KR102306408B1 - An antenna module and wireless communication device having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an antenna module and to a wireless communication device including the same. More particularly, provided are the antenna module capable of improving radiation efficiency by optimizing the area of a radiation pattern formed on one surface of an injection-molded product in a limited space, and the wireless communication device including the same.

Description

Antenna module and wireless communication device including same

The present invention relates to an antenna module and a wireless communication device including the same, and more particularly, to effectively block electromagnetic waves that may affect an antenna radiation pattern formed on one surface of an injection molded product to minimize deterioration in radiation performance of the antenna radiation pattern. It relates to an antenna module capable of being used and to a wireless communication device including the same.

Recently, various communication functions are implemented in wireless communication devices such as mobile phones, tablet PCs, notebook PCs, and PDA's, and accordingly, antennas for 3G (LTE), 4G (LTE-A), 5G communication, WiFi antenna for wireless local area network, Bluetooth Various types of antennas are being used, such as (Bluetooth) antennas, NFC antennas, GPS receiving antennas, and wireless charging antennas.

As an example, in order to implement functions such as information exchange, payment, ticket reservation, wireless charging, etc. between devices in addition to long-distance wireless communication, the demand for an NFC (Near Field Communication) antenna is increasing. There is a trend to be provided, and a sub-antenna for implementing various functions in this NFC antenna is additionally provided.

The NFC antenna communicates using the principle of electromagnetic induction, and the NFC antenna is generally implemented as a radiation pattern in the form of a coil or loop through which current can flow.

On the other hand, other electronic components exist in the wireless communication device in addition to the antenna module for implementing NFC, and when an electric or magnetic wave generated from the antenna module is applied to other components inside the wireless communication device, an eddy current is generated. There is a problem in that the radiation performance of the antenna module is deteriorated or other parts are damaged by affecting the antenna module.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1275159 (2013.06.10)

Accordingly, the technical problem of the present invention was conceived in this regard, and an antenna module capable of effectively blocking electromagnetic waves that may affect an antenna radiation pattern formed on one surface of an injection-molded product to minimize deterioration in radiation performance of the antenna radiation pattern, and the same It provides a wireless communication device comprising.

An antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention, injection molding; a first radiation pattern formed on one surface of the injection-molded product; a structure provided on the other side of the injection-molded product; and a magnetic sheet interposed between the structure and the injection-molded product and provided to cover the first radiation pattern on the other surface of the injection-molded product.

In this case, the structure may include a spaced space, and the magnetic sheet may be formed except for a region corresponding to the spaced space of the structure.

In addition, the structure includes a spaced space, the first radiation pattern is bent and wound a plurality of times to form a loop shape to form an unwinding region therein, and the magnetic sheet is the spaced apart space of the structure It may be formed except for at least a partial area of the area where the unwinding area of the first radiation pattern overlaps.

In this case, a terminal connection part formed on one surface of the injection-molded product so as to be in contact with the first radiation pattern; and a terminal pattern formed on the other surface of the injection-molded product and electrically connected to the terminal connection part.

On the other hand, an installation area for installing electronic components is formed on one surface of the injection-molded product, and the first radiation pattern includes: a first radiation area formed by bending a conductive line pattern a plurality of times; and a second radiation area extending from the conductive line pattern to protrude from the first radiation area along an outer periphery of the installation area.

In this case, the conductive line patterns of the second radiation region may be formed to be spaced apart from each other while having different current directions.

In this case, the magnetic sheet may be formed except for an area corresponding to the second radiation area.

Meanwhile, the terminal pattern may be formed to be exposed to the outside of the magnetic sheet on the other surface of the injection-molded product.

In addition, it may include a second radiation pattern, a third radiation pattern, and a fourth radiation pattern formed along the outer periphery of the injection-molded product.

In this case, the first radiation pattern is an antenna pattern for near field communication (NFC), and the second radiation pattern, the third radiation pattern and the fourth radiation pattern are WiFi, GPS, 3G, 4G or 5G. It may be an antenna pattern for

In addition, the first radiation pattern, the second radiation pattern, the third radiation pattern, and the fourth radiation pattern may be formed by etching the injection-molded product and plating the etched portion.

Meanwhile, a wireless communication device according to an embodiment provides a wireless communication device including the above-described antenna module.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, electromagnetic waves that may affect the antenna radiation pattern formed on one surface of the injection-molded product are effectively blocked, thereby minimizing the degradation of the radiation performance of the antenna radiation pattern.

