JP4007008B2 - Portable wireless terminal - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable wireless terminal, and more particularly to a folding portable wireless terminal with a built-in GPS antenna that receives GPS radio waves.
[0002]
[Prior art]
At present, mobile phones have advantages such as ease of use at the time of use, downsizing at the time of storage, and support for a large screen, and therefore, a folded structure has gained great popularity in the market. On the other hand, as the GPS (Global Positioning System) reception function is becoming smaller and higher in performance in the market, various services related to location information are newly proposed and used by combining mobile phones and GPS. It is being done.
[0003]
FIG. 6 shows a schematic external perspective view of a foldable mobile phone with a built-in GPS antenna incorporating such two functions, that is, a GPS function and a folding function. In FIG. 6, the apparatus main body 1 includes a display unit housing 12 having a display unit 2, an operation unit housing 13 having an operation unit 3, and a hinge unit 17 that foldably connects these two housings 12 and 13. It is made up of. A GPS antenna 100 for receiving GPS radio waves is fixedly mounted in the housing 12 at the top of the display unit 2.
[0004]
An example of a specific structure of this GPS antenna is shown in FIG. 7 and is composed of a rod-shaped antenna 41 provided on one main surface of the substrate 11. In such a general rod-shaped antenna, as shown in FIG. 8, the antenna mounting surface (that is, one main surface of the substrate 11) side of the substrate 11 shows strong reception strength, but on the opposite surface side, it is necessary. Receive strength cannot be obtained.
[0005]
FIG. 9 shows another example of a GPS antenna, which is composed of a patch antenna 42 provided on one main surface of the substrate 11. Even with such a general patch antenna, as shown in FIG. The antenna mounting surface (that is, one main surface of the substrate 11) of the substrate 11 shows a strong reception strength, but the required reception strength cannot be obtained on the opposite surface side.
[0006]
From this fact, in this specification, the antenna mounting surface side of the substrate 11 is hereinafter referred to as an antenna receiving surface.
[0007]
When such a type of GPS antenna is mounted on a foldable mobile phone, as shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. 12, the antenna receiving surface is directed to the display surface side of the display unit 2 or to the opposite side. However, it is impossible to obtain the optimum antenna direction both when the mobile phone is opened and when it is closed.
[0008]
More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), when the GPS antenna is installed so that the reception intensity of the GPS antenna can be obtained in the right direction (display surface direction) (the reception surface of the GPS antenna is on the display surface side). When the mobile phone is open, the user generally uses the display unit 2 facing upward, so the receiving surface of the GPS antenna 100 is also facing upward. GPS signal from is easy to receive. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the mobile phone is closed, even if the right side is in the sky direction, the facing operation unit housing 13 exists in the direction of the receiving surface of the GPS antenna 100. As a result, the reception sensitivity of the GPS antenna 100 is deteriorated, and a necessary reception intensity of the GPS signal cannot be obtained. In addition, when the left side is in the sky direction, the receiving surface of the GPS antenna 100 is in the reverse direction. Similarly, the reception sensitivity of the GPS antenna 100 deteriorates, and in any case, the sensitivity as GPS cannot be secured. It will be.
[0009]
On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), when the GPS antenna 100 is mounted so that the receiving surface is positioned in the left direction, as shown in FIG. Since there is no operation part housing | casing 13 in the direction of the receiving surface of the antenna 100, there is nothing which obstructs a received signal. Therefore, if the left side is an upward direction, the receiving sensitivity of the GPS antenna 100 can be ensured. However, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the cellular phone is opened and used, the display unit 2 faces upward, the GPS antenna 100 faces toward the ground, and GPS radio waves from the sky can be received. Furthermore, the reception sensitivity cannot be obtained as desired in both the open state and the closed state of the mobile phone.
[0010]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to make it possible to always obtain optimum reception sensitivity in both open and closed states in a portable wireless terminal with a built-in GPS antenna.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, there is a portable wireless terminal having a folding structure in which a GPS antenna is built in a main body casing, and the folding structure is configured by rotating the GPS antenna in the main body casing in conjunction with opening and closing of the folding structure. A portable wireless terminal comprising a rotating mechanism that changes the direction of the receiving surface of the GPS antenna before and after opening / closing of the GPS antenna can be obtained.
[0012]
The rotation mechanism is configured such that the GPS antenna rotates 180 degrees in conjunction with the opening and closing, and the folding structure is configured such that the display unit and the operation unit face each other. The rotating mechanism is configured such that when the folding structure is in an open state, the receiving surface of the GPS antenna faces the display unit, and when the folding structure is in a closed state, it faces the opposite side of the display unit. Features.
