TW201507261A - Wearable device - Google Patents

Abstract

A wearable device for wireless communication includes a dielectric substrate, a signal source, and an antenna structure. The dielectric substrate has a central opening. The antenna structure includes a first radiation element, a second radiation element, a capacitive element, and an inductive element. The first radiation element and the second radiation element are both disposed on the dielectric substrate. The second radiation element is separate from the first radiation element. The signal source and the capacitive element are coupled in series between the first radiation element and the second radiation element. The inductive element is coupled between the first radiation element and the second radiation element.

Description

Wearable device

The present invention relates to a wearable device, and more particularly to a wearable device having a wireless communication function.

With the development of mobile communication technologies, mobile devices have become more and more popular in recent years, such as portable computers, mobile phones, multimedia players, and other portable electronic devices with mixed functions. In order to meet people's needs, mobile devices usually have the function of wireless communication. Some cover long-range wireless communication range, for example, mobile phones use 2G, 3G, LTE (Long Term Evolution) systems and the 700MHz, 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz and 2500MHz bands used for communication, and Some cover short-range wireless communication ranges, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) systems using 2.4 GHz, 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz bands for communication.

According to the research direction of each brand manufacturer, the next generation of mobile devices is likely to be "Wearable Device". For example, watches, rings, glasses, and even clothing on the body have the opportunity to have wireless communication capabilities in the future. However, taking the ring in the wearable device as an example, the internal space is very small enough to accommodate the antenna for wireless communication. This will be a big challenge for antenna designers.

The present invention provides a wearable device having a wireless communication function, and comprising: a dielectric substrate having a central hole; a signal source; and an antenna structure comprising: a first radiating portion disposed on the dielectric substrate; a second radiating portion is disposed on the dielectric substrate and separated from the first radiating portion; a capacitive element, wherein the signal source and the capacitive element are coupled in series to the first radiating portion and the second radiating portion And an inductive component coupled between the first radiating portion and the second radiating portion.

100, 400, 500‧‧‧ wearable devices

110‧‧‧Media substrate

111, 411‧‧‧First metal-free area

112‧‧‧Second metal-free area

115‧‧‧Central hole in the dielectric substrate

120, 420, 520‧‧‧ antenna structure

130, 430‧‧‧ First Radiation Department

131‧‧‧ First end of the first radiation department

132‧‧‧The second end of the first radiation department

140, 440‧‧‧Second Radiation Department

141‧‧‧ First end of the second radiation department

142‧‧‧ second end of the second radiation department

150, 550‧‧‧ Capacitance components

160, 460‧‧‧Inductive components

170‧‧‧ Short circuit

190‧‧‧Signal source

FB1‧‧‧ operating band

1A is a perspective view showing a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1B is a plan view showing a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a view showing an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an antenna efficiency diagram of an antenna structure of a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an antenna efficiency according to an embodiment of the present invention; A top view of the wearable device as described in the example; and a fifth view showing a top view of the wearable device according to an embodiment of the invention.

In order to make the objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent, Specific embodiments of the invention are set forth below, and in conjunction with the drawings, the detailed description below.