In addition, there is an effect of improving the radiation efficiency by optimizing the width of the radiation pattern formed on one surface of the injection-molded product in a limited space.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

The summary set forth above as well as the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present application set forth below may be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings preferred embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the present application is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
1 is a plan view for explaining an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a rear view for explaining an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
<a> of FIG. 4 and <b> of FIG. 4 are reference views for explaining a modified example of the antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings are only explained in order to more easily disclose the contents of the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art can easily understand that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of the accompanying drawings. you will know

And, in describing the embodiment of the present invention, the same name and the same reference numerals are used for the components having the same function, and it is substantially not completely the same as the components of the prior art in advance.

In addition, the terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, an antenna module and a wireless communication device including the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. and a redundant description thereof will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a plan view for explaining an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a rear view for explaining an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is an embodiment of the present invention It is an exploded perspective view for explaining the antenna module according to.

1 to 3 , the antenna module according to the present embodiment is installed in a wireless communication device (not shown) to wirelessly transmit/receive data. In this case, the wireless communication device (not shown) may be a mobile phone, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a PDA, or the like.

The antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an injection-molded product 100 , a first radiation pattern 120 , a structure 150 , and a magnetic sheet 140 .

The injection-molded product 100 is the main body of the antenna module, and may be formed in a plate shape having a constant thickness.

The injection-molded product 100 constitutes the inside of a wireless communication device (not shown) or is used as an external case, and may be formed of an insulating material by injection molding. In this case, the injection-molded product 100 may be made of a synthetic resin material such as polyester resin or polycarbonate (PC) in order to maintain weather resistance, impact resistance, and mechanical strength. At this time, the injection molding 100 may be formed to a predetermined thickness to maintain weather resistance and mechanical strength, and the thickness of the injection molding 100 is the thickness of the first radiation pattern 120 and the thickness of the magnetic sheet 140 to be described later. It can be formed thicker than combined.

The first radiation pattern 120 may be formed on one surface of the injection-molded product 100 . In the present embodiment, 'one side' may be 'top side' in the drawing of the injection-molded product 100 .

The first radiation pattern 120 is a metal pattern that radiates an electromagnetic field to the outside for communication with an external device, and may be formed by bending a conductive line pattern a plurality of times. At this time, the first radiation pattern 120 includes two terminal connection parts 131 to allow current to flow, and a current is input to one terminal connection part 131 and is configured to be output to the other terminal connection part 131 . .

In this case, the first radiation pattern 120 may be an antenna pattern for near field communication (NFC).

Meanwhile, an electronic component installation region 170 for mounting an electronic component may be formed on the upper side of the injection-molded product 100 . In this case, the electronic component may be a camera module.

The first radiation pattern 120 may include a first radiation area 123 and a second radiation area 125 .

The first radiation area 123 is formed by bending the conductive line pattern a plurality of times, and the second radiation area 125 extends from the conductive line pattern and extends along the outer periphery of the electronic component installation area 170 . ) may be formed to protrude outward from the.

Specifically, the electronic component installation region 170 may be formed in a rectangular shape in which corners are curved. The conductive line pattern extending from the conductive line pattern forming the first radiation area 123 is formed to be rounded along the edge of the electronic component installation area 170 and protrudes toward the side of the first radiation area 123 . The second radiation region 125 is formed.

By forming the second radiation area 125 in this way, the radiation area of the first radiation pattern 120 can be expanded, and specifically, the tag area of the first radiation pattern 120 functioning as an NFC antenna can be expanded. .

The conductive line patterns of the second radiation region 125 may have different current directions and may be formed to be spaced apart from each other. In this case, the conductive line pattern is bent in the second radiation region 125 and the current direction of the innermost conductive line pattern may be formed as an acute angle.

The second radiation region 125 is formed to have a relatively narrower area than the first radiation region 123 by the electronic component installation region 170 , and when the conductive line pattern is bent in the second radiation region 125 , the innermost Conductive line patterns in the poles are adjacent to each other and are formed with different current directions (opposite directions). When the current directions of adjacent conductive line patterns are formed in opposite directions, the magnetic fields become opposite directions according to the right handed screw rule and cancel each other, thereby deteriorating the radiation performance of the antenna. The innermost conductive lines of (125) are formed to be spaced apart from each other to maintain radiation performance.

In this case, the interval (b) between the innermost conductive line patterns of the second radiation region 125 may be wider than the spacing (a) between the conductive line patterns inside the first radiation region 123 .

Meanwhile, the structure 150 may be provided on the other side of the injection-molded product 100 . The structure 150 is disposed adjacent to the other surface of the injection-molded product 100 , may be formed of a metal material, and may include various shapes. In this case, the structure 150 may be a shield can made of a metal material. The shield can has a space for mounting an electronic component (PCB) therein, and radiates heat emitted from the electronic component.

