Antenna and watch

Abstract

This disclosure provides an antenna and a watch. The antenna includes a circuit board with antenna traces on it. The antenna traces are electrically connected to a feed terminal on the circuit board. The antenna traces include spiral traces and form a radiator of a spiral antenna. The spiral antenna can switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode. When the spiral antenna is in the first operating mode, the projected size of the spiral antenna along the axial direction is a first size. When the spiral antenna is in the second operating mode, the projected size of the spiral antenna along the axial direction is a second size, and the first size is larger than the second size.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of electronic product technology, specifically to an antenna and a watch. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of smartwatches and other smart communication devices, more and more functions such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ECG monitoring, and blood pressure measurement are being integrated into watches. Compared to traditional mechanical watches, smartwatches not only provide greater convenience for people's daily lives but are also gradually becoming an important part of the era of the Internet of Things. However, the internal space of smartwatches is limited. If more functions are to be implemented in a smartwatch, various functional modules need to be added inside, which may result in a compression of the antenna space inside the smartwatch. When the antenna space is compressed, the signal transmission effect of the antenna inside the smartwatch is poor. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure provides an antenna and a watch that can improve the transmission performance of the antenna.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide an antenna, including a circuit board, on which antenna traces are provided. The antenna traces are electrically connected to feed terminals in the circuit board. The antenna traces include spiral traces and form a radiator of a spiral antenna. The spiral antenna can switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode.

[0005] When the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the projected size of the helical antenna along the axial direction is the first size;

[0006] When the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the projected size of the helical antenna along the axial direction is the second size, and the first size is larger than the second size.

[0007] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a watch that includes the antenna described in the first aspect.

[0008] In this embodiment of the disclosure, since the projection size (i.e., the cross-sectional size) of the spiral antenna along the axial direction is different in different operating modes, and the main radiation direction of the spiral antenna will also change when the cross-sectional size of the spiral antenna changes, the operating mode of the spiral antenna can be adjusted according to the direction of signal transmission in scenarios such as positioning and communication, so that the main radiation direction of the spiral antenna points to the direction of signal transmission, thereby improving the signal transmission effect of the antenna. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the internal structure of a watch provided in this disclosure embodiment;

[0010] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Side view;

[0011] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main radiation direction of the helical antenna in different operating modes according to the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0012] Figure 4 This is a second schematic diagram of the internal structure of a watch provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Side view;

[0014] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the main radiation direction of helical antennas of different diameters. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0016] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure and in the claims are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0017] The antenna and watch provided in this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0018] Please see Figure 1-5This disclosure provides an antenna, which includes a circuit board 100, on which an antenna trace 200 is provided. The antenna trace 200 is electrically connected to a feed terminal 110 in the circuit board 100. The antenna trace 200 is spiral in shape and forms a radiator of a spiral antenna. The spiral antenna can switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode.

[0019] When the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the projected size of the helical antenna along the axial direction is the first size;

[0020] When the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the projected size of the helical antenna along the axial direction is the second size, and the first size is larger than the second size.

[0021] The circuit board 100 can feed a power signal to the power point 210 of the antenna trace 200 through the power supply terminal 110. The power supply signal is radiated outward through the antenna trace 200 to realize the signal radiation process of the spiral antenna.

[0022] The axis in the projection of the spiral antenna along the axial direction mentioned above refers to the axis of the spiral antenna itself.

[0023] It is understood that corresponding control devices can be incorporated into the helical antenna to enable switching between the first and second operating modes described above. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 6 , Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the radiation directions of helical antennas with different diameters. When D / λ is less than 0.18, the main radiation direction (i.e., the direction of maximum gain) of the helical antenna is towards the radial direction of the helical antenna (e.g.,...). Figure 6 (as shown in a); when the value of D / λ is between 0.18 and 0.46, the main radiation direction of the helical antenna is towards the axis of the helical antenna (as shown in a). Figure 6 (as shown in b); when the value of D / λ is greater than 0.5, the main radiation direction of the helical antenna is between the radial and axial directions (as shown in b). Figure 6 (As shown in c), where D is the diameter of the helical antenna and λ is the operating wavelength of the helical antenna. It can be seen that the main radiation direction of the helical antenna can be adjusted by changing its cross-sectional dimensions.

