Built-in antenna

Abstract

The invention relates to a built-in antenna. The built-in antenna includes a first printed circuit board (PCB) having antenna areas arranged such that at least one antenna area is arranged at each of corners of the first PCB. The antenna regions are spaced apart from each other, and the circuit components are arranged in regions other than the antenna regions. The second PCB has first antenna patterns respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the antenna areas on the first PCB. The third PCB is vertically coupled to the first PCB and the second PCB to electrically connect them. The second PCB includes a second antenna pattern disposed in a region other than a region in which the first antenna pattern is disposed. This increases design freedom and improves bandwidth and efficiency by arranging each antenna in a plate-like structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a built-in antenna, and more particularly, to a built-in antenna installed in a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] An audio, video, navigation (AVN) system installed in a vehicle (i.e., a head unit) is a multimedia system that integrates an audio unit, a video unit, a telematics unit including navigation, etc. into one unit, and not only provides user convenience for intensive operation of various multimedia devices, but also provides the advantage of efficient use of space (such as the dashboard and center panel of the vehicle).

[0003] In order to provide services included in the head unit as described above, such as GPS for navigation, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) for telematics, and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) / Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) / Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) for broadcasting, an external roof antenna is mounted on the roof panel of the vehicle.

[0004] The external ceiling antenna is mounted and fixed on the ceiling panel, and is connected to the transmission / reception unit included in the head unit through a coaxial cable to achieve signal exchange. The process of installing the external ceiling antenna is achieved by inserting a bolt integrally formed or mounted on the bottom surface of the base of the ceiling antenna into the ceiling hole of the ceiling panel, and then tightening a nut from the bottom of the ceiling panel. Therefore, the service signal detected from the external ceiling antenna is transmitted to the transmission / reception unit included in the head unit through the coaxial cable, and the telematics and broadcast information including the navigation of the head unit are acquired.

[0005] However, conventional external ceiling antennas have the following problems.

[0006] First, although the external ceiling antenna of the head unit and the transmission / reception unit are connected by a coaxial cable to provide each service, in order to apply a system requiring two or more antennas, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Vehicle to X [V2X (vehicle or infrastructure)], more coaxial cables are required. As a result, there is a possibility that signal attenuation and degradation due to signal attenuation may occur due to the adoption of many coaxial cables.

[0007] Second, in order to assemble the external roof antenna to the ceiling panel, since the bolts formed on the antenna base of the external roof antenna are inserted into the ceiling holes and then installed on the vehicle body from the inside of the vehicle body using nuts, in order to ensure waterproof performance after assembly, a separate gasket should be installed on the antenna and then the nuts should be tightened, so there is a risk that the assembly feasibility is poor and the waterproof performance may be reduced due to aging of the gasket.

[0008] Third, since the entire antenna module should be developed according to the design and color specifications of the external roof antenna, various roof antenna specifications should be developed for each vehicle type, and the number of coaxial cables increases according to the wireless specifications, there are disadvantages in that the number of antennas that can be integrated is limited and the scalability is poor.

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the development of built-in antennas has been carried out recently. However, the built-in antennas currently on the market are constructed by designing each antenna as a single structure in a limited space. Therefore, there is a problem in that the bandwidth of a general monopole open-circuit resonator is narrow and it is difficult to expand the bandwidth, and since the bandwidth should be expanded by adding a complex pattern in a limited effective area, there is a problem of deterioration in radiation performance. Summary of the invention

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention aim to increase design freedom and improve bandwidth and efficiency by arranging each antenna in a plate-like structure.

[0011] In a general aspect, a built-in antenna includes: a first printed circuit board (PCB) arranged at a corner, including at least one antenna area arranged to be spaced a predetermined distance apart, and having circuit components arranged in an area other than the antenna area; a second PCB having a first antenna pattern arranged at a position corresponding to the antenna area; and a third PCB vertically coupled to the first PCB and the second PCB to electrically connect the first PCB and the second PCB, wherein the second PCB may include an additional pattern area in which at least one second antenna pattern is arranged in an area other than the area in which the first antenna pattern is arranged.

[0012] The second PCB may have an auxiliary pattern arranged at a position adjacent to the first antenna pattern.

[0013] The auxiliary pattern may be formed of a copper foil.

[0014] The third PCB may connect a feeding unit included in the antenna region and a feeding unit of the first antenna pattern.

[0015] When the second antenna pattern is arranged on the second PCB, the third PCB may connect a feeding unit included in the first PCB and a feeding unit of the second antenna pattern.