[0013]
Further, the rotation mechanism includes a slide member that slides up and down in conjunction with the opening and closing, and a conversion member that converts the vertical slide motion of the slide member into a rotational motion, and the rotation of the GPS antenna is caused by the rotational motion. The rotation mechanism has a motor that rotates in response to the opening and closing, and the GPS antenna is rotated by the rotation of the motor.
[0014]
The GPS antenna is a rod-shaped antenna attached on one main surface of the substrate, the receiving surface is on one main surface side of the substrate, and the GPS antenna is on one main surface of the substrate. And the receiving surface is one main surface side of the substrate.
[0015]
The operation of the present invention will be described. In a foldable portable wireless terminal with a built-in GPS antenna, the GPS antenna is configured to be rotatable in conjunction with opening and closing of the portable terminal. As a result, the receiving surface rotates to change the direction, and the GPS antenna always rotates in the optimum direction regardless of whether the portable wireless terminal is opened or closed. Will be obtained.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view schematically showing a foldable mobile phone to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus main body 1 includes a display unit housing 12 having a display unit 2, an operation unit housing 13 having an operation unit 3, and a hinge unit that foldably connects these housings 12 and 13. 17. A GPS antenna 10 for receiving GPS radio waves is attached in the upper housing 12 of the display unit 2. The GPS antenna 10 is configured to be rotatable in conjunction with the folding (opening / closing) of the display unit 2 and the operation unit 3, and is a movable GPS antenna.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention, and the same parts as those of FIGS. 1, 11, and 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of those parts is omitted to avoid redundancy. . In the present invention, the direction of the GPS antenna 10 is rotated and changed in conjunction with opening and closing of the folding mobile phone body 1 with a built-in GPS antenna, and the mobile phone is opened as shown in FIG. However, as shown in FIG. 2B, even when the cellular phone is closed, the receiving surface of the GPS antenna 10 faces the optimal direction (A, B) so that the reception sensitivity of the GPS radio wave is always optimal. I have to.
[0019]
That is, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the mobile phone body 1 is in the open state, the direction of the GPS antenna 10 (on the receiving surface) is the display surface direction A of the display unit 2 and faces upward. . Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the cellular phone body 1 is in the closed state, the GPS antenna 10 rotates 180 degrees from the state of FIG. The surface of the operation unit housing 13 faces away from the GPS radio wave and faces in the direction B opposite to the display surface.
[0020]
An example of a structure in which the GPS antenna 10 rotates around the rotation shaft 16 in conjunction with opening and closing of the mobile phone will be described below. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining an example of this rotating structure. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the main body 1 is opened, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the main body 1 is closed. In the drawing, only the display unit housing 12 is shown.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 4, a slide member 20 that slides up and down in conjunction with the opening and closing of the mobile phone main body 1 is provided, and an auxiliary arm 22 is attached to the tip of the slide member 20 to transmit the vertical slide motion of the slide member 20 to the auxiliary arm 22. The vertical motion transmitted to the auxiliary arm 22 is converted into the rotational motion of the rotating plate 21. The rotation axis of the rotating plate 21 is the rotation axis 16 of the GPS antenna 10. The slide member 20 is located at the uppermost end when the main body 1 is open, and is located at the lowermost end when the main body 1 is closed.
[0022]
FIG. 4 shows an example of a structure that converts the vertical slide of the slide member 20 into the rotational movement of the rotary plate 21. A guide hole 24 is provided in the auxiliary arm 22 attached to the distal end portion of the slide member 20, and a pin 23 provided at a predetermined position on a radial line of the rotating plate 21 is engaged with the guide hole 24. Match. Therefore, when the main body 1 is opened, the slide member 20 interlocked with the movement of the hinge portion 17 moves upward in FIG. 4A, and this movement also moves the auxiliary arm 22 upward. At this time, the pin 23 of the rotating plate 21 is engaged with the guide hole 24 of the auxiliary arm 22, and the rotating plate 21 is rotatable about the rotating shaft 16 together with the rotating shaft. The plate 21 rotates in the direction of the arrow.
[0023]
Since the GPS antenna 10 and the substrate 11 are connected to the rotating shaft 16, as the rotating plate 21 rotates, the GPS antenna 10 rotates in the same manner as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 3 (a). It will face in the direction shown.
[0024]
When the main body 1 is closed, as shown in FIG. 4B, the slide member 20 interlocking with the hinge portion 17 moves downward, and thus the rotating plate 21 and the rotating shaft 16 rotate in the direction of the arrow. Therefore, if the GPS antenna 10 is designed to rotate 180 degrees from the state of FIG. 4A, the orientation of the GPS antenna 10 with the main body 1 closed is as shown in FIGS. ), The objects of the present invention are achieved.