[0024] To enable the helical antenna to switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode, the helical antenna can include two independent helical traces. A corresponding control component can control the conduction state between the feed terminal 110 and the two helical traces, thereby achieving the switching between the first and second operating modes. Alternatively, a corresponding switching component can be added to the antenna trace 200, and the routing of the antenna trace 200 can be controlled by the switching component. This allows the antenna trace 200 to exhibit different forms under different conditions, thus enabling the two antenna traces 200 to reuse some of their functions.

[0025] The axial direction of the aforementioned helical antenna is its extension direction, and the cross-sectional shape of the helical antenna is the same at all positions along the axial direction. The projection of the helical antenna along the axial direction can take various forms (i.e., the cross-section of the helical antenna can take various forms), for example, the projection of the helical antenna along the axial direction can be circular or polygonal. When the projection of the helical antenna along the axial direction is circular, the projection size can refer to dimensions such as the projection area or the diameter of the projection. When the projection of the helical antenna along the axial direction is polygonal, the projection size can refer to dimensions such as the projection area or the side length of the projection.

[0026] The aforementioned antenna can be applied to various types of electronic devices, such as smart terminals like watches, mobile phones, and tablets. The following explanation uses the application of the antenna to a watch as an example to further illustrate the antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0027] In this embodiment, since the projected dimensions (i.e., cross-sectional dimensions) of the spiral antenna along the axial direction differ under different operating modes, and the main radiation direction of the spiral antenna also changes as the cross-sectional dimensions change, the operating mode of the spiral antenna can be adjusted according to the direction of signal transmission in scenarios such as positioning and communication, so that the main radiation direction of the spiral antenna points to the direction of signal transmission, thereby improving the signal transmission performance of the antenna. Furthermore, since spiral antennas have the characteristics of large bandwidth and the ability to integrate multiple frequency bands in a single antenna, forming a spiral antenna in the circuit board 100 allows for widening the antenna bandwidth without increasing the space required for the antenna.

[0028] Optionally, the circuit board 100 includes a first sub-circuit board 130 and a second sub-circuit board 140, which are stacked together. The antenna trace 200 includes a first trace layer 250 located in the first sub-circuit board 130 and a second trace layer 260 located in the second sub-circuit board 140. The traces in the first trace layer 250 are electrically connected to the traces in the second trace layer 260 through vias.

[0029] The circuit board 100 can be various types of double-layer printed circuit boards (PCBs) in the related art. Accordingly, the first sub-circuit board 130 and the second sub-circuit board 140 are different layers of the double-layer printed circuit board.

[0030] It is understood that the first routing layer 250 may be the surface of the first sub-circuit board 130 opposite to the second sub-circuit board 140, and the second routing layer 260 may be the surface of the second sub-circuit board 140 opposite to the first sub-circuit board 130. It is understood that the first routing layer 250 may include all antenna traces 200 printed on the surface of the first sub-circuit board 130, and the second routing layer 260 may include all antenna traces 200 printed on the surface of the second sub-circuit board 140.

[0031] Specifically, when the antenna is applied to a watch, the circuit board 100 can be an existing double-layer PCB inside the watch to achieve reuse of the circuit board 100.

[0032] In this embodiment, traces are fabricated on two different sub-circuit boards and connected by vias to form a spiral trace. This increases the cross-sectional area of ​​the spiral trace, which facilitates subsequent adjustment of the cross-sectional area of ​​the spiral antenna to achieve the switching process of the antenna operating mode.

[0033] Optionally, the first routing layer 250 includes N first sub-routes 220, which are arranged sequentially at intervals along the extension direction of the axis, and the first ends of the N first sub-routes 220 are respectively aligned and the second ends of the N first sub-routes 220 are respectively aligned, where N is an integer greater than 2.

[0034] The first sub-circuit board 130 is provided with N-1 antenna switches 120. The first N-1 first sub-traces 220 of the N first sub-traces 220 respectively include a first segment 221 and a second segment 222. The moving end of the i-th antenna switch among the N-1 antenna switches 120 is electrically connected to the first segment 221 of the i-th first sub-traces. The first stationary end of the i-th antenna switch is electrically connected to the second segment 222 of the i-th first sub-traces. The second stationary end of the i-th antenna switch is electrically connected to the trace in the second trace layer 260. The i is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0035] When the spiral antenna is in the first working mode, the moving end and the first stationary end of each of the N-1 antenna switches 120 are connected, and the moving end and the second stationary end of each of the N-1 antenna switches 120 are disconnected. The N first sub-routes 220 are connected to the routing in the second routing layer 260 to form the first spiral antenna.

