JP2006254375A - Portable wireless apparatus, and directivity improvement method used for the portable wireless apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the directivity of an antenna in a foldable portable wireless apparatus in which the antenna is arranged inside a lower unit and close to a hinge part. <P>SOLUTION: An upper substrate 10b is provided inside a conductive upper casing 10a that an upper unit 10 includes. Furthermore, a lower substrate 20b connected with the upper substrate 10b via a flexible cable 50 is provided inside a non-conductive lower casing 20a that a lower unit 20 includes. Moreover, an antenna element 23 is provided inside the lower unit 20 and close to a hinge part 30. The antenna element 23 is supported by an auxiliary fitting metal 23b. Besides, the upper substrate 10b is fixed on the upper casing 10a by screws 10c, 10d and in addition, a ground part of the upper substrate 10b is electrically connected to the upper casing 10a via a plurality of conductive screws 10e near the flexible cable 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable wireless device and a directivity improving method used for the portable wireless device, and in particular, has a foldable structure such as a foldable mobile phone and an antenna is provided inside the unit. The present invention relates to a portable radio device and a directivity improving method used for the portable radio device.

  Conventionally, a cellular phone antenna is often a whip antenna or a fixed coil type that can be pulled out or stored, regardless of whether the unit is an integral type or a folding type. On the other hand, in recent years, antennas have been miniaturized and built-in, and antenna design considering unit design has become indispensable. However, there is a problem that the characteristics (directivity) of the antenna are greatly deteriorated due to the miniaturization and incorporation of the antenna. For this reason, it is necessary to improve the characteristics of the antenna without impairing the appearance design.

Conventionally, as this type of technology, for example, there are those described in the following documents.
In the foldable portable wireless device described in Patent Document 1, a whip-type antenna unit is externally mounted near the hinge unit in the lower housing. In addition, the connection line between the upper casing circuit section stored in the upper casing and the lower casing circuit section stored in the lower casing is longer than the distance between the upper casing circuit section and the lower casing circuit section. It is configured. For this reason, a load due to inductance is applied to the high-frequency current generated in the housing, and the high-frequency current that causes the antenna characteristics to deteriorate is lost.

In the mobile phone described in Patent Document 2, a conductive extension extending outward in the same plane as the flexible substrate is formed. When the extension portion is sandwiched between the front portion of the upper casing and the rear portion of the upper casing, the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the front portion of the upper casing through the extension portion and is grounded. A whip-type antenna is externally mounted on the upper housing.
JP 2002-027066 (abstract, FIG. 1) JP2003-158562A (abstract, FIG. 1)

However, the conventional portable wireless device has the following problems.
That is, in the portable wireless device described in Patent Document 1, since the whip-type antenna unit is externally mounted near the hinge unit in the lower housing, the configuration is different from the present invention. Further, since the load is applied to the high-frequency current generated in the housing by the inductance, the configuration is different from the present invention.

  Further, in the mobile phone described in Patent Document 2, the flexible substrate is grounded to the first housing part through the extension, but the whip-type antenna is externally mounted on the upper housing. The configuration is different from the invention.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a portable wireless device that improves the characteristics (directivity) when an antenna is built in a unit without impairing the appearance design. It is aimed.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 includes a first unit including a first casing including a conductive material and including a display unit on a first front surface, In a mode having a second casing including a non-conductive material, a second unit having an operation unit on the second front surface, and the first and second front surfaces facing each other. The first unit and the second unit are configured to be foldable via a hinge portion, and the first circuit board is provided inside the first housing, and the second unit A second circuit board provided inside the housing and connected to the first circuit board via a signal cable disposed in the vicinity of the hinge portion; and inside the second housing, And a portable wireless device comprising an antenna provided in the vicinity of the hinge portion, It is characterized in that a ground portion of the first circuit board in the vicinity of the signal cable is electrically connected to a part made of a material of the conductivity of the first housing.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the portable wireless device according to the first aspect, the ground portion of the first circuit board is in the vicinity of the signal cable and the conductive portion of the first casing is interposed through a conductive gasket. It is characterized by being connected to a part made of sex material.

