can be improved. And eliminates the need for expensive equipment such as an integrated fired product by lamination, and can be manufactured using the same method as a conventional patch antenna with a power supply pin using a power supply pin. An antenna can be supplied stably.

An antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 12, a receiving means for demodulating a received signal received by the antenna to generate a data signal, and a first storage in which predetermined information is stored in advance. Means, second storage means for storing the data signal, transmission means for modulating the data signal from the first and second storage means to generate a transmission signal, and receiving, demodulation, modulation and transmission of data. By providing the control means for controlling, the limitation on the arrangement place of the mounting machine is reduced, the layout of the device is easily performed, and the data communication can be reliably performed. Further, since the antenna has extremely high durability, the installation conditions of the mounting machine are wide. Furthermore, since the antenna does not protrude significantly outside, problems such as breakage are less likely to occur.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an antenna according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an antenna according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an antenna according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a wireless LAN device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2,12 Radiation electrode 2a Strip line part 2b Meander part 3 Feeding electrode 4 Fixing electrode 10,20 Antenna part 30,40 Substrate 120,121 Wireless LAN device 122,123 Electronic device 124,126 Receiving means 125,127 Transmission Means 128,129 Antenna

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshio Onaka 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Pref. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5J046 AA07 AB13 BA01 PA04 QA00 5J047 AA07 AB13 FD01 FD02

Claims (13)

[Claims] A first antenna portion provided with a radiation electrode having a meander line on a main surface of a substrate; and a first antenna portion on a side opposite to a main surface on which the radiation electrode of the first antenna portion is formed. The first antenna unit and the second antenna unit are laminated so that the main surface and the radiation electrode of the second antenna unit face each other, and a power supply electrode is provided on a side surface of the stacked body. An antenna, wherein the radiation electrodes of the first antenna section and the second antenna section are electrically connected. 2. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein a substrate made of a dielectric material is further laminated on the main surface of the first antenna portion on which the radiation electrode is formed. 3. A fixing electrode provided on at least one of a main surface or a side surface serving as a mounting surface of the laminated body and being in non-contact with both the radiation electrode and the power supply electrode.
The described antenna. 4. A substrate, a radiation electrode provided on at least one main surface of the substrate and at least one side surface adjacent to the main surface and having a meander line, and provided on another side surface of the substrate. An antenna, comprising: a feed electrode electrically connected to the radiation electrode. 5. A first and a second antenna having a substrate and at least one main surface of the substrate and a radiation electrode provided over at least one side surface adjacent to the main surface and having a meander line. And the first antenna unit and the second antenna such that the main surface of the first antenna unit opposite to the main surface on which the radiation electrode is formed faces the radiation electrode of the second antenna unit. And a power supply electrode provided on a side surface of the laminate, and the power supply electrode and the first
Wherein the antenna section and the radiation electrode of the second antenna section are electrically connected. 6. The antenna according to claim 5, wherein a substrate made of a dielectric material is further laminated on the main surface of the first antenna portion on which the radiation electrode is formed. 7. A radiating electrode provided on the substrate and having a strip line portion and a meander portion, wherein the length of the strip line portion is L1, and the length of the meander portion is L.
2. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the stripline portion and the meander portion are formed on the substrate such that L1 ÷ L2 = 2.0 to 6.0 when the number is 2. 8. The antenna according to claim 7, wherein a substrate made of a dielectric material is laminated so as to face the radiation electrode. 9. The antenna according to claim 7, wherein the strip line portion and the meander portion are provided on the same main surface of the substrate. 10. The antenna according to claim 9, wherein a meander portion is provided on an extension of the strip line portion. 11. The antenna according to claim 9, wherein a meander part is provided on at least one side of the strip line part. 12. The antenna according to claim 7, wherein at least a part of the strip line portion is provided on one main surface, and a meander portion is provided on the other main surface. 13. An antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 12, a receiving means for demodulating a received signal received by said antenna to generate a data signal, and a first means for storing predetermined information in advance. Storage means, second storage means for storing the data signal, transmission means for modulating a data signal from the first and second storage means to generate a transmission signal,
Control means for controlling reception, demodulation, modulation, and transmission of the data.