TWI656695B - Antenna module of electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna module for an electronic device includes at least one controllable antenna unit, an application unit, and a microprocessor. The controllable antenna unit includes a dual frequency dipole antenna and at least one dual frequency reflector group. The first diode and the second diode of the at least one dual-frequency reflector group are connected in parallel with a capacitor by a short circuit. When the first diode and the second diode are turned on, the dual-frequency reflector group is a half-wavelength reflector, and vice versa. The application unit receives the received signal strength indication or the received data rate of the dual-frequency dipole antenna from the wireless chip of the electronic device. The microprocessor connects the application unit and the dual-frequency reflector group of the controllable antenna unit, and outputs a DC control voltage to the dual-frequency reflector group of the controllable antenna unit. The microprocessor controlled by the application unit cooperates with an algorithm processing program according to the received signal strength indication or the receiving data rate to determine whether the first diode and the second diode are turned on by the DC control voltage to control the controllable The radiation field type of the antenna unit.

Description

Antenna module for electronic device

The invention relates to a wireless communication technology, and in particular to an antenna module of an electronic device.

The radiation pattern of the antenna varies depending on the basic working principle of the antenna. For example, a dipole antenna can generate an omnidirectional radiation pattern, and a patch antenna can generate a sideside. Radiation pattern. Various radiation field types have different applications. For example, an omnidirectional radiation field type is suitable for a terminal device, so that the terminal device can receive wireless signals in various directions. In contrast, base station antennas, such as wireless access point antennas, may need to be able to generate radiation patterns in a particular direction to enable wireless communication with terminal devices located at various specific locations. Traditionally, multiple antennas can be used, and based on beamforming techniques, a specific beam shape can be achieved for radiation field adjustment purposes. However, Beamforming technology requires complex algorithms and control circuits that increase the cost of the product. Therefore, in order to save costs, an antenna having a specific radiation field type can be designed corresponding to the environment to which the base station (such as a wireless network access device) is applied. However, such a single antenna designed for a specific application environment cannot be used in other environments where different needs are required.

In order to solve the foregoing prior art problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna module of an electronic device, including at least one controllable antenna unit, an application unit, and a microprocessor. The controllable antenna unit includes a dual frequency dipole antenna and at least one dual frequency reflector group. The dual-frequency dipole antenna includes a low-frequency dipole radiator and a high-frequency dipole radiator, and the resonance frequency of the low-frequency dipole radiator is lower than the resonance frequency of the high-frequency dipole radiator. The at least one dual-frequency reflector group has a low frequency reflector, a high frequency reflector and a short circuit, and the first diode of the low frequency reflector and the second diode of the first high frequency reflector have the same short circuit Connect a capacitor in parallel. When the first diode and the second diode are turned on, the low frequency reflector and the high frequency reflector are half wavelength reflectors. When the first diode and the second diode are not conducting, the short circuit extends the path of the low frequency reflector and the high frequency reflector, so that neither the low frequency reflector nor the high frequency reflector reflects the low frequency dipole radiator and the high frequency Electromagnetic waves of dipole radiators. The application unit is connected to the wireless chip of the electronic device, and the wireless chip receives the received signal strength indication or the received data rate of the dual-frequency dipole antenna, and has an algorithm processing program. The microprocessor connects the application unit and the dual-frequency reflector group of the controllable antenna unit, and outputs a constant-frequency control voltage to the dual-frequency reflector group of the controllable antenna unit. The microprocessor is controlled by the application unit, and according to the received signal strength indication or the received data rate of the dual-frequency dipole antenna, the algorithm processing program is used to determine whether the first diode of the dual-frequency reflector group is turned on by the DC control voltage. And a second diode to control the radiation pattern of the controllable antenna unit.

In summary, an embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna module for an electronic device, which can implement a dual-frequency reflector by controlling a switch of a diode, and allows the low-frequency reflector to be used when the diode used is not conductive. The capacitor shared by the high-frequency reflector extends the path of the low-frequency reflector and the high-frequency reflector, respectively, to achieve the purpose of switching the reflection effect. The control circuit structure realized by the short circuit is simple and easy to implement, Has a high industrial application value. Moreover, the algorithm of the multi-antenna system is realized by the application unit outside the wireless chip to replace the traditional method of analyzing the signal strength by only the wireless chip, thereby greatly improving the data rate of the electronic device with the antenna module for the received wireless signal. Improved help.

