JP2004172919A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate a space required for a built-in antenna and to provide a built-in antenna without influence to peripheral components in portable radio equipment composed of an upper case body and a lower case body. <P>SOLUTION: The upper and lower case bodies 1 and 2 are insulated so that a high frequency current does not flow to each other, and the circuit parts 10 and 11 of the upper and lower case bodies 1 and 2 are connected by an upper and lower circuit connection part 18 in terms of DC. The upper case body 1 and the lower case body 2 (lower case body circuit part 11) are connected by a feeding line 13 in terms of a high frequency. The upper and lower circuit connection part 18 is composed of a flexible wire and the flexible wire is long enough to block the high frequency current flowing from the upper case body 1 or the lower case body 2 to a hinge part 19. Also, one end of the feeding line 13 is connected to the lower case body 2 and only the center conductor of the other end is connected to the upper case body. Thus, the upper case body 1 and the lower case body circuit part 11 can function as a dipole type antenna. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly to an improvement in an antenna of a foldable wireless portable terminal.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Until now, a wide variety of portable telephones have been provided as portable wireless devices that are portable terminals. As one of these mobile phones, there is a foldable mobile phone capable of increasing the size of a display.
[0003]
8 and 9 show an example of a conventional foldable mobile phone. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the foldable mobile phone in an open state, and FIG. 9 is a side view of the foldable mobile phone in an open state (a) and a closed state (b). Are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0004]
As shown in FIG. 8, the conventional foldable mobile phone has an upper housing 1 on which a display 20 is mounted and a lower housing on which a key operation unit 17 including a plurality of data input buttons or keys is mounted. A body 2 and a hinge portion 19 that connects the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 to each other so as to be rotatable with each other are provided.
[0005]
The upper housing 1 is configured by mutually connecting an upper housing front portion 3 located on the side where the display 20 is mounted and an upper housing rear portion 4 located on the opposite side to the display 20. ing. A receiver 15, an upper housing circuit board 8 (see FIG. 9), a display 20, and an upper housing circuit 10 are loaded in a container formed by the upper housing front portion 3 and the upper housing rear portion 4. Have been.
[0006]
Similarly to the upper housing 1, the lower housing 2 includes a lower housing front portion 5 located on the side where the key operation unit 17 is mounted, and a lower housing back surface located on the opposite side to the key operation unit 17. It is constituted by connecting the parts 6 to each other. Inside the container formed by the lower housing front part 5 and the lower housing rear part 6, a microphone 16, an external interface 23 (see FIG. 9) which is a connector used for performing data communication, and a lower part A housing circuit board 9, a lower housing circuit portion 11, a battery 7, and a built-in antenna 12 are mounted.
[0007]
A built-in antenna 12 is mounted on a lower portion of the lower housing 2, and a feed terminal 21 and a ground terminal 22 extend from the built-in antenna 12 from the lower housing rear portion 6 to the lower housing circuit board 9. .
[0008]
As shown in FIG. 8, the upper housing circuit portion 10 and the lower housing circuit portion 11 are connected to each other by an upper and lower circuit portion connecting portion extending beyond the hinge portion 19 and extending over the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2. 18 are electrically connected to each other.
[0009]
Although a space is required between the built-in antenna 12 and the lower housing circuit unit 9, the space on the external interface 23 is used to effectively use the space below the antenna. The power supply terminal 11 is configured to secure only a power supply terminal 13, a ground terminal 14, and a power supply circuit (not shown). Further, a good characteristic is obtained by providing a space between the antenna and the antenna in order to eliminate the influence of peripheral components.
[0010]
As an example of a foldable mobile phone using a built-in antenna, first and second antenna arms are previously incorporated in foldable first and second housings (housings), respectively. There is a technique of forming a dipole antenna by a second (pair of) antenna arms (see Patent Document 1).
