Antenna structure and manufacturing method of smart terminals

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention discloses an antenna structure of an intelligent terminal and a manufacturing method thereof, the antenna structure comprising: a main circuit board and a first substrate covering the main circuit board, the surface area of ​​the main circuit board opposite to the antenna structure is provided with an antenna connection end, the antenna connection end is electrically connected to the antenna structure; a polymer layer located on the side of the first substrate facing the main circuit board, the polymer layer contains metal particles, and the surface of the polymer layer facing away from the first substrate has an antenna path formed by a laser engraving process; a metal line located on the polymer layer and formed in the antenna path by a chemical plating process. In the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna structure can be applied to substrates of any material of the terminal device, especially to glass substrates, so as to broaden the adaptability of the antenna structure of the intelligent terminal, maximize the use of the internal space structure of the glass cover of the intelligent terminal, and achieve the optimization of the antenna performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to antenna technology, and in particular to an antenna structure of a smart terminal and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Mobile phone antennas are devices used to receive signals on mobile phones. Currently, the antennas of smart phones are hidden inside the body. With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, more and more antennas are integrated into smart phones.

[0003] In existing smartphones, in order to be compatible with different communication technologies, 2G / 3G / 4G antennas are integrated into smart terminals, and 2G / 3G / 4G antennas may exist separately. As 5G wireless communication systems gradually become commercialized, 5G antennas are also integrated into 5G smart terminals, so the number of antennas in smart terminals will increase exponentially to 7 to 10 antennas.

[0004] However, the overall size of smart terminals has not changed much, and the antenna clearance environment inside them will only continue to shrink, which is bound to cause great difficulties and challenges to antenna design and affect antenna performance. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna structure of a smart terminal and a manufacturing method thereof, so as to improve the antenna performance inside the smart terminal.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna structure of a smart terminal, including:

[0007] A main circuit board and a first substrate covering the main circuit board, wherein an antenna connection terminal is provided on a surface area of ​​the main circuit board opposite to the antenna structure, and the antenna connection terminal is electrically connected to the antenna structure;

[0008] A polymer layer located on a side of the first substrate facing the main circuit board, the polymer layer containing metal particles, and a surface of the polymer layer facing away from the first substrate having an antenna path formed by a laser engraving process;

[0009] A metal line is located on the polymer layer and is formed in the antenna path by a chemical plating process.

[0010] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing an antenna structure, comprising:

[0011] Providing a main circuit board and a first substrate covering the main circuit board, wherein an antenna connection terminal is disposed on a surface area of ​​the main circuit board opposite to the antenna structure, and the antenna connection terminal is electrically connected to the antenna structure;

[0012] forming a polymer layer on a side of the first substrate facing the main circuit board, wherein the polymer layer contains metal particles;

[0013] Using a laser engraving process to form an antenna path on the surface of the polymer layer;

[0014] A chemical plating process is used to form a metal line in the antenna path.

[0015] In the embodiment of the present invention, a polymer coating is directly sprayed on the surface of a substrate where an antenna metal circuit needs to be designed, and then the required antenna metal circuit is formed on the surface of the polymer layer by laser engraving and chemical plating processes. In the embodiment of the present invention, the polymer layer has excellent adaptability to the substrate and can be coated on almost any material substrate, especially a glass substrate, to form a coating with strong adhesion, suitable thickness and smoothness, which plays a certain protective role on the antenna structure. Based on this, the antenna structure can be used in any terminal device that requires an antenna and in any substrate of any material suitable for the terminal device, especially a glass substrate. In this way, the adaptability of the antenna structure of the smart terminal can be broadened, and the internal space structure of the glass cover of the smart terminal can be maximized. In addition, the antenna structure is arranged on the first substrate, and does not need to be supported by a bracket, which effectively reduces the dielectric constant of the antenna structure, improves the transmission efficiency of the antenna structure, realizes high-frequency transmission, and optimizes the antenna performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure of a smart terminal provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure of a smart terminal provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional view along A-A';

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure of a smart terminal provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure of a smart terminal provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing an antenna structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described through implementation methods with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure of an intelligent terminal provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The optional intelligent terminal is a mobile terminal such as a smart phone. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Cross-sectional view along A-A'.

