TWI617084B - Portable electronic apparatus and expandable antenna structure thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a portable electronic device and an expandable antenna structure thereof. The portable electronic device comprises two separable bodies, and the expandable antenna structure comprises two separable radiators respectively disposed on the two bodies. Each radiator has a contact. When the two body structures are connected, the two contacts are also in contact at the same time, so that the two radiators form a single radiator. Therefore, for the portable electronic device, the radiation area of the antenna is increased due to the connection of the two body structures, which helps to improve the radiation benefit of the antenna.

Description

Portable electronic device and its expandable antenna structure

The present invention relates to a portable electronic device and an antenna structure thereof, and more particularly to a portable electronic device in which a body can be separated and an expandable antenna structure disposed at the same time in a separate body.

The current two-in-one notebook computer, that is, the screen can be used separately from the keyboard. In order to make the screen stand alone as a tablet, the antenna is usually only set on the screen. Moreover, since the screen needs to be used separately, the screen needs to accommodate the processing module and other electronic components, and even some connectors for connecting with the peripheral device, so that the space of the entire screen for the screen can be further reduced. The antenna is not efficient, and thus consumes more power in the reception and transmission of radio signals. When a screen is used in conjunction with a keyboard, a two-in-one notebook is often expected to operate in a high-performance state for quite some time. However, as explained above, if wireless transmission is involved, the time it takes for the 2-in-1 notebook to operate in a high-performance state will be predictably and significantly reduced.

In view of the problems in the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device having an expandable antenna structure such that the surface area of the antenna structure can be maximized in different states of use to enhance antenna performance.

The portable electronic device according to the present invention comprises a first body, a second body, a structural connection mechanism and an expandable antenna structure. The first body and the second body are detachably connected via the structure connecting mechanism, the structure connecting mechanism includes a first connecting structure and a second connecting structure, the first connecting structure is disposed on the first body, the first The second connecting structure is disposed on the second body. The expandable antenna structure includes a first radiator and a second radiator. The first radiator is disposed on the first body and has a first contact portion. The second radiator is disposed on the second body. There is a second contact portion. The first body and the second body are connected via the structural connection mechanism, and the first contact portion contacts the second contact portion, so that when the first connecting structure is detachably engaged with the second connecting structure, The first radiator and the second radiator form a single radiator. Thereby, the surface area of the single radiator is larger than that of the first radiator or the second radiator, so in principle the single radiator can provide better antenna performance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an expandable antenna structure such that the surface area of the antenna structure can be maximized in different states of use to enhance antenna performance.

The expandable antenna structure according to the present invention is disposed on two detachably connected bodies, the expandable antenna structure including a first radiator and a second radiator. The first radiator is disposed on one of the two bodies, and the first radiator has a first contact. The second radiator is disposed on the other of the two bodies, the second radiator has a second contact portion, and when the two bodies are connected, the first contact portion contacts the second contact portion such that the first radiation The body and the second radiator form a single radiator. Similarly, the surface area of the single radiator is larger than that of the first radiator or the second radiator, so in principle the single radiator can provide better antenna performance.

Compared with the prior art, when the present invention is applied to a two-in-one notebook computer, when the screen is combined with the keyboard, the expandable antenna structure according to the present invention can provide a larger antenna radiation area, so that it can be relatively Smaller power transmission and reception of radio signals solves the problem of excessive power consumption due to poor antenna performance in the prior art.

The advantages and spirit of the present invention will be further understood from the following detailed description of the invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 . FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portable electronic device 1 when used in combination according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the portable electronic device 1 when it is used separately. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the portable electronic device 1. The portable electronic device 1 includes a first body 10, a second body 12, a structural connection mechanism 14, an electrical connection mechanism 16, and an expandable antenna structure 18. The first body 10 and the second body 12 are detachably connected via a structural connection mechanism 14. When the first body 10 and the second body 12 are structurally connected via the structural connection mechanism 14 and electrically connected via the electrical connection mechanism 16, the whole body is used as a single device; when the first body 10 is separated from the second body 12, the first body 10 can be operated independently.