For a better understanding of the features and technical aspects of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings The scope is subject to any restrictions.

1‧‧‧Controllable antenna unit

2‧‧‧Application unit

3‧‧‧Microprocessor

4‧‧‧Wireless chip

11‧‧‧Double-frequency dipole antenna

12‧‧‧Double-Frequency Reflector Set

111‧‧‧Low-frequency dipole radiator

111a‧‧‧Low frequency positive part

111b‧‧‧Low frequency negative part

112‧‧‧High frequency dipole radiator

112a‧‧‧High frequency positive part

112b‧‧‧High frequency negative part

121‧‧‧Low frequency reflector

122‧‧‧High frequency reflector

123‧‧‧Short circuit

123a‧‧‧positive line

123b‧‧‧Negative line

D1‧‧‧First Diode

D2‧‧‧ second diode

121a, 122a‧‧‧ positive conductor

121b, 122b‧‧‧ negative conductor

DCV‧‧‧DC control voltage

G‧‧‧ Grounding

13‧‧‧Signal-to-noise ratio controller

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device having an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of a controllable antenna unit of an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device having an antenna module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The electronic device with the antenna module of the embodiment of the invention is, for example but not limited to, a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, an integrated computer, a smart TV, a small base station, a wireless router or a smart phone. Referring to FIG. 1, the antenna module includes at least one controllable antenna unit 1, an application unit 2, and a microprocessor 3. The number of controllable antenna units 1 in FIG. 1 is exemplified by a plurality. The electronic device having the antenna module also includes a wireless chip 4. Please refer to Figure 2 together, the controllable antenna unit 1 package A dual frequency dipole antenna 11 and at least one dual frequency reflector group 12 are included, and two dual frequency reflector groups 12 are shown in FIG. 2 as an example. The dual-frequency reflector group 12 has a first diode D1 and a second diode D2. The application unit 3 is connected to the wireless chip 4, and receives the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) or the received data rate of the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 from the wireless chip 4 of the electronic device. The application unit 2 itself has a calculation. Law handler. The microprocessor 3 is connected to the application unit 2 and the controllable antenna unit 1, and outputs a DC control voltage DCV to the first diode D1 and the second diode D2 of the controllable antenna unit 1. The microprocessor 3 is controlled by the application unit 2, and according to the received signal strength indication or the received data rate of the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11, cooperates with the algorithm processing program of the application unit 2 to determine whether to turn on the first two with the DC control voltage DCV. The pole body D1 and the second diode D2 are used to control the radiation pattern of the controllable antenna unit 1. Each of the dual-frequency reflector groups 12 can be individually controlled to individually affect the radiation pattern. The 2 algorithm processing program of the application unit is, for example, an application installed in the operating system. The radiation field type control of the antenna module does not need to be controlled by the wireless chip 4. The wireless chip 4 only uses the controllable antenna unit 1 as a component for wireless communication (obtaining wirelessly received data from the controllable antenna unit 1 or utilizing controllable The antenna unit 1 wirelessly transmits data to other devices). In particular, when the number of the controllable antenna units 1 is plural, the wireless chip 4 can select which one (or which) of the antenna modules can be used as the communication antenna, and the wireless chip 4 can also be subjected to The designated antenna assigned by the application unit 2 is used as the communication antenna by the notification of the application unit 2, and the other unselected or unspecified controllable antenna unit 1 can be regarded as the standby antenna. Practical embodiments will be described later.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the controllable antenna unit 1 of FIG. 2 includes a dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 and two dual-frequency reflector groups 12 respectively located on the left and right sides of the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11, but the implementation of FIG. 2 The example is only an example. Some embodiments different from FIG. 2 are that when the controllable antenna unit 1 has three or more dual-frequency reflector groups, the dual-frequency reflector group 12 is disposed around the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 in various cases. Such as ring-shaped arrangement, array arrangement, upper and lower four-sided configuration, etc., do not make one by one. The types of wireless standards to which the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 is applied are, for example but not limited to, the IEEE 802.11 standard, or the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, or the future fifth-generation mobile communication (5G) standard. The dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 of FIG. 2 has a low-frequency dipole radiator 111 and a high-frequency dipole radiator 112 having the same polarization direction, and the low-frequency dipole radiator 111 has a low-frequency positive portion 111a and a low-frequency negative portion 111b, and a high-frequency couple the radiator 112 has a high-frequency electrode portion 112a of the positive electrode and the negative electrode high-frequency portion 112b, the resonance frequency f _L of the low frequency dipole radiators 111 frequency lower than the resonance frequencies f _H dipole radiating body 112, for example: a low-frequency dipole radiators The resonance frequency f _{L of} 111 is in the frequency band of 2.4 GHz, and the resonance frequency f _{H of the} high-frequency dipole radiator 112 is in the frequency band of 5 GHz. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the high frequency positive electrode portion 112a of the high frequency dipole radiator 112 has two positive electrode branches, and the two positive electrode branches are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the low frequency positive electrode portion 111a of the low frequency dipole radiator 111. On both sides, the high-frequency negative electrode portion 112b of the high-frequency dipole radiator 112 has two negative-electrode branches, which are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the low-frequency negative electrode portion 111b of the low-frequency dipole radiator 111. The present invention does not thus limit the structure (or shape) of the embodiment of the low frequency dipole radiator 111 and the high frequency dipole radiator 112 as long as the dual frequency dipole antenna 11 is an antenna having dual frequency and the same polarization direction. can.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, a dual-frequency reflector group 12 is disposed on the left and right sides of the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11, and the two dual-frequency reflector groups 12 are symmetrical to each other in FIG. The dual-frequency reflector group 12 is parallel to the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 and has a low-frequency reflector 121, a high-frequency reflector 122, and a short-circuiting circuit 123. The low frequency reflector 121 is parallel to the low frequency The dipole radiator 111, the high frequency reflector 122 is parallel to the high frequency dipole radiator 112. The first diode D1 of the low-frequency reflector 121 and the second diode D2 of the high-frequency reflector 122 are connected in parallel with the capacitor C1 by the short-circuit loop 123. For the above-mentioned parallel parallel capacitance, the first diode D1 and the second diode D2 are connected in parallel in the same polarity direction (the anode of the first diode D1 is connected to the anode of the second diode D2, The cathode of one diode D1 is connected to the cathode of the second diode D2). The short circuit has a positive line 123a, a negative line 123b and a capacitor C1, the positive line 123a is connected to the DC control voltage DCV, the negative line 123b is connected to the ground G, and the capacitor C1 is connected across the positive line 123a and the negative line 123b. The ground G is the ground of the controllable antenna unit 1, and is also the ground of the system itself of the electronic device of this embodiment. The dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 and the dual-frequency reflector group 12 described above are, for example, fabricated on a single-sided or double-sided printed circuit board, and can also be fabricated on a flexible printed circuit board, and the first diodes D1 and The diode D2 and the capacitor C1 can be mounted on a printed circuit board, for example, using surface adhesion techniques.

