Communication apparatus and antenna device

Abstract

This communication apparatus comprises: an antenna; a first electronic component that is connected to the antenna; a second electronic component that is connected to the first electronic component via a first cable; and a ground portion that is directly or indirectly connected to the first electronic component so as not to come into contact with the antenna and a power feed line of the antenna, the ground portion being at least partially positioned in the vicinity of a power feed point of the antenna and having a lower resistance than the first cable.

Description

Communication equipment and antenna devices

[0001] This disclosure relates to communication equipment and antenna devices.

[0002] Development of communication devices with wireless communication capabilities (e.g., wireless earphones) is actively underway. Many communication devices are equipped with antennas for wireless communication.

[0003] International Publication No. 2008 / 126277, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-97098

[0004] Communication devices often consist of multiple electronic components connected by cables, such as flexible circuit boards. In such devices, the cables may resonate with radio frequencies, causing antenna currents to flow through them. If a large antenna current flows through the cables, the communication device may not be able to achieve high antenna performance.

[0005] Therefore, this disclosure proposes communication equipment and antenna devices having high antenna performance.

[0006] It should be noted that the above-mentioned problems or objectives are merely one of several problems or objectives that can be solved or achieved by the multiple embodiments disclosed herein.

[0007] To solve the above problems, one form of communication equipment according to the present disclosure comprises an antenna, a first electronic component connected to the antenna, a second electronic component connected to the first electronic component via a first cable, and a ground portion directly or indirectly connected to the first electronic component so as not to come into contact with the antenna and the antenna's feed line, with at least a portion of it located near the feed point of the antenna, and having lower resistance than the first cable.

[0008] This is a diagram illustrating the problems of the embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the problems of the embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the outline of the solution of the embodiment. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device according to the embodiment. This is a diagram showing an example of an antenna. This is a diagram showing another example of an antenna. This is a diagram showing another example of an antenna. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cable. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cable. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a ground section. This is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a ground section. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid to which the technology of the embodiment can be applied. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid to which the technology of the embodiment can be applied. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of a communication device according to the first embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of a communication device according to the first embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of a ground section according to the first embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of a ground section according to the first embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of a communication device according to the second embodiment. This is a perspective view showing how the ground section is connected to the wireless section. This is a diagram showing how the main body of the ground section and the wireless section are connected by a plurality of connection parts. This is a diagram showing how the main body of the ground section and the wireless section are connected by a plurality of connection parts. This is a diagram showing a modified example of the ground section provided in the communication device according to the second embodiment. This is a diagram showing a modified example of the ground section of the communication device according to the second embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of the communication device according to the third embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the structure of the communication device according to the third embodiment. This is a perspective view showing how the ground section is connected to the wireless section. This is a diagram showing how the main body of the ground section and the wireless section are connected by multiple connection points. This is a diagram showing how the main body of the ground section and the wireless section are connected by multiple connection points. This is a diagram showing a modified example of the ground section of the communication device according to the third embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating how the ground section of the communication device according to the third embodiment is connected. This is a diagram illustrating how the ground section of the communication device according to the fourth embodiment is connected. This is a diagram illustrating how the ground section of the communication device according to the fourth embodiment is connected. This is a diagram illustrating how the ground section of the communication device according to the fifth embodiment is connected.This is a diagram illustrating a communication device according to the fifth embodiment.

[0009] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments, the same parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant descriptions.

[0010] Furthermore, in this specification, the expression "at least one of" accompanied by an enumeration of elements is understood to mean that the enumerated elements are the choices. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" means "(A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C)." "at least one of A, B, or C" and "at least one of A, B, and / or C" are similar to "at least one of A, B, and C." Here, A, B, and C are all arbitrary expressions (e.g., word, phrase, clause, term, or item).

[0011] Furthermore, in this specification and drawings, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different numbers or letters after the same reference numeral. For example, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding a projection 153 as needed. １ , 153 ２ , and 153 ３ They are distinguished in this way. However, if there is no need to particularly distinguish each of multiple components that have substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numeral is used. For example, the protruding part 153 １ , 153 ２ , and 153 ３ When there is no particular need to distinguish between them, they are simply referred to as the protruding portion 153.

[0012] The one or more embodiments (including examples and modifications) described below can each be implemented independently. On the other hand, at least some of the embodiments described below may be implemented in appropriate combination with at least some of the other embodiments. These embodiments may contain novel features that differ from each other. Therefore, these embodiments may contribute to solving different objectives or problems and may produce different effects.

[0013] This disclosure will be described in the following order of items: 1. Overview 2. Example of Communication Equipment Configuration 3. Specific Example of Communication Equipment Configuration 3-1. Basic Structure 3-2. First Embodiment 3-3. Second Embodiment 3-4. Third Embodiment 3-5. Fourth Embodiment 3-6. Fifth Embodiment 4. Modifications 4-1. Modifications relating to the Ground Section 4-2. Modifications relating to the Connection between the Ground Section and the Wireless Section 4-3. Modifications relating to the Structure of the Communication Equipment 4-4. Modifications relating to the Appearance of the Communication Equipment 4-5. Other Modifications 5. Conclusion

[0014] <<1. Overview>> First, the overview of this embodiment will be explained.

[0015] Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating the problems of this embodiment. Many communication devices with wireless communication capabilities (for example, wireless earphones) are equipped with an antenna for wireless communication, as shown in Figure 1, for example. Inside the communication device, multiple electronic components are often connected by cables such as flexible circuit boards. In the example in Figure 1, the wireless unit / control unit, the battery, the driver / sensor / charging terminal, and the microphone are connected by cables.

[0016] In such communication devices, antenna current can flow through the cable due to resonance with the radio frequency. The signal lines in the cable are often thin. For example, the width of the signal lines on flexible circuit boards is often less than 1 mm (e.g., 45 μm), making them very thin. When the signal lines are thin, if antenna current flows through the cable, the signal lines act as resistance, resulting in significant heat loss (= resistance × current^2). As a result, the communication device cannot achieve high antenna performance (e.g., high antenna gain, high antenna efficiency, high directivity, or low noise level).

[0017] One way to prevent a cable from resonating with radio frequencies is to insert a coil (bead) into the signal line. In the example in Figure 2, beads (also called ferrite beads) are inserted into the cable to prevent it from resonating with radio frequencies. However, this method can cause a decrease in power supply voltage due to the DC resistance component of the coil (bead). If the communication equipment is audio equipment (for example, wireless earphones), the DC resistance component may also impair the sound performance.

[0018] Therefore, in this embodiment, the above problems are solved as follows.

[0019] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the outline of the solution of this embodiment. The communication device of this embodiment includes an antenna connected to a radio unit / control unit. The communication device includes a ground plate connected to the radio unit / control unit so as not to come into contact with the antenna and the antenna's feed line. The ground plate is a plate-shaped metal (conductor) at the same potential as the ground. The ground plate of this embodiment has lower resistance than the signal lines of the cable (e.g., a flexible circuit board). At least a portion of the ground plate is located near the feed point of the antenna. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the ground plate is connected to the radio unit / control unit such that the connection portion to the radio unit / control unit is located near the feed point of the antenna.

[0020] As described above, since the signal lines of the cable are thin, they have high resistance. Therefore, when an antenna current flows through the cable, a large loss (= resistance × current^2) occurs. However, in this embodiment, since a low-resistance ground plate is connected near the antenna feeding point, the antenna current flows through the ground plate, which has a lower resistance than the cable, as shown in, for example, FIG. 3. As a result, the communication device can reduce the loss caused by the antenna current. As a result, high antenna performance can be achieved without causing a decrease in power supply voltage and / or acoustic performance.

[0021] <<2. Configuration Example of Communication Device>> Having described the outline of this embodiment above, the configuration of the communication device 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0022] The communication device 10 is a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with another wireless communication device (for example, a terminal device or a base station). For example, the communication device 10 is a wireless earphone that wirelessly communicates with a terminal device such as a smartphone. Note that the communication device 10 is not limited to a wireless earphone. For example, the communication device 10 may be a wireless headset. Also, the communication device 10 may be a wireless hearing aid that wirelessly communicates with another wireless communication device.

[0023] Furthermore, the communication device 10 can be any form of information processing device (computer). For example, the communication device 10 may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, smart device (smartphone or tablet), PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), notebook PC, or portable game console. The communication device 10 may also be a controller for a wireless communication device (e.g., a game console or a mobile device (e.g., a drone)). The communication device 10 may also be an imaging device equipped with communication functions (e.g., a camcorder). The communication device 10 may also be a mobile device (e.g., a motorcycle or mobile relay vehicle) equipped with communication equipment such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). The communication device 10 may also be an M2M (Machine to Machine) device or an IoT (Internet of Things) device. The communication device 10 may also be a wearable device such as a smartwatch.

[0024] Furthermore, the communication device 10 may be an XR device such as an AR (Augmented Reality) device, a VR (Virtual Reality) device, or an MR (Mixed Reality) device. In this case, the XR device may be a glasses-type device such as AR glasses or MR glasses, or a head-mounted device such as a VR head-mounted display. XR stands for Extended Reality or Cross Reality. When the communication device 10 is an XR device, the communication device 10 may be a standalone device consisting only of a user-worn part (e.g., a glasses part). Alternatively, the communication device 10 may be a terminal-linked device consisting of a user-worn part (e.g., a glasses part) and a terminal part (e.g., a smart device) that works in conjunction with that part.