[0011]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-97622 (pages 3 to 4, FIGS. 1 to 8)
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In recent years, mobile phones have become increasingly more compact and more sophisticated, and require a mounting volume such as a camera, a removable memory, GPS (Global Positioning System), and Bluetooth (R). There is no space for arranging the antenna, and the radiating element has to be reduced in size, and the characteristics are degraded.
[0013]
Further, in the examples of FIGS. 8 and 9, since a space for providing the power supply terminal 21 and the ground terminal 22 is also required, there is almost no space for mounting the built-in antenna, and there is a problem that the antenna does not function as an antenna. In addition, there is a problem that the deterioration of characteristics is further increased due to the approach of peripheral components. When performing data communication, since a cable is connected to the external interface 23, there is a problem that the built-in antenna 12 is affected by the cable and the characteristics of the built-in antenna 12 are deteriorated.
[0014]
In order to eliminate the influence of the cable connected to the external interface 23, there is also a method of disposing the built-in antenna near the hinge portion 19. One example is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, wherein FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the foldable mobile phone in an open state, and FIG. 11 is a foldable mobile phone in an open state (a) and a closed state (b). FIG. 10 is a side view of a cellular phone, and in these figures, parts equivalent to those in FIGS. 8 and 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0015]
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, by arranging the built-in antenna 12 near the hinge 19, the influence of the cable connected to the external interface 23 can be eliminated, but the space of the built-in antenna 12 is reduced. There is a problem that satisfactory characteristics cannot be obtained because sufficient characteristics cannot be secured.
[0016]
Further, in the configuration of Patent Document 1 described above, the first and second antenna arms are respectively incorporated in the first and second housings in advance, and a dipole antenna is formed by the pair of antenna arms. However, it is necessary to incorporate the antenna arm into the housing, which causes an increase in the number of manufacturing steps and an increase in cost, which is not a good measure.
[0017]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional mobile phone, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal represented by a mobile phone which does not require a space for mounting an internal antenna. It is in.
[0018]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal that does not need to incorporate extra parts such as an antenna arm in a housing in advance.
[0019]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A portable terminal according to the present invention is a portable terminal including first and second housings, and first and second circuit units housed in the first and second housings, respectively, One housing and the second circuit unit are operated as a pair of radiating elements of a dipole antenna.
[0020]
Another mobile terminal according to the present invention is a mobile terminal including first and second housings, and first and second circuit units housed in the first and second housings, respectively. The first housing and the second housing are operated as a pair of radiation elements of a dipole antenna.
[0021]
Still another mobile terminal according to the present invention is a mobile terminal including first and second housings and first and second circuit units housed in the first and second housings, respectively. A portable terminal, wherein the first circuit section and the second circuit section are operated as a pair of radiating elements of a dipole antenna.
[0022]
Another mobile terminal according to the present invention is a mobile terminal including first and second housings, and first and second circuit units respectively housed in the first and second housings, A portable terminal, wherein the first circuit section and the second housing are operated as a pair of radiating elements of a dipole antenna.
[0023]
The operation of the present invention will be described. In a portable terminal comprising a first and a second housing and having a structure in which the first and the second circuit units are respectively mounted in these housings, the first housing or the first circuit unit and the second The circuit portion or the second housing functions as a pair of radiation (antenna) elements of the dipole antenna. For this purpose, the first and second casings are insulated from each other at a high frequency, and the first and second circuit units (including the circuit board) are connected in a DC manner, and one end of the power supply line is connected. , And the other end is connected to the first housing or the first circuit unit. By doing so, the antenna can be configured only by providing the feed line alone, so that a special built-in antenna element is not required, and miniaturization and cost reduction can be achieved.
[0024]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The mobile phone according to the present embodiment is configured as a foldable mobile phone, FIG. 1 is a perspective view in an open state, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the foldable mobile phone in an open state and a closed state. It is a side view. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the same parts as those in FIGS.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 1, the foldable mobile phone according to the first embodiment includes an upper housing 1 as a first housing to which a display 20 is mounted, and a plurality of data input buttons or keys. A lower housing 2 as a second housing to which the key operation unit 17 is mounted is provided, and a hinge portion 19 rotatably connecting the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 to each other. I have.
