JP2011055279A - Communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve receiving sensitivity of radiowave without increasing the size of an apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A communication apparatus has: a second housing 33; a liquid crystal panel 22 having a display surface 22a held by the second housing 33 and which can display a video; and an antenna module 24 having a transmission and reception surface 24c held by the second housing 33 and which can transmit and receive a wireless signal. The antenna module 24 is arranged to the second housing 33 in an inclined posture to adjacent two sides in internal phase of an outer side of a surface parallel to the display surface 22a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device.

  In recent years, notebook computers have been downsized in order to improve portability. In addition, notebook computers are increasingly equipped with communication circuits and antenna modules for connecting to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the like to perform wireless communication. Such an antenna module is often arranged in a liquid crystal display side housing in a notebook personal computer in order to stabilize transmission and reception of radio waves for wireless communication. By placing the antenna module on the liquid crystal display side housing, the antenna module is as high as possible when the liquid crystal display side housing is opened with respect to the main body side housing (housing with a keyboard, CPU, etc.). Since it can arrange | position to a position, transmission / reception of an electromagnetic wave can be stabilized (for example, refer patent document 1).

JP 2003-309499 A

  However, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to obtain high reception sensitivity depending on the direction of incoming radio waves. That is, the antenna module mounted on the notebook personal computer may be disposed at the position shown in FIG. 13 in order to improve the radio wave reception sensitivity as much as possible and to prevent the notebook personal computer from becoming large. Many. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a conventional notebook computer, and the antenna module 124 is disposed on the upper portion of the second main body 102 on which the liquid crystal display 104 is mounted. In the configuration shown in FIG. 13, the antenna module 124 is in a substantially horizontal position when the notebook computer is in a normal use state as shown in FIG. 13, so that radio waves propagating in the direction indicated by the arrow C1 can be received well. However, it is difficult to receive radio waves that propagate in the directions indicated by arrows C2 and C3.

  In order to increase the reception sensitivity, there are methods of increasing the number of antenna modules or increasing the size of the antenna mounted on the antenna module. However, there are problems that both increase the size of the device.

  The objective of this invention is providing the communication apparatus which can improve the receiving sensitivity of an electromagnetic wave, without enlarging an apparatus.

  The communication device of the present invention includes a housing, a display panel that is held by the housing and has a display surface capable of displaying an image, and an antenna module that is held by the housing and has a transmission / reception surface capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals. And the antenna module is disposed in the housing in an inclined posture with respect to two adjacent sides constituting a plane parallel to the display surface.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the receiving sensitivity of an electromagnetic wave can be improved, without enlarging an apparatus.

The perspective view of the notebook computer concerning Embodiment 1 The disassembled perspective view of the 2nd main body concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. A top view of the 2nd case concerning Embodiment 1 Sectional drawing of the ZZ part in FIG. The disassembled perspective view of the 2nd main body concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. A top view of the 2nd case concerning Embodiment 2 The principal part top view of the 2nd housing | casing concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. A top view of the modification of the 2nd case concerning Embodiment 2 End view of ZZ part in FIG. Plan view showing an arrangement example of antenna modules The top view which shows the modification of a 2nd housing | casing The principal part perspective view which shows the other example of arrangement | positioning of an antenna module Perspective view of a conventional notebook computer

  The communication device of the present invention includes a housing, a display panel that is held by the housing and has a display surface capable of displaying an image, and an antenna module that is held by the housing and has a transmission / reception surface capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals. And the antenna module is disposed in the housing in an inclined posture with respect to two adjacent sides constituting a plane parallel to the display surface.

  The communication apparatus of the present invention can take the following aspects based on the above-described configuration.

  In the communication apparatus of the present invention, the antenna module can include a plurality of antenna modules having different frequency bands of radio waves to be transmitted and received.

  In the communication device of the present invention, the antenna module may include a plurality of antenna modules having the same frequency band of radio waves to be transmitted and received.

  In the communication device of the present invention, the casing may be configured to be formed of an insulating material at least in the vicinity of the arrangement position of the antenna module. With such a configuration, it is possible to improve radio wave reception sensitivity in the antenna module. Furthermore, by forming the portion of the casing other than the non-conductive material with metal, it is possible to ensure the shock resistance of the casing.

  In the communication device of the present invention, the antenna module can be configured such that at least a part thereof is superimposed on the display panel. With such a configuration, the housing can be reduced in size, and the communication device can be reduced in size. Moreover, when maintaining the size of the housing, the size of the effective display area of the display panel can be increased.