The magnetic sheet 140 is interposed between the structure 150 and the injection-molded product 100 , and may be disposed to cover the first radiation pattern 120 on the other surface of the injection-molded product 100 . In this embodiment, 'the other side' may be the 'rear side' of the injection-molded product 100 . In this case, the magnetic sheet 140 may be attached to the other surface of the injection-molded product 100 via the adhesive sheet.

The magnetic sheet 140 is a sheet made of a magnetic material with high permeability, and blocks electromagnetic waves generated from the first radiation pattern 120 to focus it in a desired direction, or is disposed on the other side of the injection-molded product 100 . It is possible to improve the radiation performance of the antenna by preventing the eddy current generated by the shield can accommodating the electronic components such as the printed circuit board (PCB) and suppressing the interference of the electromagnetic wave by shielding the electromagnetic wave.

The magnetic sheet 140 may include ferrite. Specifically, the magnetic sheet 140 is used as a single material such as a magnetic alloy or a ferrite sintered body, or a magnetic metal powder and/or a ferrite powder is mixed with an insulating resin, a rubber-based component, a ceramic or a non-magnetic metal, and the like is extruded, pressed, a film It can be used in the form of a composite material molded by a method such as casting.

The magnetic sheet 140 may have a shape and an area corresponding to the outer shape of the first radiation pattern 120 . When the magnetic sheet 140 is formed to be larger than the outer area of the first radiation pattern 120 , another second radiation pattern 210 around the first radiation pattern 120 by the magnetic field by the magnetic sheet 140 . However, the third radiation pattern 230 may be affected, and when the magnetic sheet 140 is formed smaller than the outer area of the first radiation pattern 120 , the electromagnetic wave shielding effect is lowered and the first radiation pattern as an NFC antenna This is because the radiation performance of (120) may be deteriorated.

Meanwhile, the structure 150 may include a separation space 153 . Referring to FIG. 3 , the structures 150 may be formed as a pair at regular intervals from each other, and a spaced space 153 may be formed between the pair of structures 150 .

In this case, the magnetic sheet 140 may be formed except for a region corresponding to the separation space 153 of the structure 150 . Specifically, referring to <b> of FIG. 4 , the magnetic sheet 140 may be divided into a first magnetic sheet 141 and a second magnetic sheet 143 and formed as a pair, and the first magnetic sheet 141 ) is arranged at a position corresponding to one of the structures 150 and the second magnetic sheet 143 is arranged at a position corresponding to the other structure 150 to shield electromagnetic waves to focus in a desired direction or , it is possible to suppress the electromagnetic wave interference by blocking the eddy current generated by the metal structure 150 . Specifically, the metal structure 150 provided on the other side of the injection-molded product 100 may form an eddy current, which is a current of a reverse magnetic field, and thereby interfere with the flow of current in the radiation pattern, thereby reducing radiation performance. To compensate for this, the magnetic sheet 140 is attached to the radiator pattern area overlapping the structure 150 to suppress electromagnetic wave interference caused by eddy currents to maintain radiation performance, and the magnetic material sheet 140 necessary for electromagnetic wave shielding is spaced apart. By excluding as much as the width of the space 153 , the shielding effect can be derived by using the minimum magnetic sheet 140 , and the cost of the antenna module can be reduced.

Meanwhile, the magnetic sheet 140 may be formed at a location corresponding to the first radiation area 123 , except for an area corresponding to the second radiation area 125 . That is, the conductive line pattern of the second radiation region 125 has a different current direction, so that the second radiation region 125 does not have much influence on the magnetic field formation, and the magnetic flux density of the first radiation region 123 is the second radiation region. Since the magnetic flux density of the region 125 is strong and the first radiation region 123 is wider than the second radiation region 125 , even in this case, the electromagnetic wave shielding effect by the magnetic sheet 140 can be sufficiently obtained and the magnetic material This is because the cost of manufacturing the sheet 140 can be reduced.

Meanwhile, referring to <a> of FIG. 4 , an unwinding region 127 may be formed inside the first radiation pattern 120 that is bent and wound a plurality of times to form a loop shape, and the magnetic sheet 140 is The spaced space 153 of the structure 150 and the unwinding area 127 of the first radiation pattern 120 may be formed except for at least some of the overlapping areas.