[0036] When the spiral antenna is in the second working mode, the moving end and the first stationary end of each of the N-1 antenna switches 120 are disconnected, and the moving end and the second stationary end of each of the N-1 antenna switches 120 are connected. The N-1 first segments 221 of the first N-1 first sub-routes 220 are connected to the routing in the second routing layer 260 to form the second spiral antenna.

[0037] Wherein, the projection size of the first helical trace along the axial direction is the first size, the projection size of the second helical antenna along the axial direction is the second size, and the antenna trace 200 includes the first helical trace and the second helical antenna.

[0038] Since the projection size of the first spiral trace along the axial direction is the first size, when the spiral antenna is in the first operating mode, the first spiral trace can be used as the radiator of the spiral antenna, even if the feed terminal 110 is connected to the first spiral trace.

[0039] Accordingly, since the projection size of the second spiral trace along the axial direction is the second size, when the spiral antenna is in the second operating mode, the second spiral trace can be used as the radiator of the spiral antenna, even if the feed terminal 110 is connected to the second spiral trace.

[0040] In this embodiment, the switching process of the antenna's operating mode can be achieved by controlling the conduction state between different terminals of the antenna switch 120.

[0041] Optionally, the second routing layer 260 includes N-1 second sub-routes 230, the N first sub-routes 220 are arranged sequentially at intervals along the extension direction of the axis, and the first ends of the N first sub-routes 220 are respectively aligned and the second ends of the N first sub-routes 220 are respectively aligned.

[0042] Specifically, the first end of the i-th second sub-trace in the N-1 second sub-traces 230 is electrically connected to the second end of the i-th first sub-trace through a via, and the second end of the i-th second sub-trace is electrically connected to the first end of the (i+1)-th first sub-trace through a via.

[0043] When the spiral antenna is in the first operating mode, the N first sub-lines 220 and the N-1 second sub-lines 230 are connected to form the first spiral line;

[0044] The i-th first sub-trace and the (i+1)-th first sub-trace are any two adjacent first sub-traces 220 in a preset order, and the preset order is the order in which the N first sub-traces 220 are arranged along one extension direction of the axis.

[0045] Please see Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of an antenna applied to a watch in one embodiment of this disclosure. In this embodiment, the value of N is 4. At this time, as... Figure 1 As shown, when the axis of the helical antenna is in the vertical direction, the preset order can refer to a top-to-bottom order or a bottom-to-top order. For example, when the preset order is top-to-bottom, the four first sub-traces are, from top to bottom, the first, second, third, and fourth first sub-traces. The three second sub-traces 230 are, from top to bottom, the first, second, and third second sub-traces. Specifically, the first end of the first second sub-traces is electrically connected to the second end of the first first sub-traces via a via, and the second end of the first first sub-traces is electrically connected to the first end of the second first sub-traces via a via. The first end of the second second sub-traces is electrically connected to the second end of the second first sub-traces via a via, and the second end of the second first sub-traces is electrically connected to the first end of the third first sub-traces via a via. The first end of the third second sub-trace is electrically connected to the second end of the third first sub-trace via a via, and the second end of the third first sub-trace is electrically connected to the first end of the fourth first sub-trace via a via, thus forming a configuration as shown below. Figure 1 The first spiral trace shown is included in the antenna trace 200.

[0046] It is understood that in other implementations, the value of N can be other than 4, as long as N is an integer greater than 2. For example, the value of N can also be 5, 10, 20, 50, etc.

[0047] In this embodiment, by arranging the traces in the first trace layer 250 and the second trace layer 260 in the manner described above, a first spiral trace is formed in the circuit board 100.

[0048] Optionally, the second routing layer 260 further includes N-1 third sub-routes 240; the second stationary terminal of the i-th antenna switch is electrically connected to the first terminal of the i-th third sub-route through a via, and the second terminal of the i-th third sub-route is electrically connected to the first terminal of the (i+1)-th first sub-route through a via.

[0049] When the spiral antenna is in the second operating mode, the N-1 third sub-traces 240 are connected to the N-1 first segments 221 to form the second spiral trace;

[0050] The i-th first sub-trace and the (i+1)-th first sub-trace are any two adjacent first sub-traces 220 in a preset order, and the preset order is the order in which the N first sub-traces 220 are arranged along one extension direction of the axis.