[0025] The antenna structure described in this embodiment includes: a main circuit board 4 and a first substrate 1 covering the main circuit board 4, the surface area of ​​the main circuit board 4 opposite to the antenna structure is provided with an antenna connection end, and the antenna connection end is electrically connected to the antenna structure; a polymer layer 2 located on the side of the first substrate 1 facing the main circuit board 4, the polymer layer 2 contains metal particles, and the surface of the polymer layer 2 facing away from the first substrate 1 has an antenna path 21 formed by a laser engraving process; a metal line 3 located on the polymer layer 2 and formed in the antenna path 21 by a chemical plating process. The optional first substrate 1 includes any one of a plastic substrate, a composite material substrate, a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, and a hardware substrate.

[0026] In this embodiment, the intelligent terminal includes a main circuit board 4, wherein the first substrate 1 is a substrate covering the main circuit board 4, and the first substrate 1 can be a glass cover plate, and in other embodiments, the first substrate can be made of other materials. An antenna connection terminal (not shown) is provided in the area of ​​the main circuit board 4 opposite to the antenna structure 10, and the antenna connection terminal is electrically connected to the antenna structure 10.

[0027] In this embodiment, the main circuit board 4 can be selected as a printed circuit board PCB. The main circuit board 4 is provided with an antenna reference ground and an antenna reflector. The antenna structure 10 serves as a radiator. The ground end of the antenna structure 10 is electrically connected to the antenna reference ground of the main circuit board 4, and the signal end of the antenna structure 10 is electrically connected to the antenna reflector end of the main circuit board 4. The antenna structure 10 senses the electromagnetic waves sent by the surrounding base stations and transmits the electromagnetic waves to the main circuit board 4. The main circuit board 4 is provided with a related auxiliary circuit structure for processing the antenna signal of the antenna structure 10. The related auxiliary circuit structure processes the antenna signal to achieve long-distance transmission. The process and principle of the main circuit board processing the antenna signal will not be described in detail here. It can be understood that Figure 1 The antenna structure 10 shown is the antenna structure of the smart terminal described in this embodiment, and the specific structure of the antenna structure 10 will be described in detail below.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first substrate 1 is a substrate in the smart terminal, and the first substrate 1 can be a glass cover of the smart terminal, or, in other embodiments, the first substrate can be other substrates suitable for integrating antenna structures, such as plastic substrates. It can be understood that the first substrate 1 can be a substrate of any material, including but not limited to a glass substrate, which is not specifically limited in the present invention. The antenna structure 10 is arranged on the first substrate 1 of the smart terminal, does not occupy the area of ​​the main circuit board 4, effectively broadens the antenna clearance environment in the smart terminal, solves the problem that the antenna clearance environment of the smart terminal is small and affects the arrangement of the antenna structure, and is suitable for the situation where the antenna clearance environment is relatively poor and the space is small. In this way, a large number of antennas can be integrated on the first substrate of the smart terminal and are not affected by the area of ​​the main circuit board, meeting the situation where the number of antennas in the smart terminal increases under the rapid development of wireless communication technology. The first substrate can be a glass cover of the smart terminal, and the antenna structure radiates on the glass cover. In addition, the antenna structure 10 is arranged on the first substrate 1 and then electrically connected to the main circuit board 4. Compared with the existing bracket arranged on the main circuit board of the smart terminal, the dielectric constant of this embodiment is small, which can effectively improve the transmission efficiency of the antenna structure 10, realize high-frequency transmission, and improve antenna performance.

[0029] In this embodiment, a polymer layer 2 is formed on the first substrate 1, and the process for forming the polymer layer 2 on the first substrate 1 can be a spraying process, a screen printing process, or other coating processes. The polymer layer 2 has very strong adhesion, and the polymer layer 2 can be formed on any material substrate, so the coating process for forming the polymer on the first substrate is not specifically limited in the present invention.