  In the communication device of the present invention, the antenna module may be arranged near the end of the casing. With such a configuration, it is possible to improve radio wave reception sensitivity in the antenna module.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a notebook personal computer which is an example of a communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the notebook computer includes a first main body 1 including an electric circuit board on which an information processing circuit is mounted, a hard disk drive, and the like, and a second main body 2 including a liquid crystal display 4. Yes. The first main body 1 and the second main body 2 are rotatably supported by the hinge portion 3. By moving the second body 2 from the position shown in FIG. 1 (first state) in the direction indicated by the arrow A, the liquid crystal display 4 and the keyboard 5 are shifted to the second state in which they face each other. Can do. If the surface of the first main body 1 that faces the second main body 2 in the second state is defined as “upper side”, the upper surface 1a of the first main body 1 has a keyboard capable of inputting various characters. 5 and a pointing device 6 capable of moving the pointer displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 to a desired position. Information signals input / output from the keyboard 5 or the hard disk drive are subjected to predetermined processing by an information processing circuit (not shown), and converted into, for example, a display signal to be displayed on the liquid crystal display 4.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the second main body 2. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the second housing holding the antenna module as viewed from the bottom 33a side. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ZZ in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line passing through the antenna module 24 (described later), but the cross-sectional shape when broken along the line passing through the antenna module 25 (described later) is the same as FIG. Therefore, a cross-sectional view taken along a line passing through the antenna module 25 is omitted. FIG. 4 also shows the first housing 22 in order to clearly illustrate the positional relationship between the antenna module 24 and the first housing 21.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second main body 2 includes a first casing 21, a liquid crystal panel 22, a second casing 33, an antenna module 24, and an antenna module 25. In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the actual second main body 2 is provided with wiring for energizing the liquid crystal panel 22, but the drawing is omitted for clarity.

  The first housing 21 can be formed of resin or metal, and the thickness is reduced to about several millimeters in order to make the second body 2 thinner or smaller. The first housing 21 includes a frame portion 21a, an opening portion 21b, and a hinge cover 21g. The frame portion 21a forms the opening portion 21b, and the surface facing the second housing 23 in a state where the second main body 2 is assembled is defined as a “back surface”, and the back side of the back surface (see FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the surface facing the operator when the notebook computer is in the first state is defined as “surface”. The opening 21 b is formed so that an image displayed on the liquid crystal panel 22 can be viewed from the outside of the second main body 2. The hinge cover 21g is a part that covers the hinge mechanism, and is coupled to the first main body 1 via the hinge mechanism. The first casing 21 has no problem when the whole is made of an insulating material such as resin, because the antenna modules 24 and 25 are not electrically shielded. However, when the whole is made of metal, the antenna module is not used. 24 and 25 may be electrically shielded. When the first casing 21 is formed of metal, it is preferable that only the vicinity of the antenna holding portion 33f in the bottom portion 23a is formed of an insulating material (for example, hard plastic). With such a configuration, the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c of the antenna modules 24 and 25 are not electrically shielded, so that the transmission / reception characteristics of the antenna modules 24 and 25 can be improved.

  The liquid crystal panel 22 includes two glass plates containing liquid crystal, an electric circuit board that conducts current between the two glass plates, and the like, and can display an image based on an electric signal input from the outside. The display surface 22a is a surface on which an image is projected. The liquid crystal panel 22 corresponds to the liquid crystal display 4 shown in FIG.

  The second housing 33 can be formed of resin or metal, and is formed of magnesium in this embodiment in order to improve impact resistance. The second casing 33 is formed to be as thin as several millimeters in order to make the second main body 2 thinner or lighter. The second housing 33 includes a bottom 33a, a first side 33b, a second side 33c, a third side 33d, and a fourth side 33e. The bottom 33a is disposed opposite to the back surface of the liquid crystal panel 22 (the back surface of the display surface 22a). The first side portion 33b, the second side portion 33c, the third side portion 33d, and the fourth side portion 33e are erected on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 33a so as to surround the bottom portion 33a. The second side portion 33c is a side portion that is substantially parallel and closest to a line segment that connects the pair of hinge portions 3 (see FIG. 1). The 1st side part 33b is a side part formed in the position which is substantially parallel to the 2nd side part 33c, and opposes the 2nd side part 33c. The third side portion 33d and the fourth side portion 33e face each other, and both ends thereof are coupled to the first side portion 33b and the second side portion 33c. As shown in FIG. 4, the second housing 33 includes an antenna holding portion 33 f that can hold the antenna module 24. The antenna holding portion 33f is formed to be inclined so that the inclination angle θ11 with respect to the bottom portion 33a is less than 90 degrees. Although the bottom 33a is mainly formed of metal, as shown in FIG. 4 with hatching changed, only the vicinity of the antenna holding portion 33f may be formed of an insulating material (for example, hard plastic). preferable. With this configuration, the transmission / reception surface 24c of the antenna module 24 is not electrically shielded, so that the transmission / reception characteristics of the antenna module 24 can be improved. Although detailed description and illustration are omitted, it is preferable that the antenna module 25 side has the same configuration.

  In the first main body 2 in the present embodiment, since the bottom 33a is configured to be parallel to the display 22a, the inclination angle θ11 of the antenna holding part 33f is the same as that of the display 22a. . Although a detailed description is omitted, a configuration similar to that of the antenna holding portion 33f is provided in the vicinity of the intersection between the first side portion 33b and the fourth side portion 33e, and the center of the first side portion 33b and the second side portion 33b are provided. The antenna module 25 can be held symmetrically with the antenna module 24 with respect to a plane that connects the center of the side portion 33 c and is orthogonal to the second housing 33.