[0025] Of course, the communication device 10 is not limited to the above and may be other wireless communication devices. For example, the communication device 10 may be a game console equipped with wireless communication functionality, or a router equipped with wireless communication functionality.

[0026] The communication device 10 of this embodiment may be configured to connect to a network using wireless access technologies (RAT: Radio Access Technology) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), B5G (Beyond 5G), 6G, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. At this time, the communication device 10 may be configured to be able to use different wireless access technologies (wireless communication methods). For example, the communication device 10 may be configured to be able to use LTE / NR and Wi-Fi / Bluetooth. Also, the communication device 10 may be configured to be able to use different cellular communication technologies / cell-free communication technologies (e.g., LTE, NR, B5G, or 6G). Further, the communication device 10 may be capable of satellite communication.

[0027] LTE and NR are a type of cellular communication technology, and by arranging a plurality of areas covered by a base station in a cell shape, mobile communication of a communication device is enabled. B5G and 6G may be a technology that enables mobile communication of a communication device as a type of cellular communication technology / cell-free communication technology. The cell-free communication technology is a technology that eliminates cell boundaries in a conventional cellular network. Note that the cell-free communication technology may be regarded as a type of cellular communication technology. In this case, in the following description, the description of "cellular" that appears may be appropriately replaced with "cell-free", or the description of "cell-free" may be replaced with "cellular".

[0028] In the following description, "LTE" shall include LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), LTE-A Pro (LTE-Advanced Pro), and EUTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access). Also, NR shall include NRAT (New Radio Access Technology) and FEUTRA (Further EUTRA). Note that a single base station may manage a plurality of cells. In the following description, a cell corresponding to LTE is referred to as an LTE cell, and a cell corresponding to NR is referred to as an NR cell.

[0029] NR is the next generation (fifth generation) wireless access technology after LTE (fourth generation communication including LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro). NR is a wireless access technology that can support various use cases, including eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband), mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communications), and URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications). NR was standardized in 3GPP® Rel-15 as a technical framework to address the usage scenarios, requirements, and deployment scenarios in these use cases. Furthermore, B5G and 6G require the simultaneous realization of multiple axes: high speed, large capacity, low latency, high reliability, and massive simultaneous connections.

[0030] 6G is the next generation of cellular / cell-free communication technology following NR (Non-Reactive Network) and 5GS (5G system). 6G includes radio access technology and network technologies between base stations, core networks, and data networks. It also includes technologies for extreme connectivity for eMBB, mMTC, and URLLLC, which were key use cases or requirements in NR. Furthermore, 6G includes new technologies in new areas. For example, 6G may include technologies related to AI (Cognitive Network, AI Native Air Interface), sensing (including radar sensing and network as a sensor), and terahertz communication.

[0031] The wireless network may support at least one of the following radio access technologies (RATs): LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), B5G, 6G, etc. LTE, NR, and 6G are types of cellular / cell-free communication technologies. The radio access method used by the communication device 10 is not limited to LTE, NR, B5G, or 6G, but may also be other radio access methods such as W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) or cdma2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000). Of course, the radio access technology used by the communication device 10 may also be other cellular / cell-free communication technologies.

[0032] Furthermore, the wireless access technology used by the communication device 10 may be wireless LAN technology (IEEE 802.11), LTE-U (LTE-Unlicensed), NR-U (NR Unlicensed), LAA (Licensed Assisted Access), or MultiFire. The wireless access technology used by the communication device 10 may also be LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication technology. Furthermore, the wireless access technology used by the communication device 10 may be a proprietary wireless access technology. Of course, the wireless access technology used by the communication device 10 is not limited to these.

[0033] Here, LPWA communication refers to wireless communication that enables low-power, wide-area communication. For example, LPWA wireless refers to IoT (Internet of Things) wireless communication using specified low-power wireless (e.g., 920 MHz band) or ISM (Industry-Science-Medical) band. LPWA wireless may also include LTE-M and / or C-IoT (Cellular IoT) represented by NB-IoT, which operate in the cellular frequency band. The LPWA communication used by the communication device 10 may conform to the LPWA standard. The LPWA standard may be at least one of, for example, ELTRES, ZETA, SIGFOX, LoRaWAN, LTE-M, and NB-IoT. Of course, the LPWA standard is not limited to these, and other LPWA standards may also be used.

[0034] Furthermore, the communication device 10 may be capable of NOMA (Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access) communication with other wireless communication devices such as base stations. Here, NOMA communication refers to communication (transmission, reception, or both) using non-orthogonal resources. Note that the communication device 10 may also be capable of NOMA communication with other communication devices.

[0035] The communication device 10 may be capable of communicating with other communication devices 10. Furthermore, the communication device 10 may be a relay terminal that relays communication to a remote terminal.

[0036] The wireless communication used by the communication device 10 may be wireless communication using the millimeter wave band (30 GHz to 300 GHz band) or the sub-millimeter wave band (for example, the 20 GHz to 30 GHz band). Of course, the wireless communication used by the communication device 10 may also be wireless communication using a frequency band below 6 GHz (for example, Sub6), or wireless communication using a frequency band of 6 GHz or higher (for example, the 6 GHz to 20 GHz band). Furthermore, the wireless communication used by the communication device 10 may also be wireless communication using terahertz waves. In addition, the communication device 10 may be capable of wireless power transmission or radio wave sensing (for example, sensing in the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) and / or millimeter wave band).

[0037] For example, suppose the wireless access technology used by communication device 10 is a wireless access technology for short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. In this case, the wireless communication used by communication device 10 may be wireless communication using the 2.4 GHz band, wireless communication using the 5 GHz band, or wireless communication using the 6 GHz band. Of course, the wireless communication used by communication device 10 is not limited to wireless communication using these frequency bands.

[0038] Furthermore, the communication device 10 may be a mobile device. The mobile device is a portable wireless communication device. In this case, the communication device 10 may be a wireless communication device installed on the mobile device, or it may be the mobile device itself.

[0039] Here, the moving object may be a mobile device such as a smartphone or mobile phone. The moving object may be a moving object that moves on land (ground in the narrow sense) (e.g., automobiles, bicycles, buses, trucks, motorcycles, trains, or vehicles such as maglev trains), or a moving object that moves underground (e.g., inside tunnels) (e.g., subways). The moving object may also be a moving object that moves on water (e.g., passenger ships, cargo ships, or vessels such as hovercraft), or a moving object that moves underwater (e.g., submersibles such as submersible boats, submarines, or unmanned submersibles). The moving object may also be a moving object that moves within the atmosphere (e.g., aircraft such as airplanes, airships, or drones).

[0040] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the communication device 10 according to this embodiment. The communication device 10 comprises a wireless unit 11 (first electronic component), an antenna 12, a group of electronic components 13 (second group of electronic components), a cable 14, and a ground unit 15. The group of electronic components 13 includes a microphone 131, a battery 132, a driver 133, a sensor 134, and a charging terminal 135. The communication device 10 does not necessarily have to have all of these components. The communication device 10 may also have components other than those shown. Note that the configuration shown in Figure 4 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ from this. Furthermore, the functions of the communication device 10 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated configurations.

[0041] The wireless unit 11 is, for example, a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices. The wireless unit 11 may also be called a wireless transceiver or simply a transceiver. In this case, the wireless unit 11 may be a Wi-Fi transceiver or a short-range communication transceiver such as a Bluetooth transceiver. Furthermore, the wireless unit 11 may support multiple wireless access technologies. For example, in addition to functioning as a Wi-Fi transceiver, the wireless unit 11 may also function as a Bluetooth transceiver.

[0042] The wireless unit 11 is not limited to Wi-Fi transceivers and Bluetooth transceivers. The wireless unit 11 may be, for example, a transceiver compatible with other wireless access technologies. For example, the wireless unit 11 may be an LPWA-compatible transceiver or a transceiver conforming to the standards defined in the 3GPP technical specifications (hereinafter referred to as a 3GPP transceiver). The 3GPP transceiver may be a 3G transceiver, a 4G (LTE) transceiver, a 5G (NR) transceiver, or a transceiver of a 5G or later generation. The wireless unit 11 supports one or more wireless access methods. The wireless unit 11 may support at least one of wireless LAN, Bluetooth, LPWA, NR, LTE, B5G, and 6G. In addition to these wireless access methods, the wireless unit 11 may also support W-CDMA and cdma2000, etc. If the wireless unit 11 supports multiple wireless access methods, each part of the wireless unit 11 may be configured separately for each wireless access method.

[0043] The wireless unit 11 may support only one frequency band or multiple frequency bands. For example, if the wireless unit 11 is a Wi-Fi transceiver, it may support at least one of the following: wireless communication using the 2.4 GHz band, wireless communication using the 5 GHz band, and wireless communication using the 6 GHz band. If the wireless unit 11 is a Bluetooth transceiver, it may support wireless communication using the 2.4 GHz band. Of course, the wireless communication supported by the wireless unit 11 is not limited to wireless communication using the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. For example, the wireless unit 11 may support wireless communication using a band of 6 GHz or higher.

[0044] Furthermore, the wireless unit 11 may also function as a controller for controlling each part of the communication device 10. In this case, the wireless unit 11 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The wireless unit 11 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The wireless unit 11 may also be implemented by a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The term "wireless unit" in the following description can be replaced with "control unit".

