Antenna module and communication device

Abstract

The application provides an antenna module and a communication device. The antenna module comprises: a circuit board comprising a first surface and a second surface arranged oppositely, the circuit board being provided with a plurality of first through holes and second through holes, a first conductive column in the first through hole, and a second conductive column in the second through hole; a plurality of radiation sheets arranged on the first surface of the circuit board; a plurality of ground metal sheets arranged on the second surface of the circuit board and provided with a hollow area; wherein the radiation sheet and the ground metal sheet are coupled through the corresponding first conductive column to form an antenna assembly, the first end of the second conductive column is coupled with the radiation sheet, and the second end of the second conductive column is arranged oppositely with the edge of the hollow area to serve as a feed point of the antenna assembly. Based on the application, the size of the UWB antenna can be reduced, and high bandwidth and good isolation can be realized while meeting the miniaturization design requirement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of antenna technology, specifically to an antenna module and communication equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of smart devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), integration, miniaturization, low latency, and high transmission rates are becoming the future trends in smart communication devices. As smart communication devices become increasingly smaller and the surrounding metallic environments become more complex, antenna design space becomes limited, making it difficult to ensure antenna performance meets design requirements within a confined space. Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, due to its advantages of low power consumption, high data rates, and strong anti-interference capabilities, has been widely used in smartphones and wearable devices, smart homes, automotive electronics, medical monitoring, and radar detection. With the application of UWB antenna technology in various devices, antennas need to simultaneously meet the requirements of miniaturization, high isolation, and wide beamwidth. Traditional UWB antennas are typically large, with a relatively simple structure and occupy more design space. If multiple antennas are required, they will crowd out other surrounding components. Miniaturization inevitably reduces beamwidth and leads to mutual interference between antennas, resulting in poor isolation and failing to meet the requirements of existing UWB products. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, this application provides an antenna module and communication device that can improve the problems of insufficient miniaturization, low bandwidth and poor isolation of traditional UWB antennas.

[0004] This application provides an antenna module, comprising: A circuit board includes a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other. The circuit board is provided with a plurality of first through holes and second through holes, as well as a first conductive post located in the first through hole and a second conductive post located in the second through hole. Several radiating sheets are disposed on the first surface of the circuit board; Several grounding metal sheets are disposed on the second surface of the circuit board, and a cutout area is formed therein; The radiating sheet and the grounding metal sheet are coupled together through corresponding first conductive posts to form an antenna assembly. The first end of the second conductive post is coupled to the radiating sheet, and the second end is located in the hollow area and is positioned opposite to the edge of the hollow area to serve as the feed point of the antenna assembly.

[0005] Optionally, the first end of the first conductive post is coupled to the radiating plate, and the second end is coupled to the grounding metal plate. The coupling point between the second end of the first conductive post and the grounding metal plate serves as the grounding feed point of the antenna assembly.

[0006] Optionally, the radiating sheet has a plurality of third through holes, the grounding metal sheet has a plurality of fourth through holes, and the first end of the first conductive post extends and is inserted into the corresponding third through hole, and the second end extends and is inserted into the corresponding fourth through hole.

[0007] Optionally, the radiating sheet has two or more third through holes, and each fourth through hole is vertically aligned with the corresponding third through hole.

[0008] Optionally, the radiating sheet has a plurality of fifth through holes; the first end of the second conductive post extends and is inserted into the corresponding fifth through hole, and the second end extends and is inserted into the hollow area; or, the first end of the second conductive post extends and is inserted into the corresponding fifth through hole, and the second end does not extend and is inserted into the hollow area.

[0009] Optionally, the radiating sheet has one of the fifth through holes.

[0010] Optionally, along a direction perpendicular to the circuit board, the second end of the second conductive post and the cutout area are both circular and concentrically arranged.

[0011] Optionally, along a direction perpendicular to the circuit board, the orthographic projection of the radiating sheet falls within the orthographic projection of the corresponding grounding metal sheet.

[0012] Optionally, both the radiating sheet and the grounding metal sheet are elongated strips, and the radiating sheet and the grounding metal sheet are arranged parallel to each other in their length directions.

