Antenna Assembly

Abstract

To provide an antenna assembly in which the workability of fixing a conductive film to an antenna body is improved.SOLUTION: An antenna assembly 10 includes an antenna body 20 made of a metal plate, an electric wire 40, and a conductive film 50. The antenna body 20 is provided with at least one crimping portion 28. The conductive film 50 has a main portion 52 and at least one connected portion 54 extending from the main portion 52. The electric wire 40 includes a conductor portion 46. At least one crimping portion 28 is crimped to the conductor portion 46 with at least one connected portion 54 interposed between the conductor portion 46 and the at least one crimping portion 28.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an antenna assembly comprising a conductive film. [Background technology]

[0002] Referring to FIG. 5, Patent Document 1 discloses an antenna assembly 900 of this type. The antenna assembly 900 includes an antenna body 910, a coaxial cable 930, and a conductive film 950. The antenna body 910 includes a power feed connection portion 914 and a ground portion 916. The coaxial cable 930 includes a center conductor 934 and an outer conductor 936. The center conductor 934 is connected to the power feed connection portion 914. The outer conductor 936 is connected to the ground portion 916. The conductive film 950 is connected to the ground portion 916. The antenna assembly 900 has an expanded ground area by including the conductive film 950 connected to the ground portion 916, thereby improving antenna performance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012 / 0050119 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the antenna assembly 900 of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to fix the conductive film 950 to the ground portion 916 of the antenna body 910 by soldering or the like. Therefore, in such an antenna assembly, there is a demand for improving the workability in fixing the conductive film to the antenna body.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna assembly that improves the ease of fixing a conductive film to an antenna body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a first antenna assembly including an antenna body made of a metal plate, an electric wire, and a conductive film, The antenna body is provided with at least one crimping portion, The conductive film has a main portion and at least one connected portion extending from the main portion, The electric wire has a conductor portion, The at least one crimping portion is crimped to the conductor portion with the at least one connected portion interposed between the conductor portion and the at least one crimping portion. An antenna assembly is provided.

[0007] The present invention also provides a second antenna assembly, the first antenna assembly comprising: The conductive film is provided with an auxiliary connection portion extending in a predetermined direction, the auxiliary connection portion is positioned offset from the at least one connected portion in the predetermined direction, The auxiliary connection portion is in contact with at least one of the antenna body and the conductor portion of the electric wire. An antenna assembly is provided.

[0008] The present invention also provides a third antenna assembly, which is the second antenna assembly, The at least one crimping portion includes two crimping portions, In the predetermined direction, the auxiliary connection portion is located between the two crimping portions. An antenna assembly is provided.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fourth antenna assembly, which is any one of the first to third antenna assemblies, The electric wire is a coaxial cable, the conductor portion is an outer conductor of the coaxial cable, The coaxial cable further includes a central conductor, The antenna body is provided with a core wire connection portion that is crimped to the central conductor, The core wire connecting portion and the at least one crimping portion are aligned in a straight line. An antenna assembly is provided.

[0010] The present invention also provides a fifth antenna assembly, which is the fourth antenna assembly, The metal plate is a single metal plate. The core wire connection portion and the at least one crimping portion are both part of the antenna body made of the metal plate. An antenna assembly is provided.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention provides a sixth antenna assembly, which is any one of the first to fifth antenna assemblies, The crimping portion has two crimping pieces and a bottom portion located therebetween, The connected portion is sandwiched between the bottom portion and the conductor portion of the electric wire. An antenna assembly is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0012] In the antenna assembly of the present invention, the antenna body is provided with at least one crimping portion, and the conductive film has at least one connected portion. The at least one crimping portion is crimped to the conductor portion of the electric wire with the at least one connected portion interposed between the conductor portion of the electric wire and the at least one crimping portion. This makes it possible for the antenna assembly of the present invention to have a structure that does not require soldering or the like to fix the conductive film to the antenna body. In other words, the antenna assembly of the present invention improves the workability of fixing the conductive film to the antenna body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2]2 is an exploded view showing the antenna assembly of FIG 1, with the periphery of a core wire connection portion and one crimping portion shown enlarged. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the antenna assembly of FIG. 1 in the middle of assembly. FIG. [Figure 4] 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of the antenna assembly of FIG. 1 in the middle of being assembled. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an antenna assembly of Patent Document 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Referring to FIG. 1, an antenna assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an antenna body 20 made of a metal plate, an electric wire 40, and a conductive film 50. The antenna body 20 is made of a metal plate.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 2, the antenna body 20 has a bottom plate portion 22, a first side portion 24, and a second side portion 26. The bottom plate portion 22 has a first bottom plate portion 221 and a second bottom plate portion 223. In this embodiment, the antenna body 20 has a longitudinal direction along the front-rear direction. In a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the bottom plate portion 22 is located between the first side portion 24 and the second side portion 26. In this embodiment, the front-rear direction is the Y direction. The -Y direction is the front, and the +Y direction is the rear. The lateral direction is the X direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The shape of the antenna body 20 can be changed arbitrarily as long as desired characteristics are obtained.

