JP2004007310A - Mobile wireless terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile wireless terminal provided with an antenna installed on a hinge and is suitable for a two-fold type terminal which is capable of reducing the effect of user's hands while keeping an interval from user's head. <P>SOLUTION: The two-fold type mobile wireless terminal wherein an upper case 10 and a lower case 20 are hinged includes a projection 30 projected outward in the vicinity of the hinge of the lower case 20, and the projection 30 contains a built-in antenna. The built-in antenna has a linear or planar antenna element 50, and at least part of an open end of this antenna element is located at a position in a way that the part is hardly covered by a hand or fingers of a user when the user uses the terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile wireless terminal, and more particularly, to a configuration and an arrangement of a built-in antenna of a mobile wireless terminal used for mobile communication such as a mobile phone.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Portable wireless terminals for mobile communication such as mobile phones (terminal devices are simply referred to as terminals in this specification) tend to be smaller and thinner. Therefore, with respect to the antenna mounted on the terminal, the antenna portion comes closer to the human body during a call, and there is a concern that the antenna radiation characteristics may deteriorate.
[0003]
In recent years, in place of a terminal that employs a retractable whip antenna installed outside the terminal, there are advantages such as low possibility of damage due to falling etc., improvement in design of portable wireless terminals, etc. As an antenna having the terminal, a terminal adopting a so-called built-in antenna installed inside the terminal has appeared on the market. As a matter of course, there is a concern that the characteristics of the terminal employing the built-in antenna may be deteriorated due to the human body.
[0004]
Further, as a remarkable tendency in recent years, the number of users who use a mobile phone not only for voice communication but also for data communication such as e-mail and connection to the Internet has been increasing, and accordingly, the liquid crystal display unit has been enlarged. Because of the merit that can be achieved, so-called two-fold terminals having a hinge in the middle of the terminal are widely available on the market. In this two-fold type terminal, a receiver and a liquid crystal display are generally installed in an upper housing, and a keyboard and a microphone are generally installed in a lower housing. In this case, the installation position of the antenna is often one of (1) the upper part of the upper housing and (2) the upper part (that is, the hinge part) of the lower housing. However, the “upper housing / upper installation” type usually requires a coaxial cable to be installed through the hinge from the transmission / reception circuit (wireless circuit) section installed in the lower housing to the antenna feed section, resulting in a corresponding loss. The upper housing tends to be thinner due to the design, so the space for installing the antenna is not sufficient, and the distance between the antenna and the head becomes shorter during a call. There are disadvantages such as deterioration of characteristics. For this reason, the number of terminals employing the “hinge part installation” type antenna is increasing.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of a hinge-installed antenna, the distance between the antenna and the human head is large during a call, but the user holds the lower housing or the boundary between the upper and lower housings (that is, near the hinge) and talks. Therefore, the antenna part and the user's hand or finger come close to each other. In addition, as described above, since the keyboard section is usually provided in the lower housing section, when the user operates the keyboard, the antenna portion and the user's hand are similarly approached. Furthermore, depending on the taste of the user, the hinge-installed antenna is that when the antenna built-in housing part protrudes, a hand rests well when a finger is hung on the protruding part, and the terminal is easy to use. There are disadvantages to the antenna characteristics.
[0006]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable wireless terminal having a hinge-installed antenna suitable for a folding type, which can reduce the influence of the user's hand while maintaining the distance from the human head. It is in.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A portable wireless terminal according to the present invention is a two-fold type portable wireless terminal in which an upper housing and a lower housing are hinged and includes a protruding portion protruding outward near a hinge portion of the lower housing. The protruding portion houses a built-in antenna, and the built-in antenna has a linear or plate-shaped antenna element, and at least a part of the antenna element on the open end side is used by a user's hand or finger when used by the user. It is characterized by being arranged at a position that is difficult to be covered.