[0030] In this embodiment, the surface of the polymer layer 2 on one side away from the first substrate 1 has an antenna path 21 formed by a laser engraving process. The antenna path 21 is a routing path pattern of the antenna metal line, which facilitates the subsequent formation of an accurate antenna metal line on the polymer layer 2 to avoid short circuits, open circuits and other faults in the antenna metal line. It should be noted that the polymer layer 2 can be sprayed only on a local area of ​​the first substrate where the antenna needs to be designed, or it can be directly sprayed on the entire surface of the first substrate. Relevant practitioners can reasonably select the coverage position and range of the polymer layer according to the antenna position required by the product.

[0031] The polymer layer 2 is a film layer composed of a coating containing an organic metal complex or metal particles, and a laser engraving process is used to form an antenna path 21 on its surface. Through laser laser engraving activation, selective metalization can be achieved on the surface of the polymer layer 2, thereby forming a microscopic rough surface with high adhesion to facilitate the subsequent formation of the antenna metal line, wherein the pattern of the microscopic rough surface is the antenna path 21, so that the antenna metal line formed by chemical plating later is not easy to fall off from the surface of the polymer layer 2. The laser engraving process uses a laser beam to mark the surface of the film layer. The effect of marking is to expose the deep material through the evaporation of the surface material, or to carve out traces through the chemical and physical changes of the surface material caused by light energy, or to burn part of the material through light energy to show the desired etching pattern. When the laser beam irradiates the polymer layer 2, the metal particles in the polymer layer 2 can be released to facilitate the laser beam to perform pattern engraving of the antenna path. In this laser engraving process, it can also be called laser laser engraving activation. In this embodiment, the metal particles in the polymer layer are metal particles that are conducive to laser engraving, and their specific materials are not specifically limited.

[0032] It can be understood that the polymer layer 2 is located between the first substrate 1 and the metal circuit 3. The polymer layer 2 itself is insulating, resistant to acid, alkali and high temperature, and has strong weather resistance and protection capabilities. The role of the metal particles therein is only to assist the laser beam in laser engraving, so the mass proportion of the metal particles is relatively low and will not make the polymer layer 2 conductive.

[0033] In this embodiment, the polymer layer 2 has a metal circuit 3 formed in the antenna path 21 by a chemical plating process. The antenna path 21 is a routing path pattern of the antenna metal circuit to be formed as required by the user. The chemical plating process can accurately chemically plate metal materials in the antenna path 21 to form the metal circuit 3, and the metal circuit 3 is the required antenna metal circuit. The metal material that can be chemically plated on the surface of the polymer layer 2 activated by laser laser engraving is copper, nickel and other metals. It can be understood that the chemically plated metal materials include but are not limited to the above examples. Here, the polymer paint is directly sprayed on the surface of the substrate where the antenna metal circuit needs to be designed, and then the required metal circuit is formed by laser laser engraving and chemical plating technology. This technology is called Laser Direct Structuring Polymer Paint (LPP) technology.

[0034] In this embodiment, a polymer coating is directly sprayed on the surface of the substrate where the antenna metal circuit needs to be designed, and then the required antenna metal circuit is formed on the surface of the polymer layer by laser engraving and chemical plating processes. In this embodiment, the polymer layer has excellent adaptability to the substrate and can be coated on almost any material substrate, especially a glass substrate, to form a coating with strong adhesion, suitable thickness and smoothness, which plays a certain protective role on the antenna structure. Based on this, the antenna structure can be used in any terminal device that requires an antenna and in any material substrate suitable for the terminal device, especially a glass substrate, so that the adaptability of the antenna structure of the smart terminal can be broadened, and the internal space structure of the glass cover of the smart terminal can be maximized. In addition, the antenna structure is arranged on the first substrate, and does not need to be supported by a bracket, which effectively reduces the dielectric constant of the antenna structure, improves the transmission efficiency of the antenna structure, realizes high-frequency transmission, and optimizes the antenna performance.

[0035] Illustratively, based on the above technical solution, the optional first substrate includes any one of a plastic substrate, a composite material substrate, a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate and a hardware substrate.

