Transparent film antenna and communication equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a transparent film antenna and communication equipment. The transparent film antenna comprises an antenna pattern layer, the antenna pattern layer comprises a plurality of wires, the wires are copper wires, and a clearance area formed through laser controlled deep cutting processing is formed between any two adjacent wires; the antenna pattern layer is arranged on the substrate, the transparent substrate is laminated with the antenna pattern layer, the plurality of wires are arranged in the transparent substrate at intervals, and one end of each wire is flush with the first surface of the transparent substrate and is exposed on the first surface. The method does not need to additionally open a mold, can get rid of dependence on a high-precision imprinting mold, reduces the cost, and shortens the delivery time. In addition, the antenna pattern layer can be manufactured by using a copper foil in cooperation with a laser-controlled deep cutting process, the material cost is low, the square resistance is small, and the conductivity is good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of transparent film antennas, and in particular to a transparent film antenna and communication equipment. Background Art

[0002] Antennas, as a component that can transmit and receive electromagnetic waves, play an important role in wireless communication systems. In recent years, with the continuous development of wireless communication technology, people's requirements for wireless communication technology have also been continuously improved. Therefore, antennas have attracted more and more attention, and research on antennas has also been continuously deepened. In some special electronic equipment, traditional antennas not only affect the visual appearance, but also are not conducive to safety and concealment in actual environments. Since transparent conductive films have optical transparency and conductivity, they can be used to design transparent film antennas to achieve visual beauty, safety, reliability and good concealment. However, there is still a processing and manufacturing process from the design of transparent antennas to their actual use. The core of preparing transparent film antennas lies in the manufacture of antenna pattern layers. There are currently three main manufacturing processes on the market: nanoimprinting process, microcontact process and ultraviolet nanoimprinting process.

[0003] These processes require the use of high-precision imprint molds, and require multiple mold repairs or reprocessing, resulting in high costs and long delivery times. In addition, nanosilver and polymer resins are generally used to form conductive materials. The material cost of nanosilver is high, resulting in a high cost for the entire antenna. In addition, due to the polymer resin, the square resistance of the antenna pattern layer is large and the conductivity is poor. The thinner the antenna pattern layer, the more obvious this phenomenon is. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the present application provides a transparent film antenna and communication equipment, which can improve the existing transparent film antenna's dependence on high-precision imprinting molds and the resulting high costs, long delivery times and other problems.

[0005] The present application provides a transparent film antenna, comprising:

[0006] An antenna pattern layer, wherein the antenna pattern layer includes a plurality of wires, wherein the wires are copper wires, and an air avoidance zone formed by laser controlled deep cutting is formed between any two adjacent wires;

[0007] The plurality of wirings are arranged in the transparent substrate at intervals, and one end of each of the wirings is flush with the first surface of the transparent substrate and exposed to the first surface.

[0008] Optionally, the transparent film antenna further comprises a transparent double-sided adhesive tape, one side of which is attached to the first surface of the transparent substrate, and the other side of which allows the transparent film antenna to be attached to a target device.

[0009] Optionally, the transparent double-sided tape is an OCA or PET double-sided tape.

[0010] Optionally, the light transmittance of the transparent substrate is greater than or equal to 85%.

[0011] Optionally, the transparent substrate is a PET film.

[0012] Optionally, the transmittance of the transparent film antenna ranges from 70% to 100%.

[0013] Optionally, the antenna pattern layer is formed by laser controlled deep cutting of copper foil.

[0014] Optionally, the depth of the clearance area and the thickness of the antenna pattern layer are D2, and 0 < D2 ≤ 5.9 μm, and / or the width of the clearance area is the distance between two adjacent traces and is D3, satisfying D3 ≤ 6 μm.

[0015] Optionally, the clearance area is obtained by etching the groove formed by laser controlled deep cutting to remove the bottom of the groove.

[0016] Optionally, the thickness of the bottom of the groove is greater than or equal to 0.1 μm.

[0017] A communication device provided by this application includes the transparent film antenna described in any one of the above.