[0008]
In this portable radio terminal, the built-in antenna is housed in a protruding portion near the hinge portion of the two-fold type portable radio terminal, so that the antenna installation space is secured and the distance between the antenna and the head is relatively long during a call. Function to keep. In addition, since the user often talks while holding the vicinity of the hinge, the antenna part and the user's hand or finger come close to each other in this configuration, but the antenna open end, which is easily affected by the human body, particularly the antenna element. Is disposed at a position that is difficult to be covered with the user's hand or finger, thereby greatly suppressing antenna characteristic deterioration when the terminal is used.
[0009]
In one embodiment, the antenna element includes a first element portion having a base end connected to a feeding point, and a second element portion having a main surface forming a predetermined angle with a main surface of the first element portion. The second element portion is connected to a side portion on the distal end side of the first element portion and forms a part on the open end side. The fact that the main surfaces of both element parts form a predetermined angle results in a single antenna element having different angled surfaces. This configuration avoids a situation in which both main surfaces are simultaneously covered with the user's hand or finger regardless of how the user holds the housing.
[0010]
As one aspect, the protrusion forms an acute angle between the upper housing and the outer main surface of the upper housing when the upper housing and the lower housing are in an open state, and extends in the housing width direction. The antenna element is disposed such that a main surface of the second element portion is along an inner wall surface of the outer surface. With this configuration, the surface of the protruding portion that forms a predetermined angle with the outer main surface of the open upper housing can be effectively used as a position that is difficult to be covered by the user's hand or finger.
[0011]
According to another aspect, a portable wireless terminal according to the present invention is a two-folded portable wireless terminal in which an upper housing and a lower housing are hinged, and a flat plate whose base end is connected to a power supply point. An antenna having a first element portion having a shape of a flat plate and a second element portion having a flat plate shape and having a main surface forming a predetermined angle with the main surface of the first element portion, the second element portion being connected to a side portion on the tip side of the element portion. An antenna element is provided, and the antenna element is arranged near the hinge portion inside the housing along the width direction of the housing. This configuration avoids a situation in which both main surfaces are simultaneously covered with the user's hand or finger, regardless of how the user holds the housing, because both element portions form a predetermined angle as described above. Work to do.
[0012]
According to still another aspect, a portable wireless terminal according to the present invention is a two-folded portable wireless terminal in which an upper housing and a lower housing are hingedly connected, and includes a hinge portion along a width direction of the housing. A built-in antenna disposed in the vicinity thereof, the built-in antenna having a flat antenna element having a base end connected to a feeding point, and opening the antenna element from outside the housing in a state in which a user's hand or finger is open; In a state closest to the end side, the antenna element is arranged so that its main surface forms an angle perpendicular to or close to the surface of the hand or finger at least over a predetermined length on the open end side of the antenna element. It is characterized by having. This configuration functions to reduce the influence of the user's hand or finger on the antenna at least on the open end side of the antenna element.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic side views of a two-fold type portable wireless terminal 100 to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1A shows a state where the terminal is opened, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the terminal is closed (folded). The state is shown. In the present embodiment, a mobile phone is shown as a mobile wireless terminal, and is hereinafter simply referred to as a terminal. The terminal 100 includes an upper housing 10 and a lower housing 20 that are foldably joined via a hinge 105. A liquid crystal display unit 13 is provided on a main surface inside the upper housing 10, and a keyboard surface 17 is provided on a main surface inside the lower housing 20. In the vicinity of the hinge portion 15 of the lower housing 20, a protruding portion 30 forming an antenna area protruding diagonally upward on the outside is formed. As will be described later, an antenna is arranged inside the protrusion.
[0015]
FIG. 2A shows an appearance of the terminal 100 when the terminal 100 in the open state shown in FIG. 1A is viewed from the upper outside direction (1). FIG. 2B shows the appearance of the terminal 100 in the same state as viewed from the outside side ((2)). Both figures show a state where the lower housing 20 is gripped by a human hand (left hand). As can be seen from these drawings, the protruding portion 30 is formed to extend in the width direction of the housing of the terminal 100.
