KR101504203B1 - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable terminal according to the present invention includes a first body having an antenna having a signal feeding part and a ground feeding part and a circuit board on which a ground plane is formed and to which an antenna is fed, a second body foldably connected to the first body, And a ground feeding extension portion for extending the ground feeding portion so that the ground feeding portion is connected to the ground surface of the circuit board via the second body, thereby realizing a wide bandwidth and being vulnerable to a hand effect by a human body .

Description

[0001] PORTABLE TERMINAL [0002]

The present invention relates to an antenna feed structure of a portable terminal.

A portable terminal is a portable device that is portable and has one or more functions such as voice and video call function, information input / output function, and data storing function.

As the functions are diversified, the portable terminal also has complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game, and broadcasting. These functions can be implemented at once to implement a comprehensive multimedia player.

In order to implement complex functions, various new attempts have been made in terms of hardware or software for mobile terminals. In addition, a user interface environment is provided for the user to easily and conveniently search for or select a function.

One aspect of the development of information and communication technology involves a dramatic increase in the amount of data that can be transmitted and received and the transmission rate. Antennas for this purpose require wireless data to be received with clean quality on the move.

Wireless services provided through mobile terminals are also increasing. For example, cellular mobile communications, digital broadcast, Bluetooth, and other short-range communications, and ultra-high-speed data communications.

Although the external antenna which is exposed to the outside is developed first, the built-in antenna is continuously used in consideration of the external appearance.

PIFA (Planar Inverted F Antenna), which is attracting attention as a low-cost built-in antenna, is an antenna that improves antenna radiation gain by adding flat plate area to IFA (Inverter F Antenna) structure. The feeding part is connected to the radiator.

Since the PIFA antenna tends to have an increased impedance band as the height of the PIFA antenna increases, it is important to secure the height of the radiator to the ground. That is, when the height of the PIFA antenna is small relative to the ground plane of the radiating element, the impedance bandwidth is narrowed. Therefore, the antenna bandwidth and gain can be satisfied through securing the proper height.

However, it is difficult to keep the height of the radiating element at the same level according to the tendency of the portable terminal to be lightweight and slim, and even if the height is lowered, the impedance bandwidth becomes narrow and the performance is not ensured. Furthermore, the narrowband problem is also accompanied by a vulnerability to changes in reception sensitivity (hand effect) due to human contact.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a wide band antenna by improving the feeding structure of an antenna built in a portable terminal having a large space limitation.

In order to accomplish the above object, a portable terminal according to the present invention includes: a first body having an antenna having a signal feeding part and a ground feeding part; a circuit board having a ground plane and a feeding circuit for the antenna; A second body foldably connected to the first body; And a ground feed extension for extending the ground feed portion so that the ground feed portion is connected to the ground plane of the circuit board via the second body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ground feed extension portion includes a metallic hinge to which the ground feed portion is connected, and which connects the first body and the second body in a foldable manner; And a plurality of data lines and at least one ground line for electrically connecting the first body and the second body, wherein the ground line is a flexible PCB configured to be connected to the metallic hinge at the second body .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ground feed extension portion includes a metallic hinge to which the ground feed portion is connected, and which connects the first body and the second body in a foldable manner; A metallic frame surrounding the display module disposed in the second body and electrically connected to the metallic hinge; And a plurality of data lines and at least one ground line to electrically connect the first body and the second body, and the ground line may include a flexible PCB configured to be coupled to the metallic frame.

As a related example of the present invention, the circuit board includes a first ground pad, a second ground pad, and a second ground pad. The first ground pad and the second ground pad are in contact with each other. .

As an example related to the present invention, an RF switch may be further provided between the first ground pad and the second ground pad.

According to the portable terminal of the present invention configured as described above, since the ground feed part of the antenna is connected directly to the ground surface of the circuit board via the second body by the ground feed extension part, the ground effect is improved. Particularly, it is possible to easily realize a wideband and solve the characteristic that is vulnerable to a human hand effect.

Hereinafter, a portable terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portable terminal according to the present invention in a closed state, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a portable terminal according to the present invention in an open state.

According to these figures, the portable terminal 1 has a first body 10 and a second body 20 which are foldably connected. The state in which the two bodies 10 and 20 are completely overlapped as shown in FIG. 1 may be referred to as a closed configuration, and the second body 20 may be referred to as a closed configuration, The state in which the inner surfaces of the first body 10 and the second body 20 are exposed can be referred to as an open configuration.

The portable terminal 1 forms a wireless network with another remote terminal, a base station, or a relay station. It is possible to wirelessly perform audio / video or text communication with another terminal through the portable terminal 1, or to enable the Internet or the like. Furthermore, the portable terminal 1 can enjoy broadcasting at any place where the user is located by having means for wirelessly receiving radio broadcast or TV broadcast.

