Wireless communication device

Abstract

A wireless communication device according to the present disclosure comprises a housing, a substrate, a patch antenna, and a non-transmissive member. The housing comprises a transmissive back surface section. The substrate is disposed in the housing, and one or a plurality of circuits are mounted on the substrate. The patch antenna is disposed on the outside surface of the back surface section and is transmissive. The non-transmissive member covers the inside of the back surface section.

Description

wireless communication device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication devices.

[0002] Recently, wireless communication devices such as smartphones have become known that use a transparent material such as glass on the back of the housing to give the device a glossy appearance. Also, a technology for placing an antenna on the front of the display device of a smartphone is known.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-48584

[0004] There is a demand for incorporating, for example, a patch antenna into a wireless communication device such as a smartphone without impairing the glossy appearance of the device.

[0005] However, wireless communication devices such as smartphones have many components, making it difficult to arrange antennas to achieve the desired total efficiency. In particular, when a relatively large antenna such as a patch antenna is installed in a wireless communication device, the installation location is limited, which means the patch antenna is placed close to the circuit board, etc., which can result in a deterioration of the total efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a wireless communication device that can reduce the deterioration of the overall efficiency of the antenna while maintaining the glossy appearance of the wireless communication device.

[0007] It should be noted that the above problem or object is merely one of multiple problems or objects that can be solved or achieved by multiple embodiments disclosed in this specification.

[0008] The wireless communication device of the present disclosure includes a housing, a substrate, a patch antenna, and a non-transparent member. The housing includes a transparent rear surface. The substrate is disposed within the housing and carries one or more circuits. The patch antenna is disposed on an outer surface of the rear surface and is transparent. The non-transparent member covers the inside of the rear surface.

[0009] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a wireless communication device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wireless communication device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a patch antenna according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless communication device according to a first comparative example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless communication device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a rear view of a wireless communication device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a wireless communication device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal structure of a wireless communication device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a rear view of a wireless communication device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0011] Furthermore, although specific values ​​are sometimes used in the present specification and drawings, these values ​​are merely examples and other values ​​may also be applied.

[0012] In addition, in the drawings, in order to properly illustrate each configuration, illustration of components may be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] One or more embodiments (including examples, modifications, and application examples) described below can be implemented independently. However, at least a portion of the embodiments described below may be implemented in appropriate combination with at least a portion of another embodiment. These embodiments may include novel features that are different from each other. Therefore, these embodiments may contribute to solving different purposes or problems and may produce different effects from each other.

[0014] <<1. First Embodiment>> Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a wireless communication device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the wireless communication device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that, hereinafter, XYZ coordinates are shown in the drawings. The X-axis direction corresponds to the thickness direction of the wireless communication device 10. The Y-axis direction corresponds to the short-side direction of the wireless communication device 10. The Z-axis direction corresponds to the long-side direction of the wireless communication device 10.

[0015] In the following description, for convenience, of the exterior surfaces constituting the wireless communication device 10, the surface on which the screen (display) is provided will be referred to as the "front surface," and the exterior surface opposite the front surface constituting the wireless communication device 10 will be referred to as the "rear surface" or "rear surface." Furthermore, in the following description, the side on which the "front surface" exists relative to the interior of the wireless communication device 10 will be referred to as the "front side," and the side on which the "rear surface" exists relative to the interior of the wireless communication device 10 will be referred to as the "rear side" or "rear surface."

[0016] The wireless communication device 10 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. Alternatively, the wireless communication device 10 may be a terminal device such as a notebook PC (Personal Computer). In the following, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that the wireless communication device 10 is a smartphone.

[0017] The wireless communication device 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a patch antenna 100 , a substrate 200 , and a housing 300 .

[0018] (Housing 300) A part of the back surface of the housing 300 of the wireless communication device 10 is made of a transparent material 310 such as glass. The housing 300 other than the back surface, for example, the side surfaces of the housing 300, may be made of a non-transparent material such as metal, plastic, or resin.

[0019] Furthermore, it is sufficient that at least a portion of the back surface is made of the transparent member 310, and the remainder may be made of a non-transparent member such as metal, plastic, resin, etc. Note that Fig. 1 illustrates only a portion of the transparent member 310 of the housing 300, and the remaining portions such as the front and side surfaces are not illustrated.

[0020] The transparent member 310 is not limited to glass, but may be made of any material other than glass as long as it has transparency, such as plastic or resin.

