Antenna module and portable terminal cover having the same

Abstract

An antenna module is proposed, in which a radiation pattern for short-range communication, a radiation pattern for sending and receiving wireless power, at least one of a radiation pattern for electronic payment, and a radiation pattern for ultra-wideband communication are integrally formed in the antenna module to enable communication with a vehicle. The proposed antenna module includes: a first antenna, the first antenna having a first radiation pattern that resonates in a first frequency band; and a second antenna, the second antenna is disposed on one surface of the first antenna and has a second radiation pattern that resonates in a UWB frequency band different from the first frequency band. The first antenna includes a base substrate on which a first radiation pattern is formed and an extension substrate extending outward from the base substrate, and the second antenna is disposed on an upper surface of the extension substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an antenna module and a portable terminal cover having the same, and more particularly, to an antenna module mounted on a portable terminal to transmit and receive data with a vehicle and a portable terminal cover having the same. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, vehicles provide various conveniences to drivers using the distance between the driver and the vehicle, the driver's position, the vehicle's position, etc. For example, the vehicle provides the driver with a function of navigating a path to a parked vehicle using the driver's position and the vehicle's position, and provides a function of opening the vehicle's doors when the driver approaches the vehicle and locking the vehicle's doors when the driver leaves the vehicle using the distance between the driver and the vehicle.

[0003] Conventional vehicles use low frequency (LF) or radio frequency (RF) communications to measure the distance between the driver and the vehicle, the driver's position, and the vehicle's position.

[0004] Recently, a position measurement technology using ultra-wideband (UWB) communication is being applied to vehicles. UWB communication can provide high-precision wireless positioning and communication functions through pulse signals. The frequency band used by UWB communication ranges from about 3.1GHz to 10.6GHz, and the transmission distance is about 10m to 1km. Due to the excellent time resolution of UWB communication with a few nanosecond pulses, UWB communication is conducive to distance measurement and can achieve low power with low duty cycle.

[0005] Therefore, UWB communication is applied to the field of position measurement required for application services based on low-speed position recognition and the field of position measurement with an accuracy of approximately + / -10cm.

[0006] For this reason, research has been conducted on installing a second antenna on a portable terminal to measure the relative position of the vehicle. As the second antenna installed on the portable terminal, there are UWB chip antennas, Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) antennas, and the like.

[0007] However, when the UWB chip antenna is installed on a portable terminal, there is a problem of performance degradation, and there is a problem that the LDS antenna increases the price of the portable terminal due to its expensive price, and the LDS antenna requires a certain degree of space or more, so the LDS antenna is difficult to install on the portable terminal due to insufficient installation space. Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] The present disclosure is proposed to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an antenna module on which one or more of a near field communication radiation pattern, a wireless power transmission / reception radiation pattern, an electronic payment radiation pattern and an ultra-wideband communication radiation pattern are integrally formed to achieve communication with a vehicle.

[0010] In addition, another object of the present disclosure is to provide an antenna module having a radiation pattern for a UWB frequency band, the radiation pattern being formed on a base substrate having a low dielectric loss factor; and a connector formed on an extension substrate extending outward from the base substrate.

[0011] Furthermore, another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable terminal cover coupled to a portable terminal to support communication between a vehicle and the portable terminal through a UWB band.

[0012] Technical Solution

[0013] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an antenna module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first antenna, the first antenna having a first radiation pattern that resonates in a first frequency band; and a second antenna, the second antenna is arranged on the surface of the first antenna and has a second radiation pattern to resonate in a UWB frequency band different from the first frequency band, wherein the first antenna includes: a base substrate formed with the first radiation pattern and an extension substrate extending outward from the base substrate, and the second antenna is arranged on the upper surface of the extension substrate.

[0014] The base substrate may include: a first extension substrate, which extends outward from one side of the base substrate; and a second extension substrate, which is separated from the first extension substrate by a set interval or a larger interval and extends outward from the other side of the base substrate, wherein the second antenna may include: a first UWB antenna, which is arranged on the upper surface of the first extension substrate; and a second UWB antenna, which is arranged on the upper surface of the second extension substrate.

