Dual-band antenna and electronic device thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a dual-frequency antenna and an electronic device thereof. The dual-frequency antenna includes a feeding end; a ring-shaped connecting end having an opening, the ring-shaped connecting end being connected to the feeding end; a threaded head of a metal screw being inserted through the opening, so that the metal screw and the ring-shaped connecting end are electrically connected; a first extension path being connected to the feeding end; a second extension path being connected to the first extension path; a third extension path being connected to the second extension path; and a grounding portion being connected to the third extension path; wherein the dual-frequency antenna of the present invention is in the form of a monopole antenna and a loop antenna, so that the dual-frequency antenna forms a broadband operating frequency band, widens the antenna frequency band, and allows the monopole antenna to operate at 3.6 GHz and the loop antenna to operate at 4.6 GHz, which can cover the frequency band required for Sub‑6G.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an antenna, and in particular to a dual-frequency antenna and an electronic device thereof. Background Art

[0002] As electronic products become smaller and smaller, there are space limitations for placing antennas inside electronic products. Therefore, it is difficult to design antennas that meet frequency band or specification requirements within the limited space of electronic products.

[0003] Common designs for reducing the size of antennas include chip-type antennas, high dielectric constant materials as carriers, etc. Although chip-type antennas have the advantage of small size, their antenna operating bandwidth is usually narrow and cannot fully cover the needs of today's communication systems. The latter uses high dielectric constant materials as carriers. The three-dimensional design is matched with high dielectric constant materials. Although it can effectively utilize space, this solution is more difficult to process and has the disadvantage of high cost. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the problems raised by the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a dual-band antenna to solve the problems of how to effectively improve the bandwidth of the antenna and how to design an antenna that meets the specification requirements within the limited space of an electronic product.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a dual-band antenna is proposed, which includes a feeding end; an annular connecting end, the annular connecting end having an opening, the annular connecting end being connected to the feeding end; a metal screw, the threaded head of the metal screw being passed through the opening, so that the metal screw is electrically connected to the annular connecting end; a first extension path, the first extension path being connected to the feeding end; a second extension path, the second extension path being connected to the first extension path; a third extension path, the third extension path being connected to the second extension path; and a grounding portion, the grounding portion being connected to the third extension path; wherein the feeding end, the annular connecting end and the metal screw constitute a monopole antenna, and the feeding end, the first extension path, the second extension path, the third extension path and the grounding portion constitute a loop antenna.

[0006] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device using a dual-band antenna is provided, wherein the metal screw is a screw originally used for fixing the electronic device.

[0007] The possible technical effect of the present invention is that the dual-frequency antenna is formed in the form of a monopole antenna and a loop antenna, so that the dual-frequency antenna forms a broadband operating frequency band, widens the antenna frequency band, and allows the monopole antenna to operate at 3.6 GHz and the loop antenna to operate at 4.6 GHz, which can cover the frequency band required for Sub-6G.

[0008] In addition, when the metal screws are designed as a part of the antenna, especially as a monopole antenna, in addition to being extremely convenient to manufacture and having low material costs, the metal screws can be used to directly fix the antenna, and the antenna can be directly applied to electronic products.

[0009] Also, by designing the metal screws as part of the antenna, the metal materials and substrate materials required for the original monopole antenna are replaced, so that the design cost of the antenna can be greatly reduced. The design of the metal screws as part of the antenna simplifies the space occupied by the monopole antenna due to the path design, thereby also reducing the size of the overall dual-band antenna.

[0010] In order to further understand the technology, methods and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the established objectives, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings of the present invention. It is believed that the objectives, features and characteristics of the present invention can be deeply and specifically understood thereby. However, the attached drawings are only provided for reference and explanation and are not intended to limit the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention is presented.

[0012] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a dual-band antenna combined with an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is presented.

[0013] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram showing a metal screw of a monopole antenna of a dual-band antenna and a housing of an electronic device in a vertical design, and a loop antenna and a housing of the electronic device in a horizontal design according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4 The reflection coefficient of the dual-band antenna operating in the 3.125-5.5135 GHz frequency band is presented in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 5 The radiation pattern of the monopole antenna of the dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown when operating at 3.6 GHz and taking the XYZ axis as the front viewing angle.