  The antenna module 24 has a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction supported by the antenna holding portion 33f, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are supported by the bottom portion 33a and the first side portion 33b, respectively. Therefore, the antenna module 24 is held by the second casing 33 in a posture inclined with respect to the bottom 33a. Although detailed explanation is omitted, the antenna module 25 can be held in the vicinity of the intersection of the first side portion 33b and the fourth side portion 33e with the same configuration as the antenna holding portion 33f. The antenna holding portion provided near the intersection of the first side portion 33b and the fourth side portion 33e can hold the antenna module 25 in a posture inclined at the same direction and at the same angle as the inclination direction of the antenna module 24. .

  In the antenna modules 24 and 25, antenna circuits (not shown) capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves are mounted on one side or both sides of resin substrates 24a and 25a. In this embodiment, as an example, an antenna circuit (not shown) is mounted on the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c which are one side of the antenna modules 24 and 25. In this embodiment, the two antenna modules 24 and 25 are provided. However, since the basic configuration is the same except that the two connectable networks are different, the antenna module 24 is mainly used in this specification. Based on The two antenna modules 24 and 25 can transmit and receive radio waves in different frequency bands, for example. For example, the antenna module 24 can transmit and receive wireless LAN radio waves, and the antenna module 25 can transmit and receive wireless WAN (Wide Area Network) radio waves. The types of radio waves that can be transmitted and received are not limited to the above, and may be radio waves that comply with the Bluetooth standard or radio waves that comply with the WiMAX standard, for example.

  Note that if a conductive material is applied in the vicinity of the place where the antenna modules 24 and 25 are disposed, particularly where the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c face each other, radio waves to be transmitted and received may be shielded. Therefore, it is preferable to apply an insulating material (for example, hard plastic) so that the hatching in the vicinity of the transmission / reception surface 24c of the second casing 33 in FIG. 4 is changed.

  When assembling the second main body 2, first, in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal panel 22 is first bonded and fixed to the back surface of the frame portion 21 a of the first housing 21 with an adhesive or the like. At this time, it arrange | positions so that all or one part of the effective display area of the display surface 22a may be prescribed | regulated by the opening part 21b of the 1st housing | casing 21. FIG. In other words, the liquid crystal panel 22 is arranged in the first housing 21 so that an image displayed on the display surface 22a can be viewed from the outside through the opening 21b.

  Next, the antenna module 24 is held in an antenna holding portion 33 f (see FIG. 4) formed in the second housing 33. Specifically, in the antenna module 24, one surface of the substrate 24a (the back surface of the transmission / reception surface 24c) abuts on the antenna holding portion 33f, and the corner portion 24d on the other surface (transmission / reception surface 24c) side of the substrate 24a is the first. The first casing 33 is in contact with the first side 33b, and the corner 24e is in contact with the bottom 33a. In the present embodiment, the corner portion 24d contacts the first side portion 33b over the entire region, and the corner portion 24e contacts the bottom portion 33a over the entire region. Therefore, the posture of the antenna module 24 when the second housing 33 is viewed from the front is as shown in FIG.

  Here, the surface of the antenna holding portion 33f that contacts the antenna module 24 is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the bottom 33a of the second housing 33, as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the antenna module 24 held by the antenna holding portion 33f has a longitudinal direction of the substrate 24a parallel to the first side portion 33b of the second casing 33, and its transmitting / receiving surface 24c is It is held by the second casing 33 in a posture inclined with respect to the bottom 33a (that is, a posture inclined only in the thickness direction of the second main body 2). Therefore, the antenna module 24 can efficiently receive radio waves propagating in the directions indicated by the arrows B11 and B12 as shown in FIG. Similarly, the antenna module 25 is also held by the second housing 33 in a posture in which the transmission / reception surface 25 c is inclined with respect to the bottom 33 a of the second housing 33. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the antenna holding portion 33f (same as the inclination angle with respect to the bottom portion 33a of the antenna modules 24 and 25) θ11 is about 45 degrees.

  With this configuration, the user opens the second main body 2 with respect to the first main body 1 without being strongly aware of the position and orientation of the notebook computer with respect to the radio wave source (access point, base station, etc.). Since wireless communication can be performed in such a normal use state, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the notebook personal computer is further improved. That is, the notebook computer is used in a posture (for example, about 100 to 120 degrees) in which the rotation angle of the second body 2 with respect to the first body 1 is larger than 90 degrees in the first state shown in FIG. Often done. When the rotation angle of the second main body 2 with respect to the first main body 1 is larger than 90 degrees, the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c approach a posture orthogonal to the direction indicated by the arrow B11 shown in FIG. Therefore, the radio wave propagating in the direction indicated by the arrow B11 shown in FIG. 4 can be received efficiently.

  In addition, since the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c are inclined with respect to the thickness direction of the second main body 2, the thickness of the second main body 2 is the same as that of the configuration in which the transmission / reception surfaces are arranged vertically. Then, the areas of the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c can be expanded, and the frequency band of radio waves that can be transmitted and received can be expanded. On the contrary, when the antenna modules 24 and 25 including the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c having the same area as the transmission / reception surface arranged vertically are applied, the thickness of the second main body 2 can be reduced.