More specifically, the low-frequency reflector 121 has a positive electrode conductor 121a and a negative electrode conductor 121b, and the positive electrode conductor 121a and the negative electrode conductor 121b are formed by a conduction of the first diode D1 to form a half-wavelength conductor structure, which is a resonance of the low-frequency dipole radiator 111. The half wavelength (0.5λ _L ) of the frequency f _L is not drawn to scale in comparison with the dimensions of the first diode D1 in the positive conductor 121a and the negative conductor 121b in the drawing, and is merely illustrative. The high-frequency reflector 122 has a positive electrode conductor 122a and a negative electrode conductor 122b, and the positive electrode conductor 122a and the negative electrode conductor 122b are electrically connected to form a half-wavelength conductor structure by the second diode D2, and the high-frequency dipole radiator 112 has a resonance frequency f. _H is a half wavelength (0.5 [lambda] _H), the conductors 122a of the positive electrode and the negative electrode in the figure compared to the conductor 122b of the second diode D2 is not drawn to scale size, as only schematically. The first diode D1 and the second diode D2 are controlled by a DC control voltage DCV, and the cathode end is connected to the ground G. When the first diode D1 and the second diode D2 are turned on, the low frequency reflector 121 and the high frequency reflector 122 are each a half wavelength reflector. Preferably, the half-wavelength reflectors formed by each of the low-frequency reflector 121 and the high-frequency reflector 122 are substantially parallel to the polarization direction of the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 to exert a more significant reflection effect. When the first diode D1 and the second diode D2 are not conducting, the short circuit 123 extends the path of the low frequency reflector 121 and the high frequency reflector 122, so that the low frequency reflection 121 and the high frequency reflector 122 do not reflect the low frequency. The electromagnetic waves of the dipole radiator 111 and the high-frequency dipole radiator 112, that is, the dual-frequency dipole antenna 11 can maintain the original radiation pattern, for example, maintaining the original omnidirectional radiation pattern. Preferably, the positive line 123a of the short circuit 123 in FIG. 2 is connected to the low frequency reflector 121 as close as possible to the anode of the first diode D1, and the positive line 123a is connected to the high frequency reflector 122. It may be close to the anode of the second diode D2. Moreover, the negative line 123b is connected to the low frequency reflector 121 as close as possible to the cathode of the first diode D1, and the negative line 123b is connected to the high frequency reflector 122 as close as possible to the cathode of the second diode D2. . In a preferred embodiment, the two ends of the positive electrode line 123a are directly connected to the anode of the first diode D1 and the anode of the second diode D2, and the two ends of the negative line 123b are directly connected to the first diode D1. The cathode and the cathode of the second diode D2.

