KR20170138197A - Electronic Device Comprising Antenna Made of Conductive Paint - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic device in which electronic components performing at least one different function are embedded. The electronic device comprises an antenna transmitting and receiving an electrical signal to and from an external device, wherein the antenna is formed by a patterned coating of a conductive paint on a substrate embedded in the electronic device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device including an antenna formed of a conductive paint,

The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus including an antenna formed of a conductive paint.

In recent years, the demand for environmentally friendly alternative energy sources has become an indispensable factor for the future, as the increase in the price of energy sources due to depletion of fossil fuels and the interest in environmental pollution are amplified. Various researches on power generation technologies such as nuclear power, solar power, wind power, and tidal power have been continuing, and electric power storage devices for more efficient use of such generated energy have also been attracting much attention.

Particularly, as technology development and demand for mobile devices are increasing, the demand for batteries as energy sources is rapidly increasing, and accordingly, a lot of researches on batteries that can meet various demands have been conducted.

Typically, in terms of the shape of a battery, there is a high demand for a prismatic secondary battery and a pouch-type secondary battery which can be applied to products such as mobile phones with a small thickness, and has advantages such as high energy density, discharge voltage, There is a high demand for lithium secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries and lithium ion polymer batteries.

The secondary battery includes a cylindrical battery and a prismatic battery in which the electrode assembly is housed in a cylindrical or rectangular metal can according to the shape of the battery case, and a pouch type battery in which the electrode assembly is housed in a pouch-shaped case of an aluminum laminate sheet .

Also, the secondary battery is classified according to the structure of the electrode assembly having the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. Typically, the long battery- A stacked (stacked) electrode assembly in which a plurality of positive electrodes and negative electrodes cut in a predetermined size unit are sequentially stacked with a separator interposed therebetween, the jelly-roll type (wound type) electrode assembly having a structure in which a separator is interposed; In recent years, in order to solve the problems of the jelly-roll type electrode assembly and the stack type electrode assembly, an electrode assembly having an advanced structure, which is a combination of the jelly-roll type and the stack type, A stack / folding type electrode having a structure in which unit cells stacked with a separator interposed between an anode and a cathode are sequentially wound while being placed on a separation film Developed body lip.

On the other hand, such a secondary battery has recently been widely used as a main power source of the electronic device, along with development of a mobile electronic device such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, and a wearable electronic device.

Specifically, such an electronic device has a built-in various electronic components performing at least one or more different functions, and the electronic components are electrically interconnected in the electronic device, so that the desired performance can be exhibited.

Particularly, in recent years, the electronic apparatuses are gradually becoming smaller and lighter in weight. On the other hand, a secondary battery used as a power source for the electronic apparatus occupies a relatively larger space than other electronic components in the electronic apparatus, There is a problem that the mounting space of the electronic parts is restricted.

However, since the secondary battery is designed to be capable of providing a minimum amount of power as a power source for the electronic device in order to provide stable power to the electronic device, it is difficult to miniaturize the secondary battery.

In addition, the electronic device is another electronic component that occupies a relatively large space inside, and essentially includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving an electrical signal with an external device.

However, since the antenna is also applied and embedded in a separate supporting structure so as to be able to be fixed and held in a stable position while eliminating or minimizing electrical interference with the remaining electronic components, It takes up considerable space, which tends to exacerbate the restriction on the space in which the electronic components are mounted in the electronic device.

Therefore, there is a high need for a technique capable of fundamentally solving such problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and the technical problems required from the past.

The inventors of the present application have conducted intensive research and various experiments and have succeeded in constructing the antenna by forming the antenna by the patterned coating of the conductive paint on the substrate built in the electronic device It is possible to minimize the space required for mounting the electronic device in the electronic device, thereby effectively providing a space for mounting the remaining electronic devices in the electronic device, It is possible to more easily design a system composed of electronic components to be embedded and further to make the electronic device more compact. The present invention has been accomplished based on this finding.

According to an aspect of the present invention,

An electronic apparatus having electronic components that perform at least one or more different functions, wherein the electronic apparatus includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving an electrical signal to and from an external apparatus, the antenna including a conductive paint And a patterned coating of < RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI >

Therefore, since it does not include a separate support structure for forming the antenna, it is possible to minimize the space required to be mounted in the electronic device, thereby effectively providing a space for mounting the remaining electronic components in the electronic device Therefore, it is possible to more easily design a system made up of electronic parts embedded in the electronic equipment, and further, the electronic equipment can be configured more compactly.