[0013] This application provides a communication device including an antenna module as described in any of the above claims.

[0014] As described above, in the antenna module and communication equipment of this application, the antenna assembly is formed by the radiating plates and grounding metal plates on the two surfaces of the circuit board. That is, each antenna assembly includes radiating plates and grounding metal plates stacked together. This makes the overall antenna footprint smaller, allowing high bandwidth and good isolation to be achieved while meeting the requirements of miniaturization design. In addition, it can be applied to a wide variety of communication equipment, with strong versatility. Furthermore, by reasonably changing the size of either of the two radiating plates to adjust the overlap area, the resonant frequency of the antenna can be better adjusted, thereby effectively improving bandwidth and efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an antenna module provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The antenna module shown is a top view of the first surface; Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The antenna module shown is a top view of the second surface; Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the antenna module along the A-A' direction; Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the antenna module along the B-B' direction. Figure 6 yes Figure 2 An enlarged schematic diagram of the structure of one of the radiating plates is shown; Figure 7 yes Figure 3 An enlarged schematic diagram of the structure of one of the grounding metal plates is shown; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the radiation direction of the four antenna components in the horizontal and vertical directions of this application.

[0016] First direction x, second direction y, third direction z; Antenna module 100, circuit board 1, antenna assembly 2, first surface 1a, second surface 1b, first through hole 1c, second through hole 1d, first conductive post 111, second conductive post 112, radiating sheet 21, grounding metal sheet 22, hollow area 22a, third through hole 211, fourth through hole 221, fifth through hole 212. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To address the aforementioned technical problems in the existing technology, the antenna module and communication equipment of this application utilize the original grounding metal sheet of the circuit board to form each antenna component. Each antenna component is formed by stacking radiating sheets and grounding metal sheets on two surfaces of the circuit board. This allows the entire antenna to achieve high bandwidth and good isolation while meeting the requirements of miniaturization design.

[0018] The specific form of the shape, quantity, size, and other parameters of any of the radiating sheet, grounding metal sheet, and circuit board can be determined according to the adaptability required by the actual scenario, and this application does not limit it.

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and their technical features can be combined with each other, and also belong to the technical solutions of this application.

[0020] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the technical solutions of the corresponding embodiments, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. They should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0021] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 7 As shown, an antenna module 100 according to an embodiment of this application includes a circuit board 1, a plurality of radiating plates 21, and a plurality of grounding metal plates 22. The number and position of the radiating plates 21 and the grounding metal plates 22 can be adapted to actual needs. For example, the number of radiating plates 21 can be equal to the number of grounding metal plates 22. This application does not limit this. The figure shows four radiating plates 21 and four grounding metal plates 22, respectively located in the four corner areas of the circuit board 1, which is only an example. The grounding metal plates 22 can be regarded as the grounding terminals originally present on the circuit board 1.

[0022] For ease of description and understanding, and considering the placement shown in the diagram, the length direction of the antenna module 100 is referred to as the first direction x, the height direction or thickness direction as the second direction y, and the width direction as the third direction z. The first direction x, the second direction y, and the third direction z are all perpendicular to each other and can be considered as the three coordinate axes of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. It should be understood that the term "perpendicular" throughout this application does not require the angle between the two directions to be exactly 90°, but rather allows for deviations of, for example, ±10°. That is, "perpendicular" can be understood as the angle between any two directions being between 80° and 100°. Similarly, the term "parallel" throughout this application does not require the angle between the two directions to be exactly 0° or 180°, but rather allows for deviations of, for example, ±10°. That is, "parallel" can be understood as the angle between any two directions being between 0° and 10° or between 170° and 190°.

[0023] Circuit board 1 is, but is not limited to, a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), and can be made of, for example... Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The single-layer structure design shown can also be a double-layer design, that is, including a first circuit board body and a second circuit board body, or a multi-layer design. The circuit board 1 has a first surface 1a and a second surface 1b arranged opposite to each other along its own thickness direction. According to the placement orientation in the actual scene, the first surface 1a can be called the upper surface 1a, and the second surface 1b can be called the lower surface 1b.