[0051] Please see Figure 1-2 still Figure 1-2 Taking the illustrated embodiment as an example, in this embodiment, the value of N is 4. When the axis of the helical antenna is in the vertical direction, the three antenna switches 120 are arranged from top to bottom as: the first antenna switch, the second antenna switch, and the third antenna switch. The three third sub-traces are arranged from top to bottom as: the first third sub-traces, the second third sub-traces, and the third third sub-traces. Please refer to... Figure 1-2 The antenna switch 120 divides its corresponding first sub-line 220 into two segments, wherein the segment located on the left side of the antenna switch 120 is the first segment 221, and the segment located on the right side of the antenna switch 120 is the second segment 222.

[0052] Specifically, the moving terminal of the first antenna switch is electrically connected to the first segment 221 of the first sub-trace; the first stationary terminal of the first antenna switch is electrically connected to the second segment 222 of the first sub-trace; the second stationary terminal of the first antenna switch is electrically connected to the first end of the first third sub-trace via a via; and the second end of the first third sub-trace is electrically connected to the first end of the second first sub-trace via a via. Similarly, the moving terminal of the second antenna switch is electrically connected to the first segment 221 of the second first sub-trace; the first stationary terminal of the second antenna switch is electrically connected to the second segment 222 of the second first sub-trace; the second stationary terminal of the second antenna switch is electrically connected to the first end of the second third sub-trace via a via; and the second end of the second third sub-trace is electrically connected to the first end of the third first sub-trace via a via. The moving end of the third antenna switch is electrically connected to the first segment 221 of the third first sub-trace. The first stationary end of the third antenna switch is electrically connected to the second segment 222 of the third first sub-trace. The second stationary end of the third antenna switch is electrically connected to the first end of the third third sub-trace through a via. The second end of the third third sub-trace is electrically connected to the first end of the fourth first sub-trace through a via.

[0053] In this embodiment, by arranging the traces in the first trace layer 250 and the second trace layer 260 in the manner described above, a second spiral trace is formed in the circuit board 100. The first spiral trace and the second spiral trace can reuse the traces of the above-mentioned N-1 first segments 221, which helps to reduce the number of traces required in the electronic device and further improve the utilization rate of the internal space of the watch.

[0054] Optionally, the power supply terminal 110 is electrically connected to the first segment 221 of the first sub-trace among the N first sub-traces 220.

[0055] Please see below. Figure 1 The power supply point 210 is located at the end of the first segment 221 of the first sub-trace that is away from the second segment 222 of the first sub-trace, that is, the power supply point 210 is located at the first end of the first sub-trace 220.

[0056] In this embodiment, since one end of the spiral trace is located at the first segment 221 of the first sub-trace, by setting the feed point 210 at the first segment 221 of the first sub-trace among the N first sub-traces 220, the feed signal can be accessed from one end of the spiral trace to form the spiral antenna described above.

[0057] Optionally, the circuit board 100 further includes a connecting plate 150, wherein the first sub-circuit board 130 and the second sub-circuit board 140 are spaced apart, the connecting plate 150 is disposed between the first sub-circuit board 130 and the second sub-circuit board 140, and the first sub-circuit board 130 is connected to the second sub-circuit board 140 through the connecting plate 150. The first sub-circuit board 130, the second sub-circuit board 140 and the connecting plate 150 together enclose a mounting cavity 160 for mounting a target device.