[0021] A non-transparent member 320 is disposed inside the transparent member 310. The non-transparent member 320 is disposed so as to cover the inner surface (the surface on the substrate 200 side) of the transparent member 310, in other words so as to be in contact with the inner surface of the transparent member 310. The non-transparent member 320 may be a sheet-like member, or may be paint applied to the inner surface of the transparent member 310.

[0022] The non-transparent member 320 is disposed so that the inside of the housing 300 cannot be seen from the outside, and together with the transparent member 310, gives the housing 300 a glossy appearance.

[0023] The substrate 200 is, for example, a plate-shaped circuit board on which one or more circuits are mounted. The substrate 200 is mounted with a wireless communication circuit that communicates via the patch antenna 100, a control circuit that controls the wireless communication device 10, an application circuit that executes services that the wireless communication device 10 provides to users, and the like.

[0024] In the example of FIG. 1, one or more circuits mounted on the substrate 200 are covered with, for example, a metallic shield 210 to suppress electrical interference with other circuits and / or the patch antenna 100, etc.

[0025] (Patch Antenna 100) The patch antenna 100 is disposed on the outer side (the negative X-axis direction side) of the transparent member 310 of the housing 300. For example, the patch antenna 100 is disposed so as to be in contact with the outer surface of the transparent member 310 (the surface opposite to the surface on which the non-transparent member 320 is disposed).

[0026] The patch antenna 100 is connected to a wireless communication circuit (not shown) mounted on the substrate 200 via a power feeder (not shown). The power feeder is arranged, for example, inside holes (not shown) provided in the transparent member 310 and the non-transparent member 320, and supplies power to the patch antenna 100.

[0027] The patch antenna 100 transmits a signal output from the wireless communication circuit via a power feeder as a radio wave, or outputs a received radio wave as a signal to the wireless communication circuit via a power feeder.

[0028] The wireless communication device 10 may feed power to the patch antenna 100 from two directions that are orthogonal to each other, thereby causing the patch antenna 100 to operate at two different resonant frequencies.

[0029] The patch antenna 100 according to this embodiment has transparency. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the patch antenna 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] 3 has a quadrangular shape (for example, a square or a rectangle) with lengths W1 and W2. The patch antenna 100 has a size (length) according to the frequency used by the wireless communication device 10.

[0031] The patch antenna 100 has a mesh shape with a pitch width Pw and a line width Lw. The pitch width Pw and the line width Lw affect the radiation performance and transmittance of the patch antenna 100. Increasing the pitch width Pw and decreasing the line width Lw improves the transmittance, but increases the resistance value of the patch antenna 100, resulting in decreased performance. On the other hand, decreasing the pitch width Pw and increasing the line width Lw reduces the transmittance, but decreases the resistance value of the patch antenna 100, resulting in improved performance.

[0032] As described above, the patch antenna 100 according to this embodiment is disposed on the rear surface of the wireless communication device 10, and therefore requires a lower transmittance than when the patch antenna 100 is disposed on the front surface (surface). Therefore, the pitch width Pw of the patch antenna 100 can be made smaller and the line width Lw can be made larger than when the patch antenna 100 is disposed on the front surface (surface). This allows the performance of the patch antenna 100 to be further improved.

[0033] The shape of the patch antenna 100 according to this embodiment is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 3. The mesh of the patch antenna 100 may have various shapes, such as a rhombus, a triangle, or a hexagon.

[0034] Furthermore, the patch antenna 100 may have a shape other than a mesh shape as long as it is transparent. For example, the patch antenna 100 may be formed of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or polymer particles. For example, by forming the mesh-shaped patch antenna 100 from a transparent conductive material, the wireless communication device 10 can further increase the transmittance of the patch antenna 100.

[0035] As described above, the patch antenna 100 according to this embodiment is transparent. The patch antenna 100 is disposed outside the transparent member 310 of the housing 300 (on the rear surface side of the wireless communication device 10). This allows the wireless communication device 10 according to this embodiment to maintain the glossy appearance of the rear surface while suppressing a decrease in the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100.

[0036] This point will be explained using Comparative Examples 1 and 2.

[0037] 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless communication device 10a according to a comparative example 1 of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication device 10a illustrated in Fig. 4 has the same configuration as the wireless communication device 10 illustrated in Fig. 1, except that the patch antenna 100 is disposed inside the housing 300.

[0038] As a method for mounting the patch antenna 100 on the wireless communication device 10a, an example is possible in which the patch antenna 100 is disposed inside the same housing 300 as the substrate 200, as shown in Fig. 4. By disposing the patch antenna 100 inside the housing 300, the external appearance (glossiness) of the housing 300 can be maintained.