  A third aspect of the present invention relates to the portable wireless device according to the first aspect, wherein the ground portion of the first circuit board is connected to the conductive portion of the first casing through a conductive screw in the vicinity of the signal cable. It is characterized by being connected to a part made of sex material.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to the portable wireless device according to the first aspect, wherein the ground portion of the first circuit board is connected to the conductive portion of the first casing through a metal fitting in the vicinity of the signal cable. It is characterized by being connected to a part made of a material.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention relates to the portable wireless device according to the first aspect, wherein the ground portion of the first circuit board is located near the signal cable and the conductive portion of the first casing is interposed through a metal spring. It is characterized by being connected to a part made of sex material.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a directivity improving method, comprising: a first unit that includes a first casing including a conductive material, and includes a display unit on a first front surface; A second unit including a second casing including a conductive material, and a second unit including an operation unit on a second front surface, wherein the first and second front surfaces face each other. The first unit and the second unit are configured to be foldable via a hinge portion, and the first circuit board provided in the first casing and the second casing A second circuit board provided in the body and connected to the first circuit board via a signal cable disposed in the vicinity of the hinge portion; and in the second housing; and Used in a portable wireless device comprising an antenna provided in the vicinity of the hinge portion, Improving the directivity of the antenna by electrically connecting the ground portion of the first circuit board in the vicinity of the signal cable to a portion of the first casing made of the conductive material. It is characterized by.

  A seventh aspect of the invention relates to the directivity improving method according to the sixth aspect, wherein a current is induced in the vicinity of the signal cable in the ground portion of the first circuit board by the radio wave radiated from the antenna. By preventing the antenna, the directivity of the antenna is improved.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, since the ground portion of the first circuit board is electrically connected to the portion made of the conductive material of the first housing in the vicinity of the signal cable, it is not connected. A different current flow is formed. For this reason, the directivity of the antenna is changed, the directivity is improved, and good communication characteristics can be obtained. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a protrusion or the like, the directivity of the antenna can be improved without impairing the appearance design of the portable wireless device.

  When the ground portion of the first circuit board is electrically connected in the vicinity of the signal cable to the portion made of the first casing conductive material, the first circuit is generated by the radio wave radiated from the antenna. Provided is a portable wireless device in which a current is prevented from being induced in the vicinity of the signal cable of a ground portion of a substrate.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a portable wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the portable wireless device of this example is a mobile phone, and includes an upper unit 10 and a lower unit 20. The upper unit 10 includes an upper housing 10a made of a conductive material, and includes a display unit (not shown) on the first front surface. The lower unit 20 includes a lower housing 20a made of a non-conductive material, and includes an operation unit (not shown) on the second front surface. The first unit 10 and the second unit 20 are configured to be foldable via the hinge portion 30 in a manner in which the first and second front surfaces face each other.

  An upper substrate 10b is provided inside the upper housing 10a. In addition, a lower substrate 20b connected to the upper substrate 10b via a flexible cable 50 disposed in the vicinity of the hinge portion 30 is provided inside the lower housing 20a. For example, an RF circuit (wireless circuit) 24 is provided on the lower substrate 20b. Further, an antenna element 23 is provided in the lower housing 20 a and in the vicinity of the hinge portion 30. The antenna element 23 is supported by the auxiliary metal fitting 23b. Further, the upper substrate 10b is fixed to the upper housing 10a by screws 10c and 10d. In particular, in this embodiment, the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b near the flexible cable 50 is, for example, a plurality of conductive screws. It is electrically connected to the upper housing 10a via 10e.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration inside the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20 in FIG.
The upper unit 10 includes a display unit (for example, an LCD, a Liquid Crystal Display, a liquid crystal display) 11, a sub operation unit (for example, a sub operation key) 12, a receiver unit (for example, a speaker) 13, and an electronic imaging device ( For example, a CCD camera 14, a fingerprint authentication device 15, a magnet 16 for detecting the relative position (ie, open / closed state) of the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20, and a touch panel incorporated on the surface of the display unit 11. 17 are accommodated. These are connected or placed on the upper substrate 10b in FIG.

