WO2007136182A1

WO2007136182A1 - Non-square patch antenna of ceramics dielectric block and all in one antenna module

Info

Publication number: WO2007136182A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/002291
Authority: WO
Inventors: Su Kil Lee; Dong Yeon Cho; Hyo Jin Kim; Bong Suk Kim
Original assignee: Partron Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2006-05-18
Filing date: 2007-05-10
Publication date: 2007-11-29
Also published as: KR100786540B1; KR20070111583A; CN101449423A

Abstract

Disclosed is a non-square patch antenna and an integrated antenna module utilizing the patch antenna. As to the non-square patch antenna receiving a satellite signal or a gap filler signal of a ground according to the present invention, the non-square patch antenna includes a ceramic dielectric block which is formed with the non-square type where the ratio of length to width is different; and a conductive pattern which is coated on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block with a different ratio of length to width, wherein a linearly polarized wave characteristic or a circular polarization characteristic is obtained by the conductive pattern. Accordingly, while the receive performance is maintained as much as or more than the existing antenna, the built-in can be implemented to satisfy a miniaturization and portability.

Description

[DESCRIPTION]

[Invention Title]

NON-SQUARE PATCH ANTENNA OF CERAMICS DIELECTRIC BLOCK AND ALL IN ONE ANTENNA MODULE

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to an antenna and an antenna module for receiving a satellite signal or a gap filler signal of the ground, in particular, to a non-square patch antenna of ceramic dielectric block for receiving a satellite signal or a gap filler signal in GPS(Global Position System), DMBCDigital Multimedia Broadcasting)system, DAB(Digital Audio Broadcasting) system, and Navigation system, and to an integrated antenna module including the systems.

[Background Art]

Recently, wireless communications have been widely used. To satisfy the popularization of a wireless communication device, the recent trend requires a low cost, a mass production and a good design while the performance of an antenna is maintained. Thus, the need for the slim antenna that can be mounted in the inside of a transceiver is increased.

As to a receiver for car for a moving multimedia information, a broadcasting service, or the present position and electronic map service, a microstrip patch antenna is used. The satellite transmits a right hand circular polarization for transmitting, so as to minimize the interference of ionospheric layer and the influence of the multiple path signal(noise) reflected in the ground, while a circular polarization antenna is used to receive the GPS satellite signal as the patch antenna is inexpensive and has a good receipt rate among various circular polarized antennas.

While the patch antenna has a planar type structure which is light in weight and occupies a small space, it has the largest gain and the directivity in a given space, thereby, it is used as a communications relay antenna integrated with various mobile communications devices and portable devices.

Fig. 1 is a drawing illustrating the upper end surface and the lower end surface of a patch antenna with disassembling the structure according to the patch antenna of the related art. As shown in Fig. 1, the square patch antenna of feeding pin type of the related art is comprised of an antenna module 12 and a printed circuit board PCB 14 separated from the antenna module 12. As to the antenna module 12, a conduction material is coated on the both end surfaces of a dielectric block 11, while a feeding pin 13 is positioned on the upper end surface.

Additionally, a low noise amplifier LNA 15 of single end or more is implemented on the PCB 14, while the PCB 14 is adhered on the lower end surface of the antenna module 12. The conduction material is coated on the conduction surface of the upper end surface with the same aspect rate so as to perform the characteristic of circular polarization.

Additionally, the feeding pin 13 is electrically connected to the conduction surface of the upper end surface to penetrate the dielectric block, however, it is electrically separated from the ground surface which is made of the conduction material in the lower end surface.

In the meantime, the problem of the patch antenna used in the navigation system of the related art is in that ' ground plane' , for example, a conduction surface which is planar at base is required, and the PCB section should secure the ground surface as a sky oriented type so as to readily receive the satellite signal. Further, the minimum size of the patch antenna which is currently using is 18 x 18 mm. Thus, it is difficult to implement the mounting of the antenna into a device due to the limitation in the width of the receiver and the height of the antenna. Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 2 illustrating the navigation having the square patch antenna described above, an antenna apparatus 18 capable of folding and unfolding from the body should be positioned in the behind of the upper portion of a navigation 17, while the patch antenna should be positioned in the inside. Hence, there is a problem in that the antenna apparatus is protruded into the side surface as much as the antenna width when it is used.

Recently, with the trend of slimming, miniaturizing for portability, the function of the product becomes complex. For example, the development of a navigation system which is able to be mounted in a car and is portable by storing a battery in the inside is required for a car navigation company.

However, as described, there is a problem in that the patch antenna of the related art can not be slimmed, so that the size of the navigation system is increased. Furthermore, even though a small size patch antenna of 13 x 13 mm or less is mounted in a car, the antenna characteristic is not so good such that the receipt is unstable in dead spots.

Additionally, the square patch antenna is a circular polarized antenna, and selectively receives left hand circular polarization or right hand circular polarization in receiving the satellite signal. Thus, it should be re-designed according to whether the satellite signal is left hand circular polarization or right hand circular polarization. Further, in case it is designed as a dual band antenna, the receipt rate can be decreased by the mutual interference effect due to the design of a left hand circular polarization receipt antenna and a right hand circular polarization receipt antenna. Therefore, there is a problem in that the satellite signal can be missed.

