JP2013527689A - Antenna device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna device and a method for manufacturing the antenna device are provided. A method of manufacturing an antenna device includes a first step of incorporating a metal sheet into a plastic body by insert molding, partially exposing the metal sheet to the plastic body, and forming a housing member; Forming an antenna pattern on the plastic body, which may be used to deposit metal thereon, a second step, and placing the housing member in a chemical plating solution containing metal ions Metal ions are reduced and deposited on the antenna pattern to form a metal layer antenna, and at the same time provide a power supply and the power supply anode is partially exposed to the plastic body Connect to the metal sheet, connect the cathode of the power supply to the electrode in the chemical plating solution, apply a positive voltage to the metal sheet, and reduce the metal ions. Metal layer formed Te is, so as to avoid being deposited on the surface of the metal sheet, and a third step.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present application relates to an antenna device and a method for manufacturing the antenna device, and more specifically, avoiding that a metal layer formed by chemical plating is deposited on a metal sheet partially exposed to a plastic body. The present invention relates to an antenna device and a manufacturing method thereof.

  Plastic is widely used in the outer housing of electronic products and has the advantage of being easily formed and may be produced on a large scale. For example, the outer housing of a portable electronic device is made primarily from plastic.

  However, since the size of the electronic product is becoming smaller, the thickness of the outer casing of the electronic product is also reduced. Therefore, in order to improve the structural strength of the plastic outer housing, the plastic outer housing is now mainly built with a metal sheet so as to improve the strength of the plastic outer housing that can withstand impacts from external forces. It is.

  For example, Taiwanese Patent Publication No. 20000091570 discloses a protective outer housing for a wireless transmission device that includes a plurality of metal sheets therein, thereby improving its strength. In addition, the above-mentioned Taiwan Patent Publication No. 20091570 also discloses that the provision of a plurality of metal sheets in the protective outer housing has the following advantages. That is, (1) the metal sheet may be used as a decorative feature, (2) the metal sheet may function as a functional feature, for example, a button of a metal material, that is, in the structure The above metal sheet will be exposed to the protective outer casing so as to achieve the function of metallic luster decoration or the function of the operation interface button.

  On the other hand, laser direct structuring (LDS) has been gradually applied to the production of traces on plastic outer housings. The manufacturing process of laser direct structuring first provides an outer housing for shot molding, formed by curing a thermoplastic material by one shot molding, and then metallized by laser. The activation nuclei form an activation region on the inner wall surface of the outer housing, which may be used to catalyze physical or chemical reactions. Then, a metal is formed in the activated region to form a trace by a metallization process, for example, chemical plating.

Therefore, when the above-described process of laser direct structuring is performed on a plastic outer casing having a metal sheet, metal ions in chemical plating are exposed on the surface of the metal sheet exposed to the plastic outer casing. This causes a reduction reaction, so that a metal layer formed by chemical plating is deposited on the surface of the metal sheet exposed to the plastic outer housing, thereby causing the following problems.
(1) Since the adhesion between the metal layer formed by chemical plating and the surface of the metal sheet exposed to the plastic outer casing is not good, the deposited metal layer is the surface of the metal sheet. The metal particles or powder may scatter into the interior space of the electronic product, causing the circuit board traces inside the electronic product to short-circuit. May form.
(2) As a viewpoint of said (1), since the adhesive force between the metal layer formed by chemical plating and the surface of a metal sheet is not favorable, the metal layer formed by chemical plating is wrinkled. It may form a rough, rough or peeled surface, whereby the metal sheet loses its decorative function.

  In view of the prior art problems in actual implementation, the inventor of the present application has gained experience from years of related industrial implementation efforts, carefully studied, rationally designed and A structure that effectively ameliorates these problems is carefully and ultimately provided.