[0036] In this embodiment, the polymer layer has excellent substrate adaptability and can be attached to a substrate of almost any material. Therefore, when setting the antenna structure in the smart terminal, the antenna structure is no longer limited to the substrate material in the smart terminal, but can be set on a substrate of any material. This can maximize the use of the internal space structure of the smart terminal and optimize the antenna performance.

[0037] For example, the smart terminal is a smartphone, which includes a glass cover. The existing antenna manufacturing process cannot form an antenna structure on the glass cover, and the antenna structure can only be formed on the main circuit board through a bracket. With the rapid development of the fifth-generation mobile communication technology 5G, more and more antenna structures need to be integrated on smartphones, specifically 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G antenna structures need to be integrated. However, the clearance environment of the main circuit board is limited, and the existing antenna design is difficult to achieve the coexistence of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G multi-band multi-antennas.

[0038] In this embodiment, the antenna structure based on the laser direct forming polymer coating technology can be attached to a substrate of any material, and of course it can also be formed on the glass cover of a smart phone. The first substrate is selected as the glass cover of the smart terminal, and the antenna structure is formed on the glass cover, which no longer occupies a large area of ​​the main circuit board of the smart terminal. This can effectively broaden the layout environment of the antenna structure, not only can the coexistence of multiple frequency bands and multiple antennas be achieved, but also the internal space structure of the smart terminal can be maximized, the dielectric constant of the antenna structure can be reduced, and the antenna performance can be optimized.

[0039] Optional, such as Figure 2 The thickness h of the polymer layer 2 is greater than or equal to 15 μm and less than or equal to 35 μm. In one embodiment, the thickness h of the polymer 2 is 15 μm; in another embodiment, the thickness h of the polymer 2 is 35 μm. In other embodiments, the thickness h of the polymer 2 is 19 μm; in other embodiments, the thickness h of the polymer 2 is 25 μm.

[0040] The spacing between each substrate in the smart terminal is limited. For example, the smart terminal includes a glass cover plate and a main circuit board designed relative to the glass cover plate, and the spacing between the glass cover plate and the main circuit board is limited. If the thickness h of the polymer layer 2 is too large, the antenna structure made on the glass cover plate may cause electrical contact with the circuit on the main circuit board and short circuit, so the thickness h of the polymer layer 2 should not be too large. If the thickness h of the polymer layer 2 is too small, and the laser-engraved antenna path has a certain depth, it will be difficult to laser-engraving the antenna path 21 on the surface of the polymer layer 2, and it will be impossible to accurately chemically plate to form an antenna circuit, or the laser-engraved antenna path 21 will penetrate the polymer layer 2 and cause the subsequent chemically plated metal circuit 3 to come into contact with the first substrate 1. If the first substrate 1 is a hardware substrate, the antenna structure will short-circuit.

[0041] It can be understood that the thickness h range of the polymer layer 2 provided in this embodiment is suitable for the antenna structure to be set in a smart phone. If the antenna structure is set in other large or small product equipment, the thickness h of the polymer layer 2 can be outside the above thickness range, such as less than 15μm or greater than 35μm. The thickness h design of the polymer layer 2 is related to parameters such as the internal space structure of the smart device to which the antenna structure belongs. Relevant practitioners can flexibly and reasonably design it according to product requirements, and it is not specifically limited in the present invention.

[0042] Optional, such as Figure 2 As shown, in the direction Y perpendicular to the first substrate 1, the maximum depth h1 of the antenna path 21 is greater than or equal to 5 μm and less than or equal to 8 μm. In one embodiment, the maximum depth h1 of the antenna path 21 is 5 μm; in another embodiment, the maximum depth h1 of the antenna path 21 is 7 μm; in another embodiment, the maximum depth h1 of the antenna path 21 is 8 μm.