[0016] Figure 6 The radiation pattern diagram of the monopole antenna of the dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention operating at 3.6 GHz with the XYZ axis as the reverse viewing angle is presented.

[0017] Figure 7 The radiation pattern diagram of the loop antenna of the dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention operating at 4.6 GHz with the XYZ axis as the front viewing angle is presented.

[0018] Figure 8 The radiation pattern diagram of the loop antenna of the dual-band antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention operating at 4.6 GHz with the XYZ axis as the reverse viewing angle is presented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following is an explanation of the implementation methods of the "dual-band antenna and its electronic device" disclosed in the present invention through specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the concept of the present invention. In addition, the drawings of the present invention are only simple schematic illustrations and are not depicted according to actual sizes. It is stated in advance. The following implementation methods will further explain the relevant technical contents of the present invention in detail, but the disclosed contents are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For technicians with general knowledge and ordinary skills in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without making too much effort.

[0021] The present invention discloses a dual-frequency antenna applicable to electronic devices, such as mobile phones, industrial mobile phones, tablet computers and other smart or portable electronic devices, but the dual-frequency antenna of the present invention does not exclude the use in conjunction with any type of electronic devices. In addition, the dual-frequency antenna of the present invention does not exclude self-operation to transmit and receive signals with electronic devices. In addition to using metal screws as part of the antenna, the other antenna bodies of the dual-frequency antenna of the present invention can be made of metal platinum such as copper foil or metal components such as iron or aluminum alloy parts. Moreover, the dual-frequency antenna of the present case reduces or avoids the problem of possible signal shielding when the antenna is set in the electronic device through the provision of metal screws, so that the design difficulty of the antenna when placed in the electronic device can be simplified, and the design size of the antenna can also be relatively reduced, thereby making the transmission effect of the antenna signal better.

[0022] The dual-frequency antenna of the present invention can also support specific communication protocols, such as supporting multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communication technology when set in a mobile electronic device. The mobile electronic device needs to be equipped with dual-frequency antennas of two frequency bands to implement MIMO technology. The dual-frequency antenna of the present invention with different frequency bands reduces or avoids interference with the transmission of the antenna, in addition to reducing the size of the antenna, and thereby improves the performance of MIMO.

[0023] The dual-frequency antenna of the present invention can be matched and designed according to different product applications, and is suitable for use in industrial electronic machines and smart watches, which have no requirements on the overall thickness of the machine.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present invention, see Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention is presented. Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a dual-band antenna combined with an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is presented.

[0025] The present invention provides a dual-band antenna 1, which includes but is not limited to: a feeding end 11, a ring connecting end 12, a metal screw 13, a first extension path 14, a second extension path 15, a third extension path 16 and a grounding portion 17, so as to form a radiator structure of the dual-band antenna 1.

[0026] In one embodiment, the feeding end 11 serves as a signal feeding end shared by the dual-band antenna 1, wherein one path includes the feeding end 11, the annular connecting end 12 and the metal screw 13 to form a monopole antenna, and the other path includes the feeding end 11, the first to third extending paths 14, 15, 16 and the grounding portion 17 to form a loop antenna.

[0027] The annular connection end 12 has an opening 121, the annular connection end 12 is connected to the feeding end 11, and the threaded head of the metal screw 13 is inserted into the opening 121, so that the metal screw 13 is electrically connected to the annular connection end 12. In one embodiment, the metal screw 13 and the annular connection end 12 are electrically connected in such a way that after the threaded head of the metal screw 13 is inserted into the opening 121, the head of the metal screw 13 (the top of the metal screw 13) is pressed against the annular connection end 12. When the annular connection end 12 is made of copper foil tape, the copper foil part and the head of the metal screw 13 are electrically connected in a contact manner and are simultaneously connected to the loop antenna part.

[0028] The first extension path 14 is connected to the feeding end 11, and the first to third extension paths 14, 15, 16 are connected to each other in sequence, that is, the second extension path 15 is connected to the first extension path 14, and the third extension path 16 is connected to the second extension path 15. In one embodiment, the feeding end 11, the first to third extension paths 14, 15, 16 and the grounding portion 17 can be each electrically connected to each other but arranged in sequence in sections, or can be arranged in an integrally formed manner, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0029] Therefore, the grounding portion 17 is connected to the third extension path 16 to adjust the impedance matching characteristics of the antenna. The width, length and shape of the first to third extension paths 14, 15, 16 or the area and shape of the grounding portion 17 can be adjusted to achieve a good impedance matching characteristic, thereby adjusting the signal receiving and transmitting effect of the loop antenna or being suitable for a specific operating frequency band.