  The main purpose of the present application is to provide an antenna device and a manufacturing method thereof, in which the concept of reverse reaction of electroplating is adopted, and a plastic body is applied so that a positive voltage is applied to a metal sheet. When the anode of the external power supply device is connected to the metal sheet, which is incorporated in and partially exposed to it, thereby carrying out chemical plating of the metal layer, It is possible to avoid problems caused by depositing metallic materials on the substrate. That is, there is no deposition of a metal layer formed by chemical plating on the metal sheet that is partially exposed to the plastic body, so that the decoration is still maintained with respect to the metal sheet. Furthermore, the present application can also solve the short circuit problem caused by the stripped metal layer as described in the prior art.

  To achieve the above object, the present application provides an antenna device, wherein the antenna device is placed in a plastic body to form a plastic body having an antenna pattern thereon and a housing member. A metal sheet embedded and partially exposed to the plastic body and a metal layer deposited on the antenna pattern by chemical plating to form an antenna, the metal layer being deposited by chemical plating Then, the metal sheet partially exposed to the plastic body is applied to the anode of the power supply so as to apply a positive voltage to the metal sheet and avoid the metal layer being deposited on the surface of the metal sheet. Connected.

  The present application further provides a method of manufacturing an antenna device. A method for manufacturing an antenna device includes a first step of incorporating a metal sheet into a plastic body by insert molding so as to form a housing member, and partially exposing the metal sheet to the plastic body; A second step of forming an antenna pattern on the plastic body, which may be used to deposit metal thereon, and placing the housing member in a chemical plating solution containing metal ions, Reduced and deposited on the antenna pattern to form a metal layer antenna, simultaneously providing a power supply, applying a positive voltage to the metal sheet, and a metal layer formed by reduction of metal ions, In order to avoid depositing on the surface of the metal sheet, the anode of the power supply is placed on a metal sheet that is partially exposed to the plastic body. Connect to preparative, including cathode power supply, and a third step of connecting the electrodes of a chemical plating solution.

  The present application has the following beneficial effects. When metal ions in chemical plating undergo a reduction reaction, the metal ions in chemical plating are not deposited on the metal sheet partially exposed on the plastic body, but on the antenna pattern of the plastic body. By only providing a positive voltage to the metal sheet that is partially exposed to the plastic body using an external power supply to deposit, the decorative form provided by the metal sheet can be maintained, In addition, it is possible to avoid short-circuit defects caused by the problem of adhesion between the metal layer deposited by chemical plating and the metal sheet.

  For a better understanding of the features and technical contents of the present application, refer to the following detailed description and the drawings associated with the present application. However, the drawings are for reference and explanation purposes only and are not used to limit the present application.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing that a metal sheet is incorporated into a plastic body to form a housing member according to the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing that a plastic body has an antenna pattern that can be used to deposit metal thereon according to the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing that a metal layer is formed on an antenna pattern according to the present application. It is a schematic exploded perspective view which shows that the antenna device of this application, a circuit board, and a conductor element are assembled together. It is a schematic assembly perspective view which shows that the antenna device of this application, a circuit board, and a conductor element are assembled together. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating that chemical plating is performed on the housing member and the power supply anode is connected to a metal sheet in accordance with the present application.

In the drawings, reference numerals are referred to as follows.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case member 10 Plastic main body 101 Antenna pattern 102 Inner surface 103 Outer surface 11 Metal sheet 12 Metal layer 20 Circuit board 201 Trace 21 Conductive element 30 Power supply 301 Electrode 302 Bracket 40 Chemical plating solution

  The present application provides an antenna device and a method for manufacturing the same, which in a conventional process results from depositing a metal layer formed by chemical plating on exposed portions of a metal sheet that is incorporated into a plastic body. Problems such as poor adhesion between the metal layer deposited by chemical plating and the metal sheet, causing the metal layer to fall off, resulting in a short circuit or contaminating the inside of the device, etc. Can solve the problem.

  The manufacturing method of the antenna device according to the first embodiment of the present application includes the following steps.

