Wireless communication module

Abstract

Provided is a wireless communication module having an outer shape with which it is possible to present a direction without reducing a mounting area in which an electronic component can be mounted on a substrate inside a shield cover.　A wireless communication module comprises: a substrate; an electronic component for wireless communication, the electronic component being mounted on one surface of the substrate; and a metal shield cover that is attached to the one surface of the substrate and covers the electronic component, the shield cover having a side surface positioned to the side of the electronic component, a top surface positioned above the electronic component, and an inclined surface provided to a portion between the side surface and the top surface.

Description

Wireless communication module

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication module.

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a shield structure comprising: a mounting shield made of a conductor, open on both sides, and surrounded by side surfaces perpendicular to the openings; and a built-in cover shield made of a resilient conductor, open on the surface facing the top surface, at least one of the side surfaces facing the top surface being perpendicular to the top surface, and the side surface facing the side perpendicular to the top surface being bent inward relative to the top surface.

[0003] Both the mounting shield and the built-in cover shield are rectangular in plan view, and each has a chamfered portion at one of its four corners, cut at a 45-degree angle in plan view relative to two adjacent side surfaces. The chamfered portion of the mounting shield and the chamfered portion of the built-in cover shield are used for positioning when combining the mounting shield and the built-in cover shield (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] JP 2011-205043 A

[0005] Conventional shielding structures have a rectangular shape in plan view, with one of the four corners cut diagonally by a chamfered portion, and therefore the internal floor area available for placing electronic elements (electronic components) is reduced by the amount of the cut portion caused by forming the chamfered portion.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication module having an outer shape that can indicate the orientation without reducing the mounting area available for mounting electronic components on a board inside a shield cover.

[0007] A wireless communication module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a substrate, electronic components for wireless communication mounted on one side of the substrate, and a metal shield cover attached to the one side of the substrate and covering the electronic components, the shield cover having a side surface located to the side of the electronic components, a top surface located above the electronic components, and an inclined surface provided in a portion between the side surface and the top surface.

[0008] It is possible to provide a wireless communication module having an outer shape that can indicate the orientation without reducing the mounting area available for mounting electronic components on the board inside the shield cover.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication module of an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a state before a shield cover of the wireless communication module of an embodiment is attached to a substrate; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a state before a shield cover made of sheet metal is bent; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a group of wireless communication modules before the wireless communication modules of an embodiment are singulated in a manufacturing process; FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining an example of a method for determining the orientation of an inclined surface of the wireless communication module of an embodiment; and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication module of a modified example.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment to which the wireless communication module of the present disclosure is applied will be described. In the following, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted.

[0011] In the following description, an XYZ coordinate system is defined. The direction parallel to the X axis (X direction), the direction parallel to the Y axis (Y direction), and the direction parallel to the Z axis (Z direction) are perpendicular to one another. A planar view refers to a view from the XY plane. For ease of explanation, a vertical relationship is used in which the +Z direction side is the upper side and the −Z direction side is the lower side, but this does not represent a universal vertical relationship. In the following description, the length, width, thickness, etc. of each part may be exaggerated to make the configuration easier to understand.

[0012] <Embodiment> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication module 100 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a state before a shield cover 130 of the wireless communication module 100 is attached to a substrate 110. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a state (flat state) before the shield cover 130 made of sheet metal is folded.

[0013] <Wireless communication module 100> The wireless communication module 100 includes a substrate 110, an electronic component 120, and a shield cover 130. The electronic component 120 is an example of an electronic component for wireless communication. The wireless communication module is an example of an SMD (Surface Mount Device) that is mounted on the surface of a motherboard or the like (not shown). The external dimensions of the wireless communication module 100 are, for example, 20 mm in length in the X direction, 30 mm in length in the Y direction, and 3 mm in height in the Z direction.

[0014] <Substrate 110> The substrate 110 is a wiring substrate. As an example, a wiring substrate conforming to the FR-4 (Flame Retardant type 4) standard can be used as the substrate 110. As an example, the substrate 110 is a multilayer substrate having one or more inner layers. As an example, the substrate 110 is rectangular in plan view, but may have a shape other than a rectangle (such as a triangle, a polygon with pentagons or more sides, or an irregular shape).