FIG. 1A shows a wearable type according to an embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view of a device (Wearable Device) 100. 1B is a top plan view of a wearable device 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The wearable device 100 can be a smart wearable device with a wireless communication function, and the smart wearable device can be combined with a mobile device (for example, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or A laptop (not shown) establishes a wireless connection, such as a Wi-Fi connection or a Bluetooth connection. Please refer to Figures 1A and 1B together. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the wearable device 100 includes at least a dielectric substrate 110, an antenna structure 120, and a signal source 190. The dielectric substrate 110 can be a system circuit board or a FR4 (Flame Retardant 4) substrate. The dielectric substrate 110 has a central aperture 115. In some embodiments, the dielectric substrate 110 can be substantially circular, and the central aperture 115 of the dielectric substrate 110 can be substantially smaller than another circular shape, wherein the two circles have a common center. In other embodiments, the dielectric substrate 110 can be substantially a square, and the central aperture 115 of the dielectric substrate 110 can be substantially smaller than another square. A particular portion of a user (eg, a finger, a wrist) can pass through the central aperture 115 of the media substrate 110 such that the user can easily wear the wearable device 100. In some embodiments, the wearable device 100 can further include a non-conductor housing (not shown). The non-conductor housing can enclose the dielectric substrate 110, the antenna structure 120, and the signal source 190, wherein the non-conductor housing can be used to prevent the user from directly contacting the antenna structure 120. The signal source 190 can be a radio frequency (Radio Frequency) module for exciting the antenna structure 120. It must be noted that wearing The style, shape, size, and color of the wearable device 100 are not limitations of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wearable device 100 can be a ring having a wireless communication function. In other embodiments, the wearable device 100 can also be a wrist loop having one of the wireless communication functions. The wearable device 100 may further include other components, such as a processor, a physiological signal sensing module, a battery module, a metal floral ornament, a diamond, or (and) a ruby.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the antenna structure 120 includes at least A first radiating portion 130, a second radiating portion 140, a capacitive element 150, and an inductive element 160 are included. The first radiating portion 130 and the second radiating portion 140 may be made of metal such as copper, silver, aluminum, or iron. The first radiating portion 130 and the second radiating portion 140 are both disposed on one surface of the dielectric substrate 110, wherein the second radiating portion 140 is separated from the first radiating portion 130. In more detail, the dielectric substrate 110 may further have a first metal-free region 111 and a second metal-free region 112. The first metal-free region 111 is interposed between the first end 131 of one of the first radiating portions 130 and the first end 141 of one of the second radiating portions 140. The second metal free region 112 is interposed between the second end 132 of one of the first radiating portions 130 and the second end 142 of one of the second radiating portions 140. In some embodiments, the area of the first metal free region 111 is much smaller than the area of the second metal free region 112. The capacitive element 150, the signal source 190, and the inductive element 160 may be disposed in the first metal-free region 111 of the dielectric substrate 110. On the other hand, the second metal-free region 112 of the dielectric substrate 110 can be used to configure other electronic components of a larger type, such as a processor, a physiological signal sensing module, or (and) a battery module (not shown). ). It should be noted that the shapes of the first radiating portion 130 and the second radiating portion 140 shown in Figs. 1A and 1B are not limitations of the present invention. In other embodiments, the first radiating portion 130 and the second radiating portion 140 may also It is substantially other shapes (for example, U-shaped or L-shaped) to be compatible with the shape of the edge of the dielectric substrate 110 (for example, the dielectric substrate 110 may also be substantially rectangular).

In some embodiments, the capacitive element 150 is a wafer capacitor (Chip Capacitor), and the inductive component 160 is a chip inductor. The signal source 190 and the capacitive element 150 are coupled in series between the first radiating portion 130 and the second radiating portion 140. In more detail, the signal source 190 has a positive electrode and a negative electrode. In some embodiments, the positive electrode of the signal source 190 is coupled to the first end 141 of the second radiating portion 140 via the capacitive element 150, and the negative electrode of the signal source 190 is directly coupled to the first radiating portion 130. One end 131. In other embodiments, the positive electrode of the signal source 190 is directly coupled to the first end 141 of the second radiating portion 140, and the negative electrode of the signal source 190 is coupled to the first radiating portion 130 via the capacitive element 150. One end 131. The inductive component 160 is coupled between the first radiating portion 130 and the second radiating portion 140. In some embodiments, the antenna structure 120 further includes a shorting portion 170, wherein the shorting portion 170 is disposed in the first metal-free region 111 of the dielectric substrate 110. The shorting portion 170 may be made of metal such as copper, silver, aluminum, or iron. The short circuit portion 170 and the inductive component 160 are coupled in series between the first radiating portion 130 and the second radiating portion 140, wherein the connection order of the shorting portion 170 and the inductive element 160 can be reversed. The shorting portion 170 is not an essential component of the antenna structure 120. In other embodiments, the shorting portion 170 can also be removed (for example, one of the first ends of the inductive component 160 is directly coupled to the first radiating portion 130, and the inductive component One of the second ends of 160 is directly coupled to the second radiating portion 140).