  First, in the first step, the metal sheet 11 is partially exposed to the plastic body 10 so as to form the housing member 1 by incorporating the metal sheet 11 into the plastic body 10 by insert molding. (See also FIG. 1).

  In the present embodiment, the housing member 1 may be a rear cover of a mobile communication device, for example, a rear cover of a mobile phone, but is not limited to the above, and the housing member 1 is first formed by insert molding. The metal sheet 11 is incorporated into the plastic main body 10 and exposed to the plastic main body 10 so as to form the rear cover of the mobile phone. That is, the metal sheet 11 may be stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant metal, but is made of plastic by insert molding so as to form the casing member 1 having high strength and decoration or having an electromagnetic shielding effect. It is firmly assembled in the main body 10.

  Meanwhile, the plastic body 10 is modified by a laser to form an antenna pattern (see also FIG. 1A) that may be used to deposit metal thereon, A plastic material containing a metal, a metal catalyst, or an organic thereof, which may be modified by a laser to form an activated region having a metallized activated nucleus, and thus an activated region These activated nuclei will promote physical or chemical reactions.

  The second step is then to form on the plastic body 10 an antenna pattern 101 (see also FIG. 1A) that may be used to deposit metal thereon. Specifically, in this step, the conductive metal material is directly deposited and adhered on the activated region of the plastic body 10 so as to form an antenna capable of receiving signals in the next step. In order to form an activation region (ie, antenna pattern 101), a predetermined region on the surface of the plastic body 10 is modified by a laser. The antenna pattern 101 is not in contact with the metal sheet 11 so as to avoid a subsequent step of applying a positive voltage from the outside that affects the reaction of metal deposition on the antenna pattern 101 by chemical plating. Please keep in mind.

  Next, referring to FIG. 1B in conjunction with FIG. 4, the third step is to arrange the casing member 1 in a chemical plating solution 40 containing metal ions, reduce the metal ions, and to form the antenna of the metal layer 12. At the same time, a positive voltage is applied to the metal sheet 11 and a metal layer 12 formed by reduction of metal ions is deposited on the surface of the metal sheet 11. In order to avoid this, the power supply device 30 is provided, the anode of the power supply device 30 is connected to the metal sheet 11 partially exposed on the plastic body 10, and the cathode of the power supply device 30 is connected to the chemical plating solution. 40 to the electrode 301 in 40.

  In this way, this step can be performed by a metal deposition technique, such as chemical plating (also referred to as electroless plating), to form an antenna of a metal layer 12 that may receive signals. Is directly deposited on the antenna pattern 101 of the plastic body 10 and adhered. For example, the chemical plating solution 40 may include at least copper ions to deposit a copper metal layer 12 so as to form an antenna that receives signals. Further, for example, the chemical plating solution 40 may include at least nickel ions to deposit a nickel metal layer 12 to form an antenna for receiving signals. However, it is not limited to the above.

  On the other hand, the metal ions in the chemical plating solution 40 can also be deposited on the surface of the metal sheet 11 partially exposed to the plastic body 10 during the reduction process. In FIG. 2, by using the power supply device 30 to provide a positive voltage to the metal sheet 11 partially exposed to the plastic body 10, the metal sheet 11 partially exposed to the plastic body 10 is Cause the reverse reaction of electroplating. Specifically, in the present application, in order to cause an oxidation reaction to deposit on the metal sheet 11 that is partially exposed to the plastic body 10, the metal sheet 11 that is partially exposed to the plastic body 10 is used. The anode of the power supply device 30 is connected to the metal sheet 11 partially exposed to the plastic body 10 so that a positive voltage of about 0.4 V is applied, and the cathode of the power supply device 30 is connected to the chemical plating solution 40. The metal layer 12 deposited on the surface of the metal sheet 11 connected to the electrode 301 therein and partially exposed to the plastic body 10 by chemical plating is returned to the ionic state, and as a result, There is no deposition of the metal layer 12 formed by chemical plating on the surface of the metal sheet 11 partially exposed to the plastic body 10. As shown in FIG. 4, in the present application, the eight housing members 1 are once assembled using the bracket 302, and the distal end of the bracket 302 is connected to the anode of the power supply device 30 so as to perform production in batch. Also good.