[0015] The substrate 110 has an upper surface 111 and a lower surface 112. The upper surface 111 is an example of one surface, and the lower surface 112 is an example of the other surface. One or more inner layers (not shown) of the substrate 110 include a ground layer (hereinafter referred to as an inner ground layer). The inner ground layer is provided over substantially the entire substrate 110 in a plan view.

[0016] A plurality of electronic components 120 are mounted on the upper surface 111. Terminals on the lower surface of each electronic component 120 are connected by solder or the like to terminals on the upper surface 111 of the substrate 110, and are then connected to terminals on the lower surface 112 via through holes or inner layer wiring of the substrate 110.

[0017] 2 shows a specific type of terminal 112A among the multiple types of terminals provided on the lower surface 112 of the substrate 110. As an example, the terminal 112A is pin 1 of the wireless communication module 100, and is arranged along the X direction at the end of the lower surface 112 on the -Y direction side. The terminal 112A is connected to a terminal on the lower surface of the electronic component 120 via a terminal, a through hole, an internal layer, etc. of the substrate 110. Note that the multiple types of terminals provided on the lower surface 112 of the substrate 110 include terminals for various signals and a power supply terminal in addition to the terminal 112A.

[0018] Furthermore, a ground layer 111G having a rectangular ring shape in a plan view is provided on the upper surface 111 so as to surround the plurality of electronic components 120. The ground layer 111G is an example of a reference potential layer. The ground layer 111G is connected to an inner ground layer of the substrate 110. The ground layer 111G is provided along and close to the outer edge of the upper surface 111 of the substrate 110.

[0019] The size of the rectangular ring-shaped ground layer 111G is matched to the size of the lower end of the rectangular ring-shaped shield cover 130 in a plan view. The lower end of the shield cover 130 is connected to the ground layer 111G by soldering. The shield cover 130 is fixed to the substrate 110 by connecting the lower end to the ground layer 111G by soldering.

[0020] <Electronic Component 120> The electronic component 120 is an electronic component for wireless communication, and as an example, when the wireless communication module 100 is mounted on a motherboard and all terminals on the lower surface 112, including the terminal 112A, are connected to terminals on the motherboard, the electronic component 120 is connected to an antenna or the like via an amplifier mounted on the motherboard. The electronic component 120 has, for example, a communication function conforming to the WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) standard, a communication function conforming to the standard of a third-generation mobile communication system, a fourth-generation mobile communication system, a fifth-generation mobile communication system, or a sixth-generation mobile communication system, or a communication function conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0021] The electronic component 120 is capable of encrypting transmitted signals, decrypting received signals, and performing other signal processing on transmitted or received signals. With the wireless communication module 100 mounted on a motherboard, the electronic component 120 performs wireless communication via an amplifier, an antenna, and the like mounted on the motherboard. The electronic component 120 is configured with an integrated circuit (IC) capable of performing these various processes, and may include an MCU (microcontroller unit).

[0022] <Shield Cover 130> The shield cover 130 is a metallic shield cover 130 that is provided on the upper surface 111 of the substrate 110 and covers the electronic components 120. The shield cover 130 is made of aluminum, for example, but may be made of a metal other than aluminum.

[0023] The shield cover 130 has a top surface 131, four side surfaces 132, and an inclined surface 133. When the shield cover 130 is provided on the top surface 111 of the substrate 110, the top surface 131, the four side surfaces 132, and the inclined surface 133 are its outer surfaces.

[0024] The shield cover 130 is attached to the substrate 110 by connecting the lower end of a side wall having four side surfaces 132 to the ground layer 111G on the upper surface 111 of the substrate 110 by soldering. The lower end of the side wall having four side surfaces 132 has a rectangular ring shape in a plan view, and has substantially the same shape and size as the rectangular ring-shaped ground layer 111G in a plan view. As an example, the shield cover 130 is attached to the substrate 110 and held at ground potential by connecting the lower end of the side wall having four side surfaces 132 to the ground layer 111G around the entire periphery by soldering.