In the meantime, according to the miniaturization trend, there has been an attempt that the smaller patch antenna of 13 x 13 mm or less or a linear polarization antenna is used. However, the performance and the receive sensitivity of the antenna are degraded as the size of the antenna becomes small. For example, in case of the conventional GPS engine that processes the signal with -130 dbm, it is impossible to process the signal. Therefore, in the current marketplace, the development of the antenna or antenna module which can be mounted is required to satisfy the miniaturization and the portability while the receive is as good at performance as or better than the conventional antenna.

[Disclosure] [Technical Problem]

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve at least the problems and disadvantages of the related art.

The present invention is provided to solve the structural problem and the design problem of a receiver such as a navigation system due to the use of the conventional square patch antenna. By controlling the conductive pattern of the patch antenna positioned on the non-square dielectric ceramic dielectric block and the non-square dielectric block, the non-square patch antenna of the ceramic dielectric block that has the circular polarization characteristic or the more improved characteristic of the linearly polarized wave, and the non-square patch antenna of the ceramic dielectric block that has the circular polarization characteristic or the characteristic of the linearly polarized wave are provided with extending the conductive pattern of the upper portion into the side surface of the non-square ceramic dielectric block.

In addition, the present invention provides an integrated antenna module capable of easily mounting the patch antenna having the circular polarization characteristic in the inside of the using machine by implementing the conductive pattern in which one or more grooves are formed on the upper portion of the dielectric block. Further, the integrated antenna module in which the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier are mounted on one PCB, and the integrated antenna module in which the patch antenna, and the GPS engine module are mounted on one PCB are implemented to develop an antenna and an antenna module that can be used for built-in for satisfying the miniaturization and the portability while the receive performance of the antenna is still maintained as much as the conventional antenna.

[Technical Solution]

In order to accomplish the object, according to the present invention, provided is

A first embodiment of the non-square patch antenna receiving a satellite signal or a gap filler signal of a ground according to the present invention comprises a ceramic dielectric block which is formed with the non-square type where the ratio of length to width is different; and a conductive pattern which is coated on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block with a different ratio of length to width, wherein a linearly polarized wave characteristic is obtained by the conductive pattern.

A second embodiment of the non-square patch antenna receiving a satellite signal or a gap filler signal of a ground according to the present invention comprises a ceramic dielectric block which is formed with the non-square type where the ratio of length to width is different; and a conductive pattern which is coated with extending to both sides of the side having the longer length from the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block, wherein a circular polarization characteristic is obtained or a linearly polarized wave characteristic is controlled by controlling the size of the conductive pattern which is extended to both sides of the ceramic dielectric block. In accordance with the non- square patch antenna of the present invention, one or more grooves in which the conductive pattern is deleted from both sides of the side having the shorter length on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block is formed in the conductive pattern, wherein a circular polarization characteristic is obtained by the conductive pattern. Here, the permittivity of the ceramic dielectric block uses the high permittivity 37 or more, and a circular polarization characteristic is obtained due to the conductive pattern, even though the groove in which the conductive pattern of the shorter side is deleted on the conductive pattern positioned on the non-square ceramic dielectric block does not exist, in case the shorter side is sufficiently large as much as 13 mm or more on the non- square ceramic dielectric block

In accordance with the non-square patch antenna of the present invention, the patch antenna further comprises an input- output terminal including a feeding pin which is positioned on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block, electrically connected to the conductive pattern of the upper portion, and passes through the ceramic dielectric block to be electrically separated from the ground made of the conductive material of a lower portion.

In accordance with the non-square patch antenna of the present invention, the patch antenna further comprises an input-output terminal which is positioned on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block, electrically connected to the conductive pattern of the upper portion, the inside of the groove passing through the ceramic block is filled with Ag, and passes through the ceramic dielectric block to be electrically separated from the ground made of the conductive material of a lower portion.

In accordance with the non-square patch antenna of the present invention, the patch antenna further comprises an input-output terminal which is electrically separated from the ground plane of a lower portion, wherein the conductive pattern of the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block is electrically separated from the ground plane made of the conductive material of the lower portion, wherein the conductive pattern for matching with the input-output terminal is formed in the side surface of the side having a shorter length of the ceramic dielectric block.

A first embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention comprises a non-square patch antenna that receives the satellite signal or the gap filler signal of the ground according to claim 1 or 2; a low noise amplifier of single-end or more that plays a role of amplifying the signal received by the patch antenna to the signal level that can be processed in an engine; a printed circuit board in which the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier are mounted; and a transmission line that transmits the signal amplified in the low noise amplifier to the engine. Here, the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier are mounted on the same plane or the different plane of the printed circuit board respectively.