  Note that the inclination angle of the antenna holding portion 33f (the same applies to the inclination angle between the transmission / reception surface 24c and the bottom portion 33a and the inclination angle between the transmission / reception surface 25c and the bottom portion 33a) is set to 45 degrees, but this is an example. For example, when the second main body 2 is often used in a posture in which the rotation angle of the second main body 2 with respect to the first main body 1 is 120 degrees, by setting the inclination angle θ11 to 30 degrees, the transmission / reception surfaces 24a and 25a are This is preferable from the viewpoint of improving the reception sensitivity because it is closer to the posture orthogonal to the direction indicated by the arrow B11 shown in FIG. The inclination angle θ11 is based on the assumption that the bottom 33a and the display surface 22a are parallel to each other. When the bottom 33a and the display surface 22a are not parallel, the inclination angle of the antenna holding portion 33f can be adjusted so that the antenna modules 24 and 25 approach a posture orthogonal to the direction indicated by the arrow B11 shown in FIG. preferable.

  Next, the first housing 21 and the second housing 33 are engaged with each other in a posture in which the back surface of the frame portion 21 a and the bottom portion 33 a of the second housing 33 face each other. The first casing 21 and the second casing 33 are engaged with each other by claw engagement for engaging a claw portion provided on one side and a concave portion provided on the other side, or adhesion by an adhesive. There are various methods such as engagement.

  According to the present embodiment, the antenna modules 24 and 25 are arranged in a posture in which the transmitting and receiving surfaces 24c and 25c are inclined with respect to the bottom 33a and the display surface 22a (when the display surface 22a and the bottom 33a are parallel). Thus, the range of receivable radio waves can be expanded as indicated by arrows B11 and B12 in FIG.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the antenna module 24 is arranged in a posture in which the transmitting / receiving surface 24c is inclined with respect to the bottom 33a and the display surface 22a, so that the direction indicated by the arrow B11, the direction indicated by the arrow B12, and those The radio wave reception sensitivity can be increased. The same applies to the antenna module 25. Accordingly, since the user can perform wireless communication without being strongly aware of the position and orientation of the notebook computer with respect to the radio wave source (access point, base station, etc.), the degree of freedom in arranging the notebook computer is improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the antenna modules 24 and 25 and the liquid crystal panel 22 do not overlap with each other by arranging the corner portions 24d of the antenna module 24 so as to be in contact with the first side portion 32b. can do. Therefore, the size of the effective display area of the liquid crystal panel 22 can be increased without increasing the size of the second main body 2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a part of the antenna modules 24 and 25 (on the side of the corner 24e) can be placed under the liquid crystal panel 22, so that the liquid crystal panel 22 can be placed on the first side 33b. The effective display area of the liquid crystal panel 22 can be increased in size without increasing the thickness of the second main body 2.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the second main body 2 in the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the second housing holding the antenna module as viewed from the bottom surface 23a side. FIG. 7 is a plan view of an essential part in the vicinity of the intersection of the first side portion and the third side portion in the second casing. In addition, since the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment uses the notebook computer shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the description of the notebook computer with reference to FIG. 1 is omitted.

  The difference in configuration between the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment and the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment is the arrangement of the antenna modules 24 and 25. The configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second main body 2 includes a first housing 21, a liquid crystal panel 22, a second housing 23, an antenna module 24, and an antenna module 25. In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the actual second main body 2 includes a wiring for energizing the liquid crystal panel 22, but the drawing is omitted for clarity. In FIG. 5, the same components as those shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The second housing 23 can be formed of resin or metal, and is formed of magnesium in this embodiment in order to improve impact resistance. The second casing 23 is formed to be as thin as several millimeters in order to make the second main body 2 thinner or lighter. The second housing 23 includes a bottom 23a, a first side 23b, a second side 23c, a third side 23d, and a fourth side 23e. The bottom 23a is disposed opposite to the back surface of the liquid crystal panel 22 (the back surface of the display surface 22a). The first side part 23b, the second side part 23c, the third side part 23d, and the fourth side part 23e are erected on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom part 23a so as to surround the bottom part 23a. The second side portion 23c is a side portion that is substantially parallel and closest to a line segment that connects the pair of hinge portions 3 (see FIG. 1). The 1st side part 23b is a side part formed in the position which is substantially parallel to the 2nd side part 23c, and opposes the 2nd side part 23c. The third side portion 23d and the fourth side portion 23e face each other, and both ends thereof are coupled to the first side portion 23b and the second side portion 23c, respectively. The bottom portion 23a is mainly formed of metal, but it is preferable to form the insulating portion (for example, hard plastic) only in the vicinity of the antenna holding portion 23f. With this configuration, the transmission / reception surface 24c of the antenna module 24 is not electrically shielded, so that the transmission / reception characteristics of the antenna module 24 can be improved. Although detailed description and illustration are omitted, it is preferable that the antenna module 25 side has the same configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the second housing 23 includes an antenna holding portion 23 f that can hold the antenna module 24. The antenna module 24 has a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction supported by the antenna holding portion 23f, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are supported by the bottom portion 23a and the first side portion 23b, respectively. Therefore, the antenna holding portion 23f is configured to connect the antenna module 24 to the first side portion 23b and the third side portion 23d in the vicinity of the intersection of the first side portion 23b and the third side portion 23d as shown in FIGS. It can hold | maintain with the attitude | position inclined with respect to 2 side part 23d.

