WO2009051433A1

WO2009051433A1 - Antenna for mobile terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2009051433A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/006136
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jong-Ho Jung; Young-Bok Lee; Byong-Nam Kim
Original assignee: Ace Antenna Corp.
Priority date: 2007-10-17
Filing date: 2008-10-17
Publication date: 2009-04-23
Also published as: KR20090038979A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an antenna for a mobile terminal, in which a terminal casing (110 or 210), made of conductive metal or a plastic material composed of conductive macro- molecules, is used as a broadcast reception antenna, or in which a decorative metal part (313) provided at a predetermined location on a terminal casing made of a non-conductive plastic material is used as a broadcast reception antenna. Accordingly, the function of an antenna for receiving broadcast signals, the function of a terminal casing or the function of a decoration realizing the refined external appearance of the terminal are simultaneously performed, and the terminal casing or the decorative metal part is connected to an active module mounted in the terminal, thus satisfying the desired bandwidth and gain characteristics. According to the present invention, a small mobile terminal can be realized and the space utilization of the terminal can be improved.

Description

ANTENNA FOR MOBILE TERMINAL Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates, in general, to an antenna for a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to an antenna for a mobile terminal in which either a terminal casing made of conductive metal or conductive macromolecules, or a decorative metal part formed at a predetermined location on a non-conductive plastic terminal casing functions as a broadcast reception antenna. The terminal casing or the decorative metal part, which functions as the broadcast reception antenna, is connected to an active module mounted in the terminal.

[2] The antenna for a mobile terminal of the present invention allows a mobile terminal to be smaller and slimmer, it produces a more refined external appearance, and can further improve wideband and high gain characteristics. Background Art

[3] Recently, various types of services, such as a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting

(DMB) service, have been actively provided through terminals using a Very High Frequency (VHF) band and an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band. In the future, it is expected that broadcast communication services, such as Amplitude Modulation (AM), Frequency Modulation (FM), Digital TV, and High Definition Television (HDTV), will be provided through terminals.

[4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the construction of a conventional mobile terminal antenna 10, which receives broadcast signals. In the conventional mobile terminal antenna 10, an external antenna 11, such as a rod antenna, or an internal antenna 11, formed as a printed circuit board, is connected to an active module 12 provided in the mobile terminal.

[5] The external antenna 11 or the internal antenna 11 receives broadcast signals, and may be detachably formed on the outer side of the terminal, or may be mounted within the terminal.

[6] The active module 12 includes an impedance matching unit configured to match the impedance of the antenna 11, an amplification unit configured to amplify broadcast signals received through the antenna 11, and a tuner unit for playing the signals amplified by the amplification unit.

[7] The antenna 11 has wideband characteristics due to the impedance matching unit provided in the active module 12.

[8] In this way, the conventional mobile terminal antenna 10, which receives broadcast signals, is constructed such that the broadcast reception antenna 11 is connected to the active module 12.

[9] However, the conventional mobile terminal antenna 10 of FIG. 1 requires an antenna of a predetermined size or larger so as to receive band signals, such as VHF or UHF broadcast signals. In particular, when the received signals are in a low frequency band, as in the case of AM and FM, the size of an antenna must be increased further, so that it is impossible to mount the antenna within the terminal, and an external antenna or a detachable antenna must be employed, thus increasing the overall size of the terminal. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[10] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an antenna for a mobile terminal, in which a terminal casing made of conductive metal or conductive macromolecules, is used as a broadcast reception antenna, or in which a decorative metal part, provided at a predetermined location on a non-conductive plastic terminal casing, is used as a broadcast reception antenna. This will allow the size and thickness of the terminal to be a minimum, and the external appearance of the terminal can be further refined.

[11] Another object of the present invention is to provide an antenna for a mobile terminal, in which the terminal casing or a decorative metal part, configured as a broadcast signal reception antenna, is connected to an active module provided in the mobile terminal, thus improving the bandwidth and gain of the terminal casing or the decorative metal part. Technical Solution

[12] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in order to accomplish the above objects, there is provided an antenna for a mobile terminal comprising a terminal casing configured to function as a broadcast reception antenna for receiving broadcast signals, an active module configured to match the impedance of the the terminal casing in order to improve the bandwidth and gain of the terminal casing, and a connection part configured to connect the terminal casing to the active module.