[0015] The second antenna may include: a substrate, the substrate is arranged on the upper surface of the extended substrate; and a ground pattern, the ground pattern is arranged on one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate, and the second radiation pattern may be arranged at intervals from the ground pattern on the upper surface of the substrate. At this time, the second antenna may further include: a feed pattern, the feed pattern is arranged on the upper surface of the substrate and connected to the second radiation pattern; and a connection pattern, the connection pattern is arranged on the upper surface of the substrate and connects the second radiation pattern and the ground pattern.

[0016] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an antenna module according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a flexible substrate; a UWB radiation pattern formed on the flexible substrate; an extension substrate extending outward from the flexible substrate; a connector formed on the extension substrate; and a connection pattern formed on the extension substrate to connect the UWB radiation pattern and the connector. At this time, the UWB radiation pattern may include: a radiation pattern; a feed pattern, the feed pattern is formed on the flexible substrate and connected to the radiation pattern; a ground pattern, the ground pattern is formed on the flexible substrate and is spaced apart from the radiation pattern; and another connection pattern, the other connection pattern is formed on the flexible substrate and connects the radiation pattern and the ground pattern.

[0017] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a portable terminal cover according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a UWB antenna and a signal processing circuit, the signal processing circuit is configured to process signals sent and received by the UWB antenna, wherein the UWB antenna includes: a radiation pattern; a feeding pattern connected to the radiation pattern; a ground pattern spaced apart from the radiation pattern; and a connection pattern connecting the radiation pattern and the ground pattern. At this time, the UWB antenna may further include: another radiation pattern.

[0018] The antenna terminal cover according to the exemplary embodiment may further include: another UWB antenna spaced apart from the UWB antenna and connected to the signal processing circuit.

[0019] Technical Effects

[0020] According to the antenna module of the present disclosure, one or more of a near field communication radiation pattern, a wireless power transmission / reception radiation pattern, an electronic payment radiation pattern, and a UWB communication radiation pattern can be integrally formed, thereby reducing the installation space to a minimum and realizing UWB communication between a vehicle and a portable terminal.

[0021] In addition, the antenna module can have a UWB radiation pattern formed on a base substrate having a low dielectric loss factor, and the antenna module can have a connector formed on an extension substrate extending outward from the base substrate, thereby occupying a minimum space when installed on a portable terminal and enabling UWB communication.

[0022] Furthermore, a portable terminal cover having an antenna module may be coupled to the portable terminal to support communication between the vehicle and the portable terminal through the UWB band. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining an antenna module mounted on a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 2 and Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining an antenna module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining a second antenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining an antenna module according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining a modified example of the second antenna according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining a portable terminal cover according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, the most preferred exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to specifically describe the exemplary embodiments so that a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs can easily realize the technical spirit of the present disclosure. First, when adding reference numerals to the components of each figure, it should be noted that the same components have the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different figures. In addition, when describing the present disclosure, when it is determined that the detailed description of the relevant known structure or function may make the main points of the present disclosure unclear, its detailed description will be omitted.

[0030] Reference Figure 1 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an antenna module (100) is a combined antenna installed inside a portable terminal (10). At this time, the combined antenna refers to an antenna disposed between a portable terminal body (12) and a back cover (14) to include two or more radiation patterns that resonate in different frequency bands.

[0031] For example, the antenna module (100) is a flexible printed circuit board, which includes one or more of a near field communication (NFC) radiation pattern (hereinafter referred to as "NFC radiation pattern"), a wireless power transmission / reception (WPC) radiation pattern (hereinafter referred to as "WPC radiation pattern"), an electronic payment (MST) radiation pattern (hereinafter referred to as "MST radiation pattern"), and an ultra-wideband communication (UWB) radiation pattern (hereinafter referred to as "UWB radiation pattern").

[0032] One or more antenna anchor points are installed in the vehicle, and the anchor points transmit and receive positioning signals and response signals through antennas resonating in the UWB frequency band to accurately detect the position of the vehicle. At this time, the position of the vehicle can be measured using the signal reception time, received signal strength (RSSI), etc. of the positioning signal and response signal transmitted and received by the UWB radiation pattern. In this example, the position of the vehicle is the relative position between the portable terminal (10) and the vehicle, and the position of the vehicle may include distance, angle, etc.