A second embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention comprises a non-square patch antenna that receives the satellite signal or the gap filler signal of the ground according to claim 1 or 2; a low noise amplifier of single-end or more that plays a role of amplifying the signal received by the patch antenna to the signal level that can be processed in an engine; a plurality of printed circuit boards in which the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier are mounted respectively; a coaxial cable connecting the printed circuit board in which the patch antenna is mounted to the printed circuit board in which the low noise amplifier is mounted; and a transmission line that transmits the signal amplified in the low noise amplifier to the engine.

A third embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention comprises a non-square patch antenna that receives the satellite signal or the gap filler signal of the ground according to claim 1 or 2; a GPS engine module including a miniaturized GPS engine which performs the operation action on the signal received by the patch antenna and outputs data; and a printed circuit board in which the patch antenna and the GPS engine module are mounted.

Here, the patch antenna and the GPS engine module are mounted on the same plane or the different plane of the printed circuit board respectively. A third embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention comprises a non-square patch antenna that receives the satellite signal or the gap filler signal of the ground according to claim 1 or 2; a GPS engine module including a miniaturized GPS engine which performs the operation action on the signal received by the patch antenna and outputs data; and a plurality of printed circuit boards in which the patch antenna and the GPS engine module are mounted respectively; and a coaxial cable that connects the printed circuit board in which the patch antenna is mounted to the printed circuit board in which the GPS engine module is mounted. Here, the GPS engine module is comprised of a low noise amplifier of single-end or more that plays a role of amplifying the signal received by the patch antenna to the signal level that can be processed in an engine and a GPS engine, or comprised of only GPS engine except the low noise amplifier, or comprised of a bandpass filter and a GPS engine.

[Advantageous Effects]

According to the present invention, the patch antenna which has the linearly polarized wave characteristic implemented by the non-square ceramic dielectric block and the conductive pattern positioned on the dielectric ceramic block, and the non-square patch antenna of the ceramic dielectric block which has the circular polarization characteristic or the more improved linearly polarized wave characteristic by controlling the conductive pattern positioned at the side surface of the dielectric block, and the patch antenna which has the circular polarization characteristic by implanting the conductive pattern in which one or more grooves are formed on the upper portion of the dielectric block, can be implemented.

In addition, in case the high permittivity more than the permittivity 30 is used as the ceramic dielectric block and the shorter side of the ceramic dielectric block is sufficiently large as much as 12 mm, even though the groove in which the conductive pattern of the shorter side is deleted is not exist on the conductive pattern positioned on the non-square ceramic dielectric block, the circular polarization characteristic is shown due to the conductive pattern.

Furthermore, by implementing the integrated antenna module in which the patch antenna and a low noise amplifier are mounted on one PCB, and the integrated antenna module in which the patch antenna and a GPS engine module are mounted on one PCB, the receive performance of the antenna is maintained as much as the conventional antenna or the more and the requirement for miniaturization and portability can be satisfied. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

Fig. 1 is a drawing illustrating the upper end surface and the lower end surface of a patch antenna with disassembling the structure according to the patch antenna of the related art; FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a navigation system having the patch antenna according to the related art;

Fig. 3 is a drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface with disassembling a first embodiment of non- square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface with disassembling a second embodiment of non- square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention. Fig. 5 is drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface with disassembling a third embodiment of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 is drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface with disassembling a fourth embodiment of non- square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 is drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface with disassembling a fifth embodiment of non- square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

Fig. 8 is drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface with disassembling a sixth embodiment of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 is drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface with disassembling a seventh embodiment of non- square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

Fig. 10 is drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface with disassembling an eighth embodiment of non- square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a drawing illustrating a first embodiment of an integrated antenna module according to the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a drawing illustrating the block diagram of a low noise amplifier used for an integrated antenna module according to the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a drawing illustrating a second embodiment of an integrated antenna module according to the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a drawing illustrating a third embodiment of the integrated antenna module.

Fig. 15 to Fig. 17 is a drawing illustrating the implementation of characteristics using a third embodiment according to the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a drawing illustrating a fourth embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention.

Fig. 19 is a drawing illustrating a fifth embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention.

Fig. 20 is a drawing illustrating a sixth embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention. Fig. 21 to Fig. 23 is a drawing illustrating the implementation of characteristics using a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, referring to the attached drawings, a non-square patch antenna and an integrated antenna module will be illustrated in detail.

[Best Mode]

Fig. 3 to Fig. 5 are drawings illustrating embodiments of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block having the linearly polarized wave characteristic according to the present invention. Among them, Fig. 3 is a drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

As shown in drawings, the patch antenna according to the first embodiment of the present invention is the patch antenna of the feeding pin type, being comprised of a ceramic dielectric block 21 and a conductive pattern 22. Here, the ceramic dielectric block 21 (hereinafter, it may be called as 'dielectric block') is formed with a non-square type. The conductive pattern 22, corresponding to the shape of the dielectric block 21, is coated onto the upper portion of the dielectric block 21 with a different ratio of the length and the width.