[0045] In addition, the radio unit 11 may support automatic retransmission technologies such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request). The radio unit 11 may also have a beamforming function. For example, the radio unit 11 may have a polarization beamforming function that uses vertical polarization (V polarization) and horizontal polarization (H polarization) (or a polarization beamforming function that uses dual polarization in polarization directions of 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical).

[0046] The wireless unit 11 may be capable of communicating with multiple base stations or multiple cells simultaneously. If one base station supports a communication area via multiple cells (for example, pCell or sCell), communication between the base station and the communication device 10 can be achieved by bundling these multiple cells together using technologies such as carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC), or multi-connectivity (MC). Alternatively, communication between the communication device 10 and these multiple base stations can be achieved via cells from different base stations using coordinated multi-point transmission and reception (CoMP) technology.

[0047] An antenna 12 is connected to the wireless unit 11. The antenna 12 may be considered as part of the wireless unit 11. In the example in Figure 4, only one antenna 12 is shown, but the communication device 10 may have multiple antennas 12. In this case, multiple antennas 12 may be connected to one wireless unit 11. Also, if the communication device 10 has multiple wireless units 11, one or more antennas 12 may be connected to each of the multiple wireless units 11.

[0048] Antenna 12 is a device for transmitting and / or receiving radio waves. Antenna 12 is composed of one or more antenna elements 121. If antenna 12 is composed of multiple antenna elements 121, the radio unit 11 may be configured to generate a directional beam by controlling the directivity of the radio signal using the multiple antenna elements 121.

[0049] Antenna 12 may be a linear antenna or a planar antenna.

[0050] Figure 5 shows an example of an antenna 12. In Figure 5, an inverted-L antenna is shown as an example of an antenna 12. An inverted-L antenna is a type of monopole antenna and is composed of an inverted L-shaped antenna element 121. The antenna 12 may be a linear inverted-L antenna or a planar inverted-L antenna. As shown in Figure 5, for example, the inverted-L antenna has a feed point 122 at one end of the antenna element 121.

[0051] Figure 6 shows another example of antenna 12. Figure 6 shows an inverted-F antenna as an example of antenna 12. An inverted-F antenna is a type of monopole antenna and is composed of, for example, an inverted-F shaped antenna element 121. Antenna 12 may be a linear inverted-F antenna or a planar inverted-F antenna. The inverted-F antenna is fed from an intermediate point away from the ends of the antenna element 121, as shown in Figure 6, for example.

[0052] Figure 7 shows another example of antenna 12. Figure 7 shows a transmission line antenna as an example of antenna 12, where a loop-shaped antenna element 121 is halved by a ground plate or the like. Note that the antenna element 121 is not limited to a linear shape; for example, it may be plate-shaped.

[0053] In addition, the antenna 12 may be a loop antenna or a dipole antenna. In this case, one or more antenna elements 121 constituting the antenna 12 may be linear or plate-shaped. Furthermore, the antenna 12 may be an array antenna in which patch antennas are used as antenna elements 121. A patch antenna may be, for example, a rectangular microstrip antenna. A patch antenna may be composed of, for example, antenna elements (patches) arranged on a dielectric substrate having a ground plane on its back surface.

[0054] Of course, the antenna 12 is not limited to the above. Various shapes and types of antennas can be used for the antenna 12.

[0055] As described above, the communication device 10 comprises a plurality of electronic components (the group of electronic components 13 shown in Figure 4). The group of electronic components 13 includes a microphone 131, a battery 132, a driver 133, a sensor 134, and a charging terminal 135. Note that the group of electronic components 13 does not necessarily have to include at least one of these plurality of electronic components. Furthermore, the group of electronic components 13 may also include other electronic components.

[0056] The microphone 131 is a sensor that detects sounds in the vicinity of the communication device 10.

[0057] Battery 132 is a device for storing electrical energy. Battery 132 may be a primary battery capable of discharging only, or a secondary battery capable of charging. For example, battery 132 may be a lithium-ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, a lead-acid battery, or an all-solid-state battery.

[0058] The driver 133 is an acoustic output device that emits sound. The driver 133 may also be referred to as a speaker driver or a receiver.

[0059] Sensor 134 is a sensor for detecting various types of information. For example, sensor 134 is a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device. For example, sensor 134 is a sensor that acquires information about the position, shape, and movement of other objects. However, sensor 134 is not limited to a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device. Sensor 134 may also be a sensor for detecting the state of the device itself (for example, the position, speed, acceleration, tilt, vibration, rotation, etc. of the communication device 10). In addition, sensor 134 may also be a sensor for detecting the state of the area around the device (temperature, humidity, light, sound, etc.).

[0060] The charging terminal 135 is a terminal used to charge the battery 132. For example, the charging terminal 135 may be a USB terminal or a Lightning terminal. Of course, the charging terminal 135 may be of other types. For example, the charging terminal 135 may be a terminal with specifications unique to the device manufacturer. The communication device 10 may also be configured to enable wireless charging. In this case, the communication device 10 does not necessarily have to be equipped with a charging terminal 135.

[0061] Cable 14 is a cable that connects electronic components that make up the communication device 10. For example, cable 14 is a cable that connects the wireless unit 11 (first electronic component) and one or more electronic components (one or more second electronic components) that make up the group of electronic components 13. In this case, the second electronic component may be a microphone 131, a battery 132, a driver 133, a sensor 134, or a charging terminal 135. The second electronic component may also be an electronic component other than those listed above.

[0062] Figures 8A and 8B show examples of the configuration of cable 14. In the examples in Figures 8A and 8B, cable 14 is made of a flexible printed circuit board (FPC). An FPC can also be considered a type of cable. Figure 8A is a plan view of cable 14, and Figure 8B is a cross-sectional view of cable 14 shown in Figure 8A along line A-A. In Figure 8B, the thickness of cable 14 is depicted as larger than it actually is to facilitate understanding of its structure.

[0063] As shown in Figures 8A and 8B, the cable 14 comprises a plurality of sheet-like insulators 141 and a plurality of signal lines 142 sandwiched between the insulators 141. The width W1 of the signal lines 142 is, for example, 45 μm. Of course, the width W1 of the signal lines 142 may be smaller or larger than 45 μm. In the example of Figure 8B, the cable 14 has a two-layer structure (double-sided structure), but it may also have a single-layer structure (single-sided structure).

[0064] The cable 14 shown in Figures 8A and 8B is merely an example. The cable 14 may be a flexible substrate having a structure other than that shown in Figures 8A and 8B. Furthermore, the cable 14 is not limited to a flexible substrate. For example, the cable 14 may be a coaxial cable or a flexible cable (also called an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable)).

[0065] Returning to Figure 4, the ground portion 15 is configured to suppress the flow of antenna current through the cable 14. For example, the ground portion 15 is a highly conductive object at the same potential as the ground of the radio unit 11 / antenna 12. For example, the ground portion 15 is a plate-like body (hereinafter referred to as a ground plate) at the same potential as the ground. The material constituting the ground portion 15 may be metal or non-metal (for example, conductive plastic). The ground portion 15 is connected to the radio unit 11 (first electronic component) so as not to come into contact with the antenna 12 and the feed line of the antenna 12. At this time, the ground portion 15 may be connected to the radio unit 11 by soldering.

[0066] At least a portion of the ground section 15 is located near the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. For example, a portion of the ground section 15 is located near the connection point between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12. The distance (shortest distance) between the ground section 15 and the feed point 122 is, for example, 100 μm to 20 mm or 100 μm to 10 mm, preferably 100 μm to 5 mm or 100 μm to 3 mm, and more preferably 100 μm to 2 mm or 100 μm to 1 mm. Of course, the distance between the ground section 15 and the feed point 122 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, 20 mm or more, or 100 μm or less.

[0067] Figures 9A and 9B show examples of the configuration of the ground section 15. In the examples of Figures 9A and 9B, the ground section 15 is a ground plate. Figure 9A is a plan view of the ground section 15, and Figure 9B is a cross-sectional view of the ground section 15 shown in Figure 9A along the line B-B.

[0068] The ground portion 15 may be made of a highly conductive metallic material such as iron, copper, aluminum, magnesium, or nickel. The metallic material may be a combination of several metals selected from these metals, or it may be an alloy containing one or more metals selected from these metals.

[0069] The ground plate constituting the ground section 15 may have a conductive film (e.g., a metal film) on its surface. The conductive film may be formed by plating (e.g., silver plating, copper plating, gold plating, nickel plating, or tin plating). Various plating methods can be used. For example, the conductive film may be formed by LDS (Laser Direct Structuring). Of course, the conductive film may be formed by other methods. For example, the conductive film may be formed by printing using conductive ink or conductive toner. It should be noted that the ground plate does not necessarily need to be made of a highly conductive metal material as long as conductivity can be ensured by the conductive film. For example, the ground plate may be made of a less conductive metal material (e.g., titanium or stainless steel).

[0070] The ground portion 15 in this embodiment has lower resistance than the signal line 142 of the cable 14 (first cable). For example, the width of the ground portion 15 is greater than the width of the signal line 142 so that the ground portion 15 has lower resistance than the signal line 142. As an example, the width W2 of the ground portion 15 is 6.6 mm. Of course, the width W2 of the ground portion 15 may be greater than or less than 6.6 mm.

[0071] Furthermore, the length L1 of the ground section 15 may be approximately the same as, for example, 1 / 4 wavelength (hereinafter also referred to as λ / 4) of the radio wave in the frequency band to which the communication device 10 operates, in order to facilitate resonance. For example, the length L1 of the ground section 15 is 95% to 105% of λ / 4, preferably 97% to 103%, and more preferably 99% to 101%. As described above, the frequency band to which the communication device 10 operates may be the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, or the 6 GHz band.