[0058] Please see below. Figure 2 The connecting plate 150 includes a first sub-connecting plate 151, a second sub-connecting plate 153, and a third sub-connecting plate 152, each of which is a strip circuit board. The first sub-connecting plate 151, the third sub-connecting plate 152, and the second sub-connecting plate 153 are spaced apart. The first end of the first sub-connecting plate 151 is opposite to the first end of the N first sub-traces 220, and the second end of the first sub-connecting plate 151 is opposite to the second end of the N-1 second sub-traces 230. The second end of the i-th second sub-traces is electrically connected to the first end of the (i+1)-th first sub-traces through a via in the first sub-connecting plate 151. The first end of the second sub-connecting plate 153 is opposite to the second end of the N first sub-traces 220, and the second end of the second sub-connecting plate 153 is opposite to the first end of the N-1 second sub-traces 230. The first end of the i-th second sub-traces is electrically connected to the second end of the i-th first sub-traces through a via in the second sub-connecting plate 153. The first end of the third sub-connecting plate 152 is opposite to the second stationary end of the i-th antenna switch, and the second end of the third sub-connecting plate 152 is opposite to the first end of the i-th third sub-traces. The second stationary end of the i-th antenna switch is electrically connected to the first end of the i-th third sub-traces through a via in the third sub-connecting plate 152. In this case, the first sub-connecting plate 151, the second sub-connecting plate 153, the first sub-circuit board 130, and the second sub-circuit board 140 together enclose to form the first sub-mounting cavity 161, and the second sub-connecting plate 153, the third sub-connecting plate 152, the first sub-circuit board 130, and the second sub-circuit board 140 together enclose to form the second sub-mounting cavity 162. The mounting cavity 160 includes the first sub-mounting cavity 161 and the second sub-mounting cavity 162.

[0059] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the connecting plate 150 may also include a ring circuit board as described in the related art. In this case, the mounting cavity 160 formed by the first sub-circuit board 130, the second sub-circuit board 140 and the connecting plate 150 is a closed cavity.

[0060] The target device can be any type of electronic component found in a watch, and it can be electrically connected to the circuit board 100. For example, the target device can be a positioning module, a communication module, or other functional modules.

[0061] In this embodiment, by placing the target device within the mounting cavity 160 formed inside the circuit board 100, the space utilization inside the watch is further improved. Furthermore, by separating the first sub-circuit board 130 and the second sub-circuit board 140 relative to each other using the connecting circuit board 100, the cross-sectional area of ​​the spiral trace can be further increased, thereby facilitating subsequent adjustment of the spiral trace's cross-sectional area.

[0062] Optionally, when the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the ratio of the diameter of the helical antenna to the target wavelength is between 0.18 and 0.46.

[0063] When the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the ratio of the diameter of the helical antenna to the target wavelength is less than 0.18;

[0064] The target wavelength is the operating wavelength of the helical antenna.

[0065] Specifically, when the antenna is applied to a watch, the signal strength of the antenna can be acquired in real time during signal transmission. When the signal strength is lower than a preset signal strength threshold, the working mode of the antenna is switched to improve the signal transmission effect of the watch.

[0066] It is understood that the target range can be determined based on the operating frequency band of the helical antenna, wherein the target range can be the range of wavelengths corresponding to the operating frequency band of the helical antenna. The target wavelength can be any value within the target range. It should be noted that when the target wavelength takes any value within the target range, the following conditions are met: when the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the ratio of the diameter of the helical antenna to the target wavelength is between 0.18 and 0.46; when the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the ratio of the diameter of the helical antenna to the target wavelength is less than 0.18.

[0067] Since the helical antenna has the characteristics of large bandwidth and can integrate multiple frequency bands in one antenna, the operating frequency band can include multiple different frequency bands. In this way, in different signal transmission scenarios, the feed signal of different frequency bands can be fed into the helical antenna through the feed terminal 110 to realize the transmission of feed signals of different frequency bands.

[0068] In this embodiment, since the ratio of the diameter of the helical antenna to the target wavelength is between 0.18 and 0.46 when the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the main radiation direction of the helical antenna is oriented towards the axis of the helical antenna in the first operating mode. At this time, the main radiation direction of the helical antenna is located... Figure 3 The area indicated by the solid line frame on the outside of the watch. When the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the ratio of the diameter of the helical antenna to the target wavelength is less than 0.18. Therefore, in the second operating mode, the main radiation direction of the helical antenna is radially oriented towards the helical antenna. At this time, the main radiation direction of the helical antenna is located... Figure 3 The area indicated by the dashed box on the outside of the watch. This allows the main radiation direction of the helical antenna to switch between axial and radial directions.

[0069] Please see Figure 1-5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a watch provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The watch includes the antenna described in the above embodiment.

[0070] In this embodiment, since the watch includes the antenna described in the above embodiments, the watch can implement all the processes of the antenna in the above embodiments and has the same beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here to avoid repetition. Furthermore, when the user is in motion, the antenna's operating mode can be continuously adjusted. This ensures that, in scenarios such as positioning and communication, the antenna's main radiation pattern always points in the desired direction, thereby guaranteeing a good signal experience for the user in various usage scenarios.