[0025] Furthermore, the outer edge of shield cover 130 in a plan view is located near the outer edge of upper surface 111 of substrate 110 in a plan view. This means that the distance between the outer edge of shield cover 130 in a plan view and the outer edge of upper surface 111 of substrate 110 in a plan view is extremely short, for example, 1 mm or less, or 0.5 mm or less. By using shield cover 130 having the largest size that can be placed on upper surface 111 of substrate 110, the area of ​​the region of upper surface 111 of substrate 110 that is covered by shield cover 130 is increased, and the mounting area for electronic components 120 is maximized.

[0026] <Configuration of Top Surface 131, Four Side Surfaces 132, and Inclined Surface 133> The top surface 131 is the upper surface of the shield cover 130. Here, the surface (upper surface) on the +Z direction side of the shield cover 130 when the substrate 110 is positioned downward and the wireless communication module 100 is installed on a horizontal surface is referred to as the top surface 131, but the top surface 131 is not always located on the upper side of the shield cover 130.

[0027] Because the shield cover 130 is rectangular in plan view, the top surface 131 is also rectangular in plan view and has four sides. Two of the four sides of the top surface 131 are parallel to the X direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the Y direction. Three side surfaces 132 and an inclined surface 133 are in contact with the four sides of the top surface 131. The three side surfaces 132 are located on the +X direction side, the -X direction side, and the +Y direction side of the top surface 131. The inclined surface 133 is located on the -Y direction side of the top surface 131.

[0028] The three side surfaces 132 on the +X direction side, the -X direction side, and the +Y direction side are bent perpendicularly in the -Z direction from three sides of the top surface 131. The inclined surface 133 is bent at a 45-degree angle from one side extending in the X direction on the -Y direction side of the top surface 131. Here, the 45-degree angle means that the angle between the inclined surface 133 and a virtual plane formed by virtually extending the top surface 131 in the -Y direction is 45 degrees. The side surface 132 on the -Y direction side is connected to the lower end of the inclined surface 133. The side surface 132 on the -Y direction side is bent in the -Z direction from the lower end of the inclined surface 133 and is parallel to the XZ plane.

[0029] The height in the Z direction of the side surface 132 on the −Y direction side that is connected to the lower end of the inclined surface 133 is, for example, half the height of the other three side surfaces 132. Therefore, the length of the side of the inclined surface 133 that is inclined at 45 degrees with respect to the Z direction is approximately 1.4 times the length of the side of the −Y direction side surface 132 that extends in the Z direction.

[0030] The orientation of the inclined surface 133 can be detected, for example, by a laser sensor or the like. For example, the orientation of the inclined surface 133 is set to a fixed orientation in relation to the position and orientation of the electronic component 120. For example, in order to mass-produce wireless communication modules 100, a plurality of wireless communication modules 100 may be produced using a single large sheet substrate and then separated into individual units. In this case, the positions and orientations of the electronic components 120 on the sheet substrate are aligned, and the orientation of the inclined surface 133 is aligned relative to the positions and orientations of the electronic components 120.

[0031] The shield cover 130 is formed into the shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by bending a flat metal plate shown in FIG. 3 . The thickness of the metal plate may be, for example, about 1 mm. The top surface 131, four side surfaces 132, and inclined surface 133 are surfaces on the +Z direction side of the flat metal plate shown in FIG. 3 . The shield cover 130 is a metal plate having a top plate with the top surface 131, four side walls each having four side surfaces 132, and inclined walls each having an inclined surface 133. As an example, the metal plate of the shield cover 130 is an aluminum metal plate, but it may also be a metal plate made of a metal other than aluminum.

[0032] 3 along the two-dot chain line, the shield cover 130 has a top surface 131, four side surfaces 132, and inclined surfaces 133 that are in close contact with each other, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, thereby reducing gaps on the outer surface of the shield cover 130. The side surfaces 132 on the -X direction side and the +X direction side have protrusions 132A that correspond to the inclined surfaces 133 and the side surfaces 132 on the -Y direction side.