On the other hand, for each of the dual-frequency reflector groups 12, the high frequency reflector 122 is located between the low frequency reflector 121 and the dual frequency dipole antenna 11, but the invention is not limited thereto. The distance of the low frequency reflector 121 from the dual frequency dipole antenna 11 is preferably 0.15 to 0.5 times the wavelength corresponding to the operating frequency of the low frequency dipole radiator 111. The distance of the high frequency reflector 122 from the dual frequency dipole antenna 11 is preferably 0.15 to 0.5 times the wavelength corresponding to the operating frequency of the high frequency dipole radiator 112. Moreover, a preferred arrangement position of the short circuit 123 is between the frequency reflector 121 and the high frequency reflector 122.

A further embodiment of the antenna module applied to the electronic device is described below. When the number of the controllable antenna units 1 is plural, the application unit 2 selects the plurality of dual-frequency dipole antennas 11 of the controllable antenna unit 1 The receiver with the highest received signal strength or the one with the highest received data rate is the designated antenna, and the designated wireless chip 4 selects the designated antenna for wireless transmission of data. Further, the application unit 2 selects the plurality of dual-frequency dipole antennas 11 having the received signal strength indicating the second largest or having the receiving data rate the second largest as the standby antenna, and designating the wireless chip in a set transmission period. 4 selecting (previously set) the designated antenna for wireless transmission of data, and inserting at least one test interval segment during the transmission period, and using the standby antenna for wireless transmission of data in the test interval segment; wherein, when the wireless chip 4 When the received data rate obtained in the test interval is greater than the received data rate in the transmission period, the application unit 2 designates the standby antenna as the updated designated antenna.

A further embodiment of the antenna module applied to the electronic device is described below. When the number of the controllable antenna units 1 is plural, each controllable antenna unit 1 further includes a signal-to-noise ratio controller 13 connected to the dual-frequency couple. Between the polar antenna 11 and the wireless chip 4, and controlled by the microprocessor 3; wherein, when the difference of the received signal strength indications of the plurality of dual-frequency dipole antennas 11 of the plurality of controllable antenna elements 1 is less than a threshold value The signal-to-noise ratio controller 13 increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the wireless signals received by the plurality of dual-frequency dipole antennas 11 of the plurality of controllable antenna elements 1, and then selects the dual-frequency dipole having the maximum received data rate. The antenna 1 serves as a receiving antenna. In contrast, when the difference of the received signal strength indications of the plurality of dual-frequency dipole antennas 11 of the plurality of controllable antenna elements 1 is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the application unit 2 directly selects the dual frequency having the largest received signal strength indication. The dipole antenna 1 serves as a receiving antenna and notifies the wireless chip 4 to use this receiving antenna for reception of wireless data.