  The display unit 11 displays various information such as the telephone number information and icon information of the other party. The sub operation unit 12 is for performing operations such as e-mail operation, image operation, and incoming call operation related to the display unit 11 while visually confirming the display contents while the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20 are closed. It is. The receiver 13 generates sound corresponding to various types of information. The electronic imaging device 14 captures a video around the own telephone and generates a video signal. The fingerprint authentication device 15 recognizes the user's fingerprint and generates an image signal. The magnet 16 detects the relative position (that is, the open / closed state) between the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20. The touch panel 17 is incorporated on the surface of the display unit 11 and detects the operation content by the user's finger.

  The lower unit 20 includes a main operation unit (for example, operation keys) 21, a microphone 22, an antenna 23, an RF circuit 24, a modem circuit 25, a baseband processing circuit 26, a codec circuit 27, and image processing. Unit 28, authentication processing unit 29, magnetic sensor (for example, Hall element) 2A, tilt detection unit 2C, position detection unit 2D, clock unit 2E, storage unit 2F, notification means 2G, control unit 40 are housed. These are connected to or placed on the lower substrate 20b in FIG.

  The main operation unit 21 includes a transmission key, English / Kana / Kanji / number conversion keys, a power on / off key, a cross key for cursor operation, an end key, and the like. The microphone 22 receives a user's voice and transmits a voice. The antenna 23 transmits and receives radio waves to and from a radio base station (not shown). The RF circuit 24 includes a receiving circuit, a transmitting circuit, and a frequency synthesizer (not shown). The modem circuit 25 demodulates received radio waves and modulates transmitted radio waves. The baseband processing circuit 26 extracts the original baseband signal from the demodulated signal output from the modem circuit 25 and supplies it to the codec circuit 27. The baseband processing circuit 26 extracts character data from the demodulated signal output from the modem circuit 25 and supplies the character data to the control unit 40. The codec circuit 27 performs digital / analog conversion on the baseband signal output from the baseband processing circuit 26 and supplies the converted signal to the receiver 13, and also converts the output signal of the control unit 40 from digital to analog.

  The image processing unit 28 takes in the video signal output from the electronic imaging device 14 and amplifies the video signal to a predetermined signal level, converts the amplified video signal from analog to digital, and performs image processing (for example, gamma correction, white balance adjustment). Etc.). The authentication processing unit 29 takes in the image signal output from the fingerprint authentication device 15 and performs predetermined image processing (for example, enlargement / reduction, emphasis of fingerprint discrimination points) to detect feature points used for fingerprint matching. Do. The feature points are points (end points) where ridges (convex portions of a fingerprint pattern) are interrupted and points (branch points) where ridges branch. These are collectively referred to as feature points.

  When the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20 are in the closed state, the magnetic sensor 2A generates a predetermined output signal by the magnetic field of the magnet 16 and detects the degenerate state. The inclination detection unit 2C includes a movable element (not shown) that moves according to the inclination of the mobile phone 1 and a sensor that detects the movement of the movable element. The inclination detection unit 2C detects inclination of the mobile telephone 1 and generates inclination information. To do. The position detector 2D is composed of, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, receives signal radio waves emitted from three or more satellites located in outer space, and propagates and propagates the signal radio waves. By measuring the distance between each satellite and the own phone based on the above, the position of the own phone including at least latitude and longitude is measured, and position information is generated. The clock unit 2E generates time information (year, month, day, day of the week, time). Storage unit 2F stores, for example, phone book information. The notification unit 2G is configured by, for example, a speaker, a vibrator, a light emitting diode, and the like, and notifies that the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20 are in a closed state or an open state.

  The control unit 40 includes an incoming / end call control unit 41, a notification control unit 42, a line control unit 43, a slope determination unit 44, a position determination unit 45, a time determination unit 46, a signal conversion circuit 47, An open / close detection unit 48 and a display control unit 49 are configured to control the entire mobile phone 1. The incoming / end call control unit 41 performs an incoming call control operation corresponding to the open / closed state of the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20. The notification control unit 42 controls the notification means 2G to perform an incoming call notification operation corresponding to the open / closed state of the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20. For example, when the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20 are in a closed state, the notification unit 2G performs vibration only, light emission only, or vibration and light emission under the control of the notification control unit 42. Further, when the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20 are in the open state, the notification unit 2G performs sound and light emission under the control of the notification control unit 42.