[0026]
The upper housing 1 is configured by mutually connecting an upper housing front portion 3 located on the side where the display 20 is mounted and an upper housing rear portion 4 located on the opposite side to the display 20. ing. The upper housing front part 3 is made of metal.
[0027]
Inside a container formed by the upper housing front part 3 and the upper housing rear part 4, a receiver 15, an upper housing circuit board 8 (see FIG. 2) as a first substrate, a display 20, an upper housing The circuit units 10 are respectively mounted.
[0028]
Similarly to the upper housing 1, the lower housing 2 includes a lower housing front portion 5 located on the side where the key operation unit 17 is mounted, and a lower housing back surface located on the opposite side to the key operation unit 17. It is constituted by connecting the parts 6 to each other. The lower housing front part 5 is formed by molding plastic.
[0029]
A microphone 16, an external interface 23 (see FIG. 2), a lower housing circuit board 9 as a second substrate, and a lower housing are provided inside a container formed by the lower housing front portion 5 and the lower housing rear portion 6. The body circuit section 11 and the battery 7 are respectively loaded.
[0030]
An antenna feed line 13 is arranged between the upper housing front part 3 and the lower housing circuit part 11. The power supply line 13 is formed of a coaxial cable, and a center conductor of the coaxial cable is connected to a high-frequency line (also a high-frequency line of the lower housing circuit board 9) which is a power supply unit of the lower housing circuit unit 11. The outer conductor is connected to the ground of the lower housing circuit unit 11 (also the ground of the lower housing circuit board 9). On the side of the upper casing front part 3 of the power supply line 13, the center conductor of the coaxial cable is connected to the upper casing front part 3, and the outer conductor is open without being connected to any part.
[0031]
On the other hand, a control line is connected to the upper casing circuit board 8 and the lower casing circuit board 9 via an upper / lower circuit section connecting portion 18 in a DC manner.
[0032]
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the lengths of the upper casing circuit board 8, the lower casing circuit board 9, and the upper and lower circuit section connecting sections 18, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the upper and lower circuit section connecting sections 18. . The upper and lower circuit connecting portions 18 are made of a flexible wire. As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible wire forming the upper and lower circuit portion connecting portion 18 is disposed in a state of being wound once around the hinge portion 19, and the length when the flexible wire is extended in a planar shape is as follows. Ls. Further, the upper housing circuit board 21 having the length L1 and the lower housing circuit board 22 having the length L2 are separated by a distance G.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 3, the length Ls of the flexible wire is set to be longer than the distance G between the upper housing circuit board 21 and the lower housing circuit board 22 (Ls> G). Here, the length Ls of the flexible wire is set to a length that has an inductance component such that a current flowing in the lower housing 2 toward the hinge portion 19 does not flow in the upper housing 1. Shall be.
[0034]
Next, the operation of the present invention will be described. The built-in antenna of the present invention supplies power between the upper housing front part 3 and the lower housing circuit part 11 by using the power supply line 13, thereby providing the upper housing front part 3 and the lower housing circuit part 11. Are configured as radiating elements. Since the power is supplied between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2, the same characteristics as those of the dipole antenna can be obtained.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 5A, the current flowing outside the outer conductor of the power supply line 13 and the current flowing on the lower housing 2 are in the same direction. The current flowing through the center conductor is the same as the direction of the current flowing through the outer conductor of the feeder line 13 because the direction of the current inside the outer conductor (not shown) is opposite to the direction of the current outside.