  In addition, although the material applied to the 1st side part 23b and the 3rd side part 23d can also be applied with a metal, when it forms with a metal, since the antenna modules 24 and 25 are electrically shielded, in FIG. In the vicinity of the illustrated antenna module 24, it is preferable to form it with an insulating material (for example, hard plastic). The vicinity of the antenna module 25 is preferably configured similarly.

  Although not described in detail, a configuration similar to that of the antenna holding portion 23f is provided in the vicinity of the intersection of the first side portion 23b and the fourth side portion 23e. The antenna module 25 can be held symmetrically with the antenna module 24 with respect to a plane that connects the center of the second side portion 23 c and is orthogonal to the second housing 23.

  In the antenna modules 24 and 25, antenna circuits (not shown) capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves are mounted on one side or both sides of resin substrates 24a and 25a. In this embodiment, as an example, an antenna circuit (not shown) is mounted on the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c which are one side of the antenna modules 24 and 25. As shown in FIG. 7, a cable 24b is connected to the antenna substrate 24a. A reception signal received by the antenna module 24 is sent to an electric circuit board (not shown) built in the first main body 1 or the second main body 2 via the cable 24b. Further, a transmission signal sent from an electric circuit board (not shown) built in the first main body 1 or the second main body 2 is sent to the antenna module 24 via the cable 24b. In this embodiment, the two antenna modules 24 and 25 are provided. However, since the basic configuration is the same except that the two connectable networks are different, the antenna module 24 is mainly used in this specification. Based on The two antenna modules 24 and 25 can transmit and receive radio waves in different frequency bands, for example. For example, the antenna module 24 can transmit and receive wireless LAN radio waves, and the antenna module 25 can transmit and receive wireless WAN (Wide Area Network) radio waves. The types of radio waves that can be transmitted and received are not limited to the above, and may be radio waves that comply with the Bluetooth standard or radio waves that comply with the WiMAX standard, for example.

  In the second casing 23, when a conductive material is applied in the vicinity of the place where the antenna modules 24 and 25 are disposed, particularly where the transmitting and receiving surfaces 24c and 25c face each other, there is a possibility that radio waves to be transmitted and received are shielded. Therefore, as described above, in the second casing 23, it is preferable to apply an insulating material (for example, hard plastic) to the portion where the transmitting / receiving surfaces 24c and 25c of the antenna modules 24 and 25 face each other.

  When assembling the second main body 2, first, the liquid crystal panel 22 is bonded and fixed to the back surface of the frame portion 21 a of the first housing 21 with an adhesive or the like. At this time, all or part of the effective display area of the display surface 22 a is arranged so as to be defined by the opening 21 b of the first housing 21. In other words, the liquid crystal panel 22 is arranged in the first housing 21 so that an image displayed on the display surface 22a can be viewed from the outside through the opening 21b.

  Next, the antenna module 24 is held in the antenna holding portions 23f, 23g, and 23h formed in the second casing 23. Specifically, the antenna module 24 is sandwiched by one surface of the substrate 24a contacting the antenna holding portion 23f and the other surface (transmission / reception surface 24c) of the substrate 24a contacting the antenna holding portions 23g and 23h. The Here, the surfaces of the antenna holding portions 23f to 23h that are in contact with the antenna module 24 are formed so as to be perpendicular to the bottom portion 23a of the second housing 23 (the display surface 22a of the liquid crystal panel 22 and the second surface 23a). 2) When the bottom 23a of the housing 23 is parallel. Therefore, the antenna module 24 held by the antenna holding portions 23f to 23h is held by the second casing 23 in a posture in which the transmission / reception surface 24c is perpendicular to the bottom portion 23a. Similarly, the antenna module 25 is held by an antenna holding portion formed in the vicinity of the intersection of the first side portion 23b and the fourth side portion 23e in the second casing 23. The antenna module 25 also has a transmission / reception surface 25c perpendicular to the bottom 23a of the second housing 23, and the second housing 23 has the center of the first side 23b and the second side 23c. Is held symmetrically with respect to the antenna module 24 with respect to a plane orthogonal to the second housing 23. The “vertical” described above is not limited to the angle between the bottom 23a and the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c being 90 degrees. For example, mechanical backlash between the antenna module 24 and the antenna holding portions 23f to 23h In addition, the case where the angle between the bottom 23a and the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c is greater than 90 degrees or less than 90 degrees is included depending on variations in processing accuracy of the antenna holding portions 23f to 23h. For example, the case where the angle between the bottom 23a and the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c is 80 to 100 degrees can be included in the “vertical”.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the antenna modules 24 and 25 are held by the second casing 23 in a posture inclined with respect to the first side portion 23b, for example. Note that the inclination angle θ1 with respect to the first side portion 23b of the antenna module 24 and the inclination angle θ2 with respect to the first side portion 23b of the antenna module 25 are 45 degrees in the present embodiment. By setting the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 to 45 degrees, respectively, the reception sensitivity of the radio wave propagating in the direction substantially orthogonal to the first side portion 23b (the direction indicated by the arrow B1 or B3 in FIG. 6), and the third The reception sensitivities of radio waves propagating in a direction substantially orthogonal to the side portion 23d (the direction indicated by the arrow B2 or B4 in FIG. 6) can be made substantially equal, and are propagated in the directions indicated by the arrows B1 to B4. Radio waves can be received well. Note that the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 are 45 degrees as an example. Further, “45 degrees” that is the values of the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 is 45 due to, for example, mechanical backlash between the antenna module 24 and the antenna holding portions 23f to 23h, or variations in processing accuracy of the antenna holding portions 23f to 23h. Including the case of around the degree.

