KR20070117111A - Device for advancing radiation property of antenna in portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for improving an antenna radiation characteristic in a portable terminal is provided to switch a predetermined connection unit according to the opening/closing of a sub body to prevent the antenna radiation characteristic from being degraded previously. A portable terminal includes a main body and a sub body to perform an opening/closing operation in the main body. An apparatus for improving an antenna radiation characteristic includes a main board, a connection member, a detection unit, and a controller(400). The main board is electrically connected to a predetermined antenna apparatus. The connection member is installed in a predetermined position such that the connection member is electrically connected to the main board by a predetermined switching device according to the opening/closing of the sub body. The detection unit detects the opening/closing of the sub body. The controller turns on/off the switching device by the detection of the detection unit.

Description

DEVICE FOR ADVANCING RADIATION PROPERTY OF ANTENNA IN PORTABLE TERMINAL}

1 is a perspective view of a folding portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a view schematically showing a grounding structure of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a main structural diagram showing a variable ground structure using a switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a block diagram of a portable terminal showing a switching control method through a hall sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5A and 5B show standing wave ratios according to opening and closing of a folder before the hinge structure is applied to the grounding device;

FIG. 6 shows the standing wave ratio at the time of folder closure after the hinge structure is applied to the grounding device; FIG.

7 is a block diagram illustrating a portable terminal showing a switching operation of two antenna devices according to opening and closing of a terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention; And

8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of another antenna device applied to FIG. 7 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and in particular, by selectively switching a predetermined connection means in accordance with opening and closing of a sub body, to prevent the degradation of relative antenna radiation characteristics due to opening and closing of the sub body in advance to implement a high quality terminal. An apparatus for improving antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal.

In recent years, due to the development of the electronic communication industry, portable terminals are becoming smaller and lighter, and their functions are diversifying. For example, a speaker device capable of implementing melody of various chords is installed, and a color display device of millions of pixels is implemented. In addition, a music listening function through an MP3 player other than the basic calling function is implemented in the terminal, and not only various game contents using the display device but also digital multi-media broadcasting (DMB) functions are provided.

The above-mentioned terminals are released in various forms, and in general, they may be classified according to the opening and closing operation for the call of the terminal. That is, the terminals start from a general bar type terminal, include a flip type terminal, a folder type terminal, a slide type terminal, a pop type terminal, In the form of a slide and rotation type terminal, it is continuously being released in response to user needs.

Since the terminals described above are used as portable radio apparatuses, the terminals are provided with a predetermined antenna apparatus. The above-described antenna device is applied to the terminal in various forms, from an external antenna device protruding to the outside of the terminal to a built-in antenna device called 'intenna' mounted inside the terminal. The antenna device should be disposed in a place where performance can be maximized in a terminal that performs various opening and closing operations of the sub body. In particular, the folder-type terminal and the slide-type terminal perform its function by installing an external antenna device protruding from the upper portion of the main body or by embedding a predetermined size antenna radiator inside the rear of the main body.

However, terminals having the configuration as described above are generally designed to perform optimal antenna coupling in the open or closed position of the sub-body or to have an intermediate radiation characteristic, which may cause a decrease in the overall radiation characteristic of the terminal. In addition, there was a problem in that the radiation characteristic degradation due to the finger touch generated by holding the terminal during the call.

Therefore, a separate ground means is provided in the terminals. For example, the folder-type terminal and the slide-type terminal include a hinge module (or slide hinge module) for mechanically connecting the main body and the folder or the slide body, and the ground portion of the main board installed in the main body; By connecting the hinge module electrically, the grounding part can be expanded. This may serve as an electromagnetic shielding role to minimize the adverse effect of the terminal on the human body.