[0071] Optionally, please see Figure 4-5 The watch also includes a housing 300, which includes at least one conductor 310, which is spaced apart from the helical antenna to form a director of the helical antenna.

[0072] The antenna is located inside the housing 300. Because the antenna is inside the housing 300, the design of the watch housing 300 is more flexible, which helps to improve the overall aesthetics of the watch. Please see... Figure 4 The watch also includes a watch strap 400, which is fixedly connected to the housing 300.

[0073] The aforementioned conductor 310 can form a portion of the outer casing 300, wherein the remaining areas of the outer casing 300, excluding the area where the conductor 310 is located, can be areas formed by an insulator. The conductor 310 can be various types of metallic conductors; for example, the material of the conductor 310 can be copper, aluminum, etc.

[0074] In this embodiment, the conductor 310 can serve as a parasitic structure of the antenna, thereby realizing the function of a director. In this way, the antenna gain can be further improved to a certain extent, and the antenna performance can be further enhanced.

[0075] Optionally, the conductor 310 is a strip conductor, and the length of the conductor 310 is less than half of the target wavelength, where the target wavelength is the operating wavelength of the helical antenna.

[0076] Specifically, when the length of the conductor 310 exceeds half the wavelength of the helical antenna, the conductor 310 may reflect the signal radiated by the helical antenna to a certain extent. Based on this, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, by setting the length of the conductor 310 to be less than half the target wavelength, the conductor 310 can be prevented from reflecting the radiated signal of the target wavelength. At the same time, it can also serve as a director to further improve the antenna gain.

[0077] Optionally, the target wavelength is the minimum value in the target region, and the target region is the interval formed by the operating wavelength of the helical antenna.

[0078] In this embodiment, since the target wavelength is the minimum value in the target region, when the operating wavelength of the helical antenna is any value in the target region, the condition that the length of the conductor 310 is set to be less than half of the target wavelength is met. That is, when the helical antenna is operating in any frequency band corresponding to the target region, the conductor 310 can avoid reflecting the signal radiated by the helical antenna. At the same time, it can also act as a director to further improve the antenna gain.

[0079] Optionally, please see Figure 4-5 The watch also includes a screen assembly 500, which is fixedly connected to the housing 300; the axis of the spiral antenna is parallel to the plane of the screen assembly 500.

[0080] The at least one conductor 310 includes a first conductor 311, a second conductor 312, a third conductor 313, and a fourth conductor 314. The first conductor 311 and the second conductor 312 are located on opposite sides of the radial direction of the helical antenna; the third conductor 313 and the fourth conductor 314 are located on opposite sides of the axial direction of the helical antenna.

[0081] like Figure 3As shown, in one embodiment of this disclosure, when the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the main radiation direction of the helical antenna is the axial direction; while when the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the main radiation direction of the helical antenna is the radial direction. Based on this, in this embodiment, by placing the first conductor 311 and the second conductor 312 on opposite radial sides of the helical antenna, and the third conductor 313 and the fourth conductor 314 on opposite axial sides of the helical antenna, the third conductor 313 and the fourth conductor 314 can function as directors when the helical antenna is in the first operating mode. When the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the first conductor 311 and the second conductor 312 can function as directors. This ensures that the helical antenna has good performance in all operating modes.