[0016] 2, in this embodiment, each of the first side portion 24 and the second side portion 26 is a rectangular flat plate that is long in the front-rear direction. The first side portion 24 and the second side portion 26 are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction and are disposed parallel to each other.

[0017] As can be seen from FIG. 2, each of the first bottom plate portion 221 and the second bottom plate portion 223 is a flat plate perpendicular to the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the up-down direction is the Z direction. The +Z direction is upward, and the -Z direction is downward. The first bottom plate portion 221 is continuous with the lower end of the first side portion 24. In the front-rear direction, the first bottom plate portion 221 extends rearward from the center of the first side portion 24, but does not reach the rear end of the first side portion 24. The second bottom plate portion 223 is continuous with both the lower end of the first side portion 24 and the lower end of the second side portion 26. As a result, the second bottom plate portion 223 connects the front end of the first side portion 24 and the front end of the second side portion 26 to each other. The first bottom plate portion 221 and the second bottom plate portion 223 are not directly connected to each other.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the antenna body 20 is provided with two crimping portions 28. More specifically, the two crimping portions 28 protrude forward and backward from the first bottom plate portion 221, respectively. The two crimping portions 28 are also arranged to be aligned in a straight line. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of crimping portions 28 may be one or more. In other words, it is sufficient that the antenna body 20 is provided with at least one crimping portion 28.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, each of the crimping portions 28 has two crimping pieces 281, 283 and a bottom portion 285 located therebetween. Before being crimped, the two crimping pieces 281, 283 are located on both sides of the bottom portion 285 in the lateral direction and extend upward from both ends of the bottom portion 285. In this embodiment, the two crimping pieces 281, 283 are located at different positions in the front-rear direction. The lengths of the two crimping pieces 281, 283 are different from each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The two crimping pieces 281, 283 may be located at the same position in the front-rear direction. The lengths of the two crimping pieces 281, 283 may be equal to each other.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the antenna body 20 is further provided with a core wire connecting portion 30. In this embodiment, the core wire connecting portion 30 is provided so as to protrude rearward from an extension portion 225 extending from the second bottom plate portion 223. The core wire connecting portion 30 has two crimping pieces 301, 303 and a bottom portion 305 located therebetween. Before being crimped, the two crimping portions 28 are located on both sides of the bottom portion 305 in the lateral direction, and extend upward from both ends of the bottom portion 305. In this embodiment, the two crimping pieces 301, 303 are at the same position relative to each other in the front-rear direction. In addition, the two crimping pieces 301, of 303 The lengths of the two crimping pieces 301, 303 are equal to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The two crimping pieces 301, 303 may be located at different positions in the front-rear direction. The lengths of the two crimping pieces 301, 303 may be different from each other.

[0021] 2, the core wire connecting portion 30 and the two crimping portions 28 are aligned in a straight line when viewed in the vertical direction. Furthermore, in the vertical direction, the core wire connecting portion 30 is located higher than the crimping portions 28. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the vertical direction, the core wire connecting portion 30 may be located at the same position as the crimping portions 28.

[0022] As can be seen from Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the antenna body 20 is made of a single metal plate. More specifically, the antenna body 20 is produced by punching and bending the metal plate. Therefore, the crimping portion 28 and the core wire connecting portion 30 are part of the antenna body 20. In other words, the crimping portion 28 and the core wire connecting portion 30 are each formed from a part of the metal plate that constitutes the antenna body 20.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the electric wire 40 is a coaxial cable. More specifically, the electric wire 40 has a core wire 42, an insulator 44, an outer conductor 46 which is a conductor portion, and an outer sheath 48. In this embodiment, the core wire 42 and the outer conductor 46 each consist of a plurality of strands. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The electric wire 40 does not have to be a coaxial cable as long as it has a signal line and a ground line. Furthermore, the core wire 42 may be a solid wire, and the outer conductor 46 may be a twisted wire.