[0030] In one embodiment, the feed end 11, the first to third extension paths 14, 15, 16 and the grounding portion 17 can be connected in sequence in the form of long rectangles, but this is not a limitation. Moreover, the angles at which the radiators are arranged are not limited to the drawings, but can be determined according to the actual space design requirements of the electronic product.

[0031] In one embodiment, angles may be respectively set between the feeding end 11 and the first extension path 14, between the first extension path 14 and the second extension path 15, between the second extension path 15 and the third extension path 16, and between the third extension path 16 and the grounding portion 17, so as to significantly reduce the area and volume of the overall dual-band antenna 1.

[0032] In one embodiment, the monopole antenna and the loop antenna of the dual-band antenna 1 can be designed to be perpendicular to each other in the antenna space, especially the metal screw 13 and the loop antenna as a whole are arranged perpendicular to each other, so that when the dual-band antenna 1 of the present invention is arranged inside the electronic device 200, the specific position of the dual-band antenna 1 can be configured according to the limited space of the electronic device 200, and when the monopole antenna and the loop antenna are arranged in the electronic device 200, the relative spatial placement relationship between the two is not restricted, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0033] In one embodiment, the loop antenna is disposed in the electronic device 200 by using a substrate in the form of a flexible printed circuit (FPC), so that the loop antenna can be placed in the electronic device 200 in a flexible manner or in a pasting manner, but it is not excluded that the loop antenna can be disposed in a rigid printed circuit board.

[0034] In one embodiment, the signal transmission method of the dual-frequency antenna 1 of the present invention can be connected through an antenna signal feedline 100, and the signal feed end 101 is connected to the feed end 11 of the dual-frequency antenna 1. In addition, the signal ground end 102 of the antenna signal feedline 100 is connected to the ground portion 17, so that the dual-frequency antenna 1 can perform signal transmission. In addition, the signal transmission of the dual-frequency antenna 1 of the present invention can also be provided by the signal processing circuit of the electronic device 200 after the dual-frequency antenna 1 is set in the electronic device 200, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0035] In one embodiment, the connection between the annular connection end 12 and the feeding end 11 of the dual-band antenna 1 may have an angle configuration. In addition, the annular connection end 12 may include a complete ring and the feeding end 11 may include a complete rectangle and they are connected to each other with edge contact or partially fused to each other to adjust the current path, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0036] In one embodiment, refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram showing a metal screw of a monopole antenna of a dual-band antenna and a housing of an electronic device in a vertical design, and a loop antenna and a housing of the electronic device in a horizontal design according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] When the dual-band antenna 1 is installed in the electronic device 200, the metal screws 13 can be the screws used to fix the original electronic device 200. Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown in the figure, after the head of the metal screw 13 of the monopole antenna is in electrical contact with the annular connecting end 12, the metal screw 13 is locked on the circuit substrate 201 of the electronic device 200 (or locked on the housing of the electronic device 200). The metal screw 13 can be used as a part of the antenna radiator to save the area and volume occupied by the antenna setting.

[0038] In one embodiment, multiple sets of dual-band antennas 1 can be used to be set at multiple locations around the electronic device 200, such as multiple corners in the electronic device 200, to be suitable for MIMO communication technology. Moreover, the metal screw 13 can be directly fixed to a position on the electronic device 200, such as the circuit substrate 201 or the casing of the electronic device 200, or the metal screw 13 first passes through the casing of the electronic device 200 and then is fixed to the position on the electronic device 200. Of course, the position where the metal screw 13 is fixed is only for illustration, so according to the design form of the electronic device 200, the metal screw 13 can also be allowed to penetrate the casing of the electronic device 200 to lock and fix the electronic device 200, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0039] In one embodiment, the monopole antenna formed by the metal screw 13 is designed vertically relative to one side 202 of the housing of the electronic device 200, while the loop antenna is designed horizontally relative to the other side 203 of the housing of the electronic device 200, so that the current directions of the two antennas are orthogonal to each other, which can make the overall antenna field coverage more uniform and the antenna field pattern non-directional.