[0039] However, if the patch antenna 100 is disposed inside the housing 300, in other words, on the inner surface (front surface) of the transparent member 310, the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100 decreases. This is because, when the patch antenna 100 is disposed inside the housing 300, the distance d1a between the substrate 200 and the patch antenna 100 becomes shorter.

[0040] As described above, various components such as the substrate 200, the circuit, and the shield 210 are mounted inside the housing 300 of the wireless communication device 10a. Therefore, if the patch antenna 100 is also disposed inside the housing 300, the arrangement of the patch antenna 100 is restricted. As a result, the distance d1a between the patch antenna 100 and the substrate 200 (in the example of FIG. 4 , the shield 210 mounted on the substrate 200) becomes shorter compared to when the patch antenna 100 is disposed outside the housing 300 (see distance d1 in FIG. 6 ).

[0041] 4, when antenna current I_a flows through patch antenna 100, image current I_ia flows through shield 210 in a direction that cancels out antenna current I_a. As antenna current I_a is canceled out by image current I_ia, the radio waves radiated from patch antenna 100 become weaker, and the overall efficiency of patch antenna 100 decreases.

[0042] This image current I_ia increases as the distance between patch antenna 100 and shield 210 decreases. As described above, when patch antenna 100 is disposed inside housing 300, the distance d1a between patch antenna 100 and shield 210 decreases, so that image current I_ia increases and the overall efficiency of patch antenna 100 decreases.

[0043] Comparative Example 2 One possible method for reducing the image current I_ia flowing through the shield 210 is to increase the distance d1a between the shield 210 and the patch antenna 100.

[0044] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless communication device 10b according to a second comparative example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication device 10b illustrated in Fig. 5 has the same configuration as the wireless communication device 10a illustrated in Fig. 4, except for the thickness of a transparent member 310b.

[0045] One possible method for increasing the distance d1b between the shield 210 and the patch antenna 100 is to make the transparent member 310b thinner.

[0046] 5, the wireless communication devices 10a and 10b have the same thickness (in FIG. 5, the distance d0 between the substrate 200 and the transparent members 310 and 310b). In this case, if the thickness d2b of the transparent member 310b of the wireless communication device 10b is made thinner than the thickness d2 of the transparent member 310 of the wireless communication device 10a, the distance d1b between the shield 210 and the patch antenna 100 becomes longer than that in the wireless communication device 10a (d1b > d1a).

[0047] Therefore, in the wireless communication device 10b, the image current I_ib flowing through the shield 210 is smaller than the image current I_ia flowing through the shield 210 of the wireless communication device 10a.

[0048] In this way, by making the transparent member 310b of the wireless communication device 10b thinner and lengthening the distance d1b between the shield 210 and the patch antenna 100, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100.

[0049] However, thinning the transparent member 310b reduces the strength of the transparent member 310b. Furthermore, the appearance of the wireless communication device 10b, particularly its glossiness, changes. The glossiness of the wireless communication device 10b depends on the thickness d2b of the transparent member 310b, or in other words, the distance from the outside of the housing 300 to the non-transparent member 320. The thicker the thickness d2b, the more glossy the appearance, and the thinner the thickness d2b, the less glossy the appearance.

[0050] Therefore, if the transparent member 310b is made thinner and the distance d1b between the shield 210 and the patch antenna 100 is increased, as in the wireless communication device 10b, the decrease in the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100 is suppressed, but the strength and gloss of the housing 300 are impaired.

[0051] (Proposed Technology) Therefore, in the wireless communication device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the transparent patch antenna 100 is disposed on the rear side of the housing 300, more specifically, on the rear side of the transparent member 310. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100 while maintaining the glossy appearance of the rear side of the wireless communication device 10. This point will be described with reference to FIG.

[0052] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the image current I_i flowing in the wireless communication device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] As described above, when the antenna current I_a flows in the patch antenna 100 of the wireless communication device 10, an image current I_i flows. The patch antenna 100 according to this embodiment is disposed outside the permeable member 310. Therefore, the distance d1 between the patch antenna 100 of the wireless communication device 10 and the shield 210 is longer than the distance d1a of the wireless communication device 10a by the thickness of the permeable member 310 (d1>d1a).

[0054] As a result, the image current I_i flowing through the shield 210 of the wireless communication device 10 becomes smaller than the image current I_ia flowing through the shield 210 of the wireless communication device 10a, and a decrease in the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100 can be suppressed.