At this time, as to the ratio of length to width of the conductive pattern 22, it is preferable that the patch antenna is implemented with the non-square type in which the width is less than 13mm while the length is 18~35mm or 35mm or greater, in order to be mounted in the inside of the using machine like the navigation system. In case the set width space can be given like 7 inch navigation system, the width(minor axis) of the ceramic dielectric block can be made to be more bigger as much as 13— 18mm to improve the antenna characteristic. While the feeding pin 23, electrically connected to the conducting plane of the upper portion in the conducting plane 22 of the upper portion of the patch antenna, passes through the dielectric block 21, it is formed in the conducting plane 24 of the lower portion to be electrically separated.

[Mode for Invention]

Fig. 4 is a drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface of a second embodiment of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention. As shown, the patch antenna according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the antenna of the Surface Mount Technology

(hereinafter 'SMT') type. A conducting plane 32 of the upper end surface of a dielectric block 31 of the patch antenna is electrically insulated with the ground plane of the lower end surface.

However, different from the mode in which the feeding pin 23 of a first embodiment is protruded into the lower part of the dielectric block, as the inside of a hole 34 is filled with Ag, an input-output terminal 33 is electrically connected to the conducting plane 32 of the upper portion of the dielectric block. At the same time, it passes through the dielectric block 31 and it is opened to a ground plane 35 which is made of the conductive material of the upper portion. The shape of the dielectric block 31 and the conductive pattern 32 of the upper portion is the same as those of Fig. 3a.

A feeding pin 53 is positioned within the conducting plane 52 of the upper portion of the patch antenna, passing through the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the dielectric block 51 with being electrically connected to the conducting plane of the upper portion, electrically separated from a ground plane 54 made of the conductive material of the lower portion. Fig. 5 is drawing illustrating a third embodiment of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 5, the patch antenna according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the patch antenna of another SMT type. A conducting plane 42 of the upper end surface of a dielectric block 41 is electrically separated from a ground plane 43 which is made of conductive material of the lower end surface. An input-output terminal 44 with conductivity is formed on the lower portion, while it is electrically separated from the ground conducting plane 43. Here, SMT is applied to form a conductive pattern 45 on one side in order to match with the input- output terminal. In this case, the shape of the dielectric block 41 and the conductive pattern 42 of the upper end surface is the same as those of the above - described. The patch antenna can be implemented with various types by using various materials, however, the patch antenna according to the present invention uses a ceramic dielectric having a high permittivity of 6 to 60. Therefore, although the performance(gain x bandwidth ∞ volume) is decreased, a low profile with small size can be obtained. Thus, it has an advantage that it contributes for the miniaturization of the communications device and the danger of the damage due to the external shock for an instrument is low as it is an embedded type.

Moreover, the ceramic antenna according to the present invention can perform an enough performance in the frequency range between several hundreds MHz- several GHz that most systems including the radio communications or the cellular phone use, therefore, the application range will be very wide in the future.

There has been a problem in that the patch antenna according to the related art, in case it is developed as the patch antenna having a right hand circular polarization characteristic, can receive only the satellite signal which is a right hand circular polarization due to the receive characteristic while the satellite signal which is sent as left hand circular polarization can not be

received.

On the other hand, the non-square patch antenna according to the present invention has the characteristic of the linearly polarized wave. Therefore, it can receive a signal of very wide range regardless of the polarization direction of the satellite signal. In addition, the complementary of the receive performance is possible with the GPS engine like SIRstar 3 in which the signal processing property is improved.

Moreover, due to the characteristic of the linearly polarized wave of the non-square patch antenna, the problem that the receiving rate is degraded with the mutual interference effect generated due to the circular polarization like the patch antenna of the conventional square can be solved and, therefore, the design of the dual band is facilitated.

Fig. 6 to Fig. 8 is drawings showing other embodiments of non- square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention. Fig. 6 is drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface of a fourth embodiment of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

The patch antenna according to the present invention is a non- square patch antenna of the feeding pin type, being is comprised of a ceramic dielectric block 51 and a conductive pattern 52. Here, the dielectric block 51 is formed with a non-square type. As to the conductive pattern 52 coated onto the upper portion of the dielectric block 51, the ratio of length to width is different, while the conductive pattern 52 is extended to both sides of a side having a longer length.

A feeding pin 53 is positioned within the conducting plane 52 of the upper portion of the patch antenna, passing through the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the dielectric block 51 while being electrically connected to the conducting plane of the upper portion. And it is electrically separated from a ground plane 54 made of the conductive material of the lower portion.

The implementation of the circular polarization property is electrically possible by forming the conductive pattern on the side of the dielectric block. By controlling the ratio of the width and the length of the conductive pattern extended to the side, the linearly polarized wave characteristic that the electrical characteristic is improved can be shown.

Fig. 7 is drawing illustrating the upper end surface, the side end and the lower end surface of a fifth embodiment of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention. The patch antenna according to the present invention is the patch antenna of non-square patch antenna of the SMT type, has the structure that a conductive pattern 62 is extended to both sides of a side having a longer dielectric block 61, which is identical with the patch antenna of the fourth embodiment described above.