[0043] In this embodiment, the thickness h of the optional polymer layer 2 is greater than or equal to 15 μm and less than or equal to 35 μm. Based on the thickness h of the polymer layer 2, the maximum depth h1 of the optional antenna path 21 is greater than or equal to 5 μm and less than or equal to 8 μm, that is, the maximum depth h1 of the antenna path 21 is less than half of the thickness h of the polymer layer 2. Laser engraving is to use a laser beam to engrave the routing path pattern of the antenna metal line on the surface of the polymer layer 2, so as to facilitate the subsequent formation of a precise metal line 3, wherein the antenna path 21 is a rough surface. Therefore, the maximum depth of the antenna path 21 does not need to be too large, and it only has the effect of limiting the antenna metal line.

[0044] Optionally, the constituent material of the polymer layer includes at least one of epoxy resin and polyester resin.

[0045] The polymer layer is a coating composed of metal particles (or organic metal complexes) and polymer materials. The polymer materials in the polymer layer include epoxy resin and polyester resin. Epoxy resin has the advantages of thermosetting and good processability. The cured product has high strength, bonding strength, corrosion resistance, heat resistance and toughness, and has very strong adhesion on substrates of various materials. Polyester resin has high adhesion, impact strength and toughness, excellent corrosion resistance and electrical insulation properties, and is also suitable for attachment to substrates of various materials.

[0046] It can be understood that the constituent materials of the polymer layer include but are not limited to the above examples. Specifically, the constituent materials of the polymer layer mainly include bisphenol A epoxy resin, carboxyl polyester resin, LDS laser powder, leveling agent, precipitated barium sulfate, carbon black, polyurethane and curing agent, etc. The above materials are configured in a certain proportion, and metal particles or organic metal complexes are also added to facilitate laser engraving in the later stage. The polymer coating is sprayed on the first substrate to form a polymer layer. The polymer layer can release metal particles under the irradiation of the laser beam, and the metal particles float on the surface of the polymer layer, ensuring that the next step of laser engraving and chemical plating process can be carried out.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present invention, the polymer layer includes but is not limited to the above examples, and other materials may be optionally included as substitutes on the basis of ensuring the function of the polymer layer.

[0048] For example, based on the above technical solution, the following may be selected: Figure 1 The main circuit board 4 shown further includes a spring sheet 41 electrically connected to the antenna connection end, and the antenna connection end is electrically connected to the antenna structure 10 via the spring sheet 41 .

[0049] In this embodiment, the main circuit board 4 can be selected as a printed circuit board PCB. The main circuit board 4 is provided with an antenna reference ground and an antenna reflector. The antenna structure 10 serves as a radiator. The ground end of the antenna structure 10 is electrically connected to the antenna reference ground of the main circuit board 4, and the signal end of the antenna structure 10 is electrically connected to the antenna reflector of the main circuit board 4. The antenna structure 10 senses the electromagnetic waves sent by the surrounding base stations and transmits the electromagnetic waves to the main circuit board 4. The main circuit board 4 is provided with a related auxiliary circuit structure for processing the antenna signal of the antenna structure 10. The related auxiliary circuit structure processes the antenna signal to achieve long-distance transmission. The process and principle of the main circuit board processing the antenna signal will not be described in detail here.

[0050] Here, the antenna structure 10 is arranged on the first substrate 1, the main circuit board 4 and the antenna structure 10 are arranged opposite to each other, and the main circuit board 4 and the antenna structure 10 are electrically connected by a spring 41, which can reduce the routing transmission distance and dielectric constant of the electrical connection between the antenna structure 10 and the main circuit board 4, reduce the signal loss and crosstalk caused by the long routing transmission distance, and can also reduce the loss of the dielectric constant to the electric field. In addition, the spring 41 is electrically connected to the contact of the antenna structure 10 on the first substrate 1, which can ensure reliable electrical contact between the antenna structure 10 and the main circuit board 4.

[0051] Taking the 5G antenna structure as an example, the frequency of the 5G antenna structure is relatively high. The antenna structure 10 is electrically connected to the main circuit board 4 through the spring 41. The relative distance between the antenna structure 10 and the antenna-related auxiliary circuit structure arranged on the main circuit board 4 is very small and the wiring transmission distance is also short, which can reduce the loss of the coaxial line switching and improve the performance of the antenna.