  Therefore, the first specific embodiment of the present application is to manufacture an antenna device by laser direct structuring, that is, the housing member 1 is an outer housing by laser direct structuring, It comprises a plastic body 10 and a metal sheet 11 formed by insert molding, in which an activation region (ie antenna pattern 101) is formed on the plastic body 10 by means of a laser and then the metal layer 12 The antenna is formed by depositing a metal material on the activated region by chemical plating. Further, a positive voltage is applied to the metal sheet 11 using the external power supply device 30 simultaneously with the chemical plating so that the metal deposited by the chemical plating does not cover the surface of the metal sheet 11.

  The manufacturing method of the antenna device according to the second specific embodiment of the present application is to form the antenna pattern 101 on the plastic body 10 by two-shot molding, and includes the following steps.

  The first step is to insert the metal sheet 11 into the plastic body 10 and partially expose the metal sheet 11 to the plastic body 10 by insert molding, so as to form the housing member 1. Yes (see also FIG. 1). Further, the plastic material obtained by shot molding in this step is a non-conductive plastic material and is different from the first specific embodiment in that it does not need to contain a metal component. That is, a general industrial plastic material may also be used in this step.

  Furthermore, as in the first specific embodiment, the housing member 1 may be a rear cover of the mobile communication device, for example, a rear cover of a mobile phone.

  The second step is then to form on the plastic body 10 an antenna pattern 101 (see also FIG. 1A) that may be used to deposit metal thereon. Specifically, this step involves forming a conductive plastic material on the plastic body 10 by two-shot molding so as to form an antenna pattern 101 that may be used to deposit metal thereon. is there. That is, in this step, the antenna pattern 101 is formed so that the conductive metal material is directly bonded to the antenna pattern 101 of the plastic body 10 so as to form an antenna that may receive signals in the subsequent steps. In order to do this, the conductive plastic material is formed in a predetermined region on the surface of the plastic body 10 by two-shot molding.

  Furthermore, as in the first specific embodiment, the antenna is applied so as to avoid the subsequent step of applying a positive voltage from the outside that affects the reaction of metal deposition on the antenna pattern 101 by chemical plating. The pattern 101 is not in contact with the metal sheet 11.

  Next, referring also to FIG. 1B and FIG. 4, the third step is to arrange the casing member 1 in a chemical plating solution 40 containing metal ions (for example, copper ions or nickel ions), Is deposited on the antenna pattern 101 so as to form an antenna of the metal layer 12, and simultaneously, a positive voltage is applied to the metal sheet 11 and the metal layer 12 formed by reduction of metal ions is a metal A power supply device 30 is provided so as to avoid being deposited on the surface of the sheet 11, the anode of the power supply device 30 is connected to the metal sheet 11 partially exposed on the plastic body 10, and the power supply Connecting the cathode of the device 30 to the electrode 301 in the chemical plating solution 40. Thus, due to the conductive plastic material used in the second step, the metal ions in the chemical plating solution 40 directly onto the antenna pattern 101 on the plastic body 10 so as to form an antenna that can receive signals. Can be deposited and glued. Further, in the process of chemical plating, the power supply device 30 is used to provide a positive voltage to the metal sheet 11 that is partially exposed to the plastic body 10, and the metal that is partially exposed to the plastic body 10. On the sheet 11, the reverse reaction of electroplating, in which the metal layer 12 deposited on the surface of the metal sheet 11 partially exposed to the plastic body 10 is returned to an ionic state by chemical plating. It is possible to maintain a state where there is no deposition of the metal layer 12 formed by chemical plating on the surface of the metal sheet 11 that is partially exposed to the plastic body 10.