[0024] Circuit board 1 can be formed by alternately laminating and bonding multiple insulating layers and multiple conductive layers (also known as conductive pattern layers or conductive layers) along the second direction y. The bottom and top layers can both be insulating layers, ultimately forming a monolithic structure. Each conductive layer is a layer of conductors arranged according to requirements. In practical scenarios, this conductive layer can be represented as a copper-clad layer. Adjacent conductive layers are electrically isolated by an insulating layer, and different conductive layers are coupled through vias (not shown in the figure) opened in the corresponding insulating layers and conductive materials (such as conductive pillars with columnar structures) placed in the vias, that is, achieving so-called interlayer coupling. The conductive material can be formed by the conductive material used to prepare the conductive layer flowing into the via and then curing, including but not limited to one of copper, gold, silver and tin, or an alloy of any combination thereof. The conductive material is a known conductive material and will not be described in detail here. For circuit board 1 using double-sided printing, conductors and corresponding insulating layers are provided on the sides corresponding to the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b.

[0025] Combined Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the circuit board 1 is further provided with a plurality of first through holes 1c and second through holes 1d (which can also be referred to as first vias 1c and second vias 1d, respectively), as well as a first conductive post 111 located in the first through hole 1c and a second conductive post 112 located in the second through hole 1d. The three first through holes 1c, the three first conductive posts 111, the one second through hole 1d and the one second conductive post 112 shown in the figure are only for illustrative purposes, and their quantities can be adapted to actual needs.

[0026] The first end (i.e. the top end) of the first conductive post 111 is coupled to the radiating plate 21, and the second end (i.e. the bottom end) is coupled to the grounding metal plate 22. Thus, the coupling point between the second end of the first conductive post 111 and the grounding metal plate 11 can serve as the grounding feed point of the antenna assembly 2.

[0027] In one example, such as Figure 6 As shown, the radiating plate 21 may have a plurality of third through holes 211, and the grounding metal plate 22 may have a plurality of fourth through holes 221. The first end of the first conductive post 111 extends and is inserted into the corresponding third through hole 211, and the second end extends and is inserted into the corresponding fourth through hole 221. When there are multiple third through holes 211 and fourth through holes 221, each fourth through hole 221 is vertically aligned with the corresponding third through hole 211 along the second direction y. The arrangement of the third through holes 211 and fourth through holes 221 not only facilitates the formation of the first conductive post 111 and ensures the power supply coupling between the radiating plate 21 and the grounding metal plate 22, but also allows adjustment of the distance between the first conductive posts 111 by adjusting the distance between each third through hole 211, thereby adjusting the impedance of the antenna assembly 2.

[0028] Each radiating sheet 21 is disposed on the first surface 1a of the circuit board 1.

[0029] Each grounding metal piece 22 is disposed on the second surface 1b of the circuit board 1. Figure 3 and Figure 7 As shown, each grounding metal piece 22 has a hollow area 22a. The hollow area 22a can be understood as a through hole opened in each grounding metal piece 22, that is, an area where no grounding metal piece 22 is set or not covered by the grounding metal piece 22. The shape of the hollow area 22a includes, but is not limited to, the circle shown in the figure.

[0030] Combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the radiating plate 21 and the grounding metal plate 22 at least partially overlap, that is, along the second direction y, the orthographic projections of the radiating plate 21 and the grounding metal plate 22 at least partially overlap. For example, along the second direction y, the orthographic projection of the radiating plate 21 can fall within the orthographic projection of the corresponding grounding metal plate 22. The radiating plate 21 and the grounding metal plate 22 are coupled through corresponding first conductive posts 111 to form an antenna assembly 2. A single antenna assembly 2 can be regarded as an antenna 2. The first end (i.e., the top end) of the second conductive post 112 is coupled to the radiating plate 21, and the second end (i.e., the bottom end) is located within the hollow area 22a. The edge of the second end of the second conductive post 112 is arranged opposite to the edge of the hollow area 22a to serve as the feed point of the antenna assembly 2, that is, the commonly referred to antenna feed point.