[0052] In this embodiment, the antenna structure 10 is arranged on the first substrate of the smart terminal, and the first substrate can be a glass cover plate, which can effectively solve the problem that the antenna clearance environment of the smart terminal is small and affects the arrangement of the antenna structure. It is suitable for the situation where the antenna clearance environment is relatively poor and the space is small, wherein the glass cover plate is the glass back cover of the smart terminal, and the antenna structure radiates on the glass back cover. By adopting the LPP process to directly laser engrave the antenna on the glass cover plate of the mobile phone, multiple antenna structures can be arranged as much as possible in the limited antenna clearance environment space, thereby solving the problem of insufficient space for multi-antenna design in the smart terminal, further optimizing the antenna performance, and making the communication signal of the terminal device better and more stable.

[0053] The embodiment of the present invention further provides an antenna structure. Figure 4 The antenna structure 10 shown is an antenna structure based on the fifth generation mobile communication technology. The antenna structure 10 is integrated in a 5G smart terminal.

[0054] The antenna structure of the smart terminal provided in this embodiment includes: a main circuit board and a first substrate covering the main circuit board, the surface area of ​​the main circuit board opposite to the antenna structure is provided with an antenna connection end, and the antenna connection end is electrically connected to the antenna structure; a polymer layer located on the side of the first substrate facing the main circuit board, the polymer layer contains metal particles, and the surface of the polymer layer facing away from the first substrate has an antenna path formed by a laser engraving process; a metal line located on the polymer layer and formed in the antenna path by a chemical plating process. The optional main circuit board also includes a spring electrically connected to the antenna connection end, and the antenna connection end is electrically connected to the antenna structure through the spring.

[0055] In this embodiment, Figure 4 The optional intelligent terminal shown is provided with a plurality of antenna structures 10. The antenna structures 10 are symmetrically distributed on two symmetrical sides of the first substrate 1.

[0056] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, the fifth generation (5G) wireless communication system is gradually commercialized. The mainstream 5G frequency bands planned internationally and domestically can be divided into 5G low-frequency bands and 5G high-frequency bands. 5G low-frequency bands mainly refer to the frequency bands below 6GHz, and the main frequency bands used are 3.3GHz-3.40GHz, 4.4GHz-4.5GHz and 4.8GHz-5.0GHz. 5G high-frequency bands mainly refer to the frequency bands above 20GHz. For 5G wireless communication systems below 6GHz, MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) antennas will be used to increase the transmission rate in 5G wireless communication systems.

[0057] In order to meet the requirements of 5G transmission rate, the number of MIMO antennas should be more than 4. In the early stage of 5G opening, 5G antennas may be incompatible with 2G / 3G / 4G. Therefore, 2G / 3G / 4G antennas are also integrated in smart terminals and 2G / 3G / 4G antennas are expected to exist separately. It can be seen that the number of antennas in 5G smart terminals will increase exponentially to 7 to 10 antennas, but the overall size of smart terminals will not change much, and the antenna clearance environment will only continue to shrink. This will inevitably cause great difficulties and challenges to antenna design and affect the performance of 5G antennas.

[0058] In this embodiment, the antenna structure 10 can be set on the first substrate of the smart terminal. The first substrate is set opposite to the main circuit board of the smart terminal. The first substrate can be selected as the glass back cover of the smart terminal. The antenna structure 10 is set on the inner side of the glass back cover of the smart terminal and does not occupy the area of ​​the main circuit board. In this way, a larger number of antenna structures can be integrated in the smart terminal, which meets the multi-antenna requirements of 5G smart terminals.

[0059] In addition, the antenna structure 10 is arranged on the inner side of the glass back cover of the smart terminal and does not occupy the area of ​​the main circuit board, so the antenna structure 10 can be reasonably designed according to the needs of the smart terminal. For example, if a 2G antenna is integrated on the inner side of the glass back cover of the smart terminal, the designer can design the 2G antenna completely according to the needs of the smart terminal, without being restricted by factors such as the clearance environment or area of ​​the smart terminal antenna. Similarly, the designer can set a 3G antenna, a 4G antenna, and a 5G antenna that meet their needs on the inner side of the glass back cover of the smart terminal.