[0024] 2, at one end of the electric wire 40, the core wire 42 is exposed to the outside. Also, the outer conductor 46 is exposed to the outside over a predetermined length behind the exposed portion of the core wire 42. Here, the predetermined length is longer than the shortest distance between the two crimping portions 28. In other words, the predetermined length is a length that allows the exposed portion of the outer conductor 46 to be crimped by the two crimping portions 28.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the conductive film 50 has a main portion 52 and two connected portions 54. The conductive film 50 is made of, for example, a copper tape or copper foil. In this embodiment, the main portion 52 has a strip shape with a constant width in the front-rear direction and extends in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the width size of the main portion 52 is smaller than the shortest distance between the two crimping portions 28 of the antenna body 20. In addition, the end portion 521 of the main portion 52 is bent to fit the shape of the antenna body 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The shape of the main portion 52 can be designed arbitrarily. For example, the main portion 52 may have two or more portions with different widths. In addition, the main portion 52 may not extend in one direction but may be bent midway.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the two connected portions 54 of the conductive film 50 are aligned in a straight line and protrude from the main portion 52. More specifically, the two connected portions 54 protrude forward and backward, respectively, at one end of the main portion 52. Also, the distance between the tips of the two connected portions 54 is longer than the shortest distance between the two crimping portions 28 of the antenna body 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is sufficient that the conductive film 50 has at least one connected portion 54. Also, it is sufficient that the connected portion 54 extends from the main portion 52, and it is not necessarily required that it protrudes.

[0027] 3, the end 521A of the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50 is disposed on the antenna body 20. The connected portions 54 correspond to the crimping portions 28, respectively, and each of the connected portions 54 is at least partially disposed on the bottom portion 285 of the corresponding crimping portion 28. In order to fix the conductive film 50 to the antenna body 20, an adhesive layer (not shown) is at least partially provided on the lower surface of the end 521A of the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50. This allows the conductive film 50 to be fixed to the antenna body 20. The adhesive layer may or may not be provided between the connected portions 54 and the bottom portion 285 of the crimping portion 28.

[0028] 4, the electric wire 40 is partially disposed on the end 521B of the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50. More specifically, the electric wire 40 is partially disposed on the end 521 of the conductive film 50 such that the exposed portions of the external conductor 46 of the electric wire 40 are located directly above both of the two connected portions 54 of the conductive film 50. In order to fix the electric wire 40 to the conductive film 50, an adhesive layer (not shown) is at least partially provided on the upper surface of the end 521B of the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50. This allows the electric wire 40 to be fixed to the conductive film 50. The adhesive layer may or may not be provided between the connected portions 54 and the external conductor 46.

[0029] From the state shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the electric wire 40 is attached to the antenna body 20. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 1 is realized. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the core wire connecting portion 30 is crimped to the core wire 42 of the electric wire 40. Also, each of the crimping portions 28 is crimped to the outer conductor 46. More specifically, the crimping pieces 301, 303 of the core wire connecting portion 30 are crimped to sandwich the core wire 42 between the bottom portion 305. Also, each of the crimping pieces 281, 283 of the crimping portion 28 is crimped to sandwich the outer conductor 46 and the connected portion 54 between the bottom portion 285. In other words, each of the crimping portions 28 is crimped to the outer conductor 46 with the corresponding connected portion 54 interposed between the outer conductor 46 and the crimping portion 28. In this embodiment, each of the connected portions 54 is sandwiched between the bottom portion 285 of the corresponding crimping portion 28 and the outer conductor 46 of the electric wire 40 .

[0030] As can be seen from Figures 1 and 3, the end 521 of the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50 has a portion that is in contact with and electrically connected to the external conductor 46. Alternatively, as can be seen from Figures 1 and 4, the end 521 of the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50 has a portion that is in contact with and electrically connected to the antenna body 20. In this manner, the end 521 of the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50 has an auxiliary connection portion 523 that is electrically connected to at least one of the external conductor 46 and the antenna body 20. In other words, the conductive film 50 is provided with the auxiliary connection portion 523. The presence of the auxiliary connection portion 523 improves the connection between the external conductor 46 and the antenna body 20. Between A good electrical connection can be achieved.

[0031] 1, 3 and 4, the auxiliary connection part 523 extends in a predetermined direction and is positioned offset from the connected part 54 in the predetermined direction. In the present embodiment, the auxiliary connection part 523 is positioned between the two connected parts 54 or between the two crimping parts 28 in the predetermined direction. The auxiliary connection part 523 contacts at least one of the outer conductor 46 of the electric wire 40 and the antenna body 20. In the present embodiment, the predetermined direction is the front-rear direction.