[13] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention in order to accomplish the above objects, there is provided an antenna for a mobile terminal comprising a decorative metal part formed at a predetermined location on a terminal casing and configured to function as a broadcast reception antenna, an active module configured to match the impedance of the decorative metal part in order to improve the bandwidth and gain of the decorative metal part, and a connection part configured to connect the metal decoration part to the active module.

Advantageous Effects [14] As described above, the present invention is advantageous in that either a terminal casing made of conductive metal or conductive macromolecules, or a decorative metal part provided at a predetermined location on a terminal casing made of non-conductive plastic material, is used as a broadcast reception antenna, so that a small, slim terminal can be realized, the external appearance of the terminal can be refined, and a separate antenna for receiving broadcast signals is not required, thus reducing the production costs thanks to the reduction in the number of parts when the terminal is produced. In addition, the present invention is advantageous in that the terminal casing or the decorative metal part is connected to an active module mounted in the terminal, thus improving the bandwidth and gain characteristics. Brief Description of the Drawings

[15] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the construction of a conventional mobile terminal antenna;

[16] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the construction of a mobile terminal antenna according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[17] FIG. 3 is a detailed diagram showing the inner surface of the rear casing of FIG. 2;

[18] FIG. 4 is a detailed diagram showing the front surface of the main circuit board of

FIGS. 2, 6 and 8;

[19] FIG. 5 is a detailed diagram showing the active module of FIGS. 2, 6, and 8;

[20] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the construction of a mobile terminal antenna according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[21] FIG. 7 is a detailed diagram showing the inner surface of the rear casing of FIG. 6;

[22] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the construction of an a mobile terminal antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and

[23] FIG. 9 is a detailed diagram showing the inner surface of the rear casing of FIG. 8.

Mode for the Invention

[24] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[25] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the construction of a mobile terminal antenna 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[26] The mobile terminal antenna 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a terminal casing 110 configured as a broadcast reception antenna, an active module 120 configured to match the impedance of the terminal casing 110 in order to improve the bandwidth and gain of the terminal casing 110, and a connection part 130 configured to connect the terminal casing 110 to the active module 120.

[27] The terminal casing 110 is configured to protect the internal circuit of a terminal and is formed on the outer portion of the terminal. For example, the terminal casing 110 includes a front casing 111 and a rear casing 112, at least one of which is used as a broadcast reception antenna. [28] For example, the front casing 111 and the rear casing 112 of the terminal casing 110 are made of conductive metal, and the rear casing 112 is used as a broadcast reception antenna. [29] The active module 120 is disposed on either the front surface or the rear surface of a main circuit board 140 provided in the terminal. [30] For example, the active module 120 is mounted at a predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 140, which is interposed between the front casing

111 and the rear casing 112 and is provided in the terminal casing 110.

[31] The active module 120 is configured for broadband impedance matching and low noise amplifying to improve the bandwidth and gain of the terminal casing 110.

[32] The connection part 130 is mounted at a predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 140 to electrically connect the rear casing 112 to the active module 120.

[33] In detail, the rear casing 112 covers and is coupled to the rear surface of the main circuit board 140, so that the inner surface of the rear casing 112 is electrically connected to the connection part 130 mounted at the predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 140, and thus the rear casing 112 is provided with power.

[34] As described above, the connection part 130 transfers signals between the rear casing

112 and the active module 120, and includes a feeding pin 131, which is electrically connected to the rear casing 112, and a connection pattern 132, configured to connect the feeding pin 131 to the active module 120.

[35] Further, the active module 120 is connected to the rear casing 112 through the connection part 130, and thus the bandwidth and gain characteristics of the rear casing 112 are improved.

[36] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the construction of the active module 120. However, the active module 120 is not limited to the construction of FIG. 5.

[37] For example, the active module 120 includes a low-noise amplification unit 122, a first active impedance matching unit 121 and a second active impedance matching unit 123, respectively disposed in stages previous and subsequent to the low-noise amplification unit 122, and a tuner unit 124 disposed in a stage subsequent to the second active impedance matching unit 123.

[38] The first active impedance matching unit 121 is an active impedance matching unit configured to match the impedance of the rear casing 112, which functions as a broadcast reception antenna, and the low-noise amplification unit 122.