As to the patch antenna, an input-output terminal 63 and the inside of a hole 64 are coated with Ag instead of the feeding pin 53 of the fourth embodiment to electrically connect the input-output terminal 63 with the conducting plane 62 of the upper portion, while the conductive pattern 62 made of Ag passes through the dielectric block to be opened to a ground plane 65 made of the conductive material of the lower portion, thereby, SMT can be applied for implementing the patch antenna.

Fig. 8 is drawing illustrating a sixth embodiment of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

The patch antenna according to the present invention is the patch antenna of non- square patch antenna of the SMT type, has the structure that a conductive pattern 72 is extended to both sides of a side having a longer dielectric block 71, which is identical with the patch antenna of the fourth embodiment described above.

The conducting plane 72 of the upper end surface of the dielectric block 71 of the patch antenna is electrically separated from a ground plane 73 made of the conductive material of the lower portion. An input-output terminal 74 having conductivity, which is electrically separated from the ground conducting plane 73, is formed on the lower portion. A conductive pattern 75 is formed on one side among the opposite side of the side in which the conductive pattern 72 is extended in order to match with the input-output terminal. Here, SMT is applied.

As to the non-square patch antenna of the ceramic dielectric block according to the fourth embodiment or the sixth embodiment according to the present invention, the circular polarization characteristic can be obtained by forming the conductive pattern on the side of the ceramic block and the dielectric block in which the width is different from the length.

On the other hand, the non-square patch antenna of the ceramic dielectric block in which the characteristic of the linearly polarized wave is improved according to the scaling of the conductive pattern is also an antenna miniaturized than the conventional square patch antenna, while it can be mounted in the inside of the using machine and has the effect that the receive performance is improved.

Moreover, the dual band can be designed different from the square patch antenna. Particularly, in case of having the circular polarization characteristic, since a miniaturization is possible while the receipt characteristic that the conventional patch antenna has is maintained, two or more channels can be tranceived in one frequency with timing calibration and the advantage of the circular polarization that the polarization loss is small can be brought out. Fig. 9 is drawing illustrating a seventh embodiment of non-square patch antenna of a ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention.

As to the patch antenna according to the present invention, a conductive pattern 78 in which one or more grooves where the conductive pattern is removed into both sides of a side having shorter length are formed is implemented in the upper portion of a dielectric block 76 having a different ration of the width and the length. A feeding pin 77 is positioned within the conducting plane 78 of the upper portion of the patch antenna. It passes through the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the dielectric block 76 while being electrically connected to the conducting plane of the upper portion. And it is electrically separated from a ground conducting plane 79 of the lower portion. As to the patch antenna, 2 antenna characteristics of a linearly polarized wave type which are respectively separated into the low frequency and the high frequency while one side is 13mm are shown.

As the groove is supplemented while removing the conductive pattern of a side having shorter length, the width of the conductive pattern becomes narrow 13mm or less so that the another linear polarization antenna characteristic which is in 1.8Ghz band moves and it comes close to the other linearly polarized wave characteristic of the low frequency. Therefore, as to each linear polarization antenna characteristic, the frequency, the size and the phase angle becomes 90 degree, thereby, it shows the circular polarization characteristic.

Particularly, in case of having the circular polarization characteristic, since the conductive pattern is implemented on the dielectric ceramic block of the longitudinal axis that can be miniaturized and has High Quality characteristic(Q*f : Quality characteristic of material) while the receive quality which the conventional patch antenna has is maintained, the advantage of the circular polarization in which the polarization loss is less can be brought out. In addition, it has the excellent characteristic of noise than the square antenna.

Further, in case the ceramic dielectric block 76a uses the high permittivity that is the permittivity 30 or more and the shorter side in the ceramic dielectric block 76a of the non-square type is sufficiently larger 12mm or more, as shown in Fig. 10, it can have the circular polarization characteristic due to the conductive pattern 78a of the upper end surface, even if, differently with Fig. 6, the conductive pattern is not formed on the side surface of the ceramic dielectric block 76a or the groove in which the conductive pattern of the shorter side is removed does not exist, in the conductive pattern 78a positioned on the ceramic dielectric block 76a of non- square.

The patch antenna in which the groove is built up in the conductive pattern is not restricted to the above-described specific embodiment, but it can be applied to the second embodiment to the sixth embodiment. Accordingly, it can implement the circular polarization characteristic with the various forms of non-square patch antenna of the feeding pin type or the SMT type. Particularly, the non-square patch antenna such as 13 x 18mm or 13X 20mm can be extended to the conductive pattern to the side surface of the dielectric block to implement the circular polarization characteristic. However, in case one side length is considerably long like the patch antenna of 13 x 25mm, it is preferable that the circular polarization characteristic is implemented by groove on the conductive pattern of the upper portion while extending the conductive pattern into the side surface. As to the patch antenna according to the first embodiment to the sixth embodiment, due to the width of the using machine like the navigation system, it is implemented with a linear form while the length of the patch antenna is 13mm and the width is 18~35mm or 35mm or greater. Therefore, it can be mounted in the inside of the using machine. Moreover, while the size of one side is reduced, Q*F can be improved by using the high dielectric less than Er 60. For example, in case of the patch antenna of 13xl8mm, the ceramic powder in which the relative permittivity Er is 45 and Q*F is more than 40,000 can be used. In case of the patch antenna of 13x20mm, the ceramic powder in which Q*F is 35,000 and the relative permittivity Er is 37 can be used. In that way, while the loss by the raw materials can be reduced and the antenna gain can be improved, the receive characteristic is excellent in comparison with the conventional square patch antenna.