[0016] The second antenna pattern may be spaced apart a certain distance from the first antenna pattern, and may be arranged in a cross shape.

[0017] The second antenna pattern may be short-circuited with the first PCB through the third PCB.

[0018] The first antenna pattern and the second antenna pattern may include a short-circuit resonator and an open-circuit resonator.

[0019] The open-circuit resonator may be disposed on a first surface of the second PCB, and the short-circuit resonator may be disposed on a second surface of the second PCB. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a built-in antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of a second PCB according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of a second PCB according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] According to the detailed description provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. The following is only for the purpose of describing the embodiment of the concept according to the present invention to illustrate a specific structure or function description, and the embodiment of the concept according to the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described in this article or in the application. Since the embodiment of the concept according to the present disclosure can be modified differently and can have several forms, a specific embodiment will be shown in the drawings and will be described in detail in this specification or in the application. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to a specific embodiment, but includes all modifications, equivalents and replacements that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Terms such as "first", "second", etc. can be used to describe various components, but these components should not be interpreted as being limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component can be named as the second component, and the second component can also be named as the first component. It should be understood that when a component is referred to as being connected to or coupled to another component, it can be directly connected to or directly coupled to another component, or connected to or coupled to another component, wherein other components are interposed between them. On the other hand, it should be understood that when a component is referred to as being directly connected to or directly coupled to another component, it can be connected to or coupled to another component without other components being interposed between them. Other expressions used to describe the relationship between components, such as between and immediately between or adjacent and immediately adjacent, etc., should be similarly interpreted. The terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments rather than to limit the present disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is intended to include the plural form. It should be understood that the terms "including", "having", etc. used in this specification specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in this specification, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. Unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the specification have the same meaning as those terms commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The terms commonly used and defined in the dictionary should be interpreted as having the same meaning as the meaning within the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted as ideal or overly formal meanings unless clearly indicated in this specification. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals proposed in each of the accompanying drawings represent the same components.

[0024] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a built-in antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Reference Figure 1, the built-in antenna according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a first PCB 100 , a second PCB 200 , and a third PCB 300 .

[0026] First, the first PCB 100 may include: at least one antenna region 110, which is arranged at each corner of the first PCB 100 and is spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance; and a circuit component mounting region 120, in which the circuit components are arranged in a region other than the antenna region 110. In addition, each antenna region 110 may include a feeding unit 50 for electrical connection. An antenna and an antenna component for communication are arranged in the antenna region 110, and circuit components for operating the built-in antenna according to the present invention, such as a resistor and a power supply unit, may be mounted in the circuit component mounting region 120.

[0027] The second PCB 200 is arranged to face the first PCB 100, and may include at least one first antenna pattern 210 arranged on the second PCB at a position corresponding to the antenna area 110 of the first PCB 100. The second PCB also includes an additional pattern area 230 in which other separate antenna patterns may be arranged. In addition, the second PCB 200 may have an auxiliary pattern 220 arranged at a position adjacent to the first antenna pattern 210 to ensure isolation of each antenna. The auxiliary pattern 220 may be formed of copper foil and may help improve the performance of the built-in antenna by ensuring isolation of each antenna. In addition, the first antenna pattern 210 may include a feeding unit 50 for electrical connection.

[0028] The third PCB 300 may be vertically coupled between the first PCB 100 and the second PCB 200. In addition, the third PCB 300 includes a feeding unit 50 to connect the antenna region 110 of the first PCB 100 and the feeding unit of the first antenna pattern 210 of the second PCB 200, and may electrically connect the first PCB 100 and the second PCB 200. In addition, the third PCB 300 may be provided in a plurality of numbers to connect the feeding unit 50 of each antenna region 110 and the first antenna pattern 210.

[0029] Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of the second PCB 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Reference Figure 2 , the second PCB 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a first antenna pattern 210 , an auxiliary pattern 220 , an additional pattern area 230 , and a second antenna pattern 240 .

[0031] The first antenna pattern 210 may be arranged at a position corresponding to the antenna region 110 of the first PCB 100, and may be electrically connected to the antenna region 110 of the first PCB 100 through the feed unit 50 and the third PCB 300. The first antenna pattern 210 may be designed so that the feeding point of each pattern is positioned as far away as possible to ensure isolation from each other. In addition, each first antenna pattern 210 may be arranged so that the beam pattern directions do not overlap with each other. The shape and structure of the first antenna pattern 210 may be formed differently according to the embodiment.