[0060] For the 5G antenna structure, the shorter the routing of the 5G antenna structure, the more it can reduce line loss. In this embodiment, the 5G antenna is arranged on the inner side of the first substrate of the smart terminal. The designer can design the routing length and width of the 5G antenna according to the requirements by using the LPP process. Not only is the process loss small, but also the desired antenna with the ideal structure can be obtained, thereby improving the performance of the 5G antenna. Secondly, in this embodiment, the antenna structure is electrically connected to the main circuit board of the smart terminal through a spring clip, and there is no need to use an antenna bracket for electrical connection. The setting of the spring clip effectively reduces the dielectric constant between the antenna structure and the main circuit board, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the 5G antenna, thereby extending the radiation length of the 5G antenna, realizing high-frequency transmission of the 5G antenna, and improving the performance of the 5G antenna. It can be understood that the LPP process provided in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to manufacturing 5G antennas with better performance. In essence, it improves the manufacturing process of the antenna structure as a whole, so any type of antenna can be manufactured and the antenna performance can be improved.

[0061] This embodiment can realize the coexistence of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G multi-band multi-antennas without changing the size of the entire intelligent terminal, which can be specifically realized by using LPP technology. LPP technology uses polymer coatings to be directly sprayed on the surface of the substrate where the antenna needs to be designed, and then forms the required antenna metal circuit through laser engraving and chemical plating technology. In this way, the antenna path can be directly laser engraved on plastic, composite materials, glass, ceramics and other hardware substrates to form a coating with strong adhesion, suitable thickness and smoothness, which can play a certain protective role for the antenna. Due to the excellent substrate adaptability of polymer coatings, it can be used in almost any device that requires an antenna.

[0062] Based on this, the LPP process is not limited by the substrate material. It can not only be formed on the main circuit board in the traditional way, but also can be directly laser engraved on ordinary plastic back shells, glass, ceramics, etc. and then electrically connected to the main circuit board. In this way, the internal space structure of the smart terminal can be maximized to optimize the antenna performance, thereby breaking through the existing process to maximize space utilization and multi-antenna design. For example, the LPP process is used to laser engrave the antenna structure on the glass back cover of the smart terminal. In this way, 5G4*4 MIMO antennas and 2G / 3G / 4G antennas can be prepared in an effective antenna clearance environment, so that the smart terminal embedded with the 5G antenna can effectively broaden the antenna bandwidth and achieve full coverage of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G multi-band communications.

[0063] It can be understood that 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G antennas can all be prepared in smart terminals using the LPP process, or 2G / 3G / 4G antennas can be prepared in the main circuit board of the smart terminal using traditional processes, and 5G antennas can be prepared in the glass back cover of the smart terminal using the LPP process. The process and method of the traditional antenna manufacturing process will not be described in detail here.

[0064] like Figure 5 A smartphone is shown. The smartphone is integrated with a 5G-4*4MIMO antenna 104 laser-engraved on the glass back cover using the LPP process, wherein the antenna 104 shown is a projection of the antenna on the main circuit board 101. In fact, the main body of the antenna 104 is arranged on the glass back cover 103 of the smartphone, and the glass back cover 103 covers the main circuit board 101. The smartphone also includes conventional 2G / 3G / 4G antennas 106 and 107, and a four-in-one antenna 105. The 2G / 3G / 4G antennas 106 and 107 and the four-in-one antenna 105 are implemented in the form of a metal frame 102. Optionally, the projection of the 5G antenna 104 is distributed on the symmetrical two sides of the main circuit board 101 of the smartphone, and is pushed to the antenna contact of the glass back cover 103 (only a partial area is shown) through a spring sheet, thereby ensuring reliable contact of the antenna.