In one specific example, the electronic device incorporates a chargeable and dischargeable battery cell as a power source, and the antenna may be formed in a portion having a relatively large area in an outer surface of the case of the battery cell.

More specifically, the antenna must be formed over a large area so as to stably transmit and receive an electric signal with an external device.

At this time, the battery cell built in the electronic device as a power source has a relatively large structure in the electronic device as compared with the remaining electronic devices, thereby providing a sufficient space for forming the antenna .

Therefore, the antenna of the electronic device is formed in a portion having a relatively large area in the outer surface of the case of the battery cell having a relatively large structure, so that it is possible to stably transmit and receive an electric signal other than the external device. It is not necessary to include a separate support structure, and the overall size can be reduced.

In this case, the case of the battery cell may be made of an insulating plastic resin.

Specifically, in the process of transmitting / receiving an electrical signal to / from an external device, the antenna may cause electrical interference with other electronic components located adjacent to the antenna, so that the electronic device may not exhibit desired performance .

Accordingly, the case of the battery cell in which the antenna is formed is made of an insulating plastic resin, so that interference of an electrical signal with the battery element mounted in the case is prevented, and the performance of the electronic device can be prevented from deteriorating.

The case of the battery cell may have a thickness of 1 mm to 10 mm at a portion where the antenna is formed.

If the thickness of the battery cell case portion where the antenna is formed is less than 1 mm, the thickness of the case becomes excessively thin, and the battery element inside the battery cell case may interfere with an electrical signal transmitted / Can occur.

On the contrary, when the thickness of the battery cell case portion where the antenna is formed exceeds 10 mm, the thickness of the case becomes unnecessarily large, so that there is a restriction in the space for mounting the electronic device, A problem that can not be configured can be caused.

The thickness of the battery cell case where the antenna is formed can be appropriately changed within the range corresponding to the frequency of an electrical signal transmitted and received by the antenna.

In one specific example, the antenna may be a structure that is directly pattern-coated on the outer surface of the case of the battery cell.

As described above, the case of the battery cell may be made of an insulating plastic resin so as to eliminate or minimize the interference with an electrical signal, and accordingly, the antenna is made of an insulating plastic resin, Which is formed by directly patterning and coating the conductive paste with a conductive paint, thereby minimizing the space required in the electronic apparatus.

In another specific example, a film or a label may be attached to the outer surface of the case of the battery cell, and the antenna may be a patterned film or a patterned coating on the outer surface of the label.

In other words, the antenna may be formed separately from the battery cell in which the antenna is formed, by patterning the outer surface of a separate thin film or laminator that can be attached to the outer surface of the case of the battery cell.

Therefore, it is not necessary to separately manufacture the battery cell having the antenna, so that manpower and cost for manufacturing a new battery cell can be saved.

At this time, a sticky or adhesive material may be added between the thin film or the label and the outer surface of the case of the battery cell to provide a stable bonding force.

Therefore, the antenna can maintain a fixed state in a stable position with respect to a stimulus such as a flow generated between the operation of the electronic apparatus and an impact applied from the outside.

Here, the thin film or label may be attached to the outer surface of the battery cell so as to be detachable from the outer surface of the case.

Specifically, the battery cell is a consumable electronic component, and its lifetime characteristics may deteriorate over time, and thus the battery cell may be configured to be replaceable at a later time.

In this case, the thin film or label on which the antenna is formed is detachably attached to the outer surface of the case of the battery cell, so that the thin film or label can be separated from the previous battery cell, And thus can be continuously used without unnecessary replacement of the normal antenna.

Likewise, even if the antenna is damaged, it is not necessary to replace the entire battery cell in which the antenna is located, so that the cost required for maintenance and repair of the electronic device can be saved.

The conductive paint may be a liquid composition containing at least one conductive particle selected from the group consisting of copper, bronze, brass, iron, nickel, aluminum, gold, silver and carbon.

However, the conductive paint can be easily pattern-coated on the outer surface of a thin film-type film or label that is detachably attached to the substrate, or a substrate built in an electronic device such as a battery cell, The composition or the type of the conductive coating may be an EMI coating if the conductive signal can stably transmit and receive an electrical signal to / from the external device through the conductive coating layer.

In addition, at least a part of the parts where the conductive paint is patterned and coated in the substrate may be a part having a planar structure for transmission and reception of electrical signals.