However, as described above, the structure in which the ground portion and the hinge module of the main board of the main body are uniformly grounded has a small effect of the human body when making a call by opening a folder, so that the radiation efficiency of the antenna device is improved. The problem arises in that the radiation efficiency of the antenna device is lowered.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to prevent the degradation of the antenna radiation characteristics due to the opening and closing of the sub body by selectively connecting a separate connection means according to the use environment of the terminal. The present invention provides an apparatus for improving antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for improving antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal to which two antenna apparatuses which are selectively switched according to opening and closing of a subbody as a connecting means.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for improving antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal, which is configured to be electrically connected to the ground of the terminal by switching according to opening and closing of the sub body as a connecting means.

Still another object of the present invention is to apply a Hall sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the sub-body so that a constant antenna radiation characteristic is always realized by a selective switching operation of a connection means provided and switched in the terminal according to the detection of the Hall sensor The present invention provides an apparatus for improving antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal.

In order to solve the above object, the present invention provides a portable terminal comprising a main body and a sub body performing an opening and closing operation in a predetermined manner in the main body, a predetermined antenna device is electrically connected A main board, a connection member installed at the terminal in electrical connection with the main board by a predetermined switching element according to opening and closing of the sub body, sensing means for detecting opening and closing of the sub body, and sensing And a terminal controller for turning on / off the switching element by the detection of the means.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the case where it is determined that the gist of the present invention may be unnecessarily obscured, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a perspective view of a folding portable terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and includes a main body 110 and a folder 120 that is opened and closed at a predetermined angle in the main body 110. A plurality of key button assemblies 111 and 112 are installed in the main body 110, and a 3 × 4 keypad assembly 111 and a navigation keypad assembly 112 may be installed. The microphone device 113 is installed below the keypad assembly 111. Furthermore, a built-in antenna device (40 in FIG. 2) is installed at the dotted line portion of the main body 110 in the drawing. The built-in antenna device 40 may be in the form of a predetermined plate radiator, but is not limited thereto, and antenna radiators of various shapes may be installed. Moreover, the antenna device may be mounted on the rear surface of the main board 10, as shown in FIG. However, in addition to the internal antenna radiator 40 described above, an external antenna device protruding outside the main body 110 or the folder 120 may be used.

A display device 121 of a predetermined size may be installed in the folder 120. The display device 121 may be a predetermined LCD module. The speaker phone device 122 is installed above the display device 121.

The folder 120 is folded with the main body 110 using the axis A as a rotation axis on the main body 110, and a center hinge arm 123 is formed in the folder 120 and the main body 110. Side hinge arms (114, 115) are formed on both sides of the) to be installed to face each other. In addition, a predetermined hinge module (30 in FIG. 2) is accommodated in the center hinge arm 123, and a part of the center hinge arm 123 is fixed to and interlocked with the side hinge arms 114 and 115 to provide a user with a feeling of opening and closing of the folder 120. At the same time, it serves to induce a change of direction in the opening and closing direction at a certain time during the operation of the folder 120. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and if the center hinge arm 123 in which the hinge module 30 is installed is formed in the main body 110, the corresponding side hinge arms 114 and 115 may be formed in the folder 120. There will be.

2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a grounding structure of a portable terminal 100 according to the present invention, in which a main board 10 is installed on a main body 110, and a built-in antenna device on a rear surface of the main board 10. 40 is installed. The built-in antenna device 40 has a configuration that is grounded to the ground (12 in FIG. 3) of the main board 10 according to the type.

A printed circuit board (PCB) 20 is also installed in the folder 120, and a ground portion (22 of FIG. 3) is formed in the PCB 20 in a predetermined region. The PCB 20 may be mounted with various electronic functions (eletronic function group) such as an LCD module (21 in FIG. 3), which is a component of a display device installed in a folder.