  Therefore, the second specific embodiment of the present application is to manufacture the antenna device by two-shot molding. That is, the housing member 1 includes a plastic main body 10 and a metal sheet 11 formed by insert molding, and another conductive plastic material is formed on the plastic main body 10 so as to form the antenna pattern 101 by two-shot molding. Then, the antenna of the metal layer 12 is formed by depositing a metal material on the activated region by chemical plating. Furthermore, a positive voltage is applied to the metal sheet 11 using the external power supply 30 simultaneously with the chemical plating so as to avoid the metal deposited by the chemical plating from covering the surface of the metal sheet 11.

  In conclusion, according to the manufacturing method of the first and second specific embodiments of the present application, an antenna device is manufactured, comprising a plastic body 10, a metal sheet 11, and a metal layer 12, In order to form the housing member 1, the metal sheet 11 is partially exposed to the plastic main body 10, and the plastic main body 10 has the antenna pattern 101 thereon. The metal layer 12 is deposited on the antenna pattern 101 so as to form an antenna by chemical plating. When the metal layer 12 is deposited by chemical plating, a positive voltage is applied to the metal sheet 11 and the metal layer 12 is deposited. Partially exposed to the plastic body 10 to avoid the layer 12 being deposited on the surface of the metal sheet 11 Genus sheet 11 is connected to the anode of the power supply 30.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view showing that a metal sheet 11 is incorporated into a plastic body 10 to form a housing member 1. In one embodiment, the housing member 1 may be a rear cover of a mobile communication device, for example, a rear cover of a mobile phone, and the plastic body 10 has an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 103 opposite the inner surface 102. The metal sheet 11 is partially and simultaneously exposed on the inner surface 102 and the outer surface 103 of the rear cover of the mobile communication device. However, in a modified embodiment, the metal sheet 11 may be only partially exposed on the inner surface 102 of the rear cover of the mobile communication device or only partially exposed on the outer surface 103 of the rear cover of the mobile communication device. May be.

  Referring to FIG. 1A, an antenna pattern 101 that may be used to deposit metal on is formed on a plastic body 10. Specifically, the antenna pattern 101 continuously extends from the outer surface 103 of the plastic body 10 to the inner surface 102 of the plastic body 10, and the antenna pattern 101 is a laser remodeling step of the laser of the laser direct structuring described above. Alternatively, it is formed by two-shot molding, which is not described in detail herein, and the antenna pattern 101 is not in contact with the metal sheet 11.

  Referring to FIG. 1B, a metal layer 12 is formed on the antenna pattern 101 so as to form an antenna for receiving / transmitting signals. The structure of the metal layer 12 corresponds to the antenna pattern 101 and similarly extends continuously from the outer surface 103 of the plastic body 10 to the inner surface 102 of the plastic body 10. When the metal layer 12 is deposited by chemical plating, the metal sheet 11 partially exposed to the plastic body 10 is connected to the anode of the power supply device 30 so as to apply a positive voltage to the metal sheet 11. Therefore, it should be noted that there is no deposition of the metal layer 12 on the metal sheet 11 that is partially exposed to the plastic body 10.

  Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing that the antenna device, the circuit board 20, and the conductor element 21 of this embodiment are assembled together, and FIG. 3 shows the antenna described above. FIG. 2 is an assembly view in which the device, circuit board 20 and conductor element 21 are assembled together, the plastic body 10 of the antenna device comprising an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 103 opposite to the inner surface 102, the metal layer 12 being , Extending continuously from the outer surface 103 of the plastic body 10 to the inner surface 102 of the plastic body 10, the two ends of the conductor element 21 are the metal layer 12 on the inner surface 102 of the plastic body 10, and the circuit board 20 are respectively electrically connected to traces 201 on 20. In this way, a radio signal received by the metal layer 12 may be transmitted to the trace 201 in the circuit board 20 via the conductor element 21 and vice versa so as to achieve signal reception / transmission. The same is true.