[0082] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this disclosure is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0083] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An antenna, characterized by The device includes a circuit board on which antenna traces are provided. The antenna traces are electrically connected to the feed terminals in the circuit board. The antenna traces include spiral traces and form the radiator of a spiral antenna. The spiral antenna can switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode. When the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the projected size of the helical antenna along the axial direction is the first size; When the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the projected size of the helical antenna along the axial direction is the second size, and the first size is larger than the second size; The circuit board includes a first sub-circuit board and a second sub-circuit board, which are stacked together. The antenna traces include a first trace layer located in the first sub-circuit board and a second trace layer located in the second sub-circuit board. The traces in the first trace layer are electrically connected to the traces in the second trace layer through vias.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first routing layer includes N first sub-routes, which are arranged sequentially at intervals along the extension direction of the axis, and the first ends of the N first sub-routes are respectively aligned and the second ends of the N first sub-routes are respectively aligned, where N is an integer greater than 2. The first sub-circuit board is provided with N-1 antenna switches. The first N-1 first sub-traces of the N first sub-traces respectively include a first segment and a second segment. The moving terminal of the i-th antenna switch is electrically connected to the first segment of the i-th first sub-traces. The first stationary terminal of the i-th antenna switch is electrically connected to the second segment of the i-th first sub-traces. The second stationary terminal of the i-th antenna switch is electrically connected to the trace in the second trace layer. i is an integer greater than or equal to 1. When the helical antenna is in the first working mode, the moving end and the first stationary end of each of the N-1 antenna switches are connected, and the moving end and the second stationary end of each of the N-1 antenna switches are disconnected. The N first sub-traces are connected to the traces in the second trace layer to form the first helical antenna. When the spiral antenna is in the second working mode, the moving end and the first stationary end of each of the N-1 antenna switches are disconnected, and the moving end and the second stationary end of each of the N-1 antenna switches are connected. The N-1 first segments of the first N-1 first sub-routes are connected to the routing in the second routing layer to form the second spiral antenna. Wherein, the projection dimension of the first helical trace along the axial direction is the first dimension, and the projection dimension of the second helical antenna along the axial direction is the second dimension.

3. The antenna of claim 2, wherein, The second routing layer includes N-1 second sub-routes, and the N first sub-routes are arranged sequentially at intervals along the extension direction of the axis, with the first ends of the N first sub-routes respectively aligned and the second ends of the N first sub-routes respectively aligned. Specifically, the first end of the i-th second sub-trace among the N-1 second sub-traces is electrically connected to the second end of the i-th first sub-trace via a via, and the second end of the i-th second sub-trace is electrically connected to the first end of the (i+1)-th first sub-trace via a via. When the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the N first sub-traces are connected to the N-1 second sub-traces to form the first helical trace; The i-th first sub-trace and the (i+1)-th first sub-trace are any two adjacent first sub-traces in a preset order, where the preset order is the order in which the N first sub-traces are arranged along one extension direction of the axis.

4. The antenna of claim 2, wherein, The second routing layer also includes N-1 third sub-routes; the second stationary terminal of the i-th antenna switch is electrically connected to the first terminal of the i-th third sub-route through a via, and the second terminal of the i-th third sub-route is electrically connected to the first terminal of the (i+1)-th first sub-route through a via. When the spiral antenna is in the second operating mode, the N-1 third sub-traces are connected to the N-1 first segments to form the second spiral trace; The i-th first sub-trace and the (i+1)-th first sub-trace are any two adjacent first sub-traces in a preset order, where the preset order is the order in which the N first sub-traces are arranged along one extension direction of the axis.

5. The antenna according to claim 2, wherein, The power supply terminal is electrically connected to the first segment of the first sub-trace among the N first sub-traces.

6. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The circuit board further includes a connecting plate. The first sub-circuit board and the second sub-circuit board are spaced apart. The connecting plate is disposed between the first sub-circuit board and the second sub-circuit board. The first sub-circuit board is connected to the second sub-circuit board through the connecting plate. The first sub-circuit board, the second sub-circuit board and the connecting plate together form a mounting cavity for mounting the target device.

7. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the helical antenna is in the first operating mode, the ratio of the diameter of the helical antenna to the target wavelength is between 0.18 and 0.

46. When the helical antenna is in the second operating mode, the ratio of the diameter of the helical antenna to the target wavelength is less than 0.18; The target wavelength is the operating wavelength of the helical antenna.

8. A watch, characterized in that, The antenna includes any one of claims 1-7.

9. The watch of claim 8, wherein, The watch also includes a housing, the housing including at least one conductor, the conductor being spaced apart from the helical antenna to form a director of the helical antenna.

10. The watch of claim 9, wherein, The conductor is a strip conductor, and the length of the conductor is less than half of the target wavelength, which is the operating wavelength of the helical antenna.

11. The watch of claim 10, wherein, The target wavelength is the minimum value in the target region, and the target region is the interval formed by the operating wavelength of the helical antenna.

12. The watch according to claim 9, characterized in that, The watch also includes a screen assembly, which is fixedly connected to the housing; the axis of the helical antenna is parallel to the plane of the screen assembly. The at least one conductor includes a first conductor, a second conductor, a third conductor, and a fourth conductor, wherein the first conductor and the second conductor are located on opposite radial sides of the helical antenna; and the third conductor and the fourth conductor are located on opposite axial sides of the helical antenna.

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