[0055] In order to simplify the explanation, the total efficiency of the patch antenna 100 has been explained using the image current I_i flowing through the shield 210 as an example, but the image current that affects the total efficiency of the patch antenna 100 can also flow through other parts of the circuit besides the shield 210.

[0056] For example, an image current also flows through the conductors of the substrate 200 (for example, ground, wiring, circuits, etc. arranged on the substrate 200 ) in the same way as through the shield 210 , which affects the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100 .

[0057] In the wireless communication device 10 of this embodiment, the patch antenna 100 is disposed on the back surface side of the transparent member 310, thereby making it possible to increase the distance between the patch antenna 100 and the conductors of the substrate 200 (for example, ground, wiring, circuits, etc. disposed on the substrate 200). In this way, the wireless communication device 10 can further reduce the effect of the substrate 200 on the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100.

[0058] Furthermore, the thickness of the wireless communication device 10 of this embodiment (the distance d0 between the patch antenna 100 and the substrate 200 in the example of FIG. 6 ) is the same as that of the wireless communication devices 10a and 10b of Comparative Examples 1 and 2. Furthermore, the transparent member 310 of the wireless communication device 10 has the same thickness d2 as that of the transparent member 310 of the wireless communication device 10a. Therefore, the wireless communication device 10 can maintain a glossy appearance on the back surface compared to the wireless communication device 10b.

[0059] In this way, the wireless communication device 10 of this embodiment can suppress a decrease in the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100 while maintaining the glossiness of the housing 300 by placing the transparent patch antenna 100 on the back side of the transparent member 310.

[0060] Here, a configuration example of the wireless communication device 10 will be described using Figures 7 to 9. Figure 7 is a front view of the wireless communication device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 shows the wireless communication device 10 as seen from the obverse side (front side, positive direction of the X axis).

[0061] As shown in FIG. 7, on the front side (surface side) of the wireless communication device 10, a speaker 400 for outputting voice and music, an inner camera 510, a display 600 having a display function, and a microphone 700 are arranged.

[0062] For example, the speaker 400 is disposed on the upper side (positive side of the Z axis) of the wireless communication device 10, and the microphone 700 is disposed on the lower side (negative side of the Z axis) of the wireless communication device 10.

[0063] Note that FIG. 7 is an example, and other components such as an infrared camera may be arranged on the front side (surface side) of the wireless communication device 10.

[0064] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal structure of the wireless communication device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the inside of the housing 300 of the wireless communication device 10 is viewed from the rear side (negative direction of the X axis).

[0065] 8, in addition to the substrate 200, a battery 800 for supplying power to each part of the wireless communication device 10 is disposed inside the wireless communication device 10. In addition, first to fourth antennas 111 to 114 other than the patch antenna 100 are disposed inside the wireless communication device 10.

[0066] 8, the first antenna 111 is disposed below the battery 800 (negative Z-axis direction side). The second antenna 112 and the third antenna 113 are disposed above the board 200 (positive Z-axis direction side). The fourth antenna 114 is disposed on the right side of the board 200 (positive Y-axis direction side).

[0067] In this way, the wireless communication device 10 is provided with a plurality of antennas, so that the wireless communication device 10 can support a plurality of wireless communication methods (or a plurality of frequency bands).

[0068] The number of antennas included in the wireless communication device 10 is not limited to five (the patch antenna 100 and the first to fourth antennas 111 to 114). The number of antennas included in the wireless communication device 10 may be four or less, or six or more. The arrangement of the first to fourth antennas 111 to 114 shown in FIG. 8 is an example, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the shape and number of the antennas, the shape and arrangement of the components of the wireless communication device 10, etc.

[0069] 8, components such as circuits, wiring, and a shield 210 are arranged on the substrate 200. Furthermore, wiring that connects the battery 800, the substrate 200, and the first to fourth antennas 111 to 114 is arranged inside the housing 300.

[0070] 9 is a rear view of the wireless communication device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, showing the wireless communication device 10 as seen from the rear side (negative direction of the X axis).

[0071] 9, an outer camera 520 and a patch antenna 100 are disposed on the rear side of the wireless communication device 10. In the example of FIG. 9, a transparent member 310 covers the entire rear surface of the wireless communication device 10.

[0072] The patch antenna 100 according to this embodiment is disposed on the rear surface of the wireless communication device 10. For example, if the patch antenna 100 is disposed on the front side (surface side) of the wireless communication device 10, the patch antenna 100 will be disposed above the display 600. In this case, the patch antenna 100 is required to have extremely high transmittance so as not to impair the display function of the display 600. Furthermore, during a call, the display 600, in other words, the patch antenna 100, may be hidden by the user's head, which may reduce the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100.