Accordingly, the conductive paint is pattern-coated so that at least a part of the antenna is formed on the part of the substrate having the planar structure, so that the electronic device including the antenna can stably transmit and receive an electric signal with the external device.

In one specific example, the antenna may be a structure formed by adding a conductive paint onto the pattern coating member in a state where a pattern coating member having a through-pattern is formed on the base.

Therefore, since the conductive paint forming the antenna is added only to a pattern portion formed in a through-hole shape, it can be added with a more precise shape and dimensions, and all the antennas built in each electronic device can be easily standardized It is possible to mass-produce, thereby saving the cost and time required.

In addition, the conductive coating may be added to any one or more selected from the group consisting of a spray coating method, an inkjet printing method, a slit coating method, a die coating method, a spin coating method, and a sputtering coating method.

Accordingly, the conductive paint forming the antenna can be pattern-coated with a more uniform thickness, and transmission / reception deterioration due to a difference in local coating thickness can be prevented.

However, the method of forming the conductive paint for forming the antenna is not limited thereto, and if the conductive paint can be more easily formed and the desired effect can be exhibited, the method is greatly limited It is not.

Meanwhile, the antenna may have a structure in which an antenna grounding terminal portion is connected to an end portion where a pattern starts and / or ends.

That is, since the antenna grounding terminal portion is directly connected to the end portion where the pattern starts and / or ends, an electrical signal can be easily transmitted and received. Therefore, for connection to the antenna grounding terminal portion, It is not necessary to take out the connection portion of the antenna and the electronic device system including the antenna and the antenna can be further simplified.

In one specific example, the type of the electronic device is not limited as long as it can exhibit a desired performance by including an antenna formed by the patterned coating of the conductive paint. In detail, May be any one selected from the group consisting of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a power tool, a wearable electronic device, and a power storage device.

Since the specific structure and structure of the electronic device or device are well known in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

Meanwhile, the present invention provides a method of forming an antenna in the electronic device, wherein, in one specific example,

a) selecting a member whose outer surface is electrically insulative among the members contained in the electronic apparatus, and positioning the pattern coating member on the outer surface of the substrate including the portion having a planar structure in the member;

b) forming an antenna pattern by adding a conductive paint to the pattern coating member; And

c) connecting an antenna grounding terminal portion to an end portion where the antenna pattern starts and / or ends;

. ≪ / RTI >

That is, the antenna can be formed directly on the electrically insulating member by adding a conductive paint in a state where a pattern coating member is placed on a plane portion of the electrically insulating member on which the antenna is formed.

In yet another specific example,

a) positioning a pattern coating member on a thin film or label;

b) forming an antenna pattern by adding a conductive paint to the pattern coating member;

c) attaching a film or a label having an antenna pattern formed on an outer surface of a base material including a portion having a planar structure in the member, by selecting one member from the members embedded in the electronic device;

d) connecting an antenna grounding terminal portion to an end portion where the antenna pattern starts and / or ends;

. ≪ / RTI >

In other words, the antenna is formed on the thin film-type film or label by the addition of a conductive paint in a state in which the pattern-coating member is placed on the thin film-type film or label on which the antenna is formed, For example, by attaching on a planar portion of the member.

Therefore, unlike the conventional antenna, the antenna formed according to the above method does not require a separate supporting structure, so that the electronic device can be configured with a more compact structure.

In addition, the conductive paint can be easily patterned according to the above-described method to exhibit stable performance. More specifically, the conductive paint is selected from the group consisting of copper, bronze, brass, iron, nickel, aluminum, gold, silver and carbon Or a liquid composition containing at least one of the conductive particles.

Meanwhile, the method of adding the conductive paint is a method in which the conductive paint is pattern-coated to have a more uniform thickness, thereby preventing transmission / reception deterioration due to a difference in local coating thickness. More specifically, An inkjet printing method, a slit coating method, a die coating method, a spin coating method, and a sputtering coating method.

In one specific example, when the antenna is formed on a thin film or label and attached to a substrate, a sticky or adhesive material may be provided between the thin film or label and the outer surface of the case of the battery cell to provide a stable bonding force. May be added.

At this time, the thin film type film or label may be attached so as to be detachable from the outer surface of the case of the battery cell.

Thus, the thin film or label on which the antenna is formed can be detached from the previously attached member and reattached to the newly replaced member, thus being able to be used continuously without unnecessary replacement of the normal antenna.