[0033] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The antenna module (100) is configured to include a first antenna (120) and a second antenna (140).

[0034] The first antenna (120) is an antenna that resonates in one or more of the NFC frequency band, the WPC frequency band, and the MST frequency band. To this end, the first antenna (120) includes a base substrate (122), and a first radiation pattern (124) of one or more of the NFC radiation pattern, the WPC radiation pattern, and the MST radiation pattern is provided on an upper surface of the substrate (122).

[0035] The base substrate (122) may be formed of a thin film substrate such as a film, a sheet or a thin film substrate. The base substrate (122) may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). For example, the base substrate (122) is a polyimide (PI) sheet. Here, the base substrate (122) is not limited thereto, and the base substrate may be used in a variety of ways as long as the base substrate is a thin film substrate and can form a first radiation pattern (124), which constitutes an antenna.

[0036] The base substrate (122) includes an extension substrate having a second antenna (140) mounted (disposed) thereon. The extension substrate may be formed to extend outward from the base substrate (122) and may be integrally formed with the base substrate (122).

[0037] The second antenna (140) is an antenna that resonates in the UWB frequency band, and the second antenna includes a second radiation pattern (142) that resonates in the UWB frequency band. The second antenna (140) may also include a plurality of second radiation patterns (142). The second antenna (140) may be disposed on an upper surface of at least one extension substrate that extends outward from the base substrate (122).

[0038] For example, refer to Figure 4 The second antenna (140) is configured to include a substrate (141), a second radiation pattern (142) and a ground pattern (143).

[0039] The substrate (141) is made of an insulating material or a dielectric material, and is formed into a plate shape having a predetermined shape. For example, the substrate (141) is a polyimide sheet.

[0040] The substrate (141) is disposed on the upper surface of the extension substrate extending outward from the base substrate (122). An adhesive sheet (not shown) is inserted between the substrate (141) and the extension substrate, and the substrate (141) is bonded to the upper surface of the extension substrate through the adhesive sheet.

[0041] The second radiation pattern (142) is made of a metal material such as copper and is disposed on the upper surface of the substrate (141). The second radiation pattern (142) is formed into various shapes in a virtual rectangular space on the substrate (141). At this time, the second radiation pattern (142) is connected to the feed source through the feeding pattern (144). Here, although it has been described that the second radiation pattern (142) is formed on the substrate (141) and is disposed on the extended substrate, the second radiation pattern (142) is not limited thereto, and the second radiation pattern can also be directly formed on the upper surface of the extended substrate.

[0042] The ground pattern (143) is made of a metal material such as copper and is disposed on the upper surface of the substrate (141). At this time, the ground pattern (143) is connected to the second radiation pattern (142) through the first connection pattern (145). Here, the ground pattern (143) can also be disposed on the lower surface of the substrate (141), and the ground pattern is connected to the first connection pattern (145) formed on the upper surface of the substrate (141) through a through hole. Here, although it has been described that the ground pattern (143) is formed on the substrate (141) and disposed on the extended substrate, the ground pattern (143) is not limited thereto, and the ground pattern can also be directly formed on the upper surface or the lower surface of the extended substrate.

[0043] Reference Figure 5 A plurality of second antennas (140) may be formed, and for example, the second antenna is configured to include a first UWB antenna (140a) and a second UWB antenna (140b).

[0044] The first UWB antenna (140a) and the second UWB antenna (140b) communicate with a UWB antenna (not shown) installed in the vehicle to detect the exact position of the vehicle. The first UWB antenna (140a) and the second UWB antenna (140b) are arranged at a predetermined interval from each other. The first UWB antenna (140a) can be arranged on one side of the base substrate (122), and the second UWB antenna (140b) can be arranged on the other side of the base substrate (122).

[0045] For example, the first UWB antenna (140a) is formed on a first extension substrate (ES1) extending outward from one side of the base substrate (122), and the first antenna (120) is formed on the base substrate. The second UWB antenna (140b) is formed on a second extension substrate (ES2) extending outward from the other side of the base substrate (122). At this time, the first extension substrate (ES1) and the second extension substrate (ES2) are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval.