Hereinafter, referring to Fig. 11 to Fig. 23, the embodiments of an integrated antenna module including the non- square patch antenna of the ceramic dielectric block will be illustrated in detail.

Fig. 11 is a drawing illustrating a first embodiment of an integrated antenna module according to the present invention. As to the integrated antenna module according to this embodiment, a non-square patch antenna 81 of the ceramic dielectric block and a low noise amplifier 82 are adhered to the same plane of a PCB 83 of the rectangular shape that is narrow and long with the SMD(Surface Mount Devices) method - in which a device is adhered to the printed circuit board where a hole is not made on PCB and the lead is painted, while dissolving the lead for automatic mounting - , and a transmission line 84 transmitting the satellite signal from the low noise amplifier 82 to the engine is connected.

According to the present invention, as to the integrated antenna module, the width is 13mm only in the part in which the patch antenna 81 is positioned while the size is 65X10X4.7mm. It shows the characteristic that the length is lengthened and the width becomes narrow in comparison with the square patch antenna. The inside design of the using machine can be optimized, by implementing the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier in the same plane of PCB to lower the antenna height.

As to the circuit 82 of a low noise amplifier, after a first amplification 8202 is performed on the satellite signal which is received from the non- square patch antenna 81 of the ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention, the satellite signal passes a band-pass filter 8204 and, subsequently, a secondary amplification 8206 is performed. The signal that has completed the secondary amplification is transmitted to the GPS engine through the connected cable.

Since the antenna that can be used in the antenna module has the problem that it has a narrow bandwidth due to the miniaturization with the high permittivity, the low noise amplifier plays the role of amplifying the satellite signal to the extent that the received satellite signal can be processed in the GPS engine.

The method of directly attaching the patch antenna to the GPS engine may be used. However, in this case, the satellite signal is so feeble that it is weak in the noise. Therefore, it is preferable that, as described above, the signal is inputted to the GPS engine after amplifying gain as much as about minimum 24dB through the amplification by the low noise amplifier and the filtering.

As to the integrated antenna module according to this embodiment, the non-square patch antenna 81 of the ceramic dielectric block and the low noise amplifier 82 are adhered to the different side of the PCB 83 respectively with the SMD(Surface Mount Devices) method, while the transmission line 84 transmitting the satellite signal from the low noise amplifier 82 to the engine is connected. In this way, according to the configuration in which the non-square patch antenna 81 of the ceramic dielectric block and the low noise amplifier 82 are adhered to the different side of the PCB 83 respectively, it has the advantage of minimizing the noise, generating in the signal transmitting process, that influences from the low noise amplifier to the non-square patch antenna.

Fig. 14 is a drawing illustrating a third embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention.

As to the integrated antenna module according to this embodiment, two blocks are connected by a coaxial cable 85, while one block is the PCB

83 where the patch antenna 81 of the ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention is adhered and the other block is a PCB 84 where the low noise amplifier 82 is adhered.

At this time, both PCBs can be the rectangular type, however, it is not thus limited and can be a predetermined form, for instance, a flexible

PCB can be used instead of the coaxial cable. According to the antenna module of such configuration, the PCB 84 in which the low noise amplifier 82 is adhered has the advantage that 360 degree rotation is free.

That is, if the spatial restriction in the inside of the receiver and the bending are required due to the use of the coaxial cable, the antenna module can be implemented as shown in Fig. 15 to Fig. 17, in addition, it is not thus restricted and various forms can be implemented according to the intention of a designer.

Fig. 18 is a drawing showing a fourth embodiment of an integrated antenna module according to the present invention.

As to the integrated antenna module according to this embodiment, the non-square patch antenna 81 of the ceramic dielectric block and an GPS engine module 91 consisting of the miniaturized GPS engine outputting data by performing the mnemonic operation on the satellite signal received in the patch antenna are adhered to the same plane of a PCB 92 of the rectangular shape that is narrow and long with the SMD(Surface Mount Devices) method - in which a device is adhered to the printed circuit board where a hole is not made on PCB and the lead is painted, while dissolving the lead for automatic mounting.

According to the present invention, as to the GPS smart antenna module, the width is 13mm and less only in the part in which the patch antenna 81 is positioned while the size is 65 x 10 x 7mm. It shows the characteristic that the length is lengthened and the width becomes narrow in comparison with the square patch antenna.

In the meantime, by replacing the DAB or the DMB antenna using such method and the GPS engine with the DAB engine or the DMB engine, the integrated GPS antenna engine module can be used not only for the navigation system or the GPS system but also for the DAB or the DMB system.