Further, the first body 10 includes a first housing 100, a processing module 102, a touch display module 104 and a wireless communication module 106, a processing module 102, a touch display module 104, and a wireless device. The communication module 106 is disposed in the first housing 100, and the processing module 102 is electrically connected to the touch display module 104 and the wireless communication module 106, respectively. The processing module 102 controls the display and receiving touch functions of the touch display module 104. The processing module 102 controls the wireless communication module 106 to transmit or receive radio signals. The second body 12 includes a second housing 120, a control module 122, and an input module 124. The control module 122 and the input module 124 are disposed in the second housing 120. The control module 122 is electrically connected to the input module 124. The structural connection mechanism 14 includes two first engagement structures 140 (shown in broken lines in FIG. 2) and two corresponding second engagement structures 142. The first connecting structure 140 is disposed on the first housing 100 of the first body 10 , and the second connecting structure 142 is disposed on the second housing 120 of the second body 12 . The electrical connection mechanism 16 includes a first electrical connector 160 (shown in phantom in FIG. 2) and a second electrical connector 162. The first electrical connector 160 is disposed on the first body 100 of the first body 10 and electrically connected to the processing module 102. The second electrical connector 162 is disposed on the second body 120 of the second body 12 and electrically connected to the control module 122. connection. The expandable antenna structure 18 includes a first radiator 180 and a second radiator 182. The first radiator body 180 is disposed on the first body 10 and has a first contact portion 1800, a feeding portion 1802 and a grounding portion 1804. The feeding portion 1802 and the grounding portion 1804 are electrically connected to the wireless communication module 106. The second radiator The 182 is disposed on the second body 12 and has a second contact portion 1820. When the two first connecting structures 140 are detachably connected corresponding to the two second connecting structures 142 (shown by broken lines in FIG. 3 ), the first body 100 and the second body 12 of the first body 10 The second body 120 is connected via the structural connection mechanism 14, the first electrical connector 160 is electrically connected to the second electrical connector 162 (shown in phantom in FIG. 3), and the first contact portion 1800 contacts the second contact portion 1820 (in The first radiator 180 and the second radiator 182 form a single radiator in the third diagram.

Wherein, the single radiation system means that the radiation current is from the same feed portion 1802, but is not limited to a single current path. Moreover, the required contours of the first radiator 180 and the second radiator 182 are obtained by a person skilled in the field of antenna technology, according to product requirements, through appropriate design and testing, and are not described herein. In addition, if the contact between the first contact portion 1800 and the second contact portion 1820 produces an effect of extending the structure of the first radiator 180, the processing module 102 may need to adjust the operating frequency and coupling effect of the expandable antenna structure 18; It can be completed by appropriate design and experiment by people in the field of antenna technology, and will not be further described. In the present embodiment, the structural logic of the single radiator formed by the first radiator 180 and the second radiator 182 is as shown in FIG. 4, and the second radiator 182 extends from one end of the first radiator 180 (ie, The first contact portion 1800 is contacted through the second contact portion 1820, but the invention is not limited thereto. Thereby, when the first contact portion 1800 contacts the second contact portion 1820, the processing module 102 controls the wireless communication module 106 to transmit or receive the radio through the single radiator formed by the first radiator 180 and the second radiator 182 body. signal. When the first body 10 is separated from the second body 12, the first contact portion 1800 is separated from the second contact portion 1820, and the processing module 102 can only control the wireless communication module 106 to transmit or receive radio signals via the first radiator 180. .