  When an open / close detection signal is generated from the open / close detector 48, the line controller 43 makes a call to a predetermined telephone number or connects to a predetermined Web server according to the display content of the display unit 11 of the upper unit. The tilt determination unit 44 determines the tilt state of the mobile phone 1 based on the tilt information output from the tilt detection unit 2C. The position determination unit 45 determines the current position of the mobile phone 1 based on the position information output from the position detection unit 2D. The time determination unit 46 determines the year, month, day, day of the week, and time based on the time information output from the clock unit 2E.

  The signal conversion circuit 47 converts the video signal output from the image processing unit 28 into a predetermined format (for example, JPEG format). Further, the signal conversion circuit 47 converts the feature point image signal output from the authentication processing unit 29 into a format for fingerprint matching processing (for example, coordinates between feature points, pattern direction, and the number of ridge intersections between neighboring feature points. , Pattern direction deviation, etc.). The opening / closing part 48 discriminates the opening / closing state of the upper unit 10 and the lower unit 20 based on the output signal of the magnetic sensor 2A, and generates an opening / closing detection signal when shifting from the closed state to the open state. The display control unit 49 generates character information and graphics information to be displayed on the display unit 11 based on the reception data supplied from the baseband processing circuit 26, and displays the character information and graphics information on the display unit 11.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the directivity of the antenna element 23 when the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b is not electrically connected to the upper housing 10a, and FIG. 4 shows the characteristic of the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b. It is a characteristic view which shows the directivity of the antenna element 23 in the case of being electrically connected to the body 10a.
With reference to these drawings, the processing content of the directivity improving method used in the mobile phone of this example will be described.
In this mobile phone, the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b is electrically connected to the upper housing 10a via a plurality of conductive screws 10e in the vicinity of the flexible cable 50. This prevents current from being induced in the vicinity of the flexible cable 50 in the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b by radio waves radiated by the high-frequency current flowing through the antenna element 23, and the directivity of the antenna element 23 is improved. .

  That is, when a high frequency voltage is applied from the RF circuit 24 to the antenna element 23, the antenna element 23 functions as a high frequency circuit, and the resistance, inductance, capacitance determined by the size and shape of the antenna element 23, the frequency of the high frequency voltage, and the like. And resonates at a high frequency having a wavelength determined by these circuit constants. A radio wave is radiated from the antenna element 23. When the antenna element 23 is in a resonance state, the current distribution in the vicinity of the upper casing 10a of the antenna element 23 and the flexible cable 50 becomes large. For this reason, current concentrates in the vicinity of the upper housing 10 a and the flexible cable 50.

  Here, by electrically connecting the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b to the upper housing 10a, a current flow different from that in the case of not connecting is formed. That is, by electrically connecting the vicinity of the flexible cable 50 and the upper housing 10a, it is possible to change the current flow, change the directivity of the antenna element 23, and improve the directivity. Furthermore, the directivity change is also confirmed from the calculation result by the moment method. For example, in the directivity shown in FIG. 2 (when the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b is not connected to the upper housing 10a), there are many null points and they are generated deeply, but the directivity shown in FIG. Characteristics (when the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b is electrically connected to the upper housing 10a), the null points are significantly less and shallower.