[0018] As described above, the antenna pattern layer of the transparent film antenna of this application is made by laser controlled deep cutting process. Laser controlled deep cutting itself has high precision and low cost, so there is no need to open additional molds, thus getting rid of the dependence on high-precision imprinting molds, reducing costs and shortening the delivery time. In addition, the traces in this application are copper wires, that is, this application can use copper foil combined with laser controlled deep cutting process to manufacture the antenna pattern layer, with low material cost, small sheet resistance and excellent conductivity. And, this application uses a transparent substrate and an antenna pattern layer to be laminated to form a transparent film antenna, rather than using processes such as imprinting, printing, spraying, sputtering, etc. on the transparent substrate in the prior art to form a transparent film antenna, and the manufacturing process is relatively simplified. Description of the Drawings

[0019] Figure 1 is a partial structural schematic diagram of a transparent film antenna provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a scenario for manufacturing a transparent film antenna provided by an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Substrate 1

[0022] Conductive Substrate 2

[0023] Antenna pattern layer 2a groove / avoidance area 20 routing 21

[0024] Transparent substrate 3

[0025] Reinforcement layer 4

[0026] Transparent double-sided tape 5 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present application provides a transparent film antenna and a communication device. The two protection themes are based on the same concept, and the principles of solving the problems are basically the same or similar. The implementation methods of each protection theme can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0028] The transparent film antenna comprises an antenna pattern layer and a transparent substrate, wherein the antenna pattern layer comprises a plurality of routing lines, wherein the routing lines are copper wires, and an air avoidance zone formed by laser-controlled deep cutting is formed between any two adjacent routing lines; the plurality of routing lines are arranged at intervals in the transparent substrate, and one end of each routing line is flush with the first surface of the transparent substrate and exposed to the first surface.

[0029] Here, the antenna pattern layer of the transparent film antenna of the present application is made by a laser-controlled deep cutting process. The laser-controlled deep cutting process itself has high precision and low cost. Therefore, the present application does not need to open an additional mold, so as to get rid of the dependence on high-precision imprinting molds, reduce costs and shorten delivery time. In addition, the routing of the present application is a copper wire, that is, the antenna pattern layer of the present application can be made using copper foil in combination with a laser-controlled deep cutting process, with low material cost, small square resistance and excellent conductivity. Moreover, the transparent film antenna of the present application is formed by laminating a transparent substrate and an antenna pattern layer, rather than the prior art using embossing, printing, spraying, sputtering and other processes on a transparent substrate to form a transparent film antenna, and the process is relatively simplified. The transmittance of the transparent film antenna prepared by the present application can be between 70% and 100%, which has the advantages of meeting existing industry needs and exceeding the current process level.

[0030] The type, specific structural design, length, thickness and other parameters of the transparent film antenna can be determined according to the actual adaptability required. For example, the transparent film antenna can be an ultra-wideband antenna, which can be suitable for high-precision positioning equipment, including but not limited to handheld devices such as mobile phones and wearable devices such as smart glasses.

[0031] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions of the present application will be clearly described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and their technical features can be combined with each other and also belong to the technical solutions of the present application.

[0032] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the partial structure of a transparent film antenna provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the transparent film antenna includes an antenna pattern layer 2a and a transparent substrate 3.

[0033] The antenna pattern layer 2 a includes a plurality of wirings 21 , wherein the wirings 21 are copper wires, and an avoidance area 20 formed by laser controlled deep cutting is formed between any two adjacent wirings 21 .

[0034] The transparent substrate 3 is laminated with the antenna pattern layer 2a, and the plurality of traces 21 are arranged in the transparent substrate 3 at intervals, and one end of each trace 21 is in contact with the first surface (eg Figure 1 The upper surface shown in FIG. 1 is flush with and exposed to the first surface, and the second surface of the transparent substrate 3 is arranged opposite to the first surface.

[0035] In other examples, the transparent film antenna may further include a transparent double-sided adhesive tape 5, one side of which is attached to the first surface of the transparent substrate 3, and the other side of which allows the transparent film antenna to be attached to the target device. In a scenario where the transparent film antenna is not provided with the transparent double-sided adhesive tape 5, the transparent film antenna may be attached to the target device using glue or the like.