On the other hand, the hinge module 30 has a configuration that is electrically connected to the ground portion 12 of the main board 10. As will be described later, preferably, the hinge contact 31 protruding from the hinge module 30 is electrically connected using a conductive metal pin, a conductive gasket or a flexible printed circuit (FPC), and other known electrical connectors. You will be able to connect

3 is a main configuration diagram showing a variable grounding structure using a switching element according to the present invention, except for the main body and the folder, which shows only the main board 10 and the folder PCB 20 of the folder. It was. The hinge module 30 is interposed between the main board 10 and the folder PCB 20 to open and close the folder at a predetermined angle on the main body. Although not shown, at least one component of the hinge module 30 may be formed of a metal material. Preferably, the entire hinge module 30 may be formed of a metal material. For example, although not shown, a hinge housing, a known hinge spring, a hinge cam, and a hinge shaft sequentially received in the hinge housing may also be formed of a metal material.

The hinge contact 31 protrudes outside the hinge module 30. The hinge contact 31 may be electrically connected to the hinge shaft end of the hinge housing or the hinge module 30, but is not limited thereto. The hinge contact 31 may be fixed to any component of the hinge module 30 according to the terminal structure. will be.

The ground board 12 is formed on the main board 10. The grounding unit 12 not only serves as a ground for various electronic components, but will also be used as a grounding body when the applied antenna radiator is a PIFA type terminal instead of a monopole. A predetermined connection pad 14 is installed at one side of the ground part 12 of the main board 10, and the connection pad 14 and the ground part 12 of the main board 10 have a predetermined length and shape. It is electrically connected by having patterns 15 and 16. Therefore, when assembling the terminal, the hinge contact 31 and the connection pad 14 of the main board 10 are naturally in contact with each other, thereby enabling electrical connection.

A predetermined switching element 13 is interposed in the patterns 15 and 16 between the connection pad 14 and the ground portion 12 of the main board 10. The switching element 13 may be connected in series to the patterns 15 and 16, and may be shorted or opened by selectively connecting the connection pad 14 and the grounding part 12 by a terminal controller. As a result, selective electrical connection between the hinge module 30 and the ground portion 12 can be achieved. An RF switch may be used as the switching element 13. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other known switching means may be used.

Although not shown, the hinge module 30 may also be electrically connected to the ground part 22 formed on the folder PCB 20, and the ground part 22 and the hinge module 30 of the folder PCB 20 may be electrically connected. Also, the selective electrical connection may be achieved through a separate switching element.

4 is a block diagram of a portable terminal showing a switching control method through a hall IC 408 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Will be detected. Therefore, the controller 400 detects whether the folder is opened or closed by the hall sensor 408, and the terminal controller 400 uses the switching element 13 to connect the hinge module 30 and the ground part 12 of the terminal. ) Is electrically connected selectively. In this case, whether the ground is connected to the hinge module 30 may be set when the terminal manufacturer first couples the antenna radiation characteristics of the terminal. When the folder is closed, the hinge module 30 may be connected to the hinge module 30. 30) and an additional grounding configuration can be achieved, but the reverse configuration is also acceptable.

Hereinafter, descriptions of the display unit 403, the RF module 405, the modem unit 406, the key input unit 402, the memory 401, and the codec 404, which are basic known components of the terminal, will be omitted. do.

5A and 5B illustrate standing wave ratios of opening and closing folders before the hinge structure is applied to the grounding device, and FIG. 6 illustrates standing wave ratios of the folder closing after the hinge structure is applied to the grounding device.

5A and 5B are standing wave ratios of opening and closing of a folder when a hinge module is not used as a grounding body, and the characteristics of the high side are worse than when the folder is opened when the folder is closed (Fig. 5B). As shown in FIG. 6, when the hinge module according to the present invention is used as a grounding body, it can be seen that the high side characteristic is remarkably improved when the folder is closed. In other words. As shown in the graph above, if the hall sensor is used to detect whether the folder is opened or closed, and the switching element is used as a grounding body only when the folder is closed, constant antenna radiation characteristics are realized regardless of the opening or closing of the folder. It can be seen that.