  As described above, in this embodiment, by electrically connecting the vicinity of the flexible cable 50 and the upper housing 10a, a current flow different from that when not connecting is formed. For this reason, as shown in the calculation result by the moment method, the directivity of the antenna element 23 is changed, the directivity is improved, and good communication characteristics are obtained. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a protrusion or the like, the directivity of the antenna element 23 is improved without impairing the appearance design of the portable wireless device.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiment, and even if there is a design change without departing from the gist of the present invention, Included in the invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the ground portion of the upper substrate 10b is electrically connected to the upper housing 10a via the conductive screw 10e. However, the ground portion is not limited to the conductive screw 10e. A metal fitting or a metal spring may be used. Various element shapes of the antenna element 23 are conceivable, such as a 0.25 wavelength element, an L-shaped element, a meander element, a helical shape, and a sheet metal element. Further, various element shapes are conceivable for the auxiliary metal fitting 23b, and even if the auxiliary metal fitting 23b is not provided, substantially the same operations and effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. Moreover, in the said Example, although the upper housing | casing 10a is comprised with the electroconductive material and the lower housing | casing 20a is comprised with the nonelectroconductive material, it separated from the hinge part 30 of the upper housing | casing 10a. The part may be made of a non-conductive material, and the part of the lower housing 20a away from the hinge part 30 may be made of a conductive material.

  The present invention can be applied to all portable radio devices such as a cellular phone having a foldable structure and having an antenna provided inside the unit.

It is a figure which shows the structure inside the portable radio | wireless machine which is one Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electrical configuration inside an upper unit 10 and a lower unit 20 in FIG. 1. It is a characteristic view showing the directivity of the antenna element 23 when the ground portion of the upper substrate 10a is not electrically connected to the upper housing 10a. It is a characteristic view showing the directivity of the antenna element 23 when the ground portion of the upper substrate 10a is electrically connected to the upper housing 10a.

Explanation of symbols

10 Upper unit (first unit)
10a Upper housing 10b Upper substrate (first circuit board)
10e Conductive screw 20 Lower unit (second unit)
20a Lower housing 20b Lower substrate (second circuit board)
23 Antenna element (antenna)
23b Auxiliary metal fitting 24 RF circuit 30 Hinge part 50 Flexible cable (signal cable)

Claims (7)

A first unit including a first casing configured to include a conductive material and including a display unit on a first front surface;
A second unit including a non-conductive material and a second unit including an operation unit on a second front surface;
The first unit and the second unit are configured to be foldable via a hinge portion in a manner in which the first and second front faces face each other, and
A first circuit board provided in the first housing;
A second circuit board provided in the second housing and connected to the first circuit board via a signal cable disposed in the vicinity of the hinge portion;
A portable wireless device comprising an antenna provided in the second housing and in the vicinity of the hinge portion;
A portable wireless device, wherein a ground portion of the first circuit board is electrically connected to a portion of the first casing made of the conductive material in the vicinity of the signal cable.   The ground portion of the first circuit board is connected to a portion made of the conductive material of the first casing through a conductive gasket in the vicinity of the signal cable. Item 2. A portable wireless device according to Item 1.   The ground portion of the first circuit board is connected to a portion made of the conductive material of the first casing through a conductive screw in the vicinity of the signal cable. Item 2. A portable wireless device according to Item 1.   2. The ground portion of the first circuit board in the vicinity of the signal cable is connected to a portion made of the conductive material of the first casing through a metal fitting. The portable wireless device described.   The ground portion of the first circuit board is connected to a portion made of the conductive material of the first casing through a metal spring in the vicinity of the signal cable. Item 2. A portable wireless device according to Item 1. A first unit including a first casing configured to include a conductive material and including a display unit on a first front surface;
A second unit including a non-conductive material and a second unit including an operation unit on a second front surface;
The first unit and the second unit are configured to be foldable via a hinge portion in a manner in which the first and second front faces face each other, and
A first circuit board provided in the first housing;
A second circuit board provided in the second housing and connected to the first circuit board via a signal cable disposed in the vicinity of the hinge portion;
Used in a portable wireless device including an antenna provided in the second casing and in the vicinity of the hinge portion;
Directivity of the antenna is improved by electrically connecting the ground portion of the first circuit board in the vicinity of the signal cable to a portion of the first casing made of the conductive material. The directivity improvement method characterized by this.   The directivity of the antenna is improved by preventing a current from being induced in the vicinity of the signal cable in the ground portion of the first circuit board by radio waves radiated from the antenna. Item 6. The directivity improving method according to Item 6.

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