[0072] The length of the ground section 15 can be adjusted as appropriate to match the configuration of the actual communication device 10. For example, the length of the ground section 15 can be adjusted as appropriate, taking into account the distance between the ground section 15 and the power supply point 122, the dielectric material located between the ground section 15 and the power supply point 122, and the materials constituting the ground section 15.

[0073] The ground portion 15 shown in Figures 9A and 9B is merely an example. The ground portion 15 may be a metal plate having a structure other than that shown in Figures 9A and 9B. Furthermore, the ground portion 15 is not limited to a metal plate. For example, the ground portion 15 may be a conductive film (e.g., plating) formed on the housing of the communication device 10.

[0074] <<3. Specific Configuration Examples of Communication Devices>> The configuration of the communication device 10 has been explained above. Below, specific configuration examples of the communication device 10 will be explained. Here, the configuration of wireless earphones (or wireless hearing aids) will be explained as a specific configuration example of the communication device 10. Note that the communication device 10 is not limited to wireless earphones (or wireless hearing aids).

[0075] <3-1. Basic Structure> Before describing specific configuration examples of the communication device 10, the basic structure of a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid (hereinafter referred to as the communication device 20) to which the technology of this embodiment can be applied will be described.

[0076] For the sake of clarity, the following explanation may use the XYZ coordinate system. The positive X-axis direction is, for example, to the right, and the negative X-axis direction is, for example, to the left. The positive Y-axis direction is, for example, forward, and the negative Y-axis direction is, for example, backward. The positive Z-axis direction is, for example, upward, and the negative Z-axis direction is, for example, downward. The definitions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions shown here are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the positive Z-axis direction may be defined as downward, and the negative Z-axis direction as upward.

[0077] Figures 10A and 10B illustrate the structure of a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid to which the technology of this embodiment can be applied. The communication device 20 (wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid) comprises a wireless unit 11 (first electronic component), an antenna 12, a battery 132 (second electronic component), a driver 133 (second electronic component), and a cable 14. These configurations are the same as those of the wireless unit 11, antenna 12, battery 132, driver 133, or cable 14 of the communication device 10.

[0078] In the examples shown in Figures 10A and 10B, antenna 12 is an inverted L-type antenna. However, antenna 12 is not limited to an inverted L-type antenna. As mentioned above, antenna 12 may be an inverted F-type antenna, a transmission line antenna, a loop antenna, a dipole antenna, or an array antenna.

[0079] Furthermore, in the examples of Figures 10A and 10B, the cable 14 is a flexible circuit board. However, the cable 14 is not limited to a flexible circuit board. For example, the cable 14 may be a coaxial cable or an FFC. In the examples of Figures 10A and 10B, the wireless unit 11 is connected to the battery 132 and the driver 133 by the cable 14.

[0080] The second electronic component of the communication device 20 is not limited to the battery 132 and the driver 133. For example, the communication device 20 may include a microphone 131, a sensor 134, or a charging terminal 135 as the second electronic component.

[0081] The communication device 20 includes a housing 16. The material constituting the housing 16 may be resin. Of course, the material constituting the housing 16 is not limited to resin. The above components of the communication device 20 (for example, the wireless unit 11, antenna 12, battery 132, driver 133, and cable 14) are housed inside the housing 16, for example, as shown in Figures 10A and 10B.

[0082] Based on the above, specific configuration examples of the communication device 10 of this embodiment (the first to fifth embodiments) will be described.

[0083] The above descriptions of communication devices 10 and 20 are applicable to the communication devices 10 in each of the following embodiments. Furthermore, the descriptions of the communication devices 10 shown in each of the following embodiments are also applicable to the communication devices 10 in other embodiments.

[0084] For example, a communication device 10 according to one embodiment may have a certain configuration that is present in a communication device 10 according to another embodiment. For example, the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment may have at least one of the ground units 15 according to the second to fifth embodiments in addition to the ground unit 15 according to the first embodiment.

[0085] Furthermore, for example, a certain configuration of the communication device 10 according to one embodiment may be replaced with a certain configuration of the communication device 10 according to another embodiment. For example, the wireless unit 11 of the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment may be replaced with the wireless unit 11 according to the fourth embodiment.

[0086] Furthermore, the configurations of the communication device 10 according to each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

[0087] <3-2. First Embodiment> First, the configuration of the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0088] In the first embodiment, the communication device 10 is a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid. The above description of the communication device 20 is applicable to the communication device 10 in the first embodiment. Also, the descriptions of the communication device 10 in the other embodiments (second to fifth embodiments) are applicable to the communication device 10 in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the following information is applicable to communication devices other than wireless earphones / wireless hearing aids.

[0089] Unlike the communication device 20 described above, the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment includes a ground section 15. In the first embodiment, the ground section 15 is a plate-shaped metal (ground plate) at the same potential as the ground. In the following description, the ground section 15 provided in the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment will be referred to as the ground section 15A.

[0090] Figures 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the structure of a communication device 10 according to the first embodiment. The communication device 10 according to the first embodiment, like the communication device 20 described above, comprises a wireless unit 11 (first electronic component), an antenna 12, a battery 132 (second electronic component), a driver 133 (second electronic component), and a cable 14. The communication device 10 includes a housing 16 (not shown). The configuration of the housing 16 may be the same as that of the housing 16 of the communication device 20 described above. The configuration shown in Figures 11A and 11B is housed inside the housing 16.

[0091] Furthermore, the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment may, like the communication device 20 described above, include a microphone 131, a sensor 134, or a charging terminal 135 as a second electronic component. Also, the antenna 12 is not limited to an inverted L-shaped antenna, like the communication device 20 described above. Similarly, the cable 14 is not limited to a flexible substrate, like the communication device 20 described above.

[0092] As described above, the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment includes a ground section 15A. The ground section 15A is configured to suppress the flow of antenna current through the cable 14. The ground section 15A is an example of the ground section 15 described above.

[0093] Figures 12A and 12B show the structure of the ground portion 15A according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the ground portion 15A is a plate-shaped metal (ground plate) at the same potential as the ground. Figure 12A is a plan view of the ground portion 15A, and Figure 12B is a cross-sectional view of the ground portion 15A shown in Figure 12A along the line C-C.

[0094] The gland portion 15A is made of a highly conductive metallic material such as iron, copper, aluminum, magnesium, or nickel. The metallic material may be a combination of several metals selected from these metals, or it may be an alloy containing one or more metals selected from these metals.

[0095] The metal plate constituting the ground portion 15A may have a conductive film (e.g., a metal film) on its surface. The conductive film may be formed by plating (e.g., silver plating, copper plating, gold plating, nickel plating, or tin plating). Various plating methods can be employed. For example, the conductive film may be formed by LDS (Laser Direct Structuring). Of course, the conductive film may be formed by other methods. For example, the conductive film may be formed by printing using conductive ink or conductive toner. It should be noted that the metal plate does not necessarily need to be made of a highly conductive metal material as long as conductivity can be ensured by the conductive film. For example, the metal plate may be made of a less conductive metal material (e.g., titanium or stainless steel).

[0096] The ground portion 15A is connected to the radio unit 11 (first electronic component) so as not to come into contact with the antenna 12 and the feed line of the antenna 12. For example, in the first embodiment, one end of the ground portion 15A in the longitudinal direction (the end in the positive Z-axis direction in the example of Figures 12A and 12B) is bent perpendicular to the plate surface. Then, one end of the ground portion 15A (the end in the positive Z-axis direction) is connected to one of the ends of the radio unit 11 (for example, the end closest to the connection point between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12), as shown in Figures 11A and 11B. In this case, the ground portion 15A may be connected to the radio unit 11 by soldering.

[0097] As described above, at least a portion of the ground portion 15A is located near the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. In the examples of Figures 11A and 11B, one end of the ground portion 15A (the end in the positive Z-axis direction) is located near the connection point between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12. The distance between the ground portion 15A (the end in the positive Z-axis direction) and the feed point 122 is, for example, 100 μm to 20 mm or 100 μm to 10 mm, preferably 100 μm to 5 mm or 100 μm to 3 mm, and more preferably 100 μm to 2 mm or 100 μm to 1 mm. Of course, the distance between the ground portion 15A and the feed point 122 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, 20 mm or more, or 100 μm or less.

[0098] The ground portion 15A in the first embodiment has lower resistance than the signal line 142 of the cable 14. For example, the width of the ground portion 15A is greater than the width of the signal line 142 so that the ground portion 15A has lower resistance than the signal line 142. As an example, the width of the ground portion 15A is 6.6 mm. Of course, the width of the ground portion 15A may be greater than or less than 6.6 mm.

[0099] The ground section 15A in the first embodiment may have a length that resonates with the frequency band to which the communication device 10 corresponds. For example, the length of the ground section 15A may be approximately the same as 1 / 4 wavelength (hereinafter also referred to as λ / 4) of the radio wave in the frequency band to which the communication device 10 corresponds. For example, the length of the ground section 15 may be 95% to 105% of λ / 4, preferably 97% to 103%, and more preferably 99% to 101%. Here, the length of the ground section 15A, in the first embodiment, is the length from the end connected to the wireless section 11 to the other end. As described above, the frequency band to which the communication device 10 corresponds may be the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, or the 6 GHz band.