[0033] Furthermore, in such a shield cover 130, the orientation of the inclined surface 133 may, for example, be aligned with the orientation of a specific terminal 112A among the multiple types of terminals provided on the lower surface 112 of the substrate 110. As an example, terminal 112A is pin 1 of the wireless communication module 100, and when mounting the wireless communication module 100 on a motherboard, knowing the orientation of terminal 112A as pin 1 makes it easier to mount the wireless communication module 100 on the motherboard. Furthermore, instead of being aligned with the orientation of the specific terminal 112A, for example, the orientation of the inclined surface 133 may indicate the index number of the specific terminal 112A among the multiple types of terminals provided on the lower surface 112 of the substrate 110. Note that the orientation of the inclined surface 133 and the orientation of the terminal 112A do not have to be aligned with each other.

[0034] 4 is a diagram showing a wireless communication module group 100A before the wireless communication modules 100 are singulated in the manufacturing process. The wireless communication module group 100A is, as an example, a group of connected modules before being singulated into twelve wireless communication modules 100. The wireless communication module group 100A has a configuration in which a plurality of electronic components 120 for each wireless communication module 100 are mounted on the surface on the +Z direction side of a sheet substrate 110A in which twelve substrates 110 are connected, and the sheet substrate 110A is further covered with twelve shield covers 130.

[0035] In this wireless communication module group 100A, adjacent shield covers 130 are cut in the X direction at the positions indicated by the four arrows on the −X direction side of Fig. 4, and adjacent shield covers 130 are cut in the Y direction at the positions indicated by the five arrows on the +Y direction side of Fig. 4. In this way, the excess portion along the outer edge of the sheet substrate 110A is cut off, and the sheet substrate 110A is separated into 12 wireless communication modules 100.

[0036] When fabricating such a wireless communication module group 100A, it is necessary to align the orientation of the shield covers 130 in relation to the positions and orientations of the multiple electronic components 120 in each region that will become each wireless communication module 100. As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, 12 shield covers 130 are mounted on the sheet substrate 110A with the inclined surfaces 133 positioned on the -Y direction side. In such a case, it is necessary to determine the orientation of the inclined surfaces 133. For example, a laser sensor may be used to determine the orientation of the inclined surfaces 133. This will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0037] Furthermore, after the wireless communication module group 100A is singulated into 12 wireless communication modules 100, for example, when the wireless communication modules 100 are individually placed in a packaging container before shipping, the orientation of the inclined surface 133 may be aligned with a specific orientation of the packaging container. More specifically, the orientation of the inclined surface 133 is aligned when the wireless communication modules 100 are placed in each of the storage sections of an embossed carrier tape having storage sections that individually store wireless communication modules 100. This is because aligning the orientation of the wireless communication modules 100 removed from the embossed carrier tape facilitates mounting on a motherboard or the like. To align the orientation of the inclined surface 133, it is necessary to determine the orientation of the inclined surface 133. For example, a laser sensor may be used to determine the orientation of the inclined surface 133. This will be described later with reference to FIG. 5 .

[0038] Furthermore, for example, when mounting the wireless communication module 100 removed from the embossed carrier tape on a motherboard or the like, if it is necessary to determine the orientation of the inclined surface 133 in order to determine the position of pin 1, a laser sensor may be used, as an example, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0039] <Method for Determining the Orientation of Inclined Surface 133> Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining the orientation of inclined surface 133 of wireless communication module 100. For example, if a reflective laser sensor 50 is positioned on the -Y direction side of wireless communication module 100 and laser light 51 is emitted from laser sensor 50 along the Y axis toward inclined surface 133, the reflected light 52 reflected by inclined surface 133 does not return to laser sensor 50 because inclined surface 133 is inclined. As a result, laser sensor 50 does not receive reflected light 52, and therefore can identify the position of inclined surface 133. In this case, inclined surface 133 is the laser irradiation surface.