Likewise, even if the antenna is damaged, it is not necessary to replace the entire member in which the antenna is located, so that the cost for maintenance and repair of the electronic device can be saved.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the electronic apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that the antenna is formed by the patterned coating of the conductive paint on the base material embedded in the electronic apparatus, thereby including a separate supporting structure for forming the antenna Therefore, it is possible to minimize the space required to be mounted in the electronic apparatus, thereby effectively providing a space for mounting the remaining electronic components in the electronic apparatus. Thus, a system composed of electronic components embedded in the electronic apparatus Can be designed more easily, and further, the electronic apparatus can be configured to be more compact.

1 is a schematic view schematically showing an antenna structure formed on an outer surface of a battery cell case of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a method of forming the antenna of FIG. 1;
3 is a schematic view illustrating an antenna structure formed on an outer surface of a battery cell case of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a method of forming the antenna of FIG. 3;
5 is a schematic view schematically showing an antenna structure formed on an outer surface of a battery cell case of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings according to the embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

1 is a schematic view schematically showing an antenna structure formed on an outer surface of a battery cell case of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a battery cell 100 has a structure in which a battery element is embedded in a case 110 having a hexahedron structure in which a top surface 101 and a bottom surface 102 have a relatively large area with respect to the ground surface have.

The antenna 120 is formed to cover the upper surface 101 having a relatively large area among the outer surfaces 101, 102 and 103 of the case 110 of the battery cell 100 and the front surface 103 adjacent thereto, So that they are continuously formed.

The case 110 of the battery cell 100 is made of an insulating plastic resin and the battery element in the case 110 allows the electrical signal transmitted and received through the antenna 120 formed in the case 110, The interference that may occur with respect to the base station can be eliminated or minimized.

The antenna 120 transmits and receives an electrical signal to and from the external device by connecting the antenna grounding terminal portion 130 to the first end portion 121 and the second end portion 122 located on the front surface 103 of the case 110 Can be processed.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view schematically showing a method of forming the antenna of Fig.

Referring to FIG. 2, first, the pattern coating member 210 is placed on the upper surface 101 of the battery cell case 110 having a relatively large area.

The pattern coating member 210 has a plate-like structure, and a pattern 211 having a shape corresponding to the pattern of the antenna 120 is formed in a through-hole structure.

The pattern coating member 210 has a portion 212 corresponding to the front surface 103 so that the pattern of the antenna 120 can be formed over the top surface 101 and the front surface 103 of the battery cell case 110, Respectively.

Thereafter, the conductive paint 221 is sprayed through the nozzle 220 and is applied to the upper surface 101 and the front surface 103 of the case 110.

Thereafter, the pattern of the antenna 120 formed by the conductive paint 221 is dried and the antenna grounding terminal portion 130 is connected to the first end portion 121 and the second end portion 122 of the pattern of the antenna 120 The battery cell 100 having the antenna 120 formed on the case 110 is completed.

3 is a schematic view schematically showing an antenna structure formed on an outer surface of a battery cell case of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3, an upper surface 301 having a relatively large area among the outer surfaces 301, 302 and 303 of the case 310 of the battery cell 300 and a front surface 303 adjacent thereto are provided with a thin film film 340 And the antenna 320 is formed continuously by patterning the conductive paint on the outer surface of the thin film film 340.

A sticky material is added between the thin film film 340 and the outer surface of the case 310 of the battery cell 300 to provide a stable bonding force.

The thin film film 340 is detachably attached to the outer surface of the case 310 of the battery cell 300 and can be reused by attaching the thin film film 340 to a new battery cell despite the replacement of the battery cell 300.

Since the remaining structure except for the above structure is the same as that of the battery cell of FIG. 1, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view schematically showing a method of forming the antenna of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, first, a pattern coating member 410 is placed on a thin film film 340.

The pattern coating member 410 has a plate-like structure, and a pattern 411 having a shape corresponding to the pattern of the antenna 320 is formed in a through-hole structure.

Thereafter, the conductive paint 421 is injected through the nozzle 420 and added to the outer surface of the thin film 340.

Thereafter, the pattern of the antenna 320 formed by the conductive paint 421 is dried, and the pattern of the antenna 320 is formed on the upper surface 301 and the front surface 303 of the battery cell case 310, The film 340 is attached to the upper surface 301 and the front surface 303 of the battery cell case 310 by bending a portion 323 corresponding to the front surface 303 of the battery cell case 310. [

The battery cell 300 having the antenna 320 formed on the case 310 is completed by connecting the antenna grounding terminal portion 330 to the first end portion 321 and the second end portion 322 of the pattern of the antenna 320 do.