The case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) constituting the outer appearance of the portable terminal 1 may be formed by injection molding of synthetic resin or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti) have.

Referring to FIG. 1, a first display 21 may be provided on an outer surface of the second body 20 to output various status information and user contents of the portable terminal without opening the second body 20.

2, an acoustic output unit 22, an image input unit 23, and a second display 24 are provided on the inner surface of the second body 20.

The sound output unit 22 may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker.

The image input unit 23 may be implemented in the form of a camera module for capturing an image or a moving image of a user. Further, the image input unit may be additionally provided on the outer surface of the second body 20 or on the rear surface of the first body 10 so that the user can take an image of the object on the opposite side of the user.

The second display 24 is suitable for providing a null screen rather than the first display 21 and can convert and provide a screen output according to the posture of the mobile terminal 1. [ For example, when the portable terminal 1 is laid out on the ground, the screen displayed through the second display 24 may be rotated by 90 degrees and the size thereof may be adjusted so that the user can comfortably view the screen have.

The first display 21 and the second display 24 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a transparent display, or an e-paper ) And the like. The displays 21 and 24 may further include touch sensing means to enable input of information by a user's touch.

A keypad 13 and an acoustic input unit 14 may be mounted on the inner surface of the first body 10 and a side key 11 and an external interface 12 may be provided on the side surface thereof.

The keypad 13 and the side key 11 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the tactile manner in which the user operates in a tactile sense. For example, the operation unit may be implemented by a dome switch or a touch screen, a touch pad, or a wheel, a jog type, a joystick, or the like, As shown in FIG.

In terms of functions, the keypad 13 is for inputting commands such as inputting characters, numbers, starting, ending, scrolling, etc., and controlling the side keys 11 to adjust the amount of state (volume, brightness, , The activation of the image input unit 23, and the like.

The external interface 12 is a path through which the portable terminal 1 related to the present invention can exchange data with an external device. For example, the external interface 12 may be at least one of a connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, an IrDA port, and a wireless LAN port in a wired or wireless manner. The external interface 12 may be a card socket that accommodates an external card such as a SIM (subscriber identification module) or a UIM (user identity module), a memory card for information storage, and the like.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first body 10 and the second body 20 are connected to each other by a metallic hinge 30. One end of the hinge 30 is fixed to the first body 10 and the other end of the hinge 30 is fixed to the second body 20. Inside the second body 20, . The configuration of the hinge 30 is generally known except that the hinge 30 is formed of a conductive metal so that it can be used for extending the ground of the antenna as described later.

3 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

One example of the present invention includes a wireless communication module 51, operation units 11 and 13, an image input unit 23, an acoustic input unit 14, displays 21 and 24, an acoustic output unit 22, A broadcast receiving module 55, a memory 54, a sensing unit 57, a power supply unit 58,

The control unit 50 typically controls the overall operation of the portable terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like.

The wireless communication module 51 transmits / receives a wireless signal to / from an external base station through an antenna 60 for mobile communication. The wireless communication module 51 includes a transmitter for transmitting and receiving voice data, character data, video data, and control data under the control of the controller 50, for modulating and transmitting a signal to be transmitted, .

The operation units 11 and 13 are configured as shown in FIG. 2, and provide the control unit 50 with key input data that the user inputs for controlling the operation of the terminal. The operation units 11 and 13 are composed of a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The image input unit 23 processes an image frame such as a still image or a moving image obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. Then, the processed image frame is converted into image data that can be displayed on the displays 21 and 24 and output to the displays 21 and 24.

The image frame processed by the image input unit 23 is stored in the memory 54 under the control of the control unit 50 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication module 51. [

The sound input unit 14 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data is converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the wireless communication module 51 in the communication mode, and is outputted to the wireless communication module 51. In the record mode, processed voice data is output to be stored in the memory 54. [

The sound input unit 14 may be implemented with various noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The displays 21 and 24 display and output information processed in the portable terminal. For example, when the portable terminal is in the call mode, the control unit 50 displays and outputs a UI (User Interface) or GUI (Graphic User Interface) related to the call. When the portable terminal is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the control unit 50 displays and displays the photographed image, the UI, and the GUI. When the display 21 or 24 is configured to include a touch screen, it is used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The sound output unit 22 outputs sound data received from the wireless communication module 51 under the control of the control unit 50 in the call signal receiving mode, the communication mode or the recording mode, the voice recognition mode, Converts the stored sound data and outputs it to the outside. Also, the sound output unit 22 outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the portable terminal. The sound output unit 22 includes a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, and the like.

The external interface 12 may include a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (for example, a memory card, a SIM / UIM card) It serves as an interface with external devices. The external interface 12 receives data from an external device or receives power from the external device, transfers the data to each component in the portable terminal, or transmits data in the portable terminal to an external device.