[0100] The length of the ground section 15A can be adjusted as appropriate to match the configuration of the actual communication device 10. For example, the length of the ground section 15A can be adjusted as appropriate, taking into consideration the distance between the ground section 15A and the power supply point 122, the dielectric between the ground section 15A and the power supply point 122, and the materials constituting the ground section 15A.

[0101] As described above, the signal lines of cable 14 are narrow and therefore have high resistance. Consequently, when antenna current flows through cable 14, significant losses occur. However, in the first embodiment, a low-resistance ground section 15A (ground plate) is connected near the feed point 122 of antenna 12. Therefore, the antenna current flows through the ground section 15A (ground plate), which has lower resistance than cable 14. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment can reduce losses due to antenna current. Consequently, high antenna performance is achieved without causing a decrease in power supply voltage and / or a decrease in sound performance.

[0102] <3-3. Second Embodiment> Next, the configuration of the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment will be described.

[0103] In the second embodiment, the communication device 10 is a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid. The above description of the communication device 20 is applicable to the communication device 10 in the second embodiment. Also, the descriptions of the communication device 10 in the other embodiments (the first embodiment and the third to fifth embodiments) are applicable to the communication device 10 in the second embodiment. Furthermore, the following information is also applicable to communication devices other than wireless earphones / wireless hearing aids.

[0104] The communication device 10 according to the second embodiment also includes a ground portion 15, similar to the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the ground portion 15 is a conductive film formed on the inner surface of the housing 16. In the following description, the ground portion 15 provided in the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment will be referred to as the ground portion 15B.

[0105] Figures 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating the structure of the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment. Figure 13A shows the communication device 10 with a housing 16, and Figure 13B shows the communication device 10 with the housing 16 removed.

[0106] The communication device 10 according to the second embodiment, like the communication device 20 described above, comprises a wireless unit 11 (first electronic component), an antenna 12, a battery 132 (second electronic component), a driver 133 (second electronic component), and a cable 14. The communication device 10 also comprises a housing 16. The material constituting the housing 16 is, for example, resin. The above components of the communication device 10 (wireless unit 11, antenna 12, battery 132, driver 133, and cable 14) are housed inside the housing 16.

[0107] Furthermore, the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment may, like the communication device 20 described above, include a microphone 131, a sensor 134, or a charging terminal 135 as a second electronic component. Also, the antenna 12 is not limited to an inverted L-shaped antenna, as with the communication device 20 described above. Similarly, the cable 14 is not limited to a flexible substrate, as with the communication device 20 described above.

[0108] As described above, the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment includes a ground section 15B. The ground section 15B is configured to suppress the flow of antenna current through the cable 14. The ground section 15B is an example of the ground section 15 described above.

[0109] In the second embodiment, the ground portion 15B is a conductive film (for example, a metal film) formed on the inner surface 16a of the housing 16 of the communication device 10. The conductive film may be formed by plating (for example, silver plating, copper plating, gold plating, nickel plating, or tin plating). Various plating methods can be used. For example, the conductive film may be formed by LDS (Laser Direct Structuring). Of course, the conductive film may be formed by other methods. For example, the conductive film may be formed by printing using conductive ink or conductive toner.

[0110] In the examples of Figures 13A and 13B, the ground portion 15B is a cylindrical metal film. In the examples of Figures 13A and 13B, the ground portion 15B is positioned to surround the first electronic component (wireless unit 11) and / or the second electronic component (at least one of the microphone 131, battery 132, driver 133, sensor 134, and cable 14).

[0111] Furthermore, the ground portion 15B is connected to the wireless unit 11 (first electronic component) so as not to come into contact with the antenna 12 and the feed line of the antenna 12. Figure 14 is a perspective view showing how the ground portion 15B is connected to the wireless unit 11. In the example of Figure 14, the ground portion 15B has a main body portion of the ground portion 15B (a conductive film formed on the inner surface 16a of the housing 16) and a connecting portion 151 that connects the wireless unit 11. Here, the main body of the ground portion 15B is the portion of the conductive film formed on the inner surface 16a of the housing 16.

[0112] In the example shown in Figure 14, the shape of the connector 151 is flat. One end of the connector 151 (the end in the negative X-axis direction in the example shown in Figure 14) is connected to the main body of the ground unit 15B, and the opposite end (the end in the positive X-axis direction in the example shown in Figure 14) is connected to one of the ends of the radio unit 11 (for example, the end closest to the connection between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12). In this case, the connector 151 may be connected to the radio unit 11 by soldering. The width of the connector 151 (the width in the Y-axis direction in the example shown in Figure 14) is greater than the width of the signal line 142. As an example, the width of the connector 151 is 6.6 mm. Of course, the width of the connector 151 may be greater than or less than 6.6 mm.

[0113] As described above, at least a portion of the ground portion 15B is located near the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. In the example in Figure 14, one end of the connection portion 151 (the end in the positive X-axis direction) is located near the connection portion between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12. The distance between the ground portion 15B (the end in the positive X-axis direction) and the feed point 122 is, for example, 100 μm to 20 mm or 100 μm to 10 mm, preferably 100 μm to 5 mm or 100 μm to 3 mm, and more preferably 100 μm to 2 mm or 100 μm to 1 mm. Of course, the distance between the ground portion 15A and the feed point 122 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, 20 mm or more, or 100 μm or less.

[0114] In the second embodiment, a low-resistance ground section 15B is connected near the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. Therefore, the antenna current flows through the ground section 15B, which has lower resistance than the cable 14. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment can reduce losses due to antenna current. Consequently, high antenna performance can be achieved without causing a decrease in power supply voltage and / or a decrease in sound performance.

[0115] Note that, in the example of FIG. 14, the number of connection parts 151 connecting the main body of the ground part 15B and the wireless part 11 was one. However, the main body of the ground part 15B and the wireless part 11 may be connected by a plurality of connection parts 151. FIGS. 15A and 15B are diagrams showing a state in which the main body of the ground part 15B and the wireless part 11 are connected by a plurality of connection parts 151. FIG. 15A is a side view of the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 15B is a plan view of the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment. In FIGS. 15A and 15B, configurations other than the wireless part 11 and the ground part 15B are omitted for easy understanding.

[0116] In the examples of FIGS. 15A and 15B, the ground part 15B has four connection parts 151 (connection parts 151 shown in FIG. 15B １ ~connection part 151 ４ ). In the example of FIG. 15B, one end (the end in the minus X-axis direction) of the connection part 151 １ is connected to the main body of the ground part 15B, and the opposite end (the end in the plus X-axis direction) is connected to one end (the end in the minus X-axis direction) of the wireless part 11. Also, in the example of FIG. 15B, one end (the end in the minus X-axis direction) of the connection part 151 ２ is connected to the main body of the ground part 15B, and the opposite end (the end in the plus X-axis direction) is connected to one end (the end in the minus X-axis direction) of the wireless part 11. Also, in the example of FIG. 15B, one end (the end in the plus X-axis direction) of the connection part 151 ３ is connected to the main body of the ground part 15B, and the opposite end (the end in the minus X-axis direction) is connected to one end (the end in the plus X-axis direction) of the wireless part 11. Also, in the example of FIG. 15B, one end (the end in the plus X-axis direction) of the connection part 151 ４ is connected to the main body of the ground part 15B, and the opposite end (the end in the minus X-axis direction) is connected to one end (the end in the plus X-axis direction) of the wireless part 11.

[0117] By providing a plurality of connection parts 151, the antenna current can be efficiently passed through the main body of the ground part 15B. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0118] Furthermore, although the shape of the ground portion 15B was cylindrical in the example of Figure 14, the shape of the ground portion 15B is not limited to a cylindrical shape. Figures 16A and 16B show modified examples of the ground portion 15B provided in the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment. Figure 16A shows the communication device 10 equipped with a housing 16, and Figure 16B shows the communication device 10 with the housing 16 removed. In Figures 16A and 16B, the area of ​​the main body (conductive film) of the ground portion 15B is larger than in the examples of Figures 13A and 13B. Specifically, the main body (conductive film) of the ground portion 15B is formed to the vicinity of the earpiece on the inner surface 16a of the housing 16.

[0119] By increasing the area of ​​the ground portion 15B, the antenna current can be efficiently supplied to the ground portion 15B. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the second embodiment can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0120] <3-4. Third Embodiment> Next, the configuration of the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment will be described.

[0121] In the third embodiment, the communication device 10 is a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid. The above description of the communication device 20 is applicable to the communication device 10 in the third embodiment. Also, the descriptions of the communication device 10 in the other embodiments (first embodiment, second embodiment, fourth embodiment, and fifth embodiment) are applicable to the communication device 10 in the third embodiment. Furthermore, the following information is also applicable to communication devices other than wireless earphones / wireless hearing aids.

[0122] The communication device 10 according to the third embodiment also includes a ground portion 15, similar to the communication devices 10 according to each of the embodiments described above. In the third embodiment, the ground portion 15 is a conductive film formed on the outer surface of the housing 16. In the following description, the ground portion 15 provided in the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment will be referred to as the ground portion 15C.

[0123] Figures 17A and 17B are diagrams illustrating the structure of a communication device 10 according to a third embodiment. Figure 17A shows the communication device 10 equipped with a housing 16, and Figure 17B shows the communication device 10 with the housing 16 removed.