[0036] The transparent double-sided adhesive 5 includes but is not limited to at least one of OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive) and PET (Polyethylene terephthalate). The transmittance of OCA is generally above 90%, and the shrinkage is small when cured at room temperature or medium temperature. The orthographic projection of the antenna pattern layer 2a and the transparent substrate 3 can fall within the orthographic projection of the transparent double-sided adhesive 5. Figure 1 The exemplary display in FIG. 1 is that the two completely overlap each other vertically.

[0037] Combine the following Figure 2 , introducing the manufacturing principle and process of the transparent film antenna.

[0038] S1: providing a substrate substrate and a conductive substrate layered on the substrate substrate.

[0039] Combination Figure 2 As shown, when viewed perpendicular to the layer arrangement direction, the orthographic projection of the conductive substrate 2 falls within the orthographic projection of the substrate 1. Figure 2 The exemplary display in FIG. 1 is that the two completely overlap each other vertically.

[0040] The substrate base material 1 and the conductive base material 2 can both be copper foils, and their thicknesses can be different. The thickness of the substrate base material 1 is greater than that of the conductive base material 2. For example, the thickness of the conductive base material 2 is D1, and 0 < D1 ≤ 6 μm, and the thickness of the substrate base material 1 is D0, and D0 ≥ 9 μm.

[0041] S2: Perform laser controlled deep cutting on the conductive base material to process the conductive base material into an antenna pattern layer with a number of grooves. Among them, the grooves define the trace distance of the antenna pattern layer, and the part between two adjacent grooves forms the trace of the antenna pattern layer.

[0042] Continue to refer to Figure 2 , the so-called laser controlled deep cutting is to use the laser emitted by the laser device to perform deep cutting on the surface of the conductive base material 2 to form grooves 20 with a preset pattern on the conductive base material 2. Each groove 20 is the blank area between two adjacent traces 21 in the antenna pattern layer 2a, so as to define the trace distance of the antenna pattern layer 2a (the distance between two adjacent traces 21). Correspondingly, the part between two adjacent grooves 20, that is, the part of the conductive base material 2 that is retained, forms the trace 21 of the antenna pattern layer 2a.

[0043] In one example, the depth of the groove 20 is less than the thickness of the conductive base material 2, and the bottom of the groove 20 does not expose the substrate base material 1, that is, the laser does not penetrate the conductive base material 2.

[0044] The width of the groove 20 (that is, the length along the horizontal direction x parallel to the conductive base material 2) can be greater than or equal to 6 μm, and the part between two adjacent grooves 20 (that is, the width of a single trace 21) can be less than or equal to 6 μm. It should be understood that the widths of the traces 21 can be the same or different; the widths of the grooves 20 can be the same or different; for any single groove 20, along its extending direction, the width of the groove 20 can be always the same, and for any single trace 21, along its extending direction, the width of the trace 21 can be always the same; in addition, at least one of the widths of the traces 21, the widths of the grooves 20, and the depths of the grooves 20 can be determined adaptively according to the actual scenario requirements, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit them. For example, for the scenario where the thickness of the aforementioned conductive base material 2 satisfies 0 < D1 ≤ 6 μm, the thickness of the bottom of the groove 20 can be greater than or equal to 0.1 μm. Therefore, the depth of the clearance area 20 and the thickness D2 of the antenna pattern layer 2a both satisfy 0 < D2 ≤ 5.9 μm; and / or, the width of the clearance area 20 and the distance between two adjacent traces 21 are both D3, and satisfy D3 ≤ 6 μm.

[0045] S3: Press a transparent base material on the antenna pattern layer, and the transparent base material fills each groove.

[0046] Please continue to refer to Figure 2 As shown, the transparent substrate 3 can be a mixed film, for example, it is composed of a PET film and a transparent adhesive. The transparent adhesive is used to adhere the PET film to the antenna pattern layer 2a, and the optional transparent adhesive is filled in the groove 20 and the junction between the wiring 21 and the PET film, so that after the transparent adhesive is cured, the transparent substrate 3 and the antenna pattern layer 2a are cured together. The upper surface of the transparent substrate 3 is a horizontal plane.