[0031] exist Figure 3 and Figure 7 In the example, along the direction perpendicular to the circuit board 1, i.e., the second direction y, the second end of the second conductive post 112 and the cutout area 22a can both be circular and concentrically arranged. The radiating sheet 21 can have a plurality of fifth through holes 212, for example, only one fifth through hole 212 is provided in the figure; the first end of the second conductive post 112 extends and is inserted into the corresponding fifth through hole 212, and the second end extends and is inserted into the cutout area 22a; or, the first end of the second conductive post 112 extends and is inserted into the corresponding fifth through hole 212, and the second end does not extend and is inserted into the cutout area 22a, that is, the second end of the second conductive post 112 can only be flush with the second surface 1b of the circuit board 1 and not inserted into the cutout area 22a.

[0032] As described above, this application forms an antenna assembly 2 using radiating plates 21 and grounding metal plates 22 on two surfaces of a circuit board 1. That is, each antenna assembly 2 includes radiating plates 21 and grounding metal plates 22 stacked together, which can reduce the overall footprint of the antenna, allowing for high bandwidth and good isolation while meeting the requirements of miniaturization design. In addition, it can be applied to a wide range of communication devices, making it highly versatile. Furthermore, by reasonably changing the size of either of the two radiating plates to adjust the overlap area, the resonant frequency of the antenna can be better adjusted, thereby effectively improving bandwidth and efficiency.

[0033] Microstrip lines can be disposed on the circuit board 1, and the microstrip lines can be coupled and fed to the radiating plate 21. This application realizes the coupled feeding of each antenna component 2 through microstrip lines. Coupled feeding can improve the bandwidth of each antenna and reduce the influence of the circuit board 1 on the antenna radiation direction.

[0034] In a scenario with multiple antenna components 2, two adjacent antenna components 2 are arranged relative to each other. The so-called relative arrangement can be understood as follows: when viewed along the first direction x on the surface of the circuit board 1 or on a plane parallel to the circuit board 1, there is a non-zero distance between two adjacent antenna components 2.

[0035] In one example, the antenna module 100 may also include several isolation antennas (not shown in the figure). These isolation antennas are mounted on the circuit board 1 and located between two adjacent antenna components 2. The isolation antennas are positioned opposite each antenna component 2, and the distances between them and each antenna component 2 may be equal or unequal. The main function of the isolation antennas is to reduce or eliminate mutual interference between two adjacent antenna components 2, ensuring that each antenna component 2 can operate independently and efficiently. For details on the structure and specific implementation of the isolation antennas, please refer to relevant technologies in this field. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The illustration shown is merely an example.

[0036] Each antenna component 2 can be implemented as a single antenna, including but not limited to a UWB antenna. Multiple antenna components 2 can realize a multi-antenna design, which is beneficial for the antenna module 100 to achieve high-precision positioning. The structures of each antenna component 2 can be completely identical, or they can contain components with the same name, but the size and shape of each component can be different. Each antenna component 2, as a complete device, can be independently produced, manufactured, and sold. Furthermore, by setting an isolation antenna between two adjacent antenna components 2, the isolation between adjacent antennas can be greatly improved, reducing the impact on the radiation direction of the antenna, making the directivity of each antenna more stable, and contributing to the consistency of antenna design.

[0037] The thickness of circuit board 1 can protect the antenna radiating sheet and adjust the dielectric constant. For example, by adjusting the thickness of circuit board 1, specifically by adjusting the number and thickness of each insulating layer of circuit board 1, the dielectric constant between the radiating sheet 21 and the grounding metal sheet 22 can be adjusted.

[0038] The radiating plate 21 and the grounding metal plate 22 can be made of the radiating plate material of conventional related antennas. The materials of the first conductive post 111 and the second conductive post 112 can be exactly the same as the material of the radiating plate 21, or they can be different. The first through hole 1c and the second through hole 1d can be formed by etching or other processes.