[0124] The third embodiment of the communication device 10, like the communication device 20 described above, comprises a wireless unit 11 (first electronic component), an antenna 12, a battery 132 (second electronic component), a driver 133 (second electronic component), and a cable 14. The communication device 10 includes a housing 16. The material constituting the housing 16 is, for example, resin. The above components of the communication device 10 (wireless unit 11, antenna 12, battery 132, driver 133, and cable 14) are housed inside the housing 16.

[0125] Furthermore, the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment may, like the communication device 20 described above, include a microphone 131, a sensor 134, or a charging terminal 135 as a second electronic component. Also, the antenna 12 is not limited to an inverted L-shaped antenna, as with the communication device 20 described above. Similarly, the cable 14 is not limited to a flexible substrate, as with the communication device 20 described above.

[0126] As described above, the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment includes a ground section 15C. The ground section 15C is configured to suppress the flow of antenna current through the cable 14. The ground section 15C is an example of the ground section 15 described above.

[0127] In the third embodiment, the ground portion 15C is a conductive film (e.g., a metal film) formed on the outer surface 16b of the housing 16 of the communication device 10. The conductive film may be formed by plating (e.g., silver plating, copper plating, gold plating, nickel plating, or tin plating). Various plating methods can be used. For example, the conductive film may be formed by LDS (Laser Direct Structuring). Of course, the conductive film may be formed by other methods. For example, the conductive film may be formed by printing using conductive ink or conductive toner.

[0128] In the examples of Figures 17A and 17B, the ground portion 15C is a cylindrical metal film. In the examples of Figures 17A and 17B, the ground portion 15C is positioned to surround the first electronic component (wireless unit 11) and / or the second electronic component (at least one of the microphone 131, battery 132, driver 133, sensor 134, and cable 14).

[0129] Furthermore, the ground portion 15C is connected to the wireless unit 11 (first electronic component) so as not to come into contact with the antenna 12 and the feed line of the antenna 12. Figure 18 is a perspective view showing how the ground portion 15C is connected to the wireless unit 11. In the example of Figure 18, the ground portion 15C has a main body portion of the ground portion 15C (a conductive film formed on the outer surface 16b of the housing 16) and a connecting portion 152 that connects the wireless unit 11. Here, the main body of the ground portion 15C is the portion of the conductive film formed on the outer surface 16b of the housing 16.

[0130] In the example shown in Figure 18, the shape of the connector 152 is flat. One end of the connector 152 (the end in the negative X-axis direction in the example shown in Figure 18) is connected to the main body of the ground unit 15C, and the opposite end (the end in the positive X-axis direction in the example shown in Figure 18) is connected to one of the ends of the radio unit 11 (the end closest to the connection between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12). In this case, the connector 152 may be connected to the radio unit 11 by soldering. The width of the connector 152 (the width in the Y-axis direction in the example shown in Figure 18) is greater than the width of the signal line 142. As an example, the width of the connector 152 is 6.6 mm. Of course, the width of the connector 152 may be greater than or less than 6.6 mm.

[0131] As described above, at least a portion of the ground portion 15C is located near the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. In the example in Figure 18, one end of the connection portion 152 (the end in the positive X-axis direction) is located near the connection portion between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12. The distance between the ground portion 15C (the end of the connection portion 152 in the positive X-axis direction) and the feed point 122 is, for example, 100 μm to 20 mm or 100 μm to 10 mm, preferably 100 μm to 5 mm or 100 μm to 3 mm, and more preferably 100 μm to 2 mm or 100 μm to 1 mm. Of course, the distance between the ground portion 15 and the feed point 122 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, 20 mm or more, or 100 μm or less.

[0132] In the third embodiment, a low-resistance ground section 15C is connected near the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. Therefore, the antenna current flows through the ground section 15C, which has lower resistance than the cable 14. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment can reduce losses due to antenna current. Consequently, high antenna performance can be achieved without causing a decrease in power supply voltage and / or a decrease in sound performance.

[0133] In the example shown in Figure 18, there was only one connection part 152 connecting the main body of the ground unit 15C and the wireless unit 11. However, the main body of the ground unit 15C and the wireless unit 11 may be connected by multiple connection parts 152. Figures 19A and 19B show how the main body of the ground unit 15C and the wireless unit 11 are connected by multiple connection parts 152. Figure 19A is a side view of the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment, and Figure 19B is a top view of the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment. In Figures 19A and 19B, components other than the wireless unit 11 and the ground unit 15C are omitted for ease of understanding.

[0134] In the examples in Figures 19A and 19B, the ground section 15C has four connection sections 152 (connection section 152 shown in Figure 19B) １ ~Connection part 152 ４ ) has. In the example in Figure 19B, the connecting part 152 １ One end (the end in the negative X-axis direction) is connected to the main body of the ground unit 15C, and the opposite end (the end in the positive X-axis direction) is connected to one of the ends of the wireless unit 11 (the end in the negative X-axis direction). Also, in the example of Figure 19B, the connection part 152 ２ One end (the end in the negative X-axis direction) is connected to the main body of the ground unit 15C, and the opposite end (the end in the positive X-axis direction) is connected to one of the ends of the wireless unit 11 (the end in the negative X-axis direction). Also, in the example of Figure 19B, the connection part 152 ３ One end (the end in the positive X-axis direction) is connected to the main body of the ground unit 15C, and the opposite end (the end in the negative X-axis direction) is connected to one of the ends of the wireless unit 11 (the end in the positive X-axis direction). Also, in the example of Figure 19B, the connection part 152 ４ One end (the end in the positive X-axis direction) is connected to the main body of the ground unit 15C, and the opposite end (the end in the negative X-axis direction) is connected to one of the ends of the wireless unit 11 (the end in the positive X-axis direction).

[0135] By providing multiple connection points 152, the antenna current can be efficiently supplied to the main body of the ground section 15C. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0136] Furthermore, although the shape of the ground portion 15C was cylindrical in the example of Figure 18, the shape of the ground portion 15C is not limited to a cylindrical shape. Figures 20A and 20B show modified examples of the ground portion 15C provided in the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment. Figure 20A shows the communication device 10 equipped with a housing 16, and Figure 20B shows the communication device 10 with the housing 16 removed. In Figures 20A and 20B, the area of ​​the main body (conductive film) of the ground portion 15C is larger than in the examples of Figures 17A and 17B. Specifically, the main body (conductive film) of the ground portion 15C is formed to the vicinity of the earpiece on the outer surface of the housing 16.

[0137] By increasing the area of ​​the ground portion 15C, the antenna current can be efficiently supplied to the ground portion 15C. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the third embodiment can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0138] <3-5. Fourth Embodiment> Next, the configuration of the communication device 10 according to the fourth embodiment will be described.

[0139] In the fourth embodiment, the communication device 10 is a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid. The above description of the communication device 20 is applicable to the communication device 10 in the fourth embodiment. Also, the descriptions of the communication device 10 in the other embodiments (the first to third embodiments and the fifth embodiment) are applicable to the communication device 10 in the fourth embodiment. Furthermore, the following information is also applicable to communication devices other than wireless earphones / wireless hearing aids.

[0140] The communication device 10 according to the fourth embodiment also includes a ground section 15, similar to the communication devices 10 according to each of the embodiments described above. In the fourth embodiment, the ground section 15 is a plate-shaped metal (ground plate) at the same potential as the ground, similar to the ground section 15 according to the first embodiment. However, unlike the ground section 15 according to the first embodiment, the ground section 15 according to the fourth embodiment has a plurality of linear protrusions 153 that resonate at multiple frequencies. In the following description, the ground section 15 provided in the communication device 10 according to the fourth embodiment will be referred to as the ground section 15D.

[0141] The communication device 10 according to the fourth embodiment, like the communication device 20 described above, comprises a wireless unit 11 (first electronic component), an antenna 12, a battery 132 (second electronic component), a driver 133 (second electronic component), and a cable 14. The communication device 10 comprises a housing 16. The above components of the communication device 10 (wireless unit 11, antenna 12, battery 132, driver 133, and cable 14) are housed inside the housing 16.

[0142] In the fourth embodiment, the wireless unit 11 supports multiple frequency bands. For example, the wireless unit 11 supports wireless communication using the 2.4 GHz band, wireless communication using the 5 GHz band, and wireless communication using the 6 GHz band.

[0143] Furthermore, the communication device 10 according to the fourth embodiment may, like the communication device 20 described above, include a microphone 131, a sensor 134, or a charging terminal 135 as a second electronic component. Also, the antenna 12 is not limited to an inverted L-shaped antenna, as with the communication device 20 described above. Similarly, the cable 14 is not limited to a flexible substrate, as with the communication device 20 described above.

[0144] Figure 21 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the ground section 15D provided in the communication device 10 according to the fourth embodiment. The ground section 15D is configured to suppress the flow of antenna current through the cable 14. The ground section 15D is an example of the ground section 15 described above.

[0145] The ground portion 15D is made of a highly conductive metallic material such as iron, copper, aluminum, magnesium, or nickel. The metallic material may be a combination of several metals selected from these metals, or it may be an alloy containing one or more metals selected from these metals.

[0146] The metal plate constituting the ground portion 15D may have a conductive film (e.g., a metal film) on its surface. The conductive film may be formed by plating (e.g., silver plating, copper plating, gold plating, nickel plating, or tin plating). Various plating methods can be employed. For example, the conductive film may be formed by LDS (Laser Direct Structuring). Of course, the conductive film may be formed by other methods. For example, the conductive film may be formed by printing using conductive ink or conductive toner. It should be noted that the metal plate does not necessarily need to be made of a highly conductive metal material as long as conductivity can be ensured by the conductive film. For example, the metal plate may be made of a less conductive metal material (e.g., titanium or stainless steel).