  Next, the first housing 21 and the second housing 23 are engaged with each other in a posture in which the back surface of the frame portion 21a and the bottom portion 23a of the second housing 23 face each other. The first housing 21 and the second housing 23 can be engaged with each other by claw engagement for engaging a claw portion provided on one side and a concave portion provided on the other side, or adhesion by an adhesive. There are various methods such as engagement.

  In the laptop computer configured as described above, the antenna module 24 is inclined with respect to the first side 23b as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the transmission / reception surface 24c is with respect to the bottom 23a and the display surface 22a. Since it is arranged in a substantially vertical posture, the radio wave propagates in a direction substantially orthogonal to the first side portion 23b as shown by the arrow B1, and the third side portion 23d as shown by the arrow B2. Radio waves propagating in directions substantially orthogonal to each other and radio waves propagating between the arrows B1 and B2 (for example, radio waves passing through the intersection of the first side portion 23b and the third side portion 23d and the vicinity thereof). be able to.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the antenna module 25 is inclined with respect to the first side portion 23b, the third side portion 23d, and the fourth side portion 23e, and the transmission / reception surface 25c is the bottom portion 23a. And a radio wave propagating in a direction substantially orthogonal to the first side portion 23b as shown by an arrow B3, and as shown by an arrow B4. Radio wave propagating in a direction substantially orthogonal to the four side portions 23e and radio waves propagating between the arrows B3 and B4 (for example, the intersection of the first side portion 23b and the fourth side portion 23e and the vicinity thereof) Can be received).

  Further, since the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c are inclined with respect to the first side portion 23b, the third side portion 23d, and the fourth side portion 23e, the longitudinal directions of the reception surfaces 24c and 25c are The frequency band of radio waves that can be transmitted and received can be expanded.

  According to the present embodiment, the antenna modules 24 and 25 are inclined with respect to, for example, the first side 23b of the second casing 23, and the transmission / reception surface 24c is substantially perpendicular to the bottom 23a and the display surface 22a. By arranging in such a posture (when the display surface 22a and the bottom 23a are parallel), the range of receivable radio waves can be expanded as shown by arrows B1 to B4 in FIG.

  That is, the antenna module 24 is arranged in a posture in which the substrate 24a is parallel to the first side portion 23b and the transmission / reception surface 24c is parallel to the first side portion 23b (see, for example, FIG. 13). ) Has high reception sensitivity of radio waves propagating in the direction indicated by arrow B1, but low reception sensitivity of radio waves propagating in the direction indicated by arrow B2. In the present embodiment, the antenna module 24 is inclined with respect to the first side portion 23b, and the transmitting / receiving surface 24c is arranged in a posture that is perpendicular to the bottom portion 23a and the display surface 22a. The direction, the direction indicated by the arrow B2, and the radio wave reception sensitivity between them can be increased. Similarly, the antenna module 25 is arranged in a posture that is inclined with respect to the first side portion 23b and the transmission / reception surface 25c is perpendicular to the bottom portion 23a and the display surface 22a. The direction shown in B4 and the radio wave reception sensitivity between them can be increased. Accordingly, since the user can perform wireless communication without being strongly aware of the position and orientation of the notebook computer with respect to the radio wave source (access point, base station, etc.), the degree of freedom in arranging the notebook computer is improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the radio wave reception sensitivity without increasing the number of antenna modules or increasing the size of the antenna module.

  In the present embodiment, the antenna module 24 and the antenna module 25 can transmit and receive radio waves in different frequency bands, but may be capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves in the same frequency band. With such a configuration, the transmission / reception range of radio waves in one frequency band can be expanded. That is, radio waves in the directions indicated by arrows B1 to B4 in FIG. 6 can be transmitted and received for radio waves in one frequency band.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the antenna modules 24 and 25 and the liquid crystal panel 22 (broken line in the figure) are arranged so as not to overlap in the thickness direction of the second casing 23. As shown, the antenna modules 24 and 25 and the liquid crystal panel 22 (broken line in the figure) may be arranged so as to overlap in the thickness direction of the second housing 23. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modification of the second housing 23 according to the present embodiment, as viewed from the bottom surface 23a side of the second housing 23. FIG. FIG. 9 is an end view of the ZZ portion in FIG. The antenna modules 24 and 25 in this modified example are arranged side by side in the thickness direction of the liquid crystal panel 22 as shown in FIG. 9 (only the antenna module 25 is shown in FIG. 9), and at least partly overlaps the liquid crystal panel 22. did. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the area of the frame portion 21a of the first casing 21 and increase the area of the opening 21b while maintaining the size of the second main body 2. Therefore, the area of the effective display area of the liquid crystal panel 22 can be enlarged. Alternatively, while maintaining the area of the effective display area of the liquid crystal panel 22, the area of the frame portion 21a when the second main body 2 is viewed from the position facing the display surface 22a is reduced, and the first casing 21 is reduced. The second body 2 can be reduced in size.