[0040] In one embodiment, the metal screw 13 can be directly used as (a part of) the original fixing screws of the electronic device 200, and a screw of a specific specification can also be selected as a part of the radiator of the monopole antenna. The length and width of the metal screw 13 are 8 mm and 4 mm respectively, and it is electrically connected to the copper foil tape of the annular connection end 12 and electrically connected to the loop antenna on the side wall of the housing of the electronic device 200, and the length of the metal screw 13 can be selected to be 6 mm or 7 mm.

[0041] In one embodiment, the metal screw 13 is used as a part of the monopole antenna. When the length of the metal screw 13 is 8 mm, the current path length is about 10 mm (including the partial copper foil path formed by the ring connection end 12), and the loop antenna current path length is about 20 mm. When the length of the metal screw 13 is 6 mm, the monopole antenna current path length is about 7.5 mm (including the partial copper foil path formed by the ring connection end 12), and the loop antenna current path length can be set to about 25 mm, but it is not limited to the above. When the length of the metal screw 13 is set shorter, it is more suitable for application in thin and light consumer electronic products.

[0042] In one embodiment, see Figure 4 , Figure 4 The present invention shows a dual-band antenna operating in the 3.125-5.5135 GHz frequency band. The frequency band in the figure is only used to show the actual data when measuring the characteristics of the antenna, and is not used to limit the characteristics and operating frequency band of the antenna. Figure 4 As can be seen from the legend, the legend simulated by the reflection coefficient S11 shows that its impedance matching characteristics are good, thereby improving the antenna receiving and transmitting effects, that is, when the operating bandwidth is 3.13GHz~5.51GHz, it can present an effect below -10dB. This bandwidth can completely cover the operating frequency band of the sub-6GHz communication system (3.3GHz~5GHz), and the reflection coefficient S11 can also be called reflection loss (Return Loss).

[0043] Please refer to Figures 5 to 8 , Figure 5 The radiation pattern of the monopole antenna of the dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown when operating at 3.6 GHz and taking the XYZ axis as the front viewing angle. Figure 6 The radiation pattern diagram of the monopole antenna of the dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention operating at 3.6 GHz with the XYZ axis as the reverse viewing angle is presented. Figure 7 The radiation pattern diagram of the loop antenna of the dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention operating at 4.6 GHz with the XYZ axis as the front viewing angle is presented. Figure 8The radiation pattern diagram of the loop antenna of the dual-band antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention operating at 4.6 GHz with the XYZ axis as the reverse viewing angle is presented.

[0044] In one embodiment, the dual-band antenna 1 of the present invention supports a first resonance mode and a second resonance mode, that is, the first resonance mode corresponds to the 3.6 GHz frequency band ( Figure 5 and Figure 6 ), and the second resonance mode corresponds to the 4.6 GHz band ( Figure 7 and Figure 8 ). That is, the first resonant mode is that the monopole antenna produces a quarter wavelength of about 3.6GHz, thereby resonating a mode at 3.6GHz, and the second resonant mode is that the loop antenna produces a half wavelength of about 4.6GHz, thereby resonating a mode at 4.6GHz. The frequency band corresponding to the resonant mode is not limited to the present invention. In addition, in order to make the dual-frequency antenna 1 of the present invention support two resonant modes at the same time, the length of the overall resonant path of the dual-frequency antenna 1 needs to be designed, thereby determining the length of the resonant path, so that the resonant path of the dual-frequency antenna 1 can be configured so that the dual-frequency antenna 1 can simultaneously support the first resonant mode corresponding to the monopole antenna and the second resonant mode corresponding to the loop antenna. When the resonance condition is met, the radiation gain of the antenna is improved. For example, the present invention can provide antenna gains of 0.3dBi and 0.6dBi in the 3.6GHz and 4.6GHz operating frequency bands, respectively.