In the present embodiment, the structural connection mechanism 14 uses two sets of identical engagement structures (a set of engagement structures, that is, a first engagement structure 140 and a matching second engagement structure 142), but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, one or more sets of articulating structures are used, and the sets of articulating structures need not be the same. In addition, in the embodiment, the first contact portion 1800 is disposed on the first connecting structure 140, and the second contact portion 1820 is disposed on the second connecting structure 142 such that the first contact portion 1800 and the second contact portion 1820 follow the first The engagement structure 140 is in contact with the second engagement structure 142. Please also refer to pictures 5 to 7. 5 is a schematic view showing the combination of the first connecting structure 140 and the first radiator 180, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the combination of the first connecting structure 140 and the first radiator 180 along the line XX in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is The combination of the second engagement structure 142 and the second radiator 182 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY of FIG. In the fifth to seventh figures, the first radiator 180 and the second radiator 182 are only schematic, and the specific outline thereof depends on the actual application. In the present embodiment, the first connecting structure 140 includes a slot 1400, and the second connecting structure 142 includes a socket 1420 that matches the slot 1400. The first connecting structure 140 and the second connecting structure 142 are inserted through the plug 1420. Connected in slot 1400. The first contact portion 1800 is exposed and disposed in the socket 1400 , and the second contact portion 1820 is exposed on the insertion post 1420 , so that when the insertion post 1420 is inserted into the slot 1400 , the first contact portion 1800 contacts the second contact portion 1820 .

In practice, the geometrical contact profile of the first contact portion 1800 and the second contact portion 1820 can be in any form, and only needs to be in contact with each other, for example, directly in two planes. In the embodiment, the first contact portion 1800 is a spring piece, and the second contact portion 1820 is a flat surface. The elastic piece is formed by a curved cantilever structure, and the elastic piece protrudes from the inner side wall of the slot 1400, and the plane is exposed in the plane. The outer surface of the post 1420 can ensure that the elastic piece contacts the plane when the post 1420 is inserted into the slot 1400 (ie, the first contact portion 1800 contacts the second contact portion 1820), which helps to improve the reliability of the contact. And fatigue resistance. In addition, in practice, the second contact portion 1820 is embedded in the outer surface of the insertion post 1420, but the invention is not limited thereto. Moreover, the second contact portion 1820 is also modified by a curved surface, which can still effectively contact the elastic piece. In the same way, in practice, the second contact portion 1820 can be changed to a spring piece structure, and the first contact portion 1800 can be changed to a plane or a curved surface, which can also achieve the effect of electrical contact, and also contribute to improving the reliability of the contact. And fatigue resistance. In addition, in the embodiment, the slot 1400 is disposed on the first housing 100, and the insertion post 1420 is disposed on the second housing 120. In practice, the slot 1400 and the post 1420 can be respectively coupled to the first housing 100. The second housing 120 is integrally formed, but the invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the socket 1400 can be modified to be disposed on the second housing 120, and the insertion post 1420 is correspondingly disposed on the first housing 100, that is, the first connection structure 140 includes the insertion post 1420, and the second connection The structure 142 includes a socket 1400 that also functions to detachably connect the first engagement structure 140 with the second engagement structure 142.

In addition, in the embodiment, when the first connecting structure 140 is engaged with the second connecting structure 142, the first electrical connector 160 and the second electrical connector 162 are also electrically connected. Therefore, in practice, the first contact portion 1800 can also be disposed in the first electrical connector 160, and the second contact portion 1820 is correspondingly disposed in the second electrical connector 162 such that the first electrical connector 160 When the second electrical connector 162 is connected, the first contact portion 1800 can also contact the second contact portion 1820, thereby achieving the effect that the first radiator 180 and the second radiator 182 form a single radiator. As shown in FIG. 8 , the first electrical connector 160 is configured by a groove structure, and a plurality of electrical connection terminals 1600 are exposed in the recesses, and the second electrical connector 162 is configured to adopt a plug structure. And exposing the plurality of electrical connection terminals 1620 on the outer surface, such that when the second electrical connector 162 is inserted into the first electrical connector 160, the electrical connection terminal 1620 is electrically connected to the electrical connection terminal 1600 to implement the first electrical connector 160. Electrical connection to the second electrical connector 162. In this embodiment, the first contact portion 1800 is a spring piece protruding from the inner side wall of the groove, and the second contact portion 1820 is a flat surface exposed on the outer surface of the insertion post, so when the insertion post is inserted into the groove, A contact portion 1800 contacts the second contact portion 1820 such that the first radiator 180 and the second radiator 182 form a single radiator. In addition, the description of the contact geometrical contours of the first contact portion 1800 and the second contact portion 1820 in FIGS. 6 and 7 is also applicable here, and will not be further described.