[0016]
This two-fold terminal has a structure in which it is easy to put a finger on the protruding portion (antenna area) 30 on which the antenna is installed, so depending on the user, during a call, as shown in FIGS. The projection 30 is not used in a state where the projection 30 is exposed, but as shown in FIG. In this case, a thumb may be put on the protruding portion as shown in FIG. 6A, or a finger other than the thumb (for example, an index finger) may be put as shown in FIG. 6B.
[0017]
In any case, as shown in FIG. 4A, even if the finger 42 is hooked on the protruding portion 30, when the terminal is opened, the protruding portion 30 has a surface (A) 31 on which the finger is easily hooked and a surface on which the finger is hardly hooked. (B) 32 is formed. This is because the angle between the surface (B) 32 and the outer main surface 44 of the upper housing 10 in the open state is an acute angle in the example shown in the drawing. Conversely, the shape and arrangement of the protruding portion 30 are considered so as to form such an acute angle. Here, "finger is applied" means that the contact area of the finger with the housing surface is large or the degree of approach is large (the distance is small). Whether or not a finger is likely to be hooked on the housing portion depends on the size of the area of the surface of the antenna element covered with the finger according to the structure and arrangement of the antenna element located inside. In the present specification, “not easily covered” means that this area is reduced. In addition, although the contour shape of the protruding portion is shown in a broken line shape in the drawing, it is not necessarily required to have the shape as shown. FIG. 4B shows both sides 31 and 32 on the appearance of an actual terminal.
[0018]
FIG. 5A shows an example of installation of an antenna element which is usually considered in a terminal using a built-in hinge-installed antenna and a folding type terminal. FIG. 5B shows an installation example of the antenna element according to the embodiment of the present invention. In each case, the state of the arrangement of the antenna elements in the protruding portion 30 is schematically shown from the outside (the finger is not applied to the protruding portion 30 so as to be easily visible).
[0019]
In the configuration of FIG. 5A, as shown in FIG. 5E, in order to separate the linear or plate-shaped (thin plate-shaped) antenna element 52 from the ground 56 in the lower housing as much as possible, Are arranged along the inner wall of the surface (A) 31 shown in FIG. Although it depends on the target free space radiation characteristics and bandwidth of the antenna, it is generally considered that the antenna is arranged in this way when the antenna Q is made as low as possible to obtain (increase) the band. Conceivable. However, as shown in FIG. 4A, the surface (A) 31 is most likely to be caught by the user's hand or finger. Therefore, when the hand or finger is caught on the antenna portion, as shown in FIG. 5C. It is considered that the antenna surface is covered with a finger, and the antenna characteristics are greatly deteriorated.
[0020]
Therefore, the antenna device of the present embodiment employs the configuration and arrangement of the antenna elements as shown in FIGS. That is, the antenna element 50 is formed in a crank shape including a plate-shaped element portion 53 on the feeding point side and a plate-shaped element portion 54 connected to the side on the tip end side. The angle formed is a predetermined angle. The “predetermined angle” is substantially a right angle in this example, but is not necessarily limited to a right angle. In the present embodiment, both element portions 53 and 54 are formed by bending an intermediate portion of a crank-shaped sheet metal (conductive plate-shaped member) along a boundary between the two portions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the separated two element portions 53 and 54 may be conductively joined. Further, it may be formed of metal foil instead of sheet metal. In this example, the element portion 53 on the power supply point side is arranged along the inner wall surface of the surface (A) 31 which is the top surface of the protruding portion 30, and only the element portion 54 on the open end side is caught by the user's hand or finger. It is configured to be arranged along the inner wall surface of the hard surface (B) 32. This is because, in general, even with one antenna element, the characteristics of a high-impedance portion are more deteriorated when covered with a hand or finger than a low-impedance portion. Therefore, the open end portion of the antenna, which is a high impedance portion, can escape from the user's hand / finger. Here, “escape” means a state in which the degree of the antenna surface facing the hand or finger is small. This degree is minimized when the angle formed by the main surface of the antenna with the hand or finger surface is at or near a right angle. That is, in a state where the user's hand or finger is closest to the open end side of the antenna element from the outside of the housing in the open state, the main surface of the antenna element is at least over a predetermined length on the open end side. At right angles or close to this.