[0040] In addition, when the laser sensor 50 emits laser light 51 toward the side surface 132 on the -X direction side, the side surface 132 on the +X direction side, or the side surface 132 on the +Y direction side, it receives reflected light 52, and therefore it is clear that the direction in which the laser sensor 50 emits the laser light 51 is not the direction in which the inclined surface 133 is located.

[0041] In this way, to determine the orientation of the wireless communication module 100 using the laser sensor 50, it is also possible to provide a through-hole in the top plate having the top surface 131 instead of the inclined surface 133, and use the laser sensor 50 to determine whether or not the through-hole is present. However, providing a through-hole in the top plate having the top surface 131 may cause radio waves to leak from the inside to the outside when the wireless communication module 100 is mounted on a motherboard and used, or may cause noise from outside the shield cover 130 to infiltrate the inside of the shield cover 130. These problems become more pronounced as the operating frequency of the wireless communication module 100 becomes higher, resulting in a shorter wavelength. For these reasons, providing a through-hole in the top plate having the top surface 131 is not preferable.

[0042] In contrast, in the wireless communication module 100 including the shield cover 130 having the inclined surface 133, all electronic components 120 are shielded by the shield cover 130 and the inner ground layer of the substrate 110, thereby suppressing the leakage of radio waves to the outside and the intrusion of noise into the inside.

[0043] Furthermore, the shield cover 130 is provided over substantially the entire upper surface 111 of the substrate 110 in a plan view, and the electronic components 120 can also be placed in the portion where the inclined surface 133 is provided.

[0044] Therefore, it is possible to provide a wireless communication module 100 having an outer shape that can indicate the orientation without reducing the mounting area available for mounting the electronic component 120 on the substrate 110 inside the shield cover 130 .

[0045] Note that, here, a form will be described in which the inclined surface 133 is provided over the entirety of one side extending in the X direction on the −Y direction side of the top surface 131, but the inclined surface 133 may be provided on a part of one side extending in the X direction on the −Y direction side of the top surface 131. For example, the inclined surface 133 may be provided in the center or end of the entire one side extending in the X direction on the −Y direction side of the top surface 131, and the length in the X direction of the inclined surface 133 may be about 1 / 3 or 1 / 2 of the length of the one side extending in the X direction on the −Y direction side of the top surface 131.

[0046] Furthermore, although the above describes a configuration in which the shield cover 130 has one inclined surface 133, the shield cover 130 may have three inclined surfaces 133 by providing inclined surfaces 133 on three of the four sides of the top surface 131. The orientation of the wireless communication module 100 can be similarly identified by identifying the orientation in which the inclined surface 133 does not exist. Furthermore, if the shield cover 130 is not rectangular in plan view, the inclined surfaces 133 may be provided on multiple sides, excluding one side, of the multiple sides of the outer edge of the top surface 131. For example, if the shield cover 130 is pentagonal in plan view, the inclined surfaces 133 may be provided on the remaining four sides, excluding one side, of the five sides of the outer edge of the top surface 131.

[0047] <Effects> The wireless communication module 100 of the present disclosure includes a substrate 110, an electronic component 120 for wireless communication mounted on an upper surface 111 of the substrate 110, and a metal shield cover 130 attached to the upper surface 111 of the substrate 110 and covering the electronic component 120, the shield cover 130 having a side surface 132 located to the side of the electronic component 120, a top surface 131 located above the electronic component 120, and an inclined surface 133 provided partially between the side surface 132 and the top surface 131. The inclined surface 133 makes it possible to determine the orientation of the wireless communication module 100 from its outer shape. Furthermore, the inclined surface 133 is provided partially between the side surface 132 and the top surface 131, so that the electronic component 120 can also be placed below the inclined surface 133.

[0048] Therefore, it is possible to provide a wireless communication module 100 having an outer shape that can indicate the orientation without reducing the mounting area available for mounting the electronic component 120 on the substrate 110 inside the shield cover 130 .

[0049] Furthermore, the shield cover 130 may have a plurality of side surfaces 132, and the inclined surface 133 may be provided between one of the side surfaces 132 and one of the plurality of sides of the top surface 131, from one end of the side surface 132 to the other end of the side surface. By providing the inclined surface 133 from one end of the side surface 132 to the other end of the side surface, it becomes easier to identify the orientation of the inclined surface 133.