[0032] The second PCB 200 has a plate-like structure, and the second antenna pattern 240 can be arranged as an additional pattern area 230 in the remaining area except the area where the first antenna pattern 210 is arranged. The second antenna pattern 240 is an antenna pattern that performs a different function from the first antenna pattern 210, and the built-in antenna according to the present invention can additionally arrange the second antenna pattern 240 in the additional pattern area 230 to ensure antenna bandwidth and additional functions.

[0033] The auxiliary pattern 220 may be arranged at a position adjacent to the first antenna pattern 210 so that isolation of each first antenna pattern 210 can be ensured. The auxiliary pattern 220 may be formed of a copper foil to ensure isolation, and may be arranged to surround the first antenna pattern 210. The shape, length, thickness, etc. of the auxiliary pattern 220 may vary according to the embodiment.

[0034] In addition, the first antenna pattern 210 and the second antenna pattern 240 may include an open resonator and a short resonator. Figure 3 Configurations of the first to second antenna patterns 210 to 240 are described in detail.

[0035] Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of a second PCB 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Reference Figure 3 , the second PCB 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a first antenna pattern 210 , an additional pattern area 230 , and a second antenna pattern 240 .

[0037] The first antenna pattern 210 may be arranged at a position corresponding to the antenna region 110 of the first PCB 100, and may be electrically connected to the antenna region 110 of the first PCB 100 through the feed unit 50 and the third PCB 300. The first antenna pattern 210 may be designed so that the feeding point of each pattern is positioned as far away as possible to ensure isolation from each other. In addition, each first antenna pattern 210 may be arranged so that the beam pattern directions do not overlap with each other. The shape and structure of the first antenna pattern 210 may be formed differently according to the embodiment.

[0038] The second PCB 200 has a plate-like structure, and the second antenna pattern 240 may be arranged as an additional pattern area 230 in the remaining area except the area where the first antenna pattern 210 is arranged, and the second antenna pattern 240 is an antenna pattern that performs a different function from the first antenna pattern 210, and the built-in antenna according to the present invention may additionally arrange the second antenna pattern 240 in the additional pattern area 230 to ensure antenna bandwidth and additional functions. In addition, the isolation of each first antenna pattern 210 may be improved by arranging the second antenna pattern 240 in a cross shape on the second PCB 200. The second antenna pattern 240 may be short-circuited with the first PCB 100 through the third PCB 300. In addition, in some cases, the second antenna pattern 240 may have a structure that operates independently without being connected to the first PCB 100.

[0039] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are only used to explain and not to limit the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the technical spirit of the present invention includes not only each disclosed embodiment, but also a combination of disclosed embodiments, and further, the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. In addition, without departing from the spirit and scope of the attached claims, a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure may make many modifications and changes to the present disclosure. In addition, it should be considered that all these modifications and changes fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A built-in antenna, comprising: a first PCB, the PCB being a printed circuit board, the first PCB comprising a plurality of corners, the first PCB comprising a plurality of antenna areas, at least one of the antenna areas being arranged at each of the corners of the first PCB, and the antenna areas being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, the first PCB further comprising circuit components arranged in an area of ​​the first PCB other than the antenna area; a second PCB, the second PCB facing the first PCB, wherein the second PCB includes a plurality of first antenna patterns respectively arranged at positions corresponding to the plurality of antenna areas on the first PCB; and a third PCB vertically coupled to the first PCB and the second PCB to electrically connect the first PCB and the second PCB, Wherein, in addition to the area of ​​the second PCB where the first antenna pattern is arranged, the second PCB includes at least one additional pattern area where at least one second antenna pattern is arranged.

2. The internal antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The second PCB further includes an auxiliary pattern arranged at a position adjacent to at least one of the first antenna patterns.

3. The internal antenna according to claim 2, wherein: The auxiliary pattern is formed of copper foil.

4. The internal antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The third PCB connects a feeding unit included in one of the antenna regions and a feeding unit of one of the first antenna patterns.

5. The internal antenna according to claim 1, wherein: When the second antenna pattern is arranged on the second PCB, the third PCB connects a feeding unit included in the first PCB and a feeding unit of the second antenna pattern.

6. The internal antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The second antenna pattern is spaced apart from one of the first antenna patterns by a prescribed distance and is arranged in a cross shape.

7. The internal antenna according to claim 6, wherein: The second antenna pattern is positioned to be short-circuited with the first PCB through the third PCB.

8. The internal antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The first antenna pattern and the second antenna pattern include a short-circuit resonator and an open-circuit resonator.

9. The internal antenna according to claim 8, wherein: The open resonator is arranged on the first surface of the second PCB, and The short-circuit resonator is arranged on the second surface of the second PCB.

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