Moreover, in practice, the first contact portion 1800 and the second contact portion 1820 can also contact each other without passing through the connection structures 140, 142 and the electrical connectors 160, 162. As one embodiment shown in FIG. 9, when the first body 10 and the second body 12 are detachably connected via the structural connection mechanism 14, one side surface 1002 and the second side of the first housing 100 of the first body 10 The corresponding surface 1202 of the second housing 120 of the body 12 is in contact. In this embodiment, the first contact portion 1800 can be exposed to the side surface 1002, and the second contact portion 1820 is correspondingly exposed to the corresponding surface 1202. Therefore, when the first body 10 and the second body 12 pass through the structure. When the connecting mechanism 14 is detachably connected, the first contact portion 1800 contacts the second contact portion 1820 such that the first radiator 180 and the second radiator 182 form a single radiator. In addition, in practice, when the first body 10 and the second body 12 are connected, the side surface 1002 and the surface 1202 cannot be in close contact with each other, and the first contact portion 1800 or the second contact portion 1820 can be The side surface 1002 is protruded from the surface 1002 or the surface 1202 is disposed such that the first contact portion 1800 and the second contact portion 1820 remain in contact. Moreover, in this embodiment, the first contact portion 1800 and the second contact portion 1820 are not limited to the planar structure, and the contact between the first contact portion 1800 and the second contact portion 1820 in FIGS. 6 and 7 is described above. The description of the geometric outline is also applicable here, and will not be described again.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first body 10 is a tablet computer, and the second body 12 is an input device. The input module 124 includes a keyboard 1242 and a touch panel 1244. For the entire device architecture, the second body 12 can be regarded as a peripheral device of the first body 10 having a docking station. In terms of functional use, the portable electronic device 1 can be regarded as a two-in-one notebook computer, that is, the first body 10 can be used alone as a tablet computer, and the first body 10 and the second body 12 can be connected as a general note. Use on a computer. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, two separately usable devices can also be operated in cooperation through the structural connection mechanism and the electrical connection mechanism of the present invention, and the technique of the antenna radiator is extended by the present invention to improve the antenna performance.

As described above, the expandable antenna structure (for example, the aforementioned antenna structure 18) according to the present invention includes two radiators (for example, the aforementioned radiators 180, 182), which are respectively disposed on two detachably connected bodies (for example, the aforementioned body 10, 12). When the two bodies are connected, whether through the paired structure, the mating connector, or the outline of the body structure abut each other (for example, one of the bodies has a groove for the side of the other body to be inserted or abutted), etc. The two bodies will have physical structural contacts. In practice, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can combine the contact portions of the two radiators (for example, the aforementioned contact portions 1800, 1820) with the physical contact structure based on the actual structure without undue experimentation ( For example, in the aforementioned connecting structures 140, 142 or the electrical connectors 160, 162), the contacts of the two radiators are in contact with each other while the structures are engaged. Or, by utilizing the characteristics that the two bodies can maintain a stable relative position due to the structural connection, the contact portions of the two radiators are oppositely disposed on the body, so that the contact of the two radiators when the two bodies are connected The part does not need to be disposed in the connecting structure of the two bodies for connection, and can also contact each other. The two radiators can increase the radiation surface area of the antenna structure and improve the antenna performance regardless of the above-mentioned contact mechanism, and solve the problem of excessive power consumption due to the lack of antenna performance in the prior art. In addition, although the communication between the bodies 10 and 12 in the foregoing embodiment is implemented via the physical electrical connectors 160 and 162, the structure of the two radiators is not limited to being connected via the electrical connectors 160 and 162. Therefore, the communication between the bodies 10 and 12 can also be realized wirelessly. The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portable electronic device in combination according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the portable electronic device in the first figure when it is used separately. Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the portable electronic device in Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the combination of the first radiator and the second radiator of the expandable antenna structure of the portable electronic device in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the first connecting structure of the portable electronic device and the first radiator in FIG. 1 . Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X of the combination of the first engaging structure and the first radiator in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along line Y-Y of the combination of the second engagement structure and the second radiator in Figure 2; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the combination of a first connector and a second connector according to another embodiment. Figure 9 is a schematic view showing the contact of the first contact portion and the second contact portion according to another embodiment.