[0065] In this embodiment, a 5G-4*4 MIMO antenna is implemented on the glass back cover of a smartphone, wherein the antenna is directly plated onto the glass back cover through the LPP process to form a coating with strong adhesion, suitable thickness and smoothness. Compared with the existing antenna process, the antenna prepared by the LPP process can save the antenna bracket, reduce the influence of the bracket dielectric constant on the antenna high frequency, and at the same time can maximize the antenna height, maximize the use of the internal structure space of the mobile phone to optimize the antenna performance, thereby improving the overall antenna radiation efficiency and antenna performance. It can also effectively solve the problem of poor mobile phone antenna environment. By using the LPP process to directly laser engrave the antenna on the glass back cover of the mobile phone for radiation, multiple antennas can be set as much as possible in a limited space, thereby solving the problem of insufficient design space for 5G MIMO multi-antennas, further optimizing the antenna performance, and making the terminal device communication signal better and more stable. It can be understood that the 5G MIMO antenna prepared by the LPP process can be used in the field of mobile phone communications, as well as in the fields of automotive electronic communications, drone communications, smart homes, and the Internet of Things.

[0066] Based on the same inventive concept, Figure 6 The embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing an antenna structure, comprising:

[0067] Step 110: providing a main circuit board and a first substrate covering the main circuit board, wherein an antenna connection terminal is disposed on a surface area of ​​the main circuit board opposite to the antenna structure, and the antenna connection terminal is electrically connected to the antenna structure;

[0068] Step 120, forming a polymer layer on a side of the first substrate facing the main circuit board, wherein the polymer layer contains metal particles;

[0069] Step 130: using a laser engraving process to form an antenna path on the surface of the polymer layer;

[0070] Step 140: Form a metal circuit in the antenna path using a chemical plating process.

[0071] In this embodiment, a polymer coating is directly sprayed on the surface of the substrate where the antenna metal circuit needs to be designed, and then the required antenna metal circuit is formed on the surface of the polymer layer through laser engraving and chemical plating processes. In this embodiment, the polymer layer has excellent substrate adaptability and can be coated on almost any material substrate to form a coating with strong adhesion, suitable thickness and smoothness, which plays a certain protective role on the antenna structure. Based on this, the antenna structure can be used in any terminal device that needs an antenna and in any material substrate suitable for the terminal device. In this way, the adaptability of the antenna structure can be broadened, the internal space structure of the smart terminal can be maximized, and the antenna performance can be optimized.

[0072] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments, combinations and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An antenna structure of a smart terminal, characterized in that: include: A main circuit board and a first substrate covering the main circuit board, wherein an antenna connection terminal is provided on a surface area of ​​the main circuit board opposite to the antenna structure, and the antenna connection terminal is electrically connected to the antenna structure; A polymer layer located on a side of the first substrate facing the main circuit board, the polymer layer containing metal particles, and a surface of the polymer layer facing away from the first substrate having an antenna path formed by a laser engraving process; a metal line located on the polymer layer and formed in the antenna path by a chemical plating process; The polymer layer is not conductive; The thickness of the polymer layer is greater than or equal to 15 μm and less than or equal to 35 μm. The antenna structure is separated from the main circuit board. The main circuit board also includes a spring electrically connected to the antenna connection end. The antenna connection end is electrically connected to the antenna structure through the spring.

2. The antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first substrate includes any one of a plastic substrate, a composite material substrate, a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate and a hardware substrate.

3. The antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: In a direction perpendicular to the first substrate, a maximum depth of the antenna path is greater than or equal to 5 μm and less than or equal to 8 μm.

4. The antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The constituent material of the polymer layer includes any one of epoxy resin and polyester resin.

5. The antenna structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The antenna structure is an antenna structure based on the fifth generation mobile communication technology.

6. A method for manufacturing an antenna structure, characterized in that: The antenna structure is the antenna structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the method comprises: Providing a main circuit board and a first substrate covering the main circuit board, wherein an antenna connection terminal is disposed on a surface area of ​​the main circuit board opposite to the antenna structure, and the antenna connection terminal is electrically connected to the antenna structure; forming a polymer layer on a side of the first substrate facing the main circuit board, wherein the polymer layer contains metal particles; Using a laser engraving process to form an antenna path on the surface of the polymer layer; A chemical plating process is used to form a metal line in the antenna path.

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