[39] Since the broadcast signals received from the rear casing 112 contain a lot of noise, the low-noise amplification unit 122 is configured to minimize noise from the broadcast signals and to amplify the noise-minimized signals. The second active impedance matching unit 123 is an active impedance matching unit configured to match the impedance of the low-noise amplification unit 122 and the tuner unit 124.

[40] Further, the tuner unit 124 plays the broadcast signals amplified by the low-noise amplification unit 122.

[41] Here, in the case that the terminal casing 110 is configured to be the broadcast reception antenna, as the external appearance of the terminal changes, the external appearance of the terminal casing 110 also changes, and the resonant frequency thereof also changes. However, the resonant frequency for the broadcast signals is adjusted by the active module 120.

[42] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the construction of a mobile terminal antenna 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[43] The mobile terminal antenna 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a terminal casing 210 configured as a broadcast reception antenna, an active module 220 configured to improve the bandwidth and gain of the terminal casing 210, and a connection part 230 configured to connect the terminal casing 210 to the active module 220.

[44] The terminal casing 210 is configured to protect the internal circuit of a mobile terminal and is formed on the outer portion of the mobile terminal. For example, the terminal casing 210 includes a front casing 211 and a rear casing 212, at least one of which is used as a broadcast reception antenna.

[45] For instance, the front casing 211 and the rear casing 212 of the terminal casing 210 are made of a plastic material composed of conductive macromolecules, and the rear casing 212 is used as the broadcast reception antenna.

[46] In FIG. 6, instead of the rear casing 112 of FIG. 2, which is made of metal, the rear casing 212 made of a plastic material composed of conductive macromolecules is used as the broadcast reception antenna.

[47] Further, the structure and characteristics of the remaining components, that is, the active module 220 and the connection part 230, are the same as those of the active module 120 and the connection part 130 of FIG. 2 according to the first embodiment, and thus a detailed description thereof is omitted. Instead of drawings related to the remaining components, reference is to be made to the drawings of the first embodiment.

[48] The active module 220 is disposed on either the front surface or the rear surface of a main circuit board 240 provided in the mobile terminal.

[49] For example, the active module 220 is mounted at a predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 240, which is interposed between the front casing 211 and the rear casing 212 and is provided in the terminal casing 210.

[50] The connection part 230 is mounted at the predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 240 so as to electrically connect the rear casing 212 to the active module 220.

[51] In detail, the rear casing 212 covers and is coupled to the rear surface of the main circuit board 240, so that the inner surface of the rear casing 212 is electrically connected to the connection part 230 mounted at the predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 240, thus enabling the rear casing 212 to be provided with power (refer to FIGS. 4 and 7).

[52] Furthermore, since the conductive plastic material forming the rear casing 212 has a structure in which a metal layer having conductivity is formed in the plastic material, a contact pad 213 is formed at a predetermined location on the inner surface of the rear casing 212 and is connected to the metal layer.

[53] Therefore, the connection part 230 is connected to the contact pad 213 formed at the predetermined location on the inner surface of the rear casing 212, so that the rear casing 212 is provided with power.

[54] As described above, the rear casing 212 is connected to the active module 220 through the connection part 230, and thus the bandwidth and gain of the rear casing

212 are improved.

[55] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the construction of a mobile terminal antenna 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[56] The mobile terminal antenna 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a decorative metal part 313 formed at a predetermined location on a terminal casing 310 and configured to function as a broadcast reception antenna, an active module 320 configured to match the impedance of the decorative metal part 313 in order to improve the bandwidth and gain of the metal decoration part 313, and a connection part 330 configured to connect the metal decoration part 313 to the active module 320.

[57] The decorative metal part 313 is configured to protect the internal circuit of the terminal and is formed at the predetermined location in the terminal casing 310 formed on the outer portion of the terminal.

[58] For example, the terminal casing 310 includes a front casing 311 and a rear casing

312, and the decorative metal part 313 is formed at the predetermined location in at least one of the front casing 311 and the rear casing 312, thus configured to be the broadcast reception antenna.

[59] The front casing 311 and the rear casing 312 of the terminal casing 310 are made of a non-conductive plastic material, and the decorative metal part 313 formed at the predetermined location in the rear casing 312 is configured as the broadcast reception antenna.

[60] That is, the decorative metal part 313 simultaneously functions as the broadcast reception antenna and as a decoration enabling the external appearance of the terminal to be refined.