[0036]
Here, the current supplied to the upper housing 1 flows not only in the upper housing 1 but also in the upper and lower circuit connecting portions 18. However, since the upper and lower circuit connecting portions 18 have an inductance component, the impedance is high. And the high frequency current is blocked. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5B, the equivalent circuit at high frequency is such that the upper and lower circuit connection portions 18 are insulated (opened) at high frequency, and the lower housing circuit on the upper housing 1 and lower housing 2 side. The dipole antenna fed between the upper casing 1 (first radiating element) and the lower casing circuit section 11 (second radiating element) in such a manner that the phases of the currents flowing to the section 11 are in phase. It works as
[0037]
In the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, upper housing 1 is made of metal, but it is also possible to form a metal film on the surface of a molded plastic by evaporation or plating. On the other hand, the lower housing 2 is formed by molding plastic. It is also possible to form a metal film (not shown) by vapor deposition or plating on the surface on which the mold is formed, but this metal film needs to be formed so as not to reach the hinge portion 19. At this time, the upper case 1 and the lower case 2 only need to be maintained in a state of being electrically insulated from each other so that current (particularly, high-frequency current) does not flow.
[0038]
In the present embodiment, the upper housing 1 and the lower housing circuit 11 are described as functioning as a pair of radiating elements of a dipole antenna, but the lower housing circuit 11 is a lower housing circuit board. Since it is formed on the lower electrode 9, the lower housing circuit board 9 can be equivalently said to function as one radiating element of the dipole antenna described above.
[0039]
Further, in the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, the flexible wire forming upper and lower circuit portion connection portion 18 is arranged in a state of being wound once around hinge portion 19, but the number of turns of the flexible wire is one. It is not limited to. The number of windings of the flexible wire may be two or more. In this case, the flexible wires are arranged spirally in the length direction of the hinge 19 around the axis in the length direction of the hinge 19. Furthermore, it is also possible to form not only a wound state but also a bellows shape and adjust the total length of the upper and lower circuit connecting portions 18.
[0040]
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an open state and a closed state of the mobile phone according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as those in FIGS. In the first embodiment, the center conductor of the coaxial cable constituting the feed line 13 is configured to be fed by die casting. However, this center conductor is connected to (the ground line of) the upper housing circuit board 8. It is also possible. At this time, the outer conductor on the upper housing side of the coaxial cable is not connected anywhere, as in the previous embodiment. The mobile phone according to the present embodiment has the same structure as the mobile phone according to the first embodiment except that the center conductor of the coaxial cable of the power supply line 13 is connected to the upper housing circuit board 8. .
[0041]
According to the mobile phone according to the second embodiment, the upper housing circuit 10 (equivalent to the upper housing circuit board 8 in high frequency) and the lower housing circuit 11 (lower in the high frequency) (Equivalent to the housing circuit board 9) as radiation elements. In this case, both the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 may be formed of a non-conductive material, for example, a molded plastic.
[0042]
It is apparent that the present embodiment can also obtain the same operation and effects as those of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment.
[0043]
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an open state and a closed state of the mobile phone according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as those in FIGS. In the first embodiment described above, the center conductor of the coaxial cable of the feed line 13 is directly supplied by die casting, but this center conductor is connected to the power supply fitting 14 provided on the upper housing circuit board 8 in advance. However, the power supply fitting 14 can be brought into contact with the die cast. At this time, the outer conductor on the upper housing side of the coaxial cable is not connected anywhere, as in the previous embodiment. Except that the power supply fitting 14 is provided, the mobile phone according to the present embodiment has the same structure as the mobile phone according to the first embodiment.
[0044]
It is apparent that the mobile phone according to the third embodiment can provide the same operation and effect as the mobile phone according to the first embodiment.
[0045]
Further, the center conductor of the feed line 13 may be connected not only to the upper housing 1 but also to (the ground line of) the upper housing circuit board 8. In this case, the upper housing 1 serves as a shield for the upper housing circuit unit 10, and the high-frequency current flows through the upper housing 1 having this shielding function. It will operate as an element. Furthermore, the lower housing 2 can be used as a radiating element. In this case, the high-frequency current flows through the lower housing 2 by connecting the ground line of the lower housing circuit unit 11 and the lower housing 2.
