TW201624157A - Wearable electronic device having pointer antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

A wearable electronic device having a pointer antenna is provided. The wearable electronic device includes a main body, at least a pointer antenna and a wireless signal module. The pointer antenna is rotatably disposed on the main body and rotates relatively to the main body to indicate the time. The wireless signal module is disposed on the main body and electrically connected to the pointer antenna, wherein the wireless signal module receives/transmits wireless signals through the pointer antenna.

Description

Wearable electronic device with pointer antenna

The present invention relates to a wearable electronic device, and more particularly to a wearable electronic device having a pointer antenna.

In recent years, with the rapid development of mobile communication technology, the functions of mobile communication devices have become more diverse and richer. In order to meet market trends and consumer expectations, wearable electronic devices, such as smart watches, have gradually attracted attention.

In order to meet the characteristics of convenient wearing, the hardware space of the smart watch is often narrow, so the space available for configuring the antenna in the smart watch is limited, and the antenna is difficult to have sufficient volume to achieve the required radiation characteristics, and The antenna inside the smart watch is easily shielded by the metal casing to reduce the signal transmission and reception capability. In addition, smart watches often use LCD monitors to continuously display time and consume more power. Therefore, how to design a sufficiently large-sized antenna in a limited space of a smart watch and reduce the shielding effect of the metal casing on the antenna, and reduce the power consumption of the smart watch display time, is an important issue in the design of current smart watches.

The invention provides a wearable electronic device with a pointer antenna, which has good signal transceiving capability and consumes less power.

The wearable electronic device with the pointer antenna of the present invention comprises a main body, at least one pointer antenna and a wireless signal module. The pointer antenna is rotatably disposed to the body and rotated relative to the body to indicate time. The wireless signal module is disposed on the main body and electrically connected to the pointer antenna. The wireless signal module transmits and receives wireless signals through the pointer antenna.

Based on the above, in the wearable electronic device of the present invention, the pointer antenna has both the function of indicating time and transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Since the pointer antenna for indicating time is for the user to view without being hidden inside the wearable electronic device, the volume of the pointer antenna is not limited by the insufficient internal configuration space of the wearable electronic device, so that the pointer antenna can With its sufficient volume to achieve the desired radiation characteristics. In addition, since the pointer antenna does not need to be hidden inside the wearable electronic device as described above, the pointer antenna is less shielded by the metal casing of the wearable electronic device and can have good signal transceiving capability. In addition, the wearable electronic device of the present invention uses the pointer antenna to indicate the time instead of using the display to display the time, so that it is not necessary to continuously turn on the display to reduce the power consumption of the wearable electronic device.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

100,200‧‧‧Wearing electronic devices

110, 210‧‧‧ subjects

110a‧‧‧ openings

120, 220‧‧‧ Strap

130, 230‧‧‧ display

140a, 140b, 240a, 240b‧‧‧ pointer antenna

150, 250‧‧‧Wireless Signal Module

160, 260‧‧‧ control circuit board

162‧‧‧Central Processing Unit

170, 270‧‧‧ connectors

180, 280‧‧‧ drive module

182, 282‧‧‧ drive unit

184‧‧‧ drive shaft

190a‧‧‧Power Management Module

190b‧‧‧Sensor

242a, 242b‧‧‧Rings

244a, 244b‧‧‧ convex

272‧‧‧Electrical cable

284‧‧‧ Gear Set

284a‧‧‧Drive gear

284b, 284c‧‧‧passive gear

A1, A2‧‧‧ axis

1 is a schematic diagram of a wearable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the wearable electronic device of FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram of the wearable electronic device of FIG. 1.

4 is a schematic diagram of a wearable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the wearable electronic device of FIG. 4.

6 is a partial schematic view of the wearable electronic device of FIG. 4.

1 is a schematic diagram of a wearable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the wearable electronic device of FIG. 1. 3 is a block diagram of the wearable electronic device of FIG. 1. 1 to 3, the wearable electronic device 100 of the present embodiment is, for example, a smart watch and includes a main body 110, a strap 120, a display 130, and at least one pointer antenna (shown as two pointer antennas 140a, 140b) and a wireless signal module 150. The strap 120 is coupled to the main body 110, and the user can wear the main body 110 to the wrist by the strap 120. The display 130 is, for example, a liquid crystal display panel and is disposed on the main body 110 to display information for viewing by a user.