Although not shown, the grounding structure according to the present invention is also applicable to a slide type terminal. For example, if the plate-type slide hinge module used for sliding the slide body and the main body is used as an additional grounding body, the effect of improving the antenna radiation characteristics as described above may also be realized.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a switching operation of two antenna apparatuses 701 and 702 according to opening and closing of a terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention. And alternately alternately alternate the two antenna radiators 701 and 702 in accordance with the opening and closing of the subbody by a predetermined switching device 710 using another antenna radiator 702 as a connecting member. It has a configuration to connect. In this case, the another antenna radiator 702 may be electrically connected to the RF module (RF connector) 705 of the terminal main board by interposing a predetermined switching element 710.

Accordingly, the terminal controller 700 detects whether the sub-body is opened or closed by the hall sensor 708, and turns on / off the switching element 710 according to the detection result, so that the existing antenna device 701 or the It may be selectively connected to another additional antenna device 702.

The additional antenna device 702 may be installed near the hinge module 30 for mechanically connecting the folder and the main body in the case of a folder type portable terminal.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a configuration of another antenna device applied to FIG. 7 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and more preferably, a predetermined dielectric installed to surround the hinge housing of the hinge module 30. It would be possible to use a helical antenna radiator 702 wound with insert molding on 703. The helical antenna radiator 702 also has an electrical connection means for electrically connecting with the RF module 705 of the main body, for example, a thin wire cable, a flexible printed circuit, a connection pin of a predetermined shape, etc. may be used. will be.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the Hall sensor is used as a means for detecting whether the sub body of the terminal is opened or closed, but other known magnetic reed switches, photo sensors, passive piezoelectric sensors, etc. may be used.

Apparently, there are many ways to modify these embodiments while remaining within the scope of the claims. In other words, there may be many other ways in which the invention may be practiced without departing from the scope of the following claims.

The apparatus according to the present invention significantly reduces the change in the antenna radiation characteristics according to the opening and closing of the sub-body by selectively switching the connection member in accordance with the opening and closing of the terminal sub-body, resulting in the advantage of high-quality terminal implementation.

Claims (13)

In a portable terminal comprising a main body and a sub body for performing the opening and closing operation in a predetermined manner in the main body, A main board to which a predetermined antenna device is electrically connected; A connection member disposed at the terminal in place so as to be electrically connected to the main board by a predetermined switching element according to opening and closing of the sub body; Sensing means for sensing opening and closing of the sub body; And And a terminal controller for turning on / off the switching element by the sensing of the sensing means. The method of claim 1, The terminal is a device for improving the antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal, characterized in that the slide type terminal. The method of claim 2, The connecting member is a device for improving the antenna radiation characteristics of the portable terminal, characterized in that the metal plate hinge module for connecting the main body and the sub-body slide body. The method of claim 3, wherein The hinge module is an apparatus for improving antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal, characterized in that the switching element has a selective electrical connection with the ground of the main board. The method of claim 1, And the portable terminal is a folder type terminal having a folder as a sub-body. The method of claim 5, The connecting member is a device for improving the antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal, characterized in that the metal hinge module for mechanically connecting the folder and the main body rotatably. The method of claim 6, The hinge module is an apparatus for improving antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal, characterized in that the switching element has a selective electrical connection with the ground of the main board. The method of claim 5, And the connection member is another antenna radiator switched separately from the antenna apparatus by the switching element. The method of claim 8, The two antenna devices are selectively switched alternately in accordance with the opening and closing of the folder to improve the antenna radiation characteristics of the portable terminal. The method of claim 8, The another antenna radiator is an apparatus for improving the antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal, characterized in that installed near the hinge module for connecting the folder and the main body. The method of claim 10, The antenna radiator is an apparatus for improving antenna radiation characteristics of a portable terminal, characterized in that the helical antenna radiator is installed to surround the hinge module. The method of claim 11, The helical antenna radiator is an apparatus for improving the antenna radiation characteristics of the portable terminal, characterized in that the insert molding is installed on the dielectric surrounding the outside of the hinge module. The method of claim 1, wherein The sensing means is any one of a hall IC, a magnetic reed switch, a photo sensor, and a mechanical piezoelectric sensor.

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