The memory 54 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 50 and may store a function for temporarily storing input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, . Such memory 54 includes the concept of a generally known hard disk, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), a flash memory, a RAM, a ROM, and the like.

The sensing unit 57 senses the current state of the portable terminal, such as the open / close state of the portable terminal, the position of the portable terminal, whether or not the user touches the portable terminal, and generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the portable terminal. And outputs the sensing result to the control unit 50 so that the operation of the terminal is controlled. And a sensing function related to the power supply of the power supply unit 58, whether the external interface 12 is connected to an external device, and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 55 receives the broadcast signal, converts it into a broadcast data format that can be output to the sound output unit 22 and the displays 21 and 24, and outputs the broadcast data format to the control unit 50. In addition, the broadcast receiving module 55 receives additional data (e.g., EPG (Electric Program Guide), channel list, etc.) related to broadcasting. The broadcast data and the additional data converted by the broadcast receiving module 55 may be stored in the memory 54. [

The power supply unit 58 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 50 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

4 is an exploded perspective view of an antenna, a circuit board, a hinge, and a flexible PCB of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

The antenna 60 and the circuit board 40 are built in the first body 10.

The circuit board 40 is formed with a ground plane G for the radiation of the antenna 60 or for the ground of the system. However, in order to prevent deterioration of the radiation performance of the antenna 60, a ground plane G is excluded at least in a region where the antenna 60 is projected.

The antenna 60 includes a carrier 64 formed of a dielectric material so as to maintain a predetermined height from the ground plane G, a radiator 61 for substantially radiating radio waves, And power feeders 62 and 63. [

The carrier 64 may be formed in an arbitrary shape corresponding to the inner space of the case so as to be mounted inside the case of the portable terminal 1. The carrier 64 may be fixed to the case or may be fixed to the circuit board 40, As shown in FIG.

The radiator 61 has a length of? / 2,? / 4, or the like so that the conductive metal can radiate energy in a specific service band. The radiator 61 can be patterned in any form on the carrier 64 so as to ensure such a length.

In the present embodiment, the power feeding section includes the signal feeding section 63 and the ground feeding section 62. The ground feeder 62 is connected to the ground plane G of the circuit board 40 in a conventional manner but indirectly via the metallic hinge 30 to the ground plane G).

4, the circuit board 40 is provided with a signal feed pad 43 for contacting or connecting the signal feeder 63, a first ground pad 42 for contacting or connecting the ground feeder 62, And a second ground pad 41 to which the hinge 30 is connected. A ground line feeder 62 is electrically connected to the hinge 30 by forming a connection line 44 between the first ground pad 42 and the second ground pad 41.

Meanwhile, the first body 10 and the second body 20 are electrically connected by a flexible PCB 71. The flexible PCB 71 comprises a plurality of data lines and at least one ground line for providing a ground to the components mounted on the second body 20 or for shielding the data lines. The flexible PCB 71 is disposed on the opposite side of the portion where the metallic hinge 30 is disposed, so that the mechanical and electrical connection between the first body 10 and the second body 20 can be coordinated.

A first connector 73 is provided at one end so that the flexible PCB 71 can be connected to the circuit board 40 and the other end of the flexible PCB 71 is connected to the object of the second body 20 The second connector 72 is provided.

The hinge 30 is electrically connected to the flexible PCB 71 in the second body 20. For this purpose, the hinge 30 may be connected to the second connector 72, and a spring-type connecting member (not shown) may be provided to allow elastic contact.

5 is a front view of a portable terminal for explaining the concept of expanding the antenna ground of the portable terminal of FIG.

5, the ground feeder 62 of the antenna 60 is connected to the ground extension EG, which is composed of the hinge 30 and the ground line of the flexible PCB 71 described above.

The circuit board 40 used as the system ground is directly connected to the ground plane G. However, the circuit board 40 used as the system ground is not directly connected to the ground plane G. However, And both the metal hinge 30 and the ground line of the flexible PCB 71 are used as the ground of the antenna 60. [ Therefore, by extending the finite ground plane G provided to the portable terminal 1, the radiation gain of the antenna 60 is improved. Furthermore, the enlarging effect of the ground plane G increases the directivity of the antenna 60.

6 is a front view of a portable terminal for explaining the concept of antenna grounding expansion as another example related to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the flexible PCB 71 is fixed to a metallic frame 241 for wrapping the display module. Herein, the 'display module' refers to the first display 21 or the second display 24 described above from the physical viewpoint, and the metallic frame 241 is used for covering a plurality of panels or sheets constituting the display module, And to be used for additional purposes for the expansion of the ground plane (G) described.

Accordingly, the ground feeding part 62 of the antenna 60 is extended to the hinge 30, the metal frame 241 of the display module, and the flexible PCB 71, so that a larger ground effect can be obtained.