As to the integrated antenna module according to this embodiment, the non-square patch antenna 81 of the ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention and the GPS engine module 91 are adhered to the different side of the PCB 92 respectively with the SMD(Surface Mount Devices) method.

In this way, according to the configuration in which the patch antenna 81 and the GPS engine module 91 are adhered to the different side of the PCB 92 respectively, it has the advantage of minimizing the noise, generating in the signal transmitting process, that influences from the low noise amplifier of the GPS engine module to the patch antenna.

Fig. 20 is a drawing illustrating a sixth embodiment of the integrated antenna module according to the present invention. As to this embodiment, two blocks are connected by a coaxial cable

95, while one block is a PCB 93 where the patch antenna 81 of the ceramic dielectric block according to the present invention is adhered and the other block is a PCB 94 where the GPS engine module 91 is adhered.

PCB can be used instead of the coaxial cable. According to the antenna module of such configuration, the PCB 94 in which the GPS engine module

91 is adhered has the advantage that 360 degree rotation is free.

That is, if the spatial restriction in the inside of the receiver and the bending are required due to the use of the coaxial cable, the antenna module can be implemented as shown in Fig. 21 to Fig. 23, in addition, it is not thus restricted and various forms can be implemented according to the intention of a designer. At this time, the GPS engine module can be implemented with the integrated type of the low noise amplifier and the miniaturized GPS engine or can be implemented with the GPS engine itself without the low noise amplifier, or can be implemented with the band-pass filter and the GPS engine. Therefore, a person skilled in the art can design the GPS engine if necessary, and, generally, it is preferable that a miniaturized GPS engine, a band-pass filter and a single-ended low noise amplifier are integrated.

In the above, the embodiments of the present invention was illustrated, however, the present invention is not restricted to the above- described specific embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variation can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

For example, it is not restricted to the integrated antenna module or the integrated GPS antenna engine module according to the present invention. However, by performing the ground shielding with the material having conductivity to the low noise amplifier or the GPS engine module for the elimination of the noise influencing the antenna and the prevention of the oscillation, the noise influence affecting to the antenna in an amplifier can be reduced. [Industrial Applicability]

The non-square patch antenna of the ceramic dielectric block(substrate) according to the present invention and an integrated antenna module using the same is an antenna or an antenna module miniaturized than the square patch antenna commonly used, which has the effect that it can be mounted in the inside of the using machine and the receive performance is improved.

That is, in case the non-square patch antenna according to the present invention having the characteristic of the linearly polarized wave is used, it is weak in the multipath signal(noise), however, the receive performance can be complemented with the signal processing improvement of the engine like the SIRstar 3, while the same antenna can be used regardless of the Left Hand Circular Polarization or Right Hand Circular Polarization. In addition, it has the effect that it can be mounted in the inside of the terminal by miniaturizing the size of the antenna module in comparison with the conventional square patch antenna.

Further, the circular polarization characteristic is shown by forming the conductive pattern on the side surface of the dielectric block of non- square patch antenna according to the present invention having a different width and length, or by forming the conductive pattern on the upper end of the dielectric block when the non-square dielectric block uses the high permittivity which is the permittivity 30 or more and the length of minor axis is expanded 12mm or more. Further, the non-square patch antenna of the ceramic dielectric block in which the characteristic of the linearly polarized wave is improved according to the scaling of the conductive pattern is also an antenna which is miniaturized than the conventional square patch antenna, which can be mounted in the inside of the using machine and has the effect that the receive performance is improved.

Further, in case one or more grooves are formed on the conductive pattern of the upper end surface of the dielectric of the non-square patch antenna, the width of the conductive pattern becomes narrow. Accordingly, the other linear polarization antenna characteristic which is in l.δGhz band gradually moves to the low frequency and comes close to the linear polarization antenna of other low frequency. In addition, the frequency, the magnitude and the phase angle becomes 90° to show the circular polarization characteristic. Particularly, in case the non-square patch antenna has the circular polarization characteristic, it can be miniaturized while the receive performance that the conventional square patch antenna has is still maintained. Accordingly, the advantage of the circular polarization in which the polarization loss is less can be brought out. In addition, the manufacture of the dual band antenna is facilitated, therefore, while the advantage of the conventional square patch antenna can be brought out, the disadvantage can be solved.

Furthermore, the integrated antenna module in which the non- square patch antenna is implemented with the low noise amplifier on one PCB as well as the integrated GPS antenna engine module in which the non- square patch antenna is implemented with the GPS engine module on one PCB maintains the receive performance of the conventional square patch antenna while they can be miniaturized, thereby, they can be positioned in the inside of the using machine. Accordingly, the problem of the design that a conventional terminal has can be solved.

Furthermore, the integrated antenna module or the integrated GPS antenna engine module can be positioned on the upper portion of the using machine in parallel with the width direction, moreover, a slight bending or inclination can be implemented with the design of a terminal. Accordingly, more various applications are possible.