[0032] As described above, in the present embodiment, the conductive film 50 is fixed to the antenna body 20 by utilizing the crimping portion 28 that is crimped to the outer conductor 46. In other words, the antenna assembly 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration that allows the conductive film 50 to be fixed to the antenna body 20 without using solder. Therefore, the antenna assembly 10 of the present embodiment is excellent in workability for the fixing operation of fixing the conductive film 50 to the antenna body 20.

[0033] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to several embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the following modifications are possible.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the connected portion 54 of the conductive film 50 is sandwiched between the bottom 285 of the corresponding crimping portion 28 and the external conductor 46 of the electric wire 40. However, the connected portion 54 of the conductive film 50 may be sandwiched between at least one of the crimping pieces 281, 283 of the crimping portion 28 and the external conductor 46. For example, if the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50 is long on the +X side, the connected portion 54 contacts the crimping piece 283 before crimping. In this case, the connected portion 54 is sandwiched between the crimping piece 283 (and 281) and the external conductor 46. Also, if the main portion 52 of the conductive film 50 is longer on the +X side, the connected portion 54 at least partially protrudes above the crimping piece 283 before crimping. In this case, the connected portion 54 is sandwiched between the crimping piece 281 (and 283) and the external conductor 46. In any case, at least one crimping portion 28 needs to be crimped to the outer conductor 46 with at least one connected portion 54 interposed between the outer conductor 46 and the at least one crimping portion 28.

[0035] In the above embodiment, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the connected portions 54 of the conductive film 50 and the crimping portions 28 of the antenna body 20. However, the number of connected portions 54 may be less than the number of crimping portions 28. For example, one of the two crimping portions 28 may correspond to a connected portion 54, but the remaining crimping portion 28 may not have a corresponding connected portion 54.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the conductive film 50 and the electric wire 40 are arranged so as to be perpendicular to each other. However, the conductive film 50 and the electric wire 40 do not have to be perpendicular to each other. For example, the conductive film 50 and the electric wire 40 may extend in the same direction. In that case, the conductive film 50 may extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the antenna body 20, or in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the antenna body 20. In addition, the number of connected portions 54 may be one, and the connected portion 54 may extend in the same direction as the extending direction of the conductive film 50.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the bottom parts 285 of the crimping parts 28 are located at substantially the same position in the up-down direction as the bottom plate part 22 of the antenna body 20. However, the bottom parts 285 of the crimping parts 28 may be located above the bottom plate part 22 of the antenna body 20 in the up-down direction, provided that the auxiliary connection part 523 of the conductive film 50 can be kept pressed directly or indirectly against the antenna body 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Antenna Assembly 20 Antenna body 22 Bottom plate part 221,221A,221B 1st bottom plate part 223 2nd bottom plate part 225 Extension 24 First side 26 Second Side 28 Crimping section 281,283 Crimping piece 285 Bottom 30 Wire connection part 301,303 Crimping piece 305 Bottom 40 Electric wire 42 core wire 44 Insulators 46 Outer conductor (conductor part) 48 Outer cover 50 Conductive Film 52 Main part 521 End 523 Auxiliary Connection 54 Connected part

Claims

1. An antenna assembly comprising an antenna body made of a metal plate, an electric wire, and a conductive film, The antenna body is provided with at least one crimping portion, The conductive film has a main portion and at least one connected portion extending from the main portion, The electric wire has a conductor portion, The at least one crimping portion is crimped to the conductor portion with the at least one connected portion interposed between the conductor portion and the at least one crimping portion. Antenna assembly.

2. 2. The antenna assembly of claim 1, The conductive film is provided with an auxiliary connection portion extending in a predetermined direction, the auxiliary connection portion is positioned offset from the at least one connected portion in the predetermined direction, The auxiliary connection portion is in contact with at least one of the antenna body and the conductor portion of the electric wire. Antenna assembly.

3. 3. An antenna assembly as claimed in claim 2, comprising: The at least one crimping portion includes two crimping portions, In the predetermined direction, the auxiliary connection portion is located between the two crimping portions. Antenna assembly.

4. An antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The electric wire is a coaxial cable, the conductor portion is an outer conductor of the coaxial cable, The coaxial cable further includes a central conductor, The antenna body is provided with a core wire connection portion that is crimped to the central conductor, The core wire connecting portion and the at least one crimping portion are aligned in a straight line. Antenna assembly.

5. 5. An antenna assembly as claimed in claim 4, comprising: The metal plate is a single metal plate. The core wire connection portion and the at least one crimping portion are both part of the antenna body made of the metal plate. Antenna assembly.

6. An antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The crimping portion has two crimping pieces and a bottom portion located therebetween, The connected portion is sandwiched between the bottom portion and the conductor portion of the electric wire. Antenna assembly.

Images