[0147] The ground portion 15D is connected to the radio unit 11 (first electronic component) so as not to come into contact with the antenna 12 or the feed line of the antenna 12. In this case, the ground portion 15D may be connected to the radio unit 11 by soldering. For example, one end of the ground portion 15D in the longitudinal direction (the end in the positive Z-axis direction in the example of Figure 21) is connected to one of the ends of the radio unit 11 (for example, the end closest to the connection point between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12).

[0148] At least a portion of the ground portion 15D is located near the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. For example, one end of the ground portion 15D (the end in the positive Z-axis direction) is located near the connection point between the radio unit 11 and the antenna 12. The distance between the ground portion 15D (the end in the positive Z-axis direction) and the feed point 122 is, for example, 100 μm to 20 mm or 100 μm to 10 mm, preferably 100 μm to 5 mm or 100 μm to 3 mm, and more preferably 100 μm to 2 mm or 100 μm to 1 mm. Of course, the distance between the ground portion 15D and the feed point 122 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, 20 mm or more, or 100 μm or less.

[0149] The ground section 15D has a different shape from the ground section 15A according to the first embodiment. As described above, one end of the ground section 15D in the longitudinal direction (the end in the positive Z-axis direction in the example of Figure 21) is connected to the vicinity of the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. Unlike the ground section 15A according to the first embodiment, the ground section 15D has a plurality of linear protrusions 153 on the other end in the longitudinal direction (the negative Z-axis direction in the example of Figure 21). In the example of Figure 21, the ground section 15D has three protrusions (protrusions 153) corresponding to different frequency bands. １ , protrusion 153 ２ , and protruding portion 153 ３ ) has. In the example in Figure 21, the protruding part 153 １ It is compatible with the 2.4 GHz band, and the protruding part 153 ２ It is compatible with the 5GHz band, and the protruding part 153 ３ It is compatible with the 6GHz band. Note that the number of protrusions is not limited to three; for example, there may be two, or four or more.

[0150] The lengths of the multiple protrusions 153 are different so that the ground section resonates with multiple frequency bands. In the example shown in Figure 21, the length of the protrusion 153 is the length along the line (ground plate surface) from one end of the ground section 15D (the end in the positive Z-axis direction) to the tip of the protrusion 153.

[0151] Here, the protruding portion 153 １ The length L2 is, for example, one-quarter wavelength of a 2.4 GHz band radio wave (hereinafter referred to as λ). １ It may be approximately the same length as / 4. For example, the protruding part 153 １ The length L2 is λ １ 95% to 105% of the length of / 4, preferably λ １ λ is 97% to 103% of the length of 4. １ The length may be 99% to 101% of / 4.

[0152] Also, the protruding part 153 ２ The length L3 is, for example, one-quarter wavelength of a 5GHz band radio wave (hereinafter referred to as λ). ２It may be approximately the same length as / 4. For example, the protruding part 153 ２ The length L3 is λ ２ 95% to 105% of the length of / 4, preferably λ ２ λ is 97% to 103% of the length of 4. ２ The length may be 99% to 101% of / 4.

[0153] Also, the protruding part 153 ３ The length L4 is, for example, one-quarter wavelength of a 6GHz band radio wave (hereinafter referred to as λ). ３ It may be approximately the same length as / 4. For example, the protruding part 153 ３ The length L4 is λ ３ 95% to 105% of the length of / 4, preferably λ ３ λ is 97% to 103% of the length of 4. ３ The length may be 99% to 101% of / 4.

[0154] The length of the protrusion 153 can be adjusted as appropriate to match the configuration of the actual communication device 10. For example, the length of the protrusion 153 can be adjusted as appropriate, taking into consideration the distance between the ground portion 15D and the power supply point 122, the dielectric between the ground portion 15D and the power supply point 122, and the material constituting the ground portion 15D.

[0155] In the fourth embodiment, the ground section 15D is provided with a plurality of protrusions 153, each corresponding to a different frequency band. This allows the antenna current to flow efficiently to the ground section 15D even when the wireless section 11 supports multiple frequency bands. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the fourth embodiment can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0156] In Figure 21, the ground portion 15D had straight lines constituting the protruding portion 153. However, the shape of the ground portion 15D is not limited to the shape shown in Figure 21. The lines constituting the protruding portion 153 may have a curved structure (for example, an S-shaped and / or crank-shaped structure). Figure 22 shows a modified example of the ground portion 15D according to the fourth embodiment. In the example of Figure 22, the protruding portion 153 １The lines constituting the protrusion 153 are meander lines (crank-shaped curved lines). Note that the number of curved protrusions 153 is not limited to one. Multiple protrusions 153 may have a curved structure. The length of the lines constituting the protrusions 153 can be ensured while the ground portion 15D can fit into the small housing 16.

[0157] Furthermore, the length of the protruding portion 153 may be shortened by inserting a coil (inductor) into the line constituting the protruding portion 153. Figure 23 shows a modified example of the ground portion 15D according to the fourth embodiment. In the example of Figure 23, the protruding portion 153 １ A coil 154 is inserted into the line that makes up the protrusion 153. This ensures that the length of the line that makes up the protrusion 153 is maintained while allowing the ground portion 15D to fit into the small housing 16. Note that the protrusion 153 into which the coil 154 is inserted is not limited to one. Coils 154 may be inserted into multiple protrusions 153.

[0158] In the example shown in Figure 23, all the lines constituting the protrusion 153 are straight. However, the lines constituting the protrusion 153 may have a curved structure (for example, an S-shaped and / or crank-shaped structure). In this case, the curved protrusion 153 may be a protrusion 153 into which the coil 154 is inserted, or a protrusion 153 into which the coil 154 is not inserted.

[0159] <3-6. Fifth Embodiment> Next, the configuration of the communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment will be described.

[0160] In the fifth embodiment, the communication device 10 is a wireless earphone / wireless hearing aid. The above description of the communication device 20 is applicable to the communication device 10 in the fifth embodiment. Also, the descriptions of the communication device 10 in the other embodiments (first to fourth embodiments) are applicable to the communication device 10 in the fifth embodiment. Furthermore, the following information is also applicable to communication devices other than wireless earphones / wireless hearing aids.

[0161] The communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment also includes a ground section 15, similar to the communication devices 10 according to each of the embodiments described above. In the fifth embodiment, the ground section 15 is a plate-shaped metal (ground plate) at the same potential as the ground, similar to the ground section 15 according to the first embodiment. However, unlike the ground section 15 according to the first embodiment, the ground section 15 according to the fifth embodiment is positioned on one side of the radio unit 11 (the side opposite to the side on which the antenna 12 is located) so as to be high-frequency coupled with the ground of the radio unit 11. In the following description, the ground section 15 provided in the communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment will be referred to as the ground section 15E.

[0162] The communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment, like the communication device 20 described above, comprises a wireless unit 11 (first electronic component), an antenna 12, a battery 132 (second electronic component), a driver 133 (second electronic component), and a cable 14. The communication device 10 comprises a housing 16. The above components of the communication device 10 (wireless unit 11, antenna 12, battery 132, driver 133, and cable 14) are housed inside the housing 16.

[0163] Furthermore, the communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment may, like the communication device 20 described above, include a microphone 131, a sensor 134, or a charging terminal 135 as a second electronic component. Also, the antenna 12 is not limited to an inverted L-shaped antenna, as with the communication device 20 described above. Similarly, the cable 14 is not limited to a flexible substrate, as with the communication device 20 described above.

[0164] As described above, the communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment includes a ground section 15E. The ground section 15E is configured to suppress the flow of antenna current through the cable 14. The ground section 15E is an example of the ground section 15 described above.

[0165] Figures 24A and 24B are diagrams illustrating the communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment. Figure 24A is a side view of the communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment, and Figure 24B is a top view of the communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment. In Figures 24A and 24B, components other than the wireless unit 11, antenna 12, and ground unit 15E are omitted for ease of understanding.

[0166] In the fifth embodiment, the wireless unit 11 is flat, as shown in Figures 24A and 24B. The thickness T1 of the wireless unit 11 is, for example, 1 mm to 20 mm or 1 mm to 10 mm, preferably 1 mm to 5 mm or 1 mm to 3 mm, and more preferably 1 mm to 2 mm. Of course, the thickness T1 of the wireless unit 11 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, 20 mm or more, or 1 mm or less (for example, 500 μm to 1 mm).

[0167] The antenna 12 is positioned on one of the planes of the radio unit 11. In the examples of Figures 24A and 24B, the antenna 12 is positioned on the upper surface of the radio unit 11. In the following description, of the two planes of the radio unit 11, the plane on which the antenna 12 is positioned may be referred to as the first plane, and the opposite plane as the second plane.

[0168] The gland portion 15E is made of a highly conductive metallic material such as iron, copper, aluminum, magnesium, or nickel. The metallic material may be a combination of several metals selected from these metals, or it may be an alloy containing one or more metals selected from these metals.