The magnetic sheet 140 may include a first magnetic sheet 141 , a second magnetic sheet 143 , a third magnetic sheet 145 , and a fourth magnetic sheet 140 . Specifically, the first magnetic material sheet 141 and the second magnetic material sheet 143 are formed to be spaced apart from each other, and the third magnetic material sheet 145 and the fourth magnetic material sheet 140 are the first magnetic material sheet 141 and the second magnetic material sheet 140 . 2 may be provided in the space 153 of the magnetic sheet 143 . The third magnetic material sheet 145 and the fourth magnetic material sheet 140 may be provided to cover a part of the separation space 153 , and in this case, the third magnetic material sheet 145 and the fourth magnetic material sheet 140 are One radiation pattern 120 may be provided to cover an area corresponding to an area in which the radiation pattern 120 is disposed. That is, the third magnetic material sheet 145 and the fourth magnetic material sheet 140 have a space 153 in the structure 150 and an unwinding area 127 in which a radiation pattern is not formed inside the first radiation area 123 . It may be arranged to exclude this overlapping area. In addition to interference of electromagnetic waves due to the eddy current of the structure 150 , other electronic components may be affected by the magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the first radiation pattern 120 . By providing the third magnetic sheet 145 and the fourth magnetic sheet 140 in the area corresponding to there will be

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the magnetic sheet 140 is disposed to be spaced apart from the first radiation pattern 120 with the injection-molded product 100 interposed therebetween. By arranging the injection-molded product 100 in the middle and spaced apart from each other without attaching it, the electromagnetic wave shielding performance can be improved, and accordingly, the antenna performance of the first radiation pattern 120 can be improved.

Specifically, a structure 150 such as a shield can for accommodating electronic components such as a PCB may be disposed on the other side of the injection-molded product 100 , and antenna performance may be deteriorated due to the metal material of the structure 150 . To solve this problem, the magnetic sheet 140 may be directly attached to the first radiation pattern 120 , but since the magnetic sheet 140 also contains a metal component, the magnetic sheet 140 is in contact with the first radiation pattern 120 . If it is, it may affect the antenna performance.

In the present embodiment, the magnetic material sheet 140 is not directly attached to the first radiation pattern 120 , but the injection-molded product 100 is placed in the middle so as to be spaced apart from each other, so that between the first radiation pattern 120 and the magnetic sheet 140 . It is possible to improve the antenna performance by forming a space.

Meanwhile, the terminal pattern 133 and the terminal connection part 131 may be electrically connected through the via hole 135 .

Specifically, the terminal pattern 133 may be formed on the other side of the injection-molded product 100 . The terminal pattern 133 on the other side of the injection-molded product 100 and the terminal connection part 131 on one side of the injection-molded product 100 are connected through the via hole 135 . Electrically connected to the first radiation pattern 120 through the terminal pattern 133 may be fed. At this time, the terminal pattern 133 may be electrically contacted with a PCB board provided outside the antenna module by a contact means (C-Clip, etc.), so that power may be fed to the first radiation pattern 120 by the PCB.

In this case, the terminal pattern 133 may be formed to be exposed to the outside of the magnetic sheet 140 on the other surface of the injection-molded product 100 .

Specifically, referring to FIG. 2 , a magnetic sheet 140 is provided on the other side of the injection-molded product 100 . If the magnetic sheet 140 completely covers the terminal pattern 133 , it may be difficult to feed power by the PCB, so the terminal pattern This is to expose a portion of the 133 to the outside of the magnetic sheet 140 so that power supply through the PCB can be smoothly performed.

Meanwhile, the second radiation pattern 210 and the third radiation pattern 230 may be formed along the outer periphery of the injection-molded product 100 , and the second radiation pattern 210 , the third radiation pattern 230 , and the fourth radiation pattern may be formed. The pattern 250 may be an antenna pattern for any one of WiFi, GPS, 3G, 4G, or 5G. In this case, the second radiation pattern 210 may be formed below the first radiation pattern 120 , and the third radiation pattern 230 is spaced apart from the second radiation pattern 210 to form the first radiation pattern 120 . may be formed on the right side of , and the fourth radiation pattern 250 may be formed to be spaced apart between the second radiation pattern 210 and the third radiation pattern 230 below the first radiation pattern 120 . . At this time, the second radiation pattern 210 , the third radiation pattern 230 , and the fourth radiation pattern 250 may be electrically connected to the terminal pattern 133 formed on the other side of the injection-molded product 100 through the via hole 135 . can

In this case, the pattern length of the second radiation pattern 210 may be longer than that of the third radiation pattern 230 and the fourth radiation pattern 250 . At this time, the second radiation pattern 210 is an antenna for any one of 3G, 4G, or 5G, the third radiation pattern 230 is an antenna for WiFi, and the fourth radiation pattern 250 is an antenna for GPS. can

Meanwhile, the first radiation pattern 120 , the second radiation pattern 210 , and the third radiation pattern 230 may be formed by etching at least a portion of the injection-molded product 100 in a predetermined shape and plating the etched portion. .