[0050] Furthermore, the shield cover 130 may be rectangular in plan view, the plurality of side surfaces 132 may be four side surfaces 132, and the inclined surface 133 may be provided between one of the four side surfaces 132 and one of the four sides of the rectangular top surface 131, from one end of the side to the other end of the side. This makes it easier to identify the orientation of the inclined surface 133 provided between one of the four side surfaces 132 of the shield cover 130 that is rectangular in plan view and the top surface 131.

[0051] Furthermore, three of the four side surfaces 132 of shield cover 130 other than one side surface 132 may be in contact with three of the four sides of rectangular top surface 131 other than one side surface 132. Since the three side surfaces 132 are connected to three of the four sides of rectangular top surface 131, respectively, and inclined surface 133 is connected to the remaining side surface, it is possible to increase the internal volume covered by shield cover 130 and to achieve an external shape that makes it easy to determine whether or not inclined surface 133 is present.

[0052] Furthermore, shield cover 130 is made of sheet metal and has a top plate having a top surface 131, four side walls each having four side surfaces 132, and an inclined wall having an inclined surface 133, and of the four side walls, three side walls each having three side surfaces 132 may be connected to the top plate, the inclined wall may be connected to one edge of the top plate, and of the four side walls, the side wall having one side surface 132 may be connected to the inclined wall. Because the internal volume covered by shield cover 130 can be increased and shield cover 130 having an outer shape that makes it easy to determine whether or not it has inclined surface 133 can be made of sheet metal, it is possible to provide wireless communication module 100 that is easy to manufacture and inexpensive.

[0053] Furthermore, the substrate 110 may have a ground layer 111G on the upper surface 111, and the shield cover 130 may be connected to the ground layer 111G by soldering along the entire periphery. This can improve the shielding between the shield cover 130 and the substrate 110, thereby improving the communication performance of the wireless communication module 100.

[0054] Furthermore, terminals 112A connected to electronic components 120 are provided on bottom surface 112 opposite top surface 111 of substrate 110, and inclined surface 133 may represent the orientation of terminals 112A on bottom surface 112. By specifying the orientation of inclined surface 133, the orientation of terminals 112A can be specified, making it possible to provide wireless communication module 100 that can be easily mounted on a motherboard or the like.

[0055] The inclined surface 133 may also be a laser irradiation surface onto which laser light 51 is irradiated to determine the orientation of the wireless communication module 100. The orientation of the inclined surface 133 can be easily determined by the laser sensor 50 that emits the laser light 51, and a more user-friendly wireless communication module 100 can be provided.

[0056] Furthermore, the electronic component 120 may have a communication function conforming to the WLAN standard. It is possible to provide a wireless communication module 100 that has an outer shape that can indicate the orientation and is capable of communication conforming to the WLAN standard without reducing the mounting area on the substrate 110 where the electronic component 120 can be mounted inside the shield cover 130.

[0057] The electronic component 120 may have a communication function conforming to the standards of a third-generation mobile communication system, a fourth-generation mobile communication system, a fifth-generation mobile communication system, or a sixth-generation mobile communication system. It is possible to provide a wireless communication module 100 that has an outer shape that allows orientation to be indicated without reducing the mounting area on the substrate 110 inside the shield cover 130 where the electronic component 120 can be mounted, and that is capable of communication conforming to the standards of a third-generation mobile communication system, a fourth-generation mobile communication system, a fifth-generation mobile communication system, or a sixth-generation mobile communication system.

[0058] Furthermore, the electronic component 120 may have a communication function conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. It is possible to provide a wireless communication module 100 that has an outer shape that allows orientation to be indicated and that is capable of communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard without reducing the mounting area available for mounting the electronic component 120 on the substrate 110 inside the shield cover 130. Furthermore, the electronic component 120 may have a communication function conforming to the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) standard instead of or in addition to the communication function conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0059] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication module 100M according to a modified example. The wireless communication module 100M includes a shield cover 130M instead of the shield cover 130 of the wireless communication module 100 shown in FIG.