  Although the bottom 23a is mainly formed of metal, as shown in FIG. 9 with changing hatching, only the vicinity of the antenna holding portion 23f is formed of an insulating material (for example, hard plastic). It is preferable. With this configuration, the transmission / reception surface 25c of the antenna module 25 is not electrically shielded, so that the transmission / reception characteristics of the antenna module 25 can be improved. Although detailed description and illustration are omitted, it is preferable that the antenna module 24 side has the same configuration.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the antenna module 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the intersection of the first side portion 23b and the third side portion 23d, and the antenna module 25 is disposed in the first side portion 23b and the fourth side portion. Although it arrange | positions in the intersection vicinity with 23e, as shown in FIG. 10, you may arrange | position in another position. In FIG. 10, the antenna module 26 and the antenna module 27 are an example in which the antenna module 26 and the antenna module 27 are arranged in the vicinity of the first side portion 23b and in the approximate center in the longitudinal direction of the first side portion 23b. The antenna module 28 is an example in which the antenna module 28 is disposed in the vicinity of the intersection of the second side portion 23c and the third side portion 23d. The antenna module 29 is an example in which the antenna module 29 is disposed in the vicinity of the intersection of the second side portion 23c and the fourth side portion 23e. As shown in FIG. 10, at least a part of the antenna modules 26 and 27 overlaps the liquid crystal panel 22, and the positional relationship in the thickness direction of the second main body 2 is, for example, the arrangement shown in FIG. Do the same. That is, the antenna modules 26 and 27 and the liquid crystal panel 22 are arranged so as to overlap in the thickness direction of the second main body 2. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the antenna modules 26 and 27 and the liquid crystal panel 22 from interfering with each other.

  In the present embodiment, the second casing 23 is formed of a metal such as magnesium. However, it is preferable that at least the vicinity of the antenna modules 24 and 25 be formed of a nonconductor such as a resin. FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a modification of the second housing, as viewed from the bottom surface 43a of the second housing 43. FIG. The second housing 43 shown in FIG. 11 has the same shape as the second housing 23 described above, but joins a non-conductive portion 43g formed of resin and a metal portion 43h formed of magnesium. This is different from the second housing 23 described above. The nonconductor portion 43g is disposed in a portion of the second housing 43 that overlaps at least the antenna modules 24 and 25. With such a configuration, it is possible to improve the radio wave transmission / reception sensitivity of the antenna modules 24 and 25 in the non-conductor portion 43g while securing the strength of the second housing 43 in the metal portion 43h. The non-conductor portion 43g is a part of the bottom portion 43a, a part of the first side part 43b, a part of the third side part 43d, and a part of the fourth side part 43e. The metal part 43h is a part of the bottom part 43a, a second side part 43c, a part of the third side part 43d, and a part of the fourth side part 43e.

  In the present embodiment, the antenna modules 24 and 25 are held by the second casing 23 in a posture perpendicular to the bottom 23a of the second casing 23 or the display surface 22a of the liquid crystal panel 22. However, it is preferable that the second casing 23 be held in a posture that is perpendicular to the display surface 22 a of the liquid crystal panel 22. That is, by setting the antenna modules 24 and 25 to be in a posture perpendicular to the display surface 22a, the angle of the display surface 22a when the user is using the notebook computer in the first state shown in FIG. Therefore, it is easy to grasp the postures of the antenna modules 24 and 25.