[0047] In one example, the light transmittance of the transparent substrate 3 can be greater than or equal to 85%, thereby ensuring that the transparent film antenna finally manufactured has good light transmittance. The thickness of the transparent substrate 3 can be determined adaptively, for example, Figure 2 In the exemplary scenario shown, the thickness of the transparent substrate 3 may be greater than or equal to 5 μm, and the thickness of the transparent adhesive may be greater than or equal to 5 μm.

[0048] Continue reading Figure 2 The method may further include step S31: providing a reinforcing layer 4 on the transparent substrate 3. The reinforcing layer 4 is provided on the side of the transparent substrate 3 facing away from the antenna pattern layer 2a. The reinforcing layer 4 can support the strength of the product during the manufacturing process, thereby reducing the poor appearance caused by wrinkles, warping, etc.

[0049] In one example, the reinforcement layer 4 may be a PET film with a thickness greater than or equal to 25 μm.

[0050] In the present application, the reinforcing layer 4 can be covered on the upper surface of the transparent substrate 3 by a pressure-resistant bonding process, and when observed in a direction perpendicular to the transparent substrate 3, the orthographic projection of the transparent substrate 3 can fall within the orthographic projection of the reinforcing layer 4. Figure 2 The exemplary display in FIG. 1 is that the two completely overlap each other vertically.

[0051] It should be understood that, depending on the actual scenarios such as the thickness of the substrate 1, the conductive substrate 2 and the transparent substrate 3, and the processing capabilities of the production equipment, the reinforcing layer 4 may not be provided in the present application.

[0052] S4: Peeling off the substrate, the antenna pattern layer and the transparent substrate to form a transparent film antenna.

[0053] Continue reading Figure 2 , turn the product with the reinforcement layer 4 upside down, and peel the substrate base material 1 from the antenna pattern layer 2a. During the peeling process, the strength of the product is supported by the reinforcement layer 4, thereby reducing the occurrence of wrinkles, warping and other defects on the antenna pattern layer 2a and the transparent substrate 3.

[0054] Then, combine Figure 2As shown, the method further includes step S41: etching the antenna pattern layer 2a to remove the bottom of the groove 20, that is, thinning the thickness of the antenna pattern layer 2a by etching, so as to expose the portion of the transparent substrate 3 that was originally blocked by the bottom of the groove 20, and ensure that the traces 21 in the antenna pattern layer 2a are not connected. At this time, the remaining antenna pattern layer 2a and the transparent substrate 3 form a transparent film antenna. In one example, the etching process can be a rapid etching or micro-etching process. It can be seen that the air avoidance area 20 is obtained by etching the groove 20 formed by the laser controlled deep cutting process to remove the bottom of the groove 20.

[0055] Continue reading Figure 2 , and combined with Figure 2 As shown, the method may further include step S42: attaching one side of the transparent double-sided adhesive tape 5 to the antenna pattern layer 2a, so as to allow the transparent film antenna to be attached to the target device through the other side of the transparent double-sided adhesive tape 5.

[0056] After attachment, the traces of the antenna pattern layer 2 a are in direct contact with the transparent double-sided tape 5 .

[0057] After attaching one side of the transparent double-sided tape 5 to the antenna pattern layer 2a, Figure 2 As shown, the method may further include step S43: peeling off the reinforcing layer 4. At this point, the transparent film antenna finally formed includes the antenna pattern layer 2a, the transparent substrate 3 and the transparent double-sided adhesive tape 5. Of course, the transparent double-sided adhesive tape 5 may also be peeled off when or after the transparent film antenna is attached to the target device.

[0058] As described above, the present application adopts a laser-controlled deep cutting process to manufacture the antenna pattern layer 2a. Laser-controlled deep cutting itself has high precision and low cost, so there is no need to open an additional mold, thereby getting rid of the dependence on high-precision imprinting molds, reducing costs and shortening delivery time.

[0059] In addition, the present application can use copper foil in conjunction with a laser-controlled deep cutting process to manufacture the antenna pattern layer 2a. Compared with the existing conductive materials composed of nanosilver and polymer resin, the present application uses lower-cost copper foil to manufacture conductive materials (such as the aforementioned conductive substrate 2 and traces 21), thereby greatly reducing material costs. Moreover, since copper foil is used and there is no need to use polymer resin, the influence of polymer resin on square resistance and conductivity can be eliminated, so that the product manufactured by the present application has a small square resistance and excellent conductivity.