Claims (9)

A portable electronic device includes: a first body; a second body; and a structural connecting mechanism, wherein the first body and the second body are detachably connected via the structural connecting mechanism, and the structural connecting mechanism comprises a first a first connecting structure is disposed on the first body, the second connecting structure is disposed on the second body; and an expandable antenna structure includes a first radiator and a first connecting structure a second radiator, the first radiator is disposed on the first body and has a first contact portion, the first contact portion is disposed on the first engagement structure, and the second radiator is disposed on the second body and has a second contact portion, the second contact portion is disposed on the second connecting structure; wherein, when the first connecting structure is detachably engaged with the second connecting structure, the first body and the second body pass the The first connection portion is connected to the second contact portion such that the first radiator and the second radiator form a single radiator; when the first connection structure is separated from the second connection structure , The first body or receives a radio signal transmitted through the first radiator. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first connecting structure comprises a slot, the first contact portion is exposed in the slot, and the second connecting structure comprises a post, the second The contact portion is exposed and disposed on the post. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion is a resilient piece, and the other of the first contact portion and the second contact portion is a flat surface Or surface. A portable electronic device comprising: a first body; a second body; a structural connection mechanism, the first body and the second body are detachably connected via the structural connection mechanism, the structural connection mechanism includes a first connection structure and a second connection structure, the first connection structure is disposed on the first a second body is disposed on the second body; an expandable antenna structure includes a first radiator and a second radiator, the first radiator is disposed on the first body and has a first body a first radiating body is disposed on the second body and has a second contact portion; a first electrical connector, the first electrical connector is disposed on the first body, and the first contact portion is disposed on the first body In the first electrical connector; and a second electrical connector, the second electrical connector is disposed in the second body, the second contact portion is disposed in the second electrical connector; wherein, when the first When the engaging structure is detachably coupled to the second connecting structure, the first body and the second body are connected via the structural connecting mechanism, and the first contact contacts the second contact such that the first radiator and the first radiator Second radiator shape Single radiator; when the first adapter engagement structure and the second structure of the separation, the first body or receives a radio signal transmitted through the first radiator. A portable electronic device includes: a first body; a second body; and a structural connecting mechanism, wherein the first body and the second body are detachably connected via the structural connecting mechanism, and the structural connecting mechanism comprises a first a first connecting structure is disposed on the first body, the second connecting structure is disposed on the second body; and an expandable antenna structure includes a first radiator and a first connecting structure a second radiator, the first radiator is disposed on the first body and has a first contact portion, the first contact portion is exposed on the surface of the first body, and the second radiator is disposed on the second body The second contact portion is exposed on the surface of the second body; The first body and the second body are connected via the structural connection mechanism, and the first contact portion contacts the second contact portion, so that when the first connecting structure is detachably engaged with the second connecting structure, The first radiator and the second radiator form a single radiator; when the first engagement structure is separated from the second engagement structure, the first body transmits or receives a radio signal via the first radiator. The portable electronic device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first body includes a processing module, the first radiator has a feeding portion, and the processing module is electrically connected to the feeding portion. When the first contact portion contacts the second contact portion, the processing module transmits or receives a radio signal via the single radiator formed by the first radiator and the second radiator. The portable electronic device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first body is a tablet computer and the second body is an input device. An expandable antenna structure is disposed on a detachably connected body, the expandable antenna structure comprising: a first radiator disposed on one of the two bodies, the first radiator having a first contact The first contact portion is exposed to the body of the first radiator; and a second radiator is disposed on the other of the two bodies, the second radiator has a second contact portion, the second portion The contact portion is exposed to the body of the second radiator, and when the two bodies are connected, the first contact portion contacts the second contact portion such that the first radiator and the second radiator form a single radiator; When the two bodies are separated, the body provided by the first radiator transmits or receives a radio signal via the first radiator. The expandable antenna structure of claim 8, wherein the first contact portion is a spring piece, and the second contact portion is a plane or a curved surface.