Further, by arranging an RF switch (not shown) between the first ground pad 42 and the second ground pad, the hinge power feeding type antenna related to the present invention for extending the conventional antenna and the ground plane G is selectively Can be used.

FIG. 7 is a chart comparing the performance of an antenna by a conventional power supply system and an antenna by a power supply system related to the present invention, in terms of S parameters.

Here, the performance of the antennas using the conventional power feeding method and the power feeding method related to the present invention are compared with each other with the band of interest being DCN 824 to 894 MHz, GPS 1575.42 MHz and US-PCS 1850 to 1990 MHz. However, the resonance frequency in these bands can be achieved by changing the pattern or length of the radiator 61, and here, attention should be paid to the change in performance of the antenna around the bandwidth. In these bands, the S11 value (unit dB) by the conventional power feeding method is indicated by a solid line, and the S11 value by the power feeding method by the hinge via the present invention is indicated by a dotted line.

Referring to FIG. 7, it can be seen that, when the ground expansion due to the hinge light is introduced, the overall shift is slightly lower than the case of the conventional power feeding method. However, in terms of the resonance bandwidth, it can be seen that the ground expansion due to the hinge is significantly wider than the conventional method.

The following table shows the experimental results of bandwidth extension.

That is, in the DCN band, the bandwidth is 95 MHz according to the conventional method, whereas it is doubled to 190 MHz according to the present invention. In the US-PCS band, the bandwidth of 95 MHz according to the conventional scheme is increased to 225 MHz by the power supply scheme of the present invention, which is also doubled.

Item Existing method According to the present invention DCN Bandwidth at 7.5dB 0.9 to 0.995 GHz 0.64-0.83 GHz 95 MHz 190 MHz US-PCS Bandwidth at 7.5dB 1.91 to 2.005 GHz 1.68 to 1.905 GHz 95 MHz 225 MHz Radiation Efficiency 894 MHz 76.43% 70.03% 1575 MHz 32.16% 96.59% 1990 MHz 110.6% 97.76% Total Efficiency
(Include matching loss) 894 MHz 58.99% 47.28% 1575 MHz 9.71% 50.13% 1990 MHz 92.61% 54.69% Directivity [dBi] 894 MHz 2.55 2.64 1575 MHz 4.31 3.91 1990 MHz 5.01 5.39

Also, in terms of radiation efficiency and directivity in each mode, the overall result is improved even though there is a slight decrease in the specific band. Especially, in the GPS band of 1575 MHz in terms of radiation efficiency, the improvement of the radiation efficiency is remarkable.

The above-described portable terminal is not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments may be configured such that all or some of the embodiments are selectively combined so that various modifications can be made. It is possible.

1 is a perspective view showing a state where a portable terminal related to the present invention is closed;

2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the portable terminal related to the present invention is open;

3 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view of an antenna, a circuit board, a hinge, and a flexible PCB of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the concept of expanding the antenna ground of the portable terminal of FIG. 4,

6 is a view for explaining the concept of antenna grounding expansion as another example related to the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a graph comparing the performance of an antenna by a conventional power supply system and an antenna by a power supply system related to the present invention in terms of S parameters

Claims (5)

A first body; A second body pivotally connected to the first body at a first portion and a second portion; A circuit board mounted on the first body and having a ground plane; A metallic hinge foldably connecting the first body and the second body in the first portion and having a spring type connecting member; A flexible PCB which is elastically connected to the metallic hinge by the connecting member in the second body and is connected to the ground surface through the second portion; A PIFA antenna mounted on the first body and having a radiator, a signal feeder, and a ground feeder, the PIFA antenna being connected to the circuit board by the ground feeder; And And a ground feed extension connected to the ground feed portion and the ground surface to secure the height of the radiator from the ground surface, The circuit board includes: A first ground pad electrically connected to the ground feeding part; A second ground pad electrically connected to the hinge; And And a connection line electrically connecting the first ground pad and the second ground pad to electrically connect the ground feed part and the hinge, And the ground feed extension part is connected to the ground surface via the second body from the ground feed part, the hinge and the flexible PCB. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the flexible PCB includes a plurality of data lines and at least one ground line to electrically connect the first body and the second body, And the ground line is connected to the metallic hinge in the second body. The method according to claim 1, The ground feed extension further includes a metallic frame that surrounds the display module disposed on the second body and is electrically connected to the metallic hinge, Wherein the flexible PCB includes a plurality of data lines and at least one ground line to electrically connect the first body and the second body, And the ground line is connected to the metallic frame. delete The method according to claim 1, And an RF switch is further provided between the first ground pad and the second ground pad so as to selectively use one of a method in which the ground feed part is integratedly connected to the ground surface and a hinge feeding method through the ground feed extension part .

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