In some embodiments, the wearable device 100 is a ring and its The component size can be as follows. The outer radius of the dielectric substrate 110 is about 12.5 mm, and the inner radius of the dielectric substrate 110 (that is, the radius of the central hole 115) is about 10mm. The dielectric substrate 110 has a thickness of about 0.8 mm. The length of the first metal-free region 111 (i.e., the shortest distance between the first end 131 of the first radiating portion 130 and the first end 141 of the second radiating portion 140) is about 2 mm. The length of the second metal free region 112 (i.e., the shortest distance between the second end 132 of the first radiating portion 130 and the second end 142 of the second radiating portion 140) is about 17 mm. The first radiating portion 130 has a length of about 24 mm and a width of about 2.5 mm. The second radiating portion 140 has a length of about 24 mm and a width of about 2.5 mm. The capacitance of the capacitive element 150 is between about 1 pF and 5 pF, preferably 3 pF. The inductance of the inductive component 160 is between about 1 nH and 3 nH, preferably 1.5 nH.

2 is a wearable view according to an embodiment of the invention. A Return Loss plot of the antenna structure 120 of the device 100, wherein the horizontal axis represents the operating frequency (MHz) and the vertical axis represents the return loss (dB). As shown in FIG. 2, the antenna structure 120 of the wearable device 100 is operative to generate at least one operating frequency band FB1. In the preferred embodiment, the operating band FB1 is between approximately 2400 MHz and 2484 MHz. Therefore, the antenna structure 120 of the wearable device 100 can cover at least the WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) 2.4 GHz band and can be used to support the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 communication protocol.

Figure 3 is a view showing a wearable type according to an embodiment of the present invention. An antenna efficiency diagram of the antenna structure 120 of the device 100, wherein the horizontal axis represents the operating frequency (MHz) and the vertical axis represents the antenna efficiency (%). As shown in FIG. 3, the antenna structure 120 of the wearable device 100 has an antenna efficiency of about 86% or more in the operating frequency band FB1, which can meet practical application requirements.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the antenna junction of the wearable device 100 The structure 120 is approximately similar to a dipole antenna. Since the internal space of the wearable device 100 is extremely limited, the inductive component 160 can be added between the first metal portion 130 and the second metal portion 140 of the antenna structure 120 to provide an additional resonant length. In this case, the total inductance value of one of the antenna structures 120 will increase, so that the capacitive element 150 can be added to the antenna structure 120 to compensate (increase) the total capacitance of one of the antenna structures 120. On the other hand, the shorting portion 170 can be used to adjust the imaginary impedance value of one of the antenna structures 120 (not necessary design). In the preferred embodiment, the total length of the antenna structure 120 is only about 0.35 times the wavelength of its center operating frequency, which is less than 0.5 times the wavelength required for a conventional dipole antenna. According to the embodiment of Fig. 3, even if the overall size of the antenna structure 120 is small, it can have a relatively high antenna efficiency. The invention has the dual advantages of the overall size of the miniature antenna and the radiation efficiency of the antenna, and is very suitable for use in various miniaturized wearable devices.

Figure 4 is a view showing a wearable type according to an embodiment of the present invention. A top view of device 400. Figure 4 is similar to Figures 1A and 1B. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, one of the antenna structures 420 of the wearable device 400 includes a first radiating portion 430, a second radiating portion 440, a capacitive element 150, and an inductive element 460. As shown in FIG. 4, the inductive component 460 includes one of the bent metal segments, wherein the first end of the metal segment is directly coupled to the first radiating portion 430, and the second end of the metal segment is directly coupled. Connected to the second radiating portion 440. The wire segment can include a plurality of U-shaped portions that are interconnected. The second radiating portion 440 can have a corner notch, wherein the corner notch can be substantially a rectangle. Correspondingly, one of the first metal-free regions 411 of the dielectric substrate 110 may be substantially in an L shape. The remaining features of the wearable device 400 of FIG. 4 are the same as the wearable device 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B. Similarly, the second embodiment can achieve similar operational effects.