[0046] Meanwhile, the antenna module (100) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be composed of a second antenna (140), and the antenna module may also operate as an antenna for communicating in a UWB band having a bandwidth of about 6 GHz to 8 GHz. The flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) type mainly uses a coaxial cable type UWB antenna because the antenna performance of the coaxial cable type UWB antenna in the UWB band is reduced. However, it is difficult to realize a thin film due to the thickness of the coaxial cable, and therefore, the coaxial cable type antenna is difficult to install on the portable terminal (10).

[0047] Therefore, refer to Figure 6 The second antenna (140) may be formed of a single antenna of a jumper flexible type. Here, the jumper flexible type antenna is an antenna having a structure in which a radiation pattern and a connector (146) are formed on a flexible printed circuit board.

[0048] The second antenna (140) can be formed integrally with the UWB antenna and the connector (146). The second antenna (140) can be configured to include a flexible substrate (i.e., substrate (141)), a UWB radiation pattern (142) formed on the flexible substrate (141), an extension substrate (147) extending outward from the flexible substrate (141), and a connector (146) formed on the extension substrate (147). A second connection pattern (148) connecting the UWB radiation pattern (142) and the connector (146) is formed on the extension substrate (147). Here, the flexible substrate (141) is formed of a substrate having a low dielectric constant (low dielectric loss factor) because when the flexible substrate is made of a material commonly used for a flexible printed circuit substrate, the antenna performance is reduced.

[0049] Reference Figure 7 A portable terminal cover (200) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is a substrate fixed to a portable terminal (10) to protect the portable terminal (10). The portable terminal cover (200) is fixed to a portable terminal (10) to support UWB band communication between the portable terminal (10) and a vehicle, on which no antenna resonating in the UWB band is mounted.

[0050] To this end, a UWB antenna (210) formed of a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) and a signal processing circuit (220) configured to process signals transmitted and received by the UWB antenna (210) are embedded in a portable terminal cover (200). The portable terminal cover (200) may include a plurality of UWB antennas (210) having one radiation pattern formed thereon, or may include one UWB antenna (210) having two or more radiation patterns formed thereon.

[0051] The signal processing circuit (220) sends the reception time, reception signal strength, etc. of the signal received by the UWB antenna (210) to the portable terminal (10). The signal processing circuit (220) can detect the relative position of the portable terminal (10) and the vehicle by using the reception time, reception signal strength, etc. of the signal received by the UWB antenna (210).

[0052] Although preferred exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be modified in various forms and those skilled in the art may practice various modified and altered examples without departing from the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An antenna module, comprising: a first antenna having a first radiation pattern that resonates in a first frequency band; as well as a second antenna disposed on a surface of the first antenna and resonating in a UWB frequency band different from the first frequency band, The first antenna includes: a base substrate on which the first radiation pattern is formed and an extension substrate extending outward from the base substrate, and Wherein, the second antenna is arranged on the upper surface of the extension substrate, Wherein, the second antenna comprises: A substrate, the substrate being disposed on an upper surface of the extended substrate; a second radiation pattern, the second radiation pattern being disposed on an upper surface of the substrate; a ground pattern, the ground pattern being disposed on an upper surface of the extension substrate; a feeding pattern provided on an upper surface of the substrate and connected to the second radiation pattern; and A connection pattern is provided on an upper surface of the substrate, the ground pattern is connected to the connection pattern through a through hole, and the connection pattern connects the second radiation pattern and the ground pattern.

2. The antenna module according to claim 1, in, The base substrate comprises: a first extension substrate, the first extension substrate extending outward from a side end of the base substrate; and The second extension substrate is spaced apart from the first extension substrate by a set interval or more and extends outward from the other side end of the base substrate.

3. The antenna module according to claim 2, in, The second antenna comprises: a first UWB antenna, the first UWB antenna being disposed on an upper surface of the first extension substrate; and A second UWB antenna is disposed on an upper surface of the second extension substrate.

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