[61] In this way, as shown in FIG. 8, instead of the rear casing 112 or 212 of FIG. 2 or

FIG. 6, the decorative metal part 313 formed at the predetermined location on the rear casing 312 made of non-conductive plastic material of FIG. 8 is used as the broadcast reception antenna.

[62] Further, the structure and characteristics of the remaining components, that is, the active module 320 and the connection part 330, are the same as those of the active modules 120 and 220 and the connection parts 130 and 230 of FIG. 2 and 6, and a detailed description thereof is omitted. Instead of drawings related to the remaining components, reference is to be made to the drawings of the first embodiment.

[63] The active module 320 is arranged on either the front surface or the rear surface of the main circuit board 340 provided in the mobile terminal.

[64] For example, the active module 320 is mounted at the predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 340 that is interposed between the front casing 311 and the rear casing 312 and is provided in the terminal casing 310.

[65] The connection part 330 is mounted at the predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 340 so as to electrically connect the metal decoration part 313, formed at the predetermined location in the rear casing 312, to the active module 320.

[66] In detail, the rear casing 312 covers and is coupled to the rear surface of the main circuit board 340, so that the inner surface of the decorative metal part 313, formed at the predetermined location in the rear casing 312, is electrically connected to the connection part 330 mounted at the predetermined location on the rear surface of the main circuit board 340, and thus the decorative metal part 313 is provided with power (refer to FIGS. 4 and 9).

[67] In this way, the decorative metal part 313 is connected to the active module 320 through the connection part 330, so that the bandwidth and gain of the decorative metal part 313 are improved.

[68] As described above, the present invention is advantageous in that the terminal casing

110 or 210, which is made of conductive metal or conductive macromolecules, is used as a broadcast reception antenna, so that the terminal casing simultaneously functions as a casing and as an antenna. Alternatively, the decorative metal part 313, formed at the predetermined location on the terminal casing 310 made of non-conductive plastic material, is used as a broadcast reception antenna, so that the decorative metal part simultaneously functions as an antenna and as a decoration for the terminal, and thus the terminal does not require a separate antenna for receiving broadcast signals, regardless of whether the antenna is an internal or external antenna. Therefore, the present invention is advantageous in that the production costs can be reduced thanks to the reduction in the number of parts when the terminal is produced, and in addition, the space occupied by the internal antenna of the terminal can be used for a transmission/ reception circuit or can be eliminated, thus producing a small, slim mobile terminal. Furthermore, the present invention is advantageous in that the terminal casing 110 or 210, or the decorative metal part 313, is connected to the active module 120, 220 or 320 mounted in the terminal, so that the bandwidth and gain of the terminal casing 110 or 210, or the decorative metal part 313, are improved. Industrial Applicability

[69] As described above, the present invention is advantageous in that either a terminal casing made of conductive metal or conductive macromolecules, or a decorative metal part provided at a predetermined location on a terminal casing made of non-conductive plastic material, is used as a broadcast reception antenna. A small, slim terminal having a refined external appearance can be achieved, and a separate antenna for receiving broadcast signals is not required, thus reducing the production costs thanks to the reduction in the number of parts when the terminal is produced. In addition, the present invention is advantageous in that the terminal casing or the decorative metal part is connected to an active module mounted in the terminal, thus improving the bandwidth and gain characteristics.

[70] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

[1] An antenna for mobile terminal, comprising: a terminal casing configured to function as a broadcast reception antenna for receiving broadcast signals; an active module configured to match the impedance of the terminal casing in order to improve the bandwidth and gain of the terminal casing; and a connection part configured to connect the terminal casing to the active module.

[2] The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the terminal casing is made of conductive metal.

[3] The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the terminal casing is made of a plastic material composed of conductive macromolecules.

[4] The antenna according to claim 3, wherein the terminal casing comprises a contact pad formed at a predetermined location thereof that is connected to the connection part.

[5] An antenna for a mobile terminal, comprising: a decorative metal part formed at a predetermined location on a terminal casing and configured to function as a broadcast reception antenna; an active module configured to match the impedance of the decorative metal part in order to improve the bandwidth and gain of the decorative metal part; and a connection part configured to connect the decorative metal part to the active module.

[6] The antenna according to claim 5, wherein the decorative metal part is formed at the predetermined location on the terminal casing that is made of a non- conductive plastic material.