  In the present embodiment, the antenna modules 24 and 25 are arranged so that the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c are perpendicular to the bottom 23a and the display surface 22a of the second housing 23 (the display surfaces 22a and 23a). In the case where the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c are inclined with respect to the bottom 23a (that is, the display of the liquid crystal panel 22 in the second main body 2). (The posture inclined in parallel to the surface 22a and two adjacent sides constituting the outline of the display surface 22a and the thickness direction of the second main body 2) in the second casing 23. Can do. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a main part showing another arrangement example of the antenna module 24. The antenna module 24 shown in FIG. 12 is held by the second housing 23 in a posture in which the transmission / reception surface 24 c is inclined with respect to the bottom 23 a of the second housing 23. In the antenna module 24, the back surface (the back surface of the transmission / reception surface 24c) at the approximate center in the longitudinal direction is in contact with the antenna holding portion 23i, and the corner portions 24d at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the transmission / reception surface 24c are respectively the first side portion 23b and the first side portion 23b. By being in contact with the third side portion 23d, it is held by the second casing 23 (of the corner portions 24d at both ends, the corner portions that can contact the third side portion 23d are not shown). The antenna holding portion 23i is formed to be inclined with respect to the bottom portion 23a. The inclination angle of the antenna holding portion 23i is about 45 degrees. Therefore, the antenna module 24 held by the antenna holding portion 23i is held by the second casing 23 in a posture in which the angle between the transmission / reception surface 24c and the bottom portion 23a is about 45 degrees. Although not shown, the antenna module 25 is similarly held by the second casing 23 in a posture inclined at an inclination angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the bottom 23a.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the transmitting / receiving surface 25c of the antenna module 25 is arranged in the thickness direction of the second housing 23 (in FIG. 12, the first side portion 23b and the third side portion 23d). And the side 23j) coupled to each other are also inclined (not shown, but the antenna module 24 has the same configuration). It is also possible to arrange the antenna modules 25 and 24 so as to overlap with each other (that is, arrange the antenna modules 25 and 24 partially under the corners of the liquid crystal panel 22). When this configuration is adopted, the liquid crystal panel 22 having an effective display area that is wide by an area superimposed on the transmission / reception surface 25c can be applied, or a direction parallel to and perpendicular to the hinge axis in the pair of hinge portions 3 Since the length of the second main body 2 can be shortened, the second main body 2 can be downsized.

  Further, by tilting the antenna modules 24 and 25 in the thickness direction of the second casing 23, the thickness of the second casing 23 can be further reduced as compared with the configuration in which the antenna modules are arranged in the orthogonal direction. The second main body 2 can be further downsized. If the thickness of the second casing 23 is the same as the case where the antenna modules are arranged in the orthogonal direction, it is possible to increase the length of the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c of the antenna modules 24 and 25 in the short direction, The frequency band transmitted and received by the antenna modules 24 and 25 can also be expanded.

  Further, with this configuration, the user can perform wireless communication without being strongly aware of the position and orientation of the notebook computer with respect to the radio wave source (access point, base station, etc.). The degree of freedom of arrangement is further improved. That is, in the first state shown in FIG. 1, the notebook personal computer has a posture in which the rotation angle of the second housing 2 with respect to the first housing 1 is larger than 90 degrees (for example, about 100 to 120 degrees). Often used in. When the rotation angle of the second housing 2 with respect to the first housing 1 is larger than 90 degrees, the antenna modules 24 and 25 are in a posture orthogonal to the directions indicated by arrows B1 to B4 shown in FIG. Get closer to. Therefore, radio waves propagating in the directions indicated by arrows B1 to B4 shown in FIG. 6 can be received efficiently. The inclination angle between the transmission / reception surface 24c and the bottom portion 23a and the inclination angle between the transmission / reception surface 25c and the bottom portion 23a are 45 degrees, but this is only an example. For example, when the second housing 2 is often used in a posture in which the rotation angle of the second housing 2 with respect to the first housing 1 is 120 degrees, the inclination angle between the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c and the bottom 23a is 30 degrees. Therefore, the transmission / reception surfaces 24a and 25a are further closer to the posture orthogonal to the directions indicated by arrows B1 to B4 shown in FIG. 6, which is preferable from the viewpoint of improving reception sensitivity. The inclination angle between the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c and the bottom 23a is based on the assumption that the bottom 23a and the display surface 22a are parallel. When the bottom 23a and the display surface 22a are not parallel, the transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c and the display surface 22a are arranged so that the antenna modules 24 and 25 approach a posture orthogonal to the directions indicated by arrows B1 to B4 shown in FIG. It is preferable to adjust the inclination angle.

  In this embodiment, a notebook computer is used as an example of a communication device. However, the present invention is not limited to a notebook computer as long as it is a device having at least an antenna module. Examples of the communication device include a notebook computer, a display device such as a liquid crystal display device and a plasma display device, a portable game machine, a mobile phone terminal, and a portable medical device.

  Further, the liquid crystal display 4 and the liquid crystal panel 22 in the present embodiment are examples of the display panel of the present invention. The display surface 22a in the present embodiment is an example of the display surface of the present invention. The antenna modules 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29 in the present embodiment are examples of the antenna module of the present invention. The transmission / reception surfaces 24c and 25c in the present embodiment are examples of the transmission / reception surface of the present invention.

  The communication device of the present invention is useful for a device incorporating an antenna module.

21 First housing 22 Liquid crystal panel 23, 33 Second housing 24, 25 Antenna module

Claims (6)

A housing,
A display panel that is held by the housing and has a display surface capable of displaying an image;
An antenna module having a transmission / reception surface that is held in the housing and capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals;
The communication device, wherein the transmission / reception surface is arranged in the housing in an inclined posture with respect to two adjacent sides that constitute a surface parallel to the display surface.   The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna module includes a plurality of transmission / reception surfaces having different frequency bands of radio waves to be transmitted / received.   The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna module includes a plurality of transmission / reception surfaces having the same frequency band of radio waves to be transmitted / received.   The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the casing is formed of an insulating material at least in the vicinity of an arrangement position of the antenna module.   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the antenna module is superimposed on the display panel.   The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna module is disposed in the vicinity of an end of the housing.

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