Figure 5 is a view showing a wearable type according to an embodiment of the present invention. A top view of device 500. Figure 5 is similar to Figures 1A and 1B. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, one of the antenna structures 520 of the wearable device 500 includes a first radiating portion 130, a second radiating portion 140, a capacitive element 550, an inductive element 160, and a shorting portion 170. As shown in FIG. 5, the capacitive element 550 includes two metal line segments that are parallel and separated from each other, wherein a coupling gap is formed between the metal line segments. In more detail, a first metal line segment is directly coupled to the second radiating portion 140, a second metal line segment is directly coupled to one of the positive sources of the signal source 190, and one of the signal sources 190 is directly coupled to the negative electrode. To the first radiation portion 130. The signal source 190 and the capacitive element 550 can be coupled in series between the first radiating portion 130 and the second radiating portion 140, wherein the connection order of the signal source 190 and the capacitive element 550 can be reversed. One of the metal line segments of the capacitive element 550 may be part of the second radiating portion 140 or a portion of the first radiating portion 130. The remaining features of the wearable device 500 of FIG. 5 are similar to those of the wearable device 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B, so that the second embodiment can achieve similar operational effects.

It is worth noting that the component sizes, component parameters, and The shape of the elements, as well as the range of frequencies, are not limitations of the invention. The antenna designer can adjust these settings according to different needs. Further, the antenna structure of the present invention is not limited to the state illustrated in Figs. 1-5. The present invention may include only any one or more of the features of any one or a plurality of embodiments of Figures 1-5. In other words, not all illustrated features must be implemented simultaneously in the mobile device of the present invention and its antenna structure.

The ordinal number in this specification and the scope of the patent application, for example, One, "second", "third", etc., have no sequential relationship with each other, and are only used to indicate that two different elements having the same name are distinguished.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and the invention may be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Wearing device

110‧‧‧Media substrate

111‧‧‧First metal-free area

112‧‧‧Second metal-free area

115‧‧‧Central hole in the dielectric substrate

120‧‧‧Antenna structure

130‧‧‧First Radiation Department

131‧‧‧ First end of the first radiation department

132‧‧‧The second end of the first radiation department

140‧‧‧Second Radiation Department

141‧‧‧ First end of the second radiation department

142‧‧‧ second end of the second radiation department

150‧‧‧Capacitive components

160‧‧‧Inductance components

170‧‧‧ Short circuit

190‧‧‧Signal source

Claims (11)

A wearable device having a wireless communication function and comprising: a dielectric substrate having a central hole; a signal source; and an antenna structure comprising: a first radiating portion disposed on the dielectric substrate; and a second radiation a portion disposed on the dielectric substrate and separated from the first radiating portion; a capacitive element, wherein the signal source and the capacitive element are coupled in series between the first radiating portion and the second radiating portion; An inductive component is coupled between the first radiating portion and the second radiating portion. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate is substantially circular, and the central opening of the dielectric substrate is substantially smaller than another circular shape. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising: a non-conductor casing covering the dielectric substrate, the antenna structure, and the signal source, wherein the non-conductor casing is used to avoid direct use by a user Contacted to the antenna structure. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate further has a first metal-free region and a second metal-free region, the first metal-free region being in the first radiation portion. Between the first end and the first end of the second radiating portion, the second metal-free region is between the second end of the first radiating portion and the second end of the second radiating portion, The area of the first metal-free region is much smaller than the area of the second metal-free region. The wearable device of claim 4, wherein the capacitive element and the inductive element are disposed in the first metal-free region. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the signal source has a positive electrode and a negative electrode, the positive electrode is coupled to the second radiating portion via the capacitive element, and the negative electrode is coupled to the first a radiation department. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the antenna structure further comprises a short circuit portion, and the short circuit portion and the inductive component are coupled in series between the first radiating portion and the second radiating portion . The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the capacitive component is a wafer capacitor and the inductive component is a wafer inductor. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the inductive component comprises a bent one of the metal segments. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the capacitive element comprises two metal segments that are parallel and separated from each other. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the antenna structure is operative to generate an operating band, and the operating band is between about 2400 MHz and 2484 MHz.