  On the other hand, the metal sheet 11 is made of plastic so as to improve the structural strength of the casing member 1 (that is, the rear cover of the mobile communication device), increase the decorative function, or enhance the function of the electromagnetic shielding effect. A manufacturing method closely integrated in the body 10 and provided by the present application solves the problems caused by the metal formed by chemical plating being deposited on the metal sheet 11 in a conventional process. The metal formed by chemical plating may be effectively avoided from being deposited on the metal sheet 11.

  In conclusion, the present application has the following advantages.

  First, applying a positive voltage to the metal sheet is incorporated into the plastic body so that the problems caused by the metal formed by chemical plating being deposited on the metal sheet may be avoided. Connect the anode of the external power supply to the metal sheet. Therefore, when using chemical plating, in this application, the metal sheet is still incorporated into the plastic body and exposed to the plastic body so that the metal sheet maintains the function of decoration or button. May be.

  Further, the present application avoids depositing metal material on the metal sheet after performing chemical plating of the metal layer so as to solve the short circuit problem caused by the delaminated deposited metal layer described in the prior art. In some cases, however, the casing member made of the plastic body and the metal sheet has better structural strength.

  The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not used to limit the scope for the implementation of the present application, and therefore equivalent technical modifications devised according to the contents of the present specification and drawings of the present application. Are still included within the scope of the present application.

Claims (12)

An antenna device,
A plastic body having an antenna pattern thereon;
A metal sheet incorporated into the plastic body and partially exposed to the plastic body to form a housing member;
A metal layer deposited on the antenna pattern by chemical plating to form an antenna;
And applying the positive voltage to the metal sheet when the metal layer is deposited by the chemical plating, and avoiding the metal layer being deposited on the surface of the metal sheet An antenna device, wherein the metal sheet that is partially exposed to the main body is connected to an anode of a power supply device.   The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the housing member is a rear cover of the mobile communication device.   The antenna device according to claim 2, wherein the metal sheet is partially exposed on an inner surface of the rear cover of the mobile communication device.   The antenna device according to claim 2, wherein the metal sheet is partially exposed on an outer surface of the rear cover of the mobile communication device.   The antenna device according to claim 2, wherein the metal sheet is partially exposed simultaneously on an inner surface and an outer surface of the rear cover of the mobile communication device.   The antenna device according to claim 3, wherein the metal sheet is not in contact with the antenna pattern. A method for manufacturing an antenna device, comprising:
A first step of incorporating the metal sheet into the plastic body by insert molding and partially exposing the metal sheet to the plastic body so as to form a housing member;
Forming an antenna pattern on the plastic body that can be used to deposit metal thereon;
The casing member is placed in a chemical plating solution containing metal ions, and the metal ions are reduced and deposited on the antenna pattern so as to form a metal layer antenna. A power supply is provided so as to avoid applying a voltage and the metal layer formed by reduction of the metal ions is deposited on the surface of the metal sheet, and the anode of the power supply is A third step of connecting to the metal sheet partially exposed to the plastic body and connecting the cathode of the power supply to the electrode in the chemical plating solution;
A method for manufacturing an antenna device, comprising:   The method for manufacturing an antenna device according to claim 7, wherein in the first step, the metal sheet is a stainless metal or a corrosion-resistant metal.   9. The antenna of claim 8, wherein the antenna pattern that can be used to deposit metal on the second step is formed on the plastic body by laser direct structuring (LDS). Device manufacturing method.   9. The method of manufacturing an antenna device according to claim 8, wherein in the second step, the antenna pattern that can be used for depositing a metal thereon is formed on the plastic body by two-shot molding.   The manufacturing of the antenna device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein, in the third step, the metal ions in the chemical plating solution are copper ions, and the metal layer is a copper layer. Method.   The manufacturing of the antenna device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein, in the third step, the metal ions in the chemical plating solution are nickel ions, and the metal layer is a nickel layer. Method.

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