[0073] On the other hand, the patch antenna 100 according to this embodiment is disposed on the back surface of the wireless communication device 10. In this case, the transmittance required for the patch antenna 100 is lower than when it is disposed on the display 600. Therefore, the wireless communication device 10 according to this embodiment can suppress a decrease in overall efficiency while maintaining the glossy appearance of the back surface.

[0074] Furthermore, the back surface of the wireless communication device 10 is not covered by the user's head during a call, and the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100 can be prevented from being reduced by the influence of the user.

[0075] 9, the patch antenna 100 is disposed on the upper portion (positive side of the Z axis) of the wireless communication device 10. In other words, the patch antenna 100 is disposed closer to the speaker 400 than the microphone 700 and closer to the board 200 than the battery 800.

[0076] When a user makes a call using the wireless communication device 10, it is assumed that the user will hold the lower side (negative Z-axis side) of the wireless communication device 10. In this case, there is a risk that the lower part of the back of the wireless communication device 10 will be covered by the user's hand.

[0077] In the wireless communication device 10 according to this embodiment, the patch antenna 100 is disposed on the upper side of the rear surface, which makes it possible to prevent the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100 from being reduced by the user's hand.

[0078] As described above, the wireless communication device 10 according to this embodiment includes the housing 300, the substrate 200, the patch antenna 100, and the non-transparent member 320. The housing 300 includes the transparent member 310 (an example of a rear surface portion) that has transparency. The substrate 200 is disposed within the housing 300 and has one or more circuits mounted thereon. The patch antenna 100 is disposed on the outer surface of the transparent member 310 and has transparency. The non-transparent member 320 covers the inside of the transparent member 310.

[0079] This allows the wireless communication device 10 to maintain the glossy appearance of the housing 300 while suppressing a decrease in the overall efficiency of the patch antenna 100.

[0080] 10 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a wireless communication device 10A according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication device 10A illustrated in Fig. 10 has the same configuration as the wireless communication device 10 illustrated in Fig. 1, except that it includes a second transparent member 900.

[0081] The second permeable member 900 is disposed on the back surface side of the permeable member 310. The patch antenna 100 is disposed between the permeable member 310 and the second permeable member 900. The second permeable member 900 is disposed so as to cover the patch antenna 100. The second permeable member 900 is, for example, a sheet-like (plate-like) member.

[0082] The second transparent member 900 is a transparent member such as glass. The second transparent member 900 may be made of plastic, resin, or the like as long as it has transparency. The second transparent member 900 may be made of the same material as the transparent member 310, or may be made of a different material.

[0083] The second transparent member 900 protects, for example, the patch antenna 100. Furthermore, by providing the second transparent member 900, the distance from the outside to the non-transparent member 320 in the wireless communication device 10A is longer than in the wireless communication device 10. That is, the distance d3 from the second transparent member 900 to the non-transparent member 320 is longer than the thickness d2 of the transparent member 310 in the wireless communication device 10. This further enhances the glossiness of the wireless communication device 10A.

[0084] As described above, the wireless communication device 10A according to the second embodiment further includes a second transparent member 900 disposed on the back surface side of the transparent member 310 so as to cover the patch antenna 100. This protects the patch antenna 100 and further enhances the glossiness of the wireless communication device 10A.

[0085] <<3. Third Embodiment>> In the first embodiment described above, holes are formed in the transparent member 310 and the non-transparent member 320, and power is supplied to the patch antenna 100 through the holes, but the method of supplying power to the patch antenna 100 is not limited to this. For example, power may be supplied to the patch antenna 100 in a non-contact manner.

[0086] Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a wireless communication device 10B according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal structure of the wireless communication device 10B according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 12 illustrates the inside of a housing 300 of the wireless communication device 10B as viewed from the rear side (negative direction of the X axis).

[0087] The wireless communication device 10B shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 has the same configuration as the wireless communication device 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the like, except that it has a feeder line 221 and a feed point 222.

[0088] The feed point 222 is disposed on the substrate 200. The feed line 221 has an L-shape. One end of the feed line 221 is connected to the feed point 222. The feed line 221 extends perpendicular to the substrate 200 from the feed point 222 to the rear side of the wireless communication device 10B, and is bent so as to come into contact with the non-transparent member 320.