[0045] [Possible technical effects of the present invention]

[0046] A possible technical effect of the present invention is to use a metal screw as a monopole antenna and combine it with a loop antenna to form an antenna broadband operation. The operating frequency of the monopole antenna is 3.6 GHz, which is approximately a quarter wavelength, and the operating frequency of the loop antenna is 4.6 GHz, which is approximately a half wavelength. Combining these two bandwidths can cover the frequency band (3.3 GHz to 5 GHz) used by sub-6 GHz communication systems.

[0047] It can be applied to electronic products that are getting smaller and smaller, and broadband antennas can be designed in the limited space of electronic products. Using metal screws as monopole antenna branches and combining them with a loop antenna can make its operating bandwidth very wide, with reflection loss below -10dB, covering the operating frequency band of 3.12GHz to 5.5GHz.

[0048] The (existing) screws can be combined in the limited space of electronic products to reduce the size of the antenna (relatively saving the space used by the antenna and the cost of antenna production), and an antenna with a wide operating band can be designed to fully cover the frequency band required for sub-6GHz. In addition, the antenna gain is 0.3dBi and 0.6dBi at 3.6GHz and 4.6GHz respectively, and the antenna efficiency is about 40% to 50%. It is not directional, and the radiation field is relatively uniform in all directions. Therefore, when it is used in electronic products, there is less problem of antenna signal shielding.

[0049] In addition, when a loop antenna comprising FPC material is placed on the side of an electronic product such as a mobile phone and a metal screw is used as an antenna, the metal screw is used as a monopole antenna. The length and width of the metal screw may be 8 mm and 4 mm respectively. Copper foil tape is used as the contact portion between the antenna and the metal screw. When the metal screw is fixed to the electronic product (for example, fixed to the housing), it will form contact with the metal copper foil. This antenna design method can reduce the metal material required for the antenna, so that the operating frequency of the monopole antenna is a quarter wavelength operating at 3.6 GHz, and the loop antenna of the other path of the dual-band antenna is attached to the side of the electronic product, so that the operating frequency is a half wavelength operating at 4.6 GHz, and the two operating modes are combined together to form a broadband application, and its operating bandwidth can cover 3.3 GHz to 5.5 GHz.

[0050] The present invention can also be used to match and design two antennas of a dual-band antenna according to different electronic product requirements, thereby effectively reducing design limitations caused by insufficient product space.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted that in the foregoing description, although the concept of the technology of the present invention has been specifically shown and explained in a number of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and details may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the concept of the technology of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A dual-band antenna, characterized in that: include: A feeding end, for connecting a signal feeding end of an antenna signal feeder; An annular connection end having an opening for a metal screw to pass through, the annular connection end being connected to the feed-in end; a metal screw, the threaded head of the metal screw being inserted into the opening so that the metal screw is electrically connected to the annular connecting end; A first extension path connected to the feeding end; a second extension path, the second extension path connected to the first extension path; a third extension path, the third extension path connected to the second extension path; as well as a grounding portion connected to the third extension path and a signal grounding end of the antenna signal feeder; The feeding end, the annular connecting end and the metal screw constitute a monopole antenna, the feeding end, the first extension path, the second extension path, the third extension path and the grounding portion constitute a loop antenna, and the feeding end serves as a signal feeding end shared by the dual-band antenna.

2. The dual-band antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the metal screw is selected to be 6mm to 8mm, and the width of the metal screw is selected to be 4mm.

3. The dual-band antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The length of the metal screw is selected to be 6 mm.

4. The dual-band antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The loop antenna includes a substrate in the form of a flexible printed circuit board.

5. The dual-band antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The operating frequency of the monopole antenna is a resonance frequency of a quarter wavelength, and the operating frequency of the loop antenna is a resonance frequency of a half wavelength.

6. The dual-band antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The annular connection end is made of copper foil tape.

7. The dual-band antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The current paths of the monopole antenna and the loop antenna are orthogonal to each other. There is an angle between the annular connection end and the feeding end. The metal screw and the loop antenna as a whole are arranged perpendicular to each other.

8. An electronic device using the dual-frequency antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The metal screw is a screw originally used for fixing the electronic device.

9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: A plurality of sets of dual-frequency antennas are arranged at a plurality of peripheries of the electronic device.

10. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that The metal screw is directly fixed to a position on the electronic device or the metal screw is fixed to the position on the electronic device through a casing of the electronic device.

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