The pointer antennas 140a, 140b are rotatably disposed on the main body 110 along the axis A1 and rotated relative to the main body 110 to indicate time, wherein the pointer antennas 140a, 140b are, for example, an hour hand and a minute hand, respectively. In other embodiments, the pointer antennas 140a, 140b can be second hands or other types of pointers, which are not limited in the present invention. wireless The signal module 150 is disposed on the main body 110 and electrically connected to the pointer antennas 140a and 140b. The wireless signal module 150 transmits and receives wireless signals through the pointer antennas 140a and 140b.

According to this configuration, the pointer antennas 140a and 140b have the functions of indicating time and transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Since the pointer antennas 140a and 140b for indicating the time are for the user to view without being hidden inside the wearable electronic device 100, the volume of the pointer antennas 140a and 140b is not insufficient due to the insufficient internal configuration space of the wearable electronic device 100. Limited so that the pointer antennas 140a, 140b can achieve the desired radiation characteristics by their sufficient volume. Correspondingly, the interior of the wearable electronic device 100 increases the space for configuring other components because no antenna needs to be disposed.

In the present embodiment, the body 110 is, for example, a metal casing and has an opening 110a. Since the pointer antennas 140a, 140b need not be hidden inside the wearable electronic device 100 as described above and can be exposed by the opening 110a of the body 110, the pointer antennas 140a, 140b are less likely to be subjected to the metal casing (ie, the body 110). Shielding can have good signal transceiving capability, and there is no need to reduce the shielding effect of the metal casing on its internal antenna, and the slot and plastic casing corresponding to the antenna are added to the metal casing, so that the wearable electronic device 100 can be compared. Good appearance and low manufacturing costs.

In addition, the wearable electronic device 100 of the present embodiment uses the pointer antennas 140a, 140b to indicate the time instead of displaying the time by the display 130. Therefore, it is not necessary to continuously turn on the display 130 to reduce the power consumption of the wearable electronic device 100. Moreover, using the pointer antennas 140a, 140b to indicate time can overcome the problem that the ambient illumination is too strong, which makes it difficult for the user to view the time displayed by the display 130, thereby improving the convenience of use of the wearable electronic device 100.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pointer antennas 140a and 140b of the present embodiment have a linear structure and can constitute a planar inverted F antenna (PIFA antenna) or a monopole antenna. The wireless signal module 150 may include a Bluetooth module and/or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) module, and uses a planar inverted F antenna or a monopole antenna formed by the pointer antennas 140a and 140b to transmit and receive frequency bands. A Bluetooth signal or a wireless fidelity signal of about 2.4 GHz, wherein the length of the planar inverted-F antenna or the monopole antenna is, for example, 0.25 times the wavelength of the Bluetooth signal or the wireless fidelity signal. In other embodiments, the pointer antennas 140a, 140b may be other suitable shapes to form other forms of antennas, and the invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the pointer antennas 140a, 140b have different lengths to transmit and receive signals of different frequencies. Specifically, the pointer antennas 140a and 140b respectively have a first length and a second length and are respectively configured to receive and receive the first signal and the second signal, and the first length is smaller than the second length, and the first The frequency of the signal is correspondingly greater than the frequency of the second signal.

In the present embodiment, the pointer antennas 140a, 140b are located above the display 130 as shown in FIG. 2 to display time for viewing by the user. The display 130 located under the pointer antennas 140a and 140b has a floating touch function, for example, the user can perform a touch operation on the display 130 in a floating touch manner to prevent the user's finger from contacting the pointer antennas 140a and 140b and interfering with the operation. .