In summary, the antenna module of the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present invention can realize the dual-frequency reflector by means of controlling the switch of the diode, and let the low-frequency reflector be used when the diode used is not turned on. The capacitor shared with the high-frequency reflector extends the path of the low-frequency reflector and the high-frequency reflector, respectively, to achieve the purpose of switching the reflection effect. The control circuit structure realized by the short circuit is simple and easy to implement, and has high industrial application value. Moreover, when a plurality of controllable antenna units are used, the operation of the application unit is used, and the operation mechanism such as the standby antenna or the signal-to-noise ratio is improved, and the algorithm of the multi-antenna system is implemented by the application unit outside the wireless chip to replace the traditional The method of analyzing the signal strength by the wireless chip only greatly improves the electronic device with the antenna module to help the data rate of the received wireless signal.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Claims (10)

An antenna module for an electronic device, configured for: an electronic device, the antenna module comprising: at least one controllable antenna unit, comprising: a dual-frequency dipole antenna, a wireless chip connected to the electronic device, having a low frequency dipole a radiator and a high frequency dipole radiator having a resonance frequency lower than a resonance frequency of the high frequency dipole radiator; and at least one dual frequency reflector group having a low frequency reflector and a high a frequency reflector and a short circuit, the first low frequency reflector has a first diode and a second diode of the high frequency reflector, wherein the short circuit is connected in parallel with a capacitor; wherein, when When the first diode is electrically connected to the second diode, the low frequency reflector and the high frequency reflector are half wavelength reflectors; when the first diode and the second diode are not conducting, a short circuit extending the path of the low frequency reflector and the high frequency reflector; an application unit connecting the wireless chip, receiving, by the wireless chip, a received signal strength indication or a received data rate of the dual frequency dipole antenna, the application unit having Play a microprocessor, connecting the application unit and the dual-frequency reflector group of the controllable antenna unit, and outputting a DC control voltage to the dual-frequency reflector group of the controllable antenna unit, the microprocessor Controlled by the application unit, according to the received signal strength indication or the received data rate of the dual-frequency dipole antenna, the algorithm processing program is used to determine whether the DC control voltage is turned on by the DC control voltage. a diode and the second diode to control the radiation pattern of the controllable antenna unit. The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the high frequency reflector is located between the dual frequency dipole antenna and the low frequency reflector, the short circuit is located The low frequency reflector is interposed between the low frequency reflector and the high frequency reflector. The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the short circuit has a positive line, a negative line and the capacitor, the positive line is connected to the DC control voltage, and the negative line is connected to a ground. A capacitor is connected across the positive line and the negative line. The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the two ends of the positive line are respectively connected to the anode of the first diode and the anode of the second diode, and the two ends of the negative line are respectively A cathode of the first diode and a cathode of the second diode are connected. The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controllable antenna unit is fabricated on a printed circuit board or a flexible printed circuit board. The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the algorithm processing program of the application unit is an application installed in an operating system. The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 6, wherein the number of the controllable antenna units is plural, and the application unit selects the dual-frequency dipole antennas of the controllable antenna units to receive The signal strength indication is the largest or the one with the highest receiving data rate is a designated antenna, so that the wireless chip selects the designated antenna for wireless transmission of data. The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 7, wherein the application unit selects the two of the dual-frequency dipole antennas that have the highest received signal strength indication or the one with the highest received data rate. An antenna, and the wireless chip is selected to select the designated antenna for wireless transmission of data during a transmission period, and at least one test interval segment is inserted in the transmission period, and the standby antenna is used for wireless transmission of data in the test interval; Wherein, when the wireless chip is obtained in the test interval When the received data rate is greater than the received data rate of the transmission period, the application unit designates the standby antenna as the updated designated antenna. The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the number of the controllable antenna units is plural, and each of the controllable antenna units further comprises a signal-to-noise ratio controller connected to the dual-frequency coupler Between the polar antenna and the wireless chip, and controlled by the microprocessor; wherein, when the difference of the received signal strength indications of the dual-frequency dipole antennas of the controllable antenna elements is less than a threshold, the letter The ratio controller increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the wireless signals received by the dual-frequency dipole antennas of the controllable antenna units, and then selects the dual-frequency dipole antenna having the maximum received data rate as a receiving antenna . The antenna module of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, an integrated computer, a smart TV, a small base station, a wireless router, or a smart phone.