[0021]
In addition, according to this structure, the antenna element 50 is not arranged on the entire surface of the surface (B) 32 but is also arranged on the surface (A) 31 side. Antenna bandwidth degradation is also suppressed.
[0022]
In order to demonstrate the effect of the present invention, antenna radiation characteristics of the antenna shown in FIGS. 5A, 5C, and 5E and the antennas shown in FIGS. -PAG (Pattern Average Gain: average gain of pattern-average antenna horizontal radiation pattern gain when the terminal is used) was measured and compared. The measurement was performed at a frequency of 8 points within 810 to 960 MHz, assuming an 800 MHz band digital mobile phone system in Japan. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, two types of measurement are performed: a case where a finger is placed on the antenna feeding point side (a) and (b), and a case where a finger is placed on the antenna open end side (c) and (d). Done. FIG. 7 shows a use state of the terminal during a call and a measurement surface at that time.
[0023]
8 and 9 show the results as graphs. FIG. 4A shows a line graph of the frequency characteristic of the PAG when the finger is placed on the antenna feeding point side, and FIG. 4B shows a line graph showing the frequency characteristic of the PAG when the finger is placed on the antenna open end side. FIG. 9 is a bar graph showing a comparison result of the PAG values averaged in the used frequency band when both fingers are hung.
[0024]
As can be seen from FIG. 8A, when the finger is fed on the antenna feeding point side, the structures of FIGS. 5A, 5C, and 5E and the structures of FIGS. 5B, 5D, and 5F are almost the same. It has the same characteristics. However, as can be seen from FIGS. 8B and 9, there is a difference of 4 dB between the results when the finger is put on the antenna open end side. Moreover, in the structure of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 5B, 5D, and 5F, only 1 dB of deterioration is observed from the time of fingering on the antenna feeding point side, whereas FIGS. The structure shown in FIG. From this, it can be clearly seen how much the effect of a finger on the open end side of the antenna is great.
[0025]
In this way, it can be confirmed that the antenna open end portion, which is the high impedance portion, escapes from the user's hand / finger, whereby the deterioration of the antenna radiation characteristics when the finger is placed on the antenna installation portion can be significantly suppressed.
[0026]
In the above description, only the case where the user holds the portable wireless terminal with the left hand has been described, but the same effect can be obtained when the user holds the portable wireless terminal with the right hand. In addition, the antenna open end finger escape structure is not limited to the illustrated one, and can be applied to any portable wireless terminal in which the antenna portion is located at a position where the user's hand or finger is easily hooked. Although an example in which a whip antenna is not provided has been described, the present invention is also applicable to a terminal that uses both a whip antenna and a built-in antenna.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since the built-in antenna is arranged on the housing protrusion near the hinge of the two-fold type portable wireless terminal, the distance between the built-in antenna and the user's head can be made relatively large during a call. By effectively utilizing the surface of the protruding portion forming a predetermined angle with the outer main surface of the open upper case at least on the open end side of the antenna element while maintaining the advantage of the hinge-mounted antenna. In addition, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the antenna characteristics due to the approach of the antenna part and the user's hand or finger which is a drawback of the hinge-installed antenna. Further, the antenna element forms a predetermined angle with the first flat plate-shaped element part whose base end is connected to the feeding point and the main surface of the first element part connected to the front end side of this element part. With the configuration including the plate-shaped second element portion having the main surface, it is possible to increase the Q of the antenna, that is, to suppress deterioration of the antenna bandwidth, in consideration of the radiation characteristics of free space.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an open state (a) and a closed (folded) state (b) of a two-fold type portable wireless terminal to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 (a) is an external view of the terminal as viewed from the upper outside direction (1) of the terminal in the open state shown in FIG. 1 (a), and FIG. FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an appearance (b) of the terminal as viewed from ▼).
FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams illustrating different ways of holding (a) and (b) by a user when using a call on a mobile terminal. FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of a case where a finger is hooked on a protrusion in the embodiment of the present invention. (B).
5 (a) to 5 (f) are explanatory diagrams of a case where there is no escape of the finger at the open end and a case where there is a finger escape in the embodiment of the present invention.
6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams of a case where a thumb is put on a protruding portion (a) and a case where a finger other than the thumb (for example, an index finger) is put (b).
FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a measurement method for confirming antenna radiation characteristics when a user's finger is placed on an antenna unit of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are line graphs showing antenna radiation characteristics based on the measurement of FIG. 7;
FIGS. 9A and 9B are bar graphs (a) and (b) showing comparison results of PAG values averaged within a used frequency band based on the measurement of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Upper case, 13 ... Liquid crystal display part, 17 ... Keyboard surface, 15 ... Hinge part, 20 ... Lower case, 30 ... Projection, 31, 32 ... Surface, 42 ... Finger, 44 ... Outside main surface, 50 antenna element, 52 antenna element, 53 element part, 54 element part, 56 ground, 100 portable radio terminal, 105 hinge

Claims (9)

A two-fold type portable wireless terminal in which an upper housing and a lower housing are hinged,
A projection protruding outward in the vicinity of the hinge portion of the lower housing, the projection housing the built-in antenna, the built-in antenna having a linear or plate-shaped antenna element, and at least opening the antenna element; A portable wireless terminal characterized in that a part of an end side is arranged at a position where it is hard to be covered by a user's hand or finger when used by the user. The antenna element includes a first element portion having a base end connected to a feeding point, and a second element portion having a main surface forming a predetermined angle with the main surface of the first element portion. 2. The portable wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second element portion is continuous with a side portion on the tip end side of the first element portion and forms a part on the open end side. 3. The portable wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element is formed by bending an intermediate portion of a substantially crank-shaped conductive plate member. The protrusion has an outer surface extending in the width direction of the housing, forming an acute angle with the outer main surface of the upper housing when the upper housing and the lower housing are in an open state. 3. The portable wireless terminal according to claim 2, wherein the antenna element is arranged such that a main surface of the second element portion is along an inner wall surface of the outer surface. A two-fold type portable wireless terminal in which an upper housing and a lower housing are hinged,
A flat plate-shaped element having a flat first element portion whose base end is connected to a feed point and a main surface forming a predetermined angle with the main surface of the first element portion connected to a side portion on the distal end side of this element portion A portable wireless terminal, comprising: an antenna element having a second element portion, wherein the antenna element is disposed in the housing in the vicinity of the hinge portion along the width direction of the housing. 6. The portable wireless terminal according to claim 5, wherein the antenna element is formed by bending an intermediate portion of a substantially crank-shaped conductive plate member. The portable wireless terminal according to claim 5, wherein the second element portion is configured to escape to a position where the second element portion is not easily covered with a user's hand or finger. A two-fold type portable wireless terminal in which an upper housing and a lower housing are hinged,
A built-in antenna arranged in the vicinity of the hinge portion along the width direction of the housing, the built-in antenna has a flat antenna element having a base end connected to a feeding point, and the user's hand or finger is opened. In a state in which the antenna element is closest to the open end side of the antenna element from the outside of the housing, the main surface of the antenna element is at right angles to the surface of the hand or finger at least over a predetermined length on the open end side. A portable wireless terminal, wherein the portable wireless terminal is arranged so as to form an angle close to the wireless terminal. 9. The portable wireless terminal according to claim 8, wherein the antenna element is formed by bending an intermediate portion of a substantially crank-shaped conductive plate member.

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