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . In detail, the wearable electronic device 100 further includes a control circuit board 160 , a connector 170 , and a driving module 180 . The control circuit board 160 is disposed on the main body 110 and has a central processing unit 162, and a wireless signal module. 150 is located on the control circuit board 160 and is electrically connected to the central processing unit 162. The central processing unit 162 can receive and process the wireless signal from the wireless signal module 150. The central processing unit 162 is electrically connected to the display 130 to control the touch and display functions of the display 130. The connector 170 is disposed on the control circuit board 160, and the pointer antennas 140a, 140b are connected to the wireless signal module 150 on the control circuit board 160 through the connector 170. The driving module 180 is connected between the control circuit board 160 and the pointer antennas 140a, 140b. The control circuit board 160 can control the driving module 180 to drive the pointer antennas 140a, 140b to rotate by the time information provided by the central processing unit 162. The pointer antennas 140a, 140b correctly indicate the time. In other embodiments, the driving module 180 can also drive the pointer antennas 140a, 140b to indicate the time without receiving the time information provided by the central processing unit 162, which is not limited by the present invention.

In more detail, the driving module 180 of the embodiment includes a driving unit 182 and a transmission shaft 184 as shown in FIG. 2 . The driving shaft 184 is connected between the end of the pointer antennas 140a and 140b and the driving unit 182. The driving unit 182 drives the driving shaft 184 to rotate the driving of the pointer antennas 140a and 140b. The driving unit 182 and the driving shaft 184 function in the same manner. However, it is not limited to the mode of operation of the driving mechanism of the conventional analog watch, and will not be described herein. In addition, the transmission shaft 184 of the present embodiment is coupled between the end of the pointer antennas 140a, 140b and the connector 170 such that the pointer antennas 140a, 140b are electrically connected to the connector 170 through the transmission shaft 184.

Referring to FIG. 3, the wearable electronic device 100 of the present embodiment further includes a power management module 190a and a sensor 190b. The power management module 190a is electrically connected to the middle The central processing unit 162 performs power management of the wearable electronic device 100. The sensor 190b is, for example, a dynamic sensing component and is electrically connected to the central processing unit 162 to enable the wearable electronic device 100 to have a dynamic sensing function.

4 is a schematic diagram of a wearable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the wearable electronic device of FIG. 4. In the wearable electronic device 200 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the main body 210, the strap 220, the display 230, the pointer antenna 240a, the pointer antenna 240b, the axis A2, the wireless signal module 250, the control circuit board 260, and the connector 270. The driving module 280 functions in a manner similar to the main body 110, the strap 120, the display 130, the pointer antenna 140a, the pointer antenna 140b, the axis A1, the wireless signal module 150, and the control circuit board 160 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The function mode of the connector 170 and the driving module 180 will not be described here. The wearable electronic device 200 is different from the wearable electronic device 100 as follows.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pointer antennas 240a and 240b are both ring-shaped and can constitute a loop antenna. The wireless signal module 250 can include a Bluetooth module, a Wi-Fi module, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, and/or a Wireless modem module, and utilizes a pointer antenna. The loop antenna formed by 240a and 240b transmits and receives a Bluetooth signal or a wireless fidelity signal with a frequency band of about 2.4 GHz, a global positioning system signal with a frequency band of about 1.5 GHz, and a wireless data signal with a frequency band of about 1.8 GHz or 900 MHz, wherein The length of the loop antenna is, for example, 0.5 times the wavelength of the Bluetooth signal, the wireless fidelity signal, the global positioning system signal or the wireless data signal. In other embodiments, the pointer antennas 240a, 240b may be other suitable shapes to form other forms of antennas, which are not limited by the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pointer antenna 240a includes an annular portion 242a and a convex portion 244a, and the pointer antenna 240b includes an annular portion 242b and a convex portion 244b. The convex portion 244a and the convex portion 244b are formed on the inner edge of the annular portion 242a and the inner edge of the annular portion 242b, respectively, for indicating time. In other embodiments, other suitable structures or indicia other than the protrusions 244a, 244b may be formed on the annular portions 242a, 242b to indicate time, which is not limited by the present invention. In addition, the colors of the annular portions 242a, 242b of the pointer antennas 240a, 240b can be designed to be the same as the colors of other appearances of the wearable electronic device 200, so that the appearance of the wearable electronic device 200 is relatively simple.