5 is a schematic view schematically showing an antenna structure formed on an outer surface of a battery cell case of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5, the antenna 520 includes an upper surface 101 having a relatively large area among the outer surfaces 501, 502 and 503 of the case 510 of the battery cell 500, a front surface 503 adjacent thereto, Over the side surface 502, a conductive paint is continuously formed by directly pattern-coating.

The antenna 520 is formed in a linear structure bent at the upper surface portion of the case 510 and has a hollow rectangular structure at the front portion and one side portion.

The first end portion 521 and the second end portion 522 of the antenna 520 to which the antenna grounding terminal portion 530 is connected are located at one corner of the front surface 503 of the case 510. [

The remaining structure except for the above structure is the same as that of FIG. 1, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims (22)

An electronic apparatus having electronic components that perform at least one or more different functions, wherein the electronic apparatus includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving an electrical signal to and from an external apparatus, the antenna including a conductive paint Wherein the patterning coating is formed by a patterning coating of an inorganic material. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a chargeable and dischargeable battery cell as a power source, and the antenna is formed in a portion having a relatively large area in an outer surface of the case of the battery cell. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the case of the battery cell is made of an insulating plastic resin. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the case of the battery cell has a thickness of 1 mm to 10 mm at a portion where the antenna is formed. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the antenna is directly pattern-coated on the outer surface of the case of the battery cell. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein a thin film or label is attached to the outer surface of the case of the battery cell, and the antenna is patterned and coated on an outer surface of the thin film type or label. 7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a sticky or adhesive material is added between the thin film or label and the outer surface of the case of the battery cell to provide a stable bonding force. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the thin film type film or label is detachably attached to the outer surface of the case of the battery cell. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive paint is a liquid composition comprising at least one conductive particle selected from the group consisting of copper, bronze, brass, iron, nickel, aluminum, gold, device. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the substrate where the conductive paint is patterned and coated is a portion having a planar structure for transmitting and receiving an electrical signal. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is formed by adding a conductive paint onto the pattern coating member in a state that a pattern coating member having a through-pattern is formed on the substrate. device. 13. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the conductive paint is added to at least one selected from the group consisting of a spray coating method, an inkjet printing method, a slit coating method, a die coating method, a spin coating method, and a sputter coating method. . The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna terminal is connected to an antenna grounding terminal at an end where a pattern starts and / or ends. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is any one selected from the group consisting of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a power tool, a wearable electronic device, and a power storage device. A method of forming an antenna in an electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
a) selecting a member whose outer surface is electrically insulative among the members contained in the electronic apparatus, and positioning the pattern coating member on the outer surface of the substrate including the portion having a planar structure in the member;
b) forming an antenna pattern by adding a conductive paint to the pattern coating member; And
c) connecting an antenna grounding terminal portion to an end portion where the antenna pattern starts and / or ends;
And forming an antenna pattern on the substrate. A method of forming an antenna in an electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
a) positioning a pattern coating member on a thin film or label;
b) forming an antenna pattern by adding a conductive paint to the pattern coating member;
c) attaching a film or a label having an antenna pattern formed on an outer surface of a base material including a portion having a planar structure in the member, by selecting one member from the members embedded in the electronic device;
d) connecting an antenna grounding terminal portion to an end portion where the antenna pattern starts and / or ends;
And forming an antenna pattern on the substrate. The antenna according to claim 15, wherein the conductive paint is a liquid composition comprising at least one conductive particle selected from the group consisting of copper, bronze, brass, iron, nickel, aluminum, gold, / RTI > [16] The method of claim 15, wherein the conductive paint is added to at least one selected from the group consisting of a spray coating method, an ink jet printing method, a slit coating method, a die coating method, a spin coating method and a sputter coating method Way. The antenna according to claim 16, wherein the conductive paint is a liquid composition comprising at least one conductive particle selected from the group consisting of copper, bronze, brass, iron, nickel, aluminum, gold, / RTI > 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the conductive coating is added to at least one selected from the group consisting of a spray coating method, an ink jet printing method, a slit coating method, a die coating method, a spin coating method, and a sputter coating method. Way. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein a sticky or adhesive material is added between the thin film or label and the outer surface of the case of the battery cell to provide a stable bonding force. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the thin film or label is removably attached to the outer surface of the case of the battery cell.

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