[0039] The grounding metal plate 22, as the original grounding terminal of the circuit board 1, is generally not allowed to have its size changed later. However, this application can adjust the overlap area between the two radiating plates 21 and 22 by reasonably changing the size of the radiating plate 21, which can better adjust the resonant frequency of the antenna assembly 2, thereby effectively improving bandwidth and efficiency. For example, please combine with Figures 1 to 7 As shown, both the radiating plate 21 and the grounding metal plate 22 can be elongated strips. The length directions of the radiating plate 21 and the grounding metal plate 22 are parallel. In this way, the overlap area between the radiating plate 21 and the grounding metal plate 22 is large. A large overlap area means greater power and better signal anti-interference. At the same time, each radiating plate can provide optimal signal coverage in a specific direction according to its design, and utilize energy more efficiently, thereby improving transmission efficiency and meeting the needs of various wireless communication applications.

[0040] Combination Figure 8 The diagrams show the radiation directions of the four antenna components 2 in the horizontal and vertical directions. The top four diagrams show the vertical radiation direction, and the bottom four diagrams show the horizontal radiation direction. It can be seen that the 3dB beamwidth of the four antenna components 2 in both directions is greater than 120 degrees. They exhibit good directivity and sufficient radiation width, enabling them to adapt to different environmental conditions and maintain high-precision positioning. Furthermore, the beamwidth of the four antenna components 2 in the vertical direction can reach up to approximately ±95°, and the beamwidth in the horizontal direction can reach up to approximately ±60°, both significantly exceeding the ±45° of existing technologies.

[0041] This application also provides a communication device, including the antenna module 100 as described in any of the above embodiments, thus producing the beneficial effects that the antenna module 100 of the corresponding embodiment can produce. The specific form of the communication device is not limited in this application; for example, it can be a remote control pen, a smartphone, etc.

[0042] The above description is only a part of the embodiments of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. For those skilled in the art, any equivalent structural transformations made using the content of this specification and drawings are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

[0043] Although this document uses terms such as "first," "second," etc., to describe various types of information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. Furthermore, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms. The terms "or" and "and / or" are interpreted as inclusive, or meaning either one or any combination thereof. Exceptions to this definition only arise when combinations of elements, functions, steps, or operations are inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

Claims

1. An antenna module, characterized in that, include: A circuit board includes a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other. The circuit board is provided with a plurality of first through holes and second through holes, as well as a first conductive post located in the first through hole and a second conductive post located in the second through hole. Several radiating sheets are disposed on the first surface of the circuit board; Several grounding metal sheets are disposed on the second surface of the circuit board, and a cutout area is formed therein; The radiating sheet and the grounding metal sheet are coupled together through corresponding first conductive posts to form an antenna assembly. The first end of the second conductive post is coupled to the radiating sheet, and the second end is located in the hollow area and is positioned opposite the edge of the hollow area to serve as the feed point of the antenna assembly.

2. The antenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first end of the first conductive post is coupled to the radiating plate, and the second end is coupled to the grounding metal plate. The coupling point between the second end of the first conductive post and the grounding metal plate serves as the grounding feed point of the antenna assembly.

3. The antenna module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The radiating sheet has several third through holes, and the grounding metal sheet has several fourth through holes. The first end of the first conductive post extends and is inserted into the corresponding third through hole, and the second end extends and is inserted into the corresponding fourth through hole.

4. The antenna module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The radiating sheet has two or more third through holes, and each fourth through hole is vertically aligned with the corresponding third through hole.

5. The antenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The radiating sheet has several fifth through holes; The first end of the second conductive post extends and is inserted into the corresponding fifth through hole, and the second end extends and is inserted into the hollow area; or, the first end of the second conductive post extends and is inserted into the corresponding fifth through hole, and the second end does not extend and is inserted into the hollow area.

6. The antenna module according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that, The radiating sheet has a fifth through hole.

7. The antenna module according to claim 6, characterized in that, Along a direction perpendicular to the circuit board, the second end of the second conductive post and the cutout area are both circular and concentrically arranged.

8. The antenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along a direction perpendicular to the circuit board, the orthographic projection of the radiating sheet falls within the orthographic projection of the corresponding grounding metal sheet.

9. The antenna module according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that, Both the radiating sheet and the grounding metal sheet are elongated strips, and the radiating sheet and the grounding metal sheet are arranged parallel to each other in their length directions.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, The antenna module includes any one of claims 1 to 9.

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