[0060] In addition, the present application uses a transparent substrate 3 and an antenna pattern layer 2a to be pressed together to form the transparent film antenna, rather than using embossing, printing, spraying, sputtering and other processes on the transparent substrate 3 as in the prior art to form the transparent film antenna. The pressing process of the present application is relatively simplified; further, after the laser controlled deep cutting process, the bottom of the groove 20 does not expose the substrate 1, that is, the conductive substrate 2 is not engraved through, which can prevent the transparent substrate 3 from being cured together with the substrate 1 through the groove 20 when the transparent substrate 3 and the antenna pattern layer 2a are pressed together, thereby avoiding the inability to peel off the substrate 1.

[0061] The present application can also utilize the peelable substrate base material 1 and the reinforcing layer 4 to support the strength of the product during the manufacturing process, thereby reducing the poor appearance caused by wrinkles, warping, etc.

[0062] It should be understood that the manufacturing method of the transparent film antenna is a complete manufacturing process, which also includes steps involved in other processes. Please refer to the prior art and the embodiments of the present application will not be described in detail.

[0063] A communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a transparent film antenna as described in any of the above examples. Therefore, the communication device has the beneficial effects that can be produced by the transparent film antenna in the corresponding example, which will not be described in detail here. The communication device includes but is not limited to handheld devices such as mobile phones and wearable devices such as smart glasses.

[0064] It should be understood that the transparent film antenna and communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application correspond to complete devices respectively, and also have the corresponding structures of known complete devices. For example, the transparent film antenna is also provided with a radiation plate connected to the wiring 21 and used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals, various feeding points for connecting the wiring 21 to electricity, and grounding points, etc., which are not described one by one here.

[0065] The above descriptions are only some embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, all equivalent structural changes made using the contents of this specification and drawings are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

[0066] It should be understood that the step codes such as S1, S2, etc. are intended to express the corresponding content more clearly and concisely, and do not constitute a substantial limitation on the order. When implementing the step codes, those skilled in the art may, for example, execute S3 first and then S2, etc., and all of these should be within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0067] Although the terms "first, second", etc. are used herein to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. In addition, the singular forms "one", "an", and "the" are intended to include plural forms as well. The terms "or" and "and / or" are interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination. Only when the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way, an exception to this definition will occur.

[0068] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", and "counterclockwise" indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the technical solutions of the corresponding embodiments, rather than indicating or implying that a device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

Claims

1. A transparent film antenna, characterized in that: Comprising: An antenna pattern layer, the antenna pattern layer includes a plurality of traces, the traces are copper wires, and an air clearance area formed by laser controlled deep cutting is formed between any two adjacent traces; A transparent substrate, the transparent substrate is laminated with the antenna pattern layer, the plurality of traces are arranged at intervals within the transparent substrate, and one end of each trace is flush with the first surface of the transparent substrate and exposed on the first surface.

2. The transparent film antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transparent film antenna further includes a transparent double-sided adhesive, one side of the transparent double-sided adhesive is attached to the first surface of the transparent substrate, and the other side of the transparent double-sided adhesive allows the transparent film antenna to be attached to a target device.

3. The transparent film antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transparent double-sided adhesive is an OCA or PET double-sided adhesive.

4. The transparent film antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The light transmittance of the transparent substrate is greater than or equal to 85%.

5. The transparent film antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transparent substrate is a PET film.

6. The transparent film antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light transmittance of the transparent film antenna is between 70% and 100%.

7. The transparent film antenna according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that: The antenna pattern layer is formed by laser controlled deep cutting of copper foil, the depth of the air clearance area and the thickness of the antenna pattern layer are D2, and 0 < D2 ≤ 5.9 μm, and / or, the width of the air clearance area is the distance between two adjacent traces and is D3, satisfying D3 ≤ 6 μm.

8. The transparent film antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air clearance area is obtained by etching the groove formed by laser controlled deep cutting to remove the bottom of the groove.

9. The transparent film antenna according to claim 8, characterized in that: The thickness of the bottom of the groove is greater than or equal to 0.1 μm.

10. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes the transparent film antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 9 above.

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