[0046]
In the above-described embodiment, the description has been given of the mobile phone. However, it is obvious that the present invention can be applied to a portable terminal device having two housings, each having a built-in circuit unit.
[0047]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a dipole antenna can be configured and operated as an antenna only by connecting the upper housing side and the lower housing side by a feeder line, and thus, the built-in antenna conventionally required. There is a remarkable effect that the antenna can be eliminated and the space becomes unnecessary. In addition, since the characteristic deterioration due to the arrangement of the peripheral components of the built-in antenna, which has been conventionally required, is eliminated, there is an effect that the arrangement of the components is not restricted, and further, the antenna characteristic is improved.
[0048]
Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a special built-in antenna, it is possible to reduce the number of steps and the number of components in the manufacturing affirmation, and to obtain a small-sized and low-cost mobile terminal.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a transparent perspective view of a mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention in an open state and a closed state.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the lengths of an upper housing circuit board, a lower housing circuit board, and an upper and lower circuit section connection portion in the mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an upper and lower circuit section connection section shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation principle of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of an open state and a closed state of a mobile phone according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of a mobile phone according to a third embodiment of the present invention in an open state and a closed state.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an example of a conventional mobile phone.
9 is a side sectional view of the mobile phone of FIG. 8 in an open state and a closed state.
FIG. 10 is a transparent perspective view of another example of a conventional mobile phone.
11 is a side sectional view of the mobile phone of FIG. 10 in an open state and a closed state.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper case 2 Lower case 3 Upper case front part 4 Upper case back part 5 Lower case front part 6 Lower case back part 7 Battery 8 Upper case circuit board 9 Lower case circuit board 10 Upper case Circuit unit 11 Lower housing circuit unit 13 Feeding line 15 Receiver 16 Microphone 17 Key operation unit 18 Upper and lower circuit unit connection unit 19 Hinge unit 20 Display unit

Claims (16)

A mobile terminal including first and second housings, and first and second circuit units housed in the first and second housings, respectively.
A mobile terminal, wherein the first housing and the second circuit unit are operated as a pair of radiating elements of a dipole antenna. A mobile terminal including first and second housings, and first and second circuit units housed in the first and second housings, respectively.
A mobile terminal, wherein the first housing and the second housing are operated as a pair of radiating elements of a dipole antenna. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply line having one end connected to the power supply circuit of the second circuit unit and the other end connected to the first housing. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the power supply line is a coaxial cable, and only a center conductor of the coaxial cable at the other end is connected to the first housing. A mobile terminal including first and second housings, and first and second circuit units housed in the first and second housings, respectively.
A portable terminal, wherein the first circuit section and the second circuit section are operated as a pair of radiating elements of a dipole antenna. A mobile terminal including first and second housings, and first and second circuit units housed in the first and second housings, respectively.
A portable terminal, wherein the first circuit section and the second housing are operated as a pair of radiating elements of a dipole antenna. 7. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein one end is connected to a power supply circuit of the second circuit portion, and the other end includes a power supply line connected to the second circuit portion. The mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein the power supply line is a coaxial cable, and only a center conductor of the coaxial cable at the other end is connected to the second circuit unit. 9. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first and second housings are conductive. 9. The mobile terminal according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the first and second housings is made of a non-conductive material, and has a conductive thin film on a surface thereof. The portable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first and second housings are in a high-frequency insulating state. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a hinge mechanism that rotatably connects the first and second housings to each other. Including a flexible wire that connects the first and second circuit portions in a DC manner, the length of the flexible wire is the first and second circuit boards constituting the first and second circuit portions, respectively. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the distance is set to be larger than a distance between the mobile terminals. 14. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein the flexible wire is wound at least once. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a display for display mounted on the first housing. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone.

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