[0060] The side of top surface 131 of shield cover 130M on the -Y direction side is not parallel to the X axis, but is inclined relative to the X axis within the XY plane. In other words, top surface 131 is a trapezoid with the side extending along the Y axis on the -X direction side as the lower base and the side extending along the Y axis on the +X direction side as the upper base. Note that the upper and lower bases may be reversed.

[0061] Shield cover 130M has three side surfaces on the -X, +X, and +Y sides, and an inclined surface 133M located on the -Y side. Inclined surface 133M is bent perpendicularly in the -Z direction from the edge on the -Y side of top surface 131, and is therefore not parallel to the XZ plane but is inclined relative to the XZ plane.

[0062] When such a shield cover 130M is attached to the upper surface 111 of the substrate 110, the corner portions of the upper surface 111 of the substrate 110 on the +X direction side and the −Y direction side are exposed along the inclined surfaces 133M.

[0063] When a laser sensor 50 is positioned on the -Y side of such a wireless communication module 100M and laser light 51 is emitted from the laser sensor 50 along the Y axis toward the inclined surface 133M, the reflected light 52 does not return to the laser sensor 50, so the orientation of the inclined surface 133M can be identified.

[0064] The above describes a wireless communication module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0065] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-134818, filed on August 13, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0066] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Wireless communication module 110 Substrate 111 Top surface (an example of one surface) 111G Ground layer (an example of a reference potential layer) 112 Bottom surface (an example of the other surface) 112A Terminal 120 Electronic component 130 Shield cover 131 Top surface 132 Side surface 133 Inclined surface

Claims

1. A wireless communication module comprising: a substrate; an electronic component for wireless communication mounted on one surface of the substrate; and a metallic shielding cover attached to the one surface of the substrate and covering the electronic component, the shielding cover having a side surface located to the side of the electronic component, a top surface located above the electronic component, and an inclined surface provided in a portion between the side surface and the top surface.

2. The wireless communication module described in claim 1, wherein the shield cover has a plurality of side surfaces, and the inclined surface is provided between one of the side surfaces and one of the sides of the top surface, extending from one end of the one side to the other end of the one side.

3. The wireless communication module described in claim 2, wherein the shield cover is rectangular in plan view, the plurality of side surfaces are four of the side surfaces, and the inclined surface is provided between one of the four side surfaces and one of the four sides of the rectangular top surface, extending from one end of the one side to the other end of the one side.

4. A wireless communication module as described in claim 3, wherein three of the four side surfaces of the shield cover other than the one side surface are in contact with three of the four sides of the rectangular top surface other than the one side surface.

5. The wireless communication module described in claim 4, wherein the shield cover is made of sheet metal and has a top plate having the top surface, four side walls each having the four side surfaces, and an inclined wall having the inclined surface, wherein three of the four side walls, each having the three side surfaces, are connected to the top plate, the inclined wall is connected to one edge of the top plate, and the side wall of the four side walls having the one side surface is connected to the inclined wall.

6. A wireless communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the substrate has a reference potential layer on said one surface, and the shield cover is connected to the reference potential layer by soldering over the entire periphery.

7. A wireless communication module as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a terminal connected to the electronic component is provided on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the substrate, and the inclined surface indicates the orientation of the terminal on the other surface.

8. A wireless communication module as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein terminals connected to the electronic components are provided on the other surface of the substrate opposite to the one surface, and the inclined surface indicates the index number of the terminal on the other surface.

9. A wireless communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the inclined surface is a laser irradiation surface onto which a laser for determining the orientation of the wireless communication module is irradiated.

10. The wireless communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic component has a communication function conforming to the WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) standard.

11. A wireless communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic component has a communication function conforming to the standards of a third-generation mobile communication system, a fourth-generation mobile communication system, a fifth-generation mobile communication system, or a sixth-generation mobile communication system.

12. A wireless communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic component has a communication function conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

13. The wireless communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic component has a communication function conforming to the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) standard.

14. The wireless communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic component has a communication function conforming to the LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) standard.

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