The driving module 280 shown in FIG. 5 is only for illustration. The specific structure of the driving module 280 will be described below by way of drawings. 6 is a partial schematic view of the wearable electronic device of FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 6, the driving module 280 of the embodiment includes a driving unit 282 and a gear set 284. The gear set 284 includes a driving gear 284a and two driven gears 284b and 284c. The drive gear 284a is coupled to the drive unit 282, the driven gear 284b is engaged between the drive gear 284a and the inner edge of the pointer antenna 240a, and the driven gear 284c is engaged between the drive gear 284a and the inner edge of the pointer antenna 240b. The driving unit 282 is configured to drive the driving gear 284a to rotate in a counterclockwise direction to drive the driven gears 284b and 284c to rotate clockwise by the driving gear 284a, thereby driving the pointer antennas 240a and 240b by the driven gears 284b and 284c, respectively. Rotate in the hour hand direction.

Referring to FIG. 5, the connector 270 of the present embodiment has two electrical connection lines 272 connected to the inner edge of the pointer antenna 240a and the inner edge of the pointer antenna 240b by two electrical connection lines 272, respectively. In other embodiments, the connector 270 and the pointer day The wires 240a, 240b may be connected by other suitable electrical connection elements, which are not limited in the present invention.

In summary, in the wearable electronic device of the present invention, the pointer antenna has the functions of indicating time and transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Since the pointer antenna for indicating time is for the user to view without being hidden inside the wearable electronic device, the volume of the pointer antenna is not limited by the insufficient internal configuration space of the wearable electronic device, so that the pointer antenna can With its sufficient volume to achieve the desired radiation characteristics. In addition, since the pointer antenna does not need to be hidden inside the wearable electronic device as described above, the pointer antenna is less shielded by the metal casing of the wearable electronic device, and has good signal transceiving capability, and does not need to reduce metal. The casing has a shielding effect on its internal antenna, and a slot and a plastic casing corresponding to the antenna are added to the metal casing, so that the wearable electronic device can have a better appearance and a lower manufacturing cost. In addition, the wearable electronic device of the present invention uses the pointer antenna to indicate the time instead of using the display to display the time, so that it is not necessary to continuously turn on the display to reduce the power consumption of the wearable electronic device.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Wearing electronic devices

110‧‧‧ Subject

110a‧‧‧ openings

130‧‧‧ display

140a, 140b‧‧‧ pointer antenna

150‧‧‧Wireless Signal Module

160‧‧‧Control circuit board

170‧‧‧Connector

180‧‧‧Drive Module

182‧‧‧ drive unit

184‧‧‧ drive shaft

A1‧‧‧ axis

Claims (10)

A wearable electronic device having a pointer antenna, comprising: a main body; at least one pointer antenna rotatably disposed on the main body and rotating relative to the main body to indicate time; and a wireless signal module disposed on the main body and electrically The pointer antenna is connected to the antenna, wherein the wireless signal module transmits and receives wireless signals through the pointer antenna. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the number of the at least one pointer antenna is two, and the two pointer antennas are an hour hand and a minute hand, respectively. The wearable electronic device of claim 2, wherein one of the two pointer antennas has a first length and transmits and receives a first signal, and the other of the two pointer antennas has a second length And transmitting a second signal, the first length is less than the second length, and the frequency of the first signal is greater than the frequency of the second signal. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the pointer antenna has a linear structure and constitutes a planar inverted-F antenna or a monopole antenna. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the pointer antenna is a ring structure and constitutes a loop antenna. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, comprising: a control circuit board disposed on the main body, wherein the wireless signal module is located on the control circuit board; and a connector disposed on the control circuit board Wherein the pointer antenna is connected to the wireless signal module through the connector; A driving module is connected between the control circuit board and the pointer antenna, wherein the control circuit board controls the driving module to drive the pointer antenna to rotate. The wearable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the pointer antenna has a linear structure, the drive module includes a driving unit and a transmission shaft, and the transmission shaft is coupled to an end of the pointer antenna and the Between the driving units, the driving unit drives the driving shaft to act to drive the pointer antenna to rotate. The wearable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the drive shaft is coupled between the end of the pointer antenna and the connector, and the pointer antenna is electrically connected to the connector through the drive shaft. The wearable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the pointer antenna is a ring structure, the drive module includes a driving unit and a gear set, and the gear set is coupled to an inner edge of the pointer antenna Between the driving units, the driving unit drives the gear set to drive the pointer antenna to rotate. The wearable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the control circuit board has at least one line connected between the inner edge of the pointer antenna and the connector, and the pointer antenna passes through the line Electrically connect the connector.