[0089] The power feed line 221 is arranged from the end of the patch antenna 100 toward the inside so as to face the patch antenna 100 with the transparent member 310 and the non-transparent member 320 sandwiched therebetween. The power feed line 221 feeds power to the patch antenna 100 in a non-contact manner.

[0090] As described above, in the wireless communication device 10B according to this embodiment, power is supplied to the patch antenna 100 in a non-contact manner (so-called L probe) using a probe (power supply line 221). This allows power to be supplied to the patch antenna 100 without drilling holes in the housing 300 (transparent member 310 and non-transparent member 320). Because there is no need to drill holes in the housing 300, deterioration of the strength, waterproofing, dustproofing, and appearance of the housing 300 can be suppressed, and an increase in processing costs can be suppressed.

[0091] This configuration can also be applied to the wireless communication device 10A according to the second embodiment.

[0092] <<4. Fourth Embodiment>> In the above-described fourth embodiment, the patch antenna 100 is arranged on the back surface side of the transparent member 310, but an antenna other than the patch antenna 100 may be arranged on the back surface side of the transparent member 310.

[0093] Fig. 13 is a rear view of a wireless communication device 10C according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 13 shows the wireless communication device 10C as viewed from the rear side (negative direction of the X-axis). The wireless communication device 10C shown in Fig. 13 has the same configuration as the wireless communication device 10 shown in Fig. 1, except that it includes fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117.

[0094] 13, the wireless communication device 10C includes fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117. The fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117 are transparent and are disposed on the back side of the transparent member 310. The fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117 may be linear antennas or patch antennas. Various antennas may be employed as the fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117.

[0095] The fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117 and the patch antenna 100 may have the same or different resonant frequencies.

[0096] In this way, by arranging the fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117 other than the patch antenna 100 on the back side of the transparent member 310, it is possible to increase the number of antennas that can be mounted on the wireless communication device 10C. In addition, the degree of freedom in arranging the fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117 is improved.

[0097] Although three antennas other than the patch antenna 100 are arranged on the rear surface side of the transparent member 310 in this embodiment, the number of antennas is not limited to three. The number of antennas arranged on the rear surface side of the transparent member 310 may be two or less, or four or more.

[0098] Furthermore, at least one of the first to fourth antennas 111 to 114 mounted inside the wireless communication device 10C may be arranged as the fifth to seventh antennas 115 to 117 on the back side of the transparent member 310. In other words, at least one of the first to fourth antennas 111 to 114 may be omitted.

[0099] This configuration can also be applied to the wireless communication devices 10A and 10B according to the second and third embodiments.

[0100] <<5. Summary>> Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, components of the embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0101] Furthermore, the effects of each embodiment described in this specification are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting, and other effects may also be obtained.

[0102] The present disclosure may also be configured as follows. (1) A wireless communication device comprising: a housing having a transparent rear surface; a substrate disposed within the housing and mounting one or more circuits; a transparent patch antenna disposed on the outer surface of the rear surface; and a non-transparent member covering the inside of the rear surface. (2) The wireless communication device according to (1), in which the one or more circuits are covered with a shield. (3) The wireless communication device according to (1) or (2), further comprising a transparent member covering the outside of the rear surface, and the patch antenna disposed between the rear surface and the transparent member. (4) The wireless communication device according to any one of (1) to (3), in which the patch antenna has a mesh shape. (5) The wireless communication device according to any one of (1) to (4), further comprising a probe that supplies power to the patch antenna in a non-contact manner. (6) The wireless communication device according to any one of (1) to (5), further comprising a transparent antenna disposed on the outer surface of the rear surface. (7) The wireless communication device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the patch antenna is arranged on the outer surface of the rear portion so as to be closer to a speaker than a microphone.

[0103] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10, 10A, 10B, 10C Wireless communication device 100 Patch antenna 200 Substrate 210 Shield 221 Power feed line 222 Power feed point 300 Housing 310 Transparent member 320 Non-transparent member 400 Speaker 700 Microphone 900 Second transparent member

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising: a housing having a transparent back surface; a substrate disposed within said housing and mounting one or more circuits; a transparent patch antenna disposed on the outer surface of said back surface; and a non-transparent member covering the inside of said back surface.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuits are covered with a shield.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a transparent member covering the outside of the rear surface, the patch antenna being disposed between the rear surface and the transparent member.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the patch antenna is mesh-shaped.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a probe for supplying power to said patch antenna in a non-contact manner.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, further comprising an antenna disposed on the outside of said rear portion and having transparency.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the patch antenna is disposed on the outer surface of the rear portion so as to be closer to a speaker than to a microphone.

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