Specifically, the injection product 100 is formed of a material containing a non-conductive and chemically stable heavy metal complex, and a part of the injection product 100 is exposed to a laser such as a UV (Ultra Violet) laser, an excimer laser, etc. The chemical bond of 150 is broken to expose the metal seed. Next, it may be formed by a method of metalizing the injection-molded product 100 to form a conductive material in the laser-exposed portion of the injection-molded product 100 .

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a wireless communication device (not shown) including the above-described antenna module is disclosed.

The wireless communication device (not shown) may include the above-described antenna module, camera module, and electronic components such as a PCB in a metal case (not shown), and may wirelessly transmit/receive data through the antenna module.

Since the antenna module included in this embodiment is the same as the antenna module described in the previous embodiment, a detailed description will be replaced with that of the previous embodiment.

As described above, according to the present invention, electromagnetic waves that may affect the antenna radiation pattern formed on one surface of the injection-molded product are effectively blocked, thereby minimizing the degradation of the radiation performance of the antenna radiation pattern.

In addition, by minimizing the magnetic sheet used for electromagnetic wave shielding, there is an effect that can contribute to the reduction of production cost.

In addition, there is an effect of improving the radiation efficiency by optimizing the width of the radiation pattern formed on one surface of the injection-molded product in a limited space.

As described above, preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described, and the fact that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention other than the above-described embodiments is a fact having ordinary skill in the art. It is obvious to them. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the above description, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

100: injection molding
120: first radiation pattern
123: first radiation region
125: second radiation area
127: unwinding area
131: terminal connection
133: terminal pattern
135: via hole
140: magnetic sheet
141: first magnetic sheet
143: second magnetic sheet
145: third magnetic sheet
150: structure
153: separation space
170: electronic component installation area
210: second radiation pattern
230: third radiation pattern
250: fourth radiation pattern

Claims (12)

extrudate;
a first radiation pattern formed on one surface of the injection-molded product;
a structure provided on the other side of the injection-molded product; and
A magnetic sheet interposed between the structure and the injection-molded product and provided to cover the first radiation pattern on the other surface of the injection-molded product;
An installation area for installing electronic components is formed on one surface of the injection-molded product,
The first radiation pattern,
a first radiation region formed by bending the conductive line pattern a plurality of times; and
a second radiation region extending from the conductive line pattern and formed to protrude from the first radiation region along an outer periphery of the installation region; and
The structure includes a separation space,
The magnetic sheet,
Antenna module, characterized in that formed except for an area corresponding to the separation space of the structure and an area corresponding to the second radiation area.
delete According to claim 1,
The first radiation pattern is bent and wound a plurality of times to form a loop shape to form an unwinding region therein;
The magnetic sheet,
Antenna module, characterized in that formed except for at least a partial area of the area where the spaced space of the structure and the unwinding area of the first radiation pattern overlap.
According to claim 1,
a terminal connection part formed on one surface of the injection-molded product so as to be in contact with the first radiation pattern; and
and a terminal pattern formed on the other surface of the injection-molded product and electrically connected to the terminal connection part.
delete According to claim 1,
It includes a conductive line through which current enters and a conductive line through which current exits,
The direction in which the current enters and the direction in which the current exits are opposite to each other.
Antenna module, characterized in that the conductive line through which the current enters and the conductive line through which the current exits are formed to be spaced apart from each other.
delete According to claim 1,
An antenna module, characterized in that the terminal pattern for feeding the first radiation pattern is formed to be exposed to the outside of the magnetic sheet on the other surface of the injection-molded product.
According to claim 1,
The antenna module, characterized in that it comprises a second radiation pattern, a third radiation pattern, and a fourth radiation pattern formed along the outer periphery of the injection-molded product.
10. The method of claim 9,
The first radiation pattern is an antenna pattern for near field communication (NFC),
The second radiation pattern, the third radiation pattern and the fourth radiation pattern are, characterized in that the antenna pattern for any one of WiFi, GPS, 3G, 4G or 5G, the antenna module.
10. The method of claim 9,
The first radiation pattern, the second radiation pattern, the third radiation pattern, and the fourth radiation pattern are characterized in that the molded product is etched and an etched portion is plated to form the antenna module.
A wireless communication device comprising the antenna module of claim 1 .

Images