Claims

[The Scope of Claim] [Claim 1]

A non-square patch antenna receiving a satellite signal or a gap filler signal of a ground, the non-square patch antenna comprising: a ceramic dielectric block which is formed with the non-square type where the ratio of length to width is different; and a conductive pattern which is coated on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block with a different ratio of length to width, wherein a linearly polarized wave characteristic is obtained by the conductive pattern.

[Claim 2]

A non-square patch antenna receiving a satellite signal or a gap filler signal of a ground, the non-square patch antenna comprising: a ceramic dielectric block which is formed with the non-square type where the ratio of length to width is different; and a conductive pattern which is coated with extending to both sides of the side having the longer length from the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block, wherein a circular polarization characteristic is obtained or a linearly polarized wave characteristic is controlled by controlling the size of the conductive pattern which is extended to both sides of the ceramic dielectric block.

[Claim 3]

The non-square patch antenna of claim 1 or 2, wherein one or more grooves in which the conductive pattern is deleted from both sides of the side having the shorter length on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block is formed in the conductive pattern, wherein a circular polarization characteristic is obtained by the conductive pattern.

[Claim 4]

The non-square patch antenna of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an input-output terminal including a feeding pin which is positioned on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block, electrically connected to the conductive pattern of the upper portion, and passes through the ceramic dielectric block to be electrically separated from the ground made of the conductive material of a lower portion.

[Claim 5]

The non-square patch antenna of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an input-output terminal which is positioned on the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block, electrically connected to the conductive pattern of the upper portion, the inside of the groove passing through the ceramic block is filled with Ag, and passes through the ceramic dielectric block to be electrically separated from the ground made of the conductive material of a lower portion.

[Claim 6] The non-square patch antenna of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an input-output terminal which is electrically separated from the ground plane of a lower portion, wherein the conductive pattern of the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block is electrically separated from the ground plane made of the conductive material of the lower portion, wherein the conductive pattern for matching with the input-output terminal is formed in the side surface of the side having a shorter length of the ceramic dielectric block.

[Claim 7]

A non-square patch antenna receiving a satellite signal or a gap filler signal of a ground, the non-square patch antenna comprising: a ceramic dielectric block which is formed with the non-square type where the ratio of length to width is different; and a conductive pattern which is coated onto the upper portion of the ceramic dielectric block, wherein the permittivity of the ceramic dielectric block uses the high permittivity 30 or more, a circular polarization characteristic is obtained or a linearly polarized wave characteristic is controlled by controlling the size of the conductive pattern, after enlarging the minor axis width as much as 12mm or more.

[Claim 8]

An integrated antenna module comprising: a non-square patch antenna that receives the satellite signal or the gap filler signal of the ground according to claim 1 or 2; a low noise amplifier of single-end or more that plays a role of amplifying the signal received by the patch antenna to the signal level that can be processed in an engine; a printed circuit board in which the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier are mounted; and a transmission line that transmits the signal amplified in the low noise amplifier to the engine.

[Claim 9]

The integrated antenna module of claim 8, wherein the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier are mounted on the same plane of the printed circuit board.

[Claim 10]

The integrated antenna module of claim 8, wherein the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier are mounted on the different plane of the printed circuit board respectively.

[Claim 11] An integrated antenna module comprising: a non-square patch antenna that receives the satellite signal or the gap filler signal of the ground according to claim 1 or 2; a low noise amplifier of single-end or more that plays a role of amplifying the signal received by the patch antenna to the signal level that can be processed in an engine; two printed circuit boards in which the patch antenna and the low noise amplifier are mounted respectively; a coaxial cable connecting the printed circuit board in which the patch antenna is mounted to the printed circuit board in which the low noise amplifier is mounted; and a transmission line that transmits the signal amplified in the low noise amplifier to the engine.

[Claim 12]

An integrated antenna module comprising: a non-square patch antenna that receives the satellite signal or the gap filler signal of the ground according to claim 1 or 2; a GPS engine module including a miniaturized GPS engine which performs the operation action on the signal received by the patch antenna and outputs data; and a printed circuit board in which the patch antenna and the GPS engine module are mounted.

[Claim 13]

The integrated antenna module of claim 12, wherein the patch antenna and the GPS engine module are mounted on the same plane of the printed circuit board.

[Claim 14]

The integrated antenna module of claim 12, wherein the patch antenna and the GPS engine module are mounted on the different plane of the printed circuit board respectively.

[Claim 15]

An integrated antenna module comprising: a non-square patch antenna that receives the satellite signal or the gap filler signal of the ground according to claim 1 or 2; a GPS engine module including a miniaturized GPS engine which performs the operation action on the signal received by the patch antenna and outputs data! two printed circuit boards in which the patch antenna and the GPS engine module are mounted respectively; and a coaxial cable that connects the printed circuit board in which the patch antenna is mounted to the printed circuit board in which the GPS engine module is mounted.

[Claim 16]

The integrated antenna module of claim 11, wherein the GPS engine module is comprised of a low noise amplifier of single-end or more that plays a role of amplifying the signal received by the patch antenna to the signal level that can be processed in an engine and a GPS engine, or comprised of only GPS engine except the low noise amplifier, or comprised of a band-pass filter and a GPS engine.