[0025]
Another example of the structure in which the GPS antenna 10 rotates about the rotation shaft 16 in conjunction with opening and closing of the mobile phone will be described with reference to FIG. 5A shows a state in which the main body 1 is opened, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the main body 1 is closed. In a state where the main body 1 is opened, the switch 31 is opened, and thus the open state is detected. In response to the detection of the open state by the switch 31, the motor 30 is energized from a built-in control unit (not shown), and the motor 30 rotates. At this time, the rotating shaft 16 directly connected to the motor 30 rotates and the GPS antenna 10 rotates. This state is shown in FIG. 5B, and the GPS antenna 10 is facing the display unit 2.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 5B, when the main body 1 is closed, the switch 31 is connected, and this is transmitted to the control unit. In response to this, the control unit energizes the motor 30 to rotate the GPS antenna 10 by 180 degrees from the state of FIG. 5A, and the GPS antenna 10 and the substrate 11 in the opposite direction to FIG. Change the orientation.
[0027]
The GPS antenna rotation mechanism in the above embodiment can be variously modified, and the GPS antenna can be the rod-shaped GPS antenna or patch-type GPS antenna shown in FIGS. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a mobile phone and can be widely applied to any wireless terminal that has a built-in GPS antenna and can be folded.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in the folding portable wireless terminal, the direction of the GPS antenna is changed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the main body, so that the direction of the GPS antenna is always optimized. There is an effect that an optimum GPS reception sensitivity can be obtained even when the main body is opened or closed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an outline of a mobile phone to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
2A is a schematic diagram when the main body is opened in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram when the main body is closed.
3A is a state diagram when the main body is opened showing an example of the antenna rotation mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a state diagram when the main body is closed;
4A is a detailed view of the main body disclosure of the antenna rotation mechanism of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a detailed view when the main body is closed.
5A is a state diagram when the main body is opened showing another example of the antenna rotation mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a state diagram when the main body is closed.
FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing an outline of a conventional folding cellular phone with a built-in GPS antenna.
FIG. 7 is an external view of a rod-shaped GPS antenna.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing reception sensitivity of a rod-shaped GPS antenna.
FIG. 9 is an external view of a patch type GPS antenna.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the reception sensitivity of a patch type GPS antenna.
FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram when the main body is opened in an example of a mobile phone using a conventional fixed GPS antenna, and FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram when the main body is closed.
FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram of the main body acquisition in another example of a mobile phone using a conventional fixed GPS antenna, and FIG. 12B is a schematic diagram when the main body is closed.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile phone main body 2 Display part 3 Operation part 10 Movable GPS antenna 11 Antenna board 12 Display part housing | casing 13 Operation part housing | casing 14 Display part board | substrate 15 Operation part board | substrate 16 Rotating shaft 17 Hinge part 20 Slide member 21 Rotating plate 22 Auxiliary Arm 23 Pin 24 Guide hole 30 Motor 31 Switch 41 Rod antenna 42 Patch antenna

Claims (7)

A portable wireless terminal having a folding structure in which a GPS antenna is built in a main body housing, wherein the GPS antenna is rotated in the main body housing in conjunction with opening and closing of the folding structure and before and after opening and closing of the folding structure. A portable wireless terminal comprising a rotation mechanism that changes the direction of a receiving surface of an antenna . The portable wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism is configured such that the GPS antenna rotates 180 degrees in conjunction with the opening and closing. The folding structure is configured such that a display unit and an operation unit face each other, and the rotating mechanism is configured such that when the folding structure is in an open state, a receiving surface of the GPS antenna faces the display unit and is in a closed state. The portable wireless terminal according to claim 2, wherein the portable wireless terminal is sometimes configured to face away from the display unit. The rotation mechanism includes a slide member that slides up and down in conjunction with the opening and closing, and a conversion member that converts the vertical slide motion of the slide member into a rotational motion, and the GPS antenna is rotated by the rotational motion. The portable wireless terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the portable wireless terminal is formed. The portable wireless terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotation mechanism includes a motor that rotates in accordance with the opening and closing, and the GPS antenna is rotated by the rotation of the motor. 6. The portable wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the GPS antenna is a rod-shaped antenna attached on one main surface of the substrate, and the receiving surface is on one main surface side of the substrate. . The portable radio according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the GPS antenna is a patch-type antenna mounted on one principal surface of the substrate, and the reception surface is on the one principal surface side of the substrate. Terminal.

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