[0169] The metal plate constituting the ground portion 15E may have a conductive film (e.g., a metal film) on its surface. The conductive film may be formed by plating (e.g., silver plating, copper plating, gold plating, nickel plating, or tin plating). Various plating methods can be employed. For example, the conductive film may be formed by LDS (Laser Direct Structuring). Of course, the conductive film may be formed by other methods. For example, the conductive film may be formed by printing using conductive ink or conductive toner. It should be noted that the metal plate does not necessarily need to be made of a highly conductive metal material as long as conductivity can be ensured by the conductive film. For example, the metal plate may be made of a less conductive metal material (e.g., titanium or stainless steel).

[0170] The ground portion 15E is connected to the radio unit 11 (first electronic component) so as not to come into contact with the antenna 12 and the feed line of the antenna 12. In the fifth embodiment, the ground portion 15E is positioned close to the ground of the radio unit 11 so as to be high-frequency coupled (e.g., capacitively coupled) with the ground (ground pattern) of the radio unit 11. For example, the ground portion 15E may be connected to the radio unit 11 such that part or all of its plane faces the second plane of the radio unit 11. In this case, the ground portion 15E may be bonded to the radio unit 11, for example, with an adhesive or adhesive sheet. Of course, the ground portion 15E may be soldered to the radio unit 11 if it is high-frequency coupled (e.g., capacitively coupled) with the ground of the radio unit 11.

[0171] It is also possible that the pattern of the wireless unit 11 (for example, the ground pattern, etc.) is exposed on the second plane. Therefore, an insulating layer may be provided between the ground unit 15E and the wireless unit 11 so that the ground unit 15E and the wireless unit 11 are slightly separated. In this case, the insulating layer may be an adhesive or adhesive sheet that bonds the ground unit 15E and the wireless unit 11. That is, the adhesive or adhesive sheet may be an insulating material.

[0172] In the fifth embodiment, the ground section 15E is high-frequency coupled (for example, capacitively coupled) to the ground of the wireless section 11. This allows the antenna current to flow efficiently to the ground section 15E. As a result, the communication device 10 according to the fifth embodiment can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0173] Furthermore, the ground section 15E does not necessarily have to have all its surfaces connected to the second plane of the wireless section 11. In the examples of Figures 24A and 24B, the ground section 15E is bent at a predetermined angle (for example, 90 degrees), and only a portion of its surfaces face the second plane. This increases the area of ​​the ground section 15E, allowing the antenna current to flow efficiently through the ground section 15E.

[0174] Furthermore, in the above example, the wireless unit 11 was assumed to be a flat plate-shaped component. However, the shape of the wireless unit 11 is not limited to a flat plate shape as long as there is a plane to which the ground unit 15E is connected. Also, the surface of the ground unit 15E connected to the wireless unit 11 does not necessarily have to be flat. For example, the surface of the ground unit 15E may have curved parts or uneven parts. In this case, the surface of the wireless unit 11 may also be shaped to match the shape of the surface of the ground unit 15E so that the surface of the ground unit 15E can be fitted. In other words, the surface of the wireless unit 11 to which the ground unit 15E is connected is not limited to a flat surface, and may have curved parts or uneven parts.

[0175] <<4. Modifications>> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications and applications are possible.

[0176] <4-1. Modifications of the Grounding Part> In the embodiments described above (for example, the first, fourth, and fifth embodiments), the grounding part 15 was assumed to be a metal plate made of a metallic material. However, the grounding part 15 may be a non-metallic plate made of a non-metallic material (for example, ceramic or plastic). In this case, the non-metallic plate constituting the grounding part 15 may have a conductive film on its surface. The conductive film may be formed by plating (for example, silver plating, copper plating, gold plating, nickel plating, or tin plating). Various methods can be used for the plating process. For example, the conductive film may be formed by LDS (Laser Direct Structuring). Of course, the conductive film may be formed by other methods. For example, the conductive film may be formed by printing using conductive ink or conductive toner.

[0177] In the embodiments described above (for example, the first, fourth, and fifth embodiments), the gland portion 15 was made of a plate-shaped metal. However, the gland portion 15 is not limited to a plate-shaped metal, and may be, for example, a conductive sheet.

[0178] In the embodiments described above (for example, the second, third, and fifth embodiments), the ground portion 15 is a conductive film formed on the surface (inner and / or outer surface) of the housing 16. However, the ground portion 15 is not limited to a conductive film, and may be, for example, a conductive metal and / or a conductive sheet. For example, the ground portion 15 may be a cylindrical metal plate arranged to surround the first electronic component (wireless unit 11) and / or the second electronic component (at least one of the microphone 131, battery 132, driver 133, sensor 134, and cable 14).

[0179] Furthermore, the ground portion 15 is not limited to a conductive plate / film. For example, the ground portion 15 may be a cable other than the cable 14 (first cable). For example, the communication device 10 may have a second cable different from the cable 14 (first cable). Here, the second cable may be a cable (for example, a flexible substrate) having signal lines with a width greater than the width of the signal lines of the cable 14. By making the ground portion 15 a cable, the ground portion 15 can be easily attached to the communication device 10. Replacing the ground portion 15 is also easy.

[0180] Furthermore, the second cable is not limited to a flexible circuit board, provided that the second cable has lower resistance than cable 14 (the first cable). For example, the second cable may be a coaxial cable or an FFC. The first cable and the second cable may be of the same type or different types. For example, both the first cable and the second cable may be flexible circuit boards, or one of the cables may be a flexible circuit board and the other may be a cable other than a flexible circuit board (for example, a coaxial cable or an FFC).

[0181] <4-2. Modified Examples Regarding the Connection Between the Ground Unit and the Wireless Unit> In the embodiments described above (for example, the first to fourth embodiments), the ground unit 15 was connected to the wireless unit 11 (first electronic component) by soldering. However, the connection between the ground unit 15 and the wireless unit 11 (first electronic component) is not limited to soldering. For example, the ground unit 15 may be connected to the wireless unit 11 (first electronic component) with an adhesive (for example, a conductive adhesive) and / or an adhesive sheet (for example, a conductive adhesive sheet).

[0182] Furthermore, the ground unit 15 does not necessarily have to be directly connected to the wireless unit 11 (the first electronic component). For example, the ground unit 15 may be connected to the wireless unit 11 via a spring, a contact probe (also called a pogo pin), a connector, or a gasket (also called a conductive gasket).

[0183] A conductive gasket is, for example, a component in which a cushion and a conductive material (e.g., conductive woven fabric or conductive sheet) are integrated into a single structure. For example, it is a component in which a conductive woven fabric or conductive sheet is wrapped around a cushion. Note that a conductive gasket may also be composed solely of an elastic conductive material (e.g., conductive woven fabric).

[0184] <4-3. Modifications Regarding the Structure of Communication Equipment> In the above-described embodiment, the communication equipment 10 had one wireless unit 11. However, the communication equipment 10 of this embodiment may have multiple wireless units 11. In this case, a ground unit 15 may be provided for each of the multiple wireless units 11.

[0185] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the communication device 10 had only one antenna 12. However, the communication device 10 in this embodiment may have multiple antennas 12. In this case, multiple antennas 12 may be arranged on one wireless unit 11. Alternatively, one or more antennas 12 may be arranged on each of multiple wireless units 11.

[0186] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, one ground unit 15 was arranged in one wireless unit 11. However, multiple ground units 15 may be arranged in one wireless unit 11.

[0187] <4-4. Modifications Regarding the Form of Communication Equipment> In the above-described embodiment (for example, <2. Example of Communication Equipment Configuration>), a mobile terminal or the like was given as an example of the communication equipment 10. However, the communication equipment 10 is not limited to the device described above. For example, the communication equipment 10 may be a base station.

[0188] A base station is a wireless communication device that communicates wirelessly with other wireless communication devices. A base station may communicate wirelessly with terminal devices (e.g., smart devices) via a relay station, or it may communicate wirelessly with terminal devices directly.

[0189] A base station is a type of communication device. More specifically, a base station is a device equivalent to a radio access point, or a radio base station (Base Station, Node B, eNB, gNB, or 6GNB, etc.). A base station may also be a radio relay station. A base station may also be an optical extension device called an RRH (Remote Radio Head). A base station may also be a receiving station such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). A base station may also be an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) donor node or IAB relay node that provides radio access lines and radio backhaul lines using time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, or spatial division multiplexing.

[0190] The concept of a base station (also called "base station equipment") includes not only donor base stations but also relay base stations (also called "relay stations"). A relay base station may be any one of the following: an RF Repeater, a Smart Repeater, or an Intelligent Surface. The concept of a base station includes not only structures equipped with base station functions but also equipment installed on those structures.

[0191] Structures include buildings such as skyscrapers, houses, transmission towers, train stations, airports, ports, office buildings, school buildings, hospitals, factories, commercial facilities, and stadiums. The concept of structures also includes not only buildings but also non-building structures such as tunnels, bridges, dams, walls, and steel columns, as well as equipment such as cranes, gates, and wind turbines. The concept of structures also includes not only structures on land (on the surface in the narrow sense) or underground, but also structures on water such as piers or megafloats, and underwater structures such as oceanographic observation equipment. A base station can also be described as an information processing device.

[0192] A base station may be a donor station or a relay station. Furthermore, a base station may be a fixed station or a mobile station. A mobile station is a wireless communication device (e.g., a base station) configured to be mobile. In this case, the base station may be a device installed on a mobile object or the mobile object itself. For example, a relay station with mobility can be considered a base station as a mobile station. Additionally, devices that are inherently mobile and equipped with base station functions (or at least some of the functions of a base station), such as vehicles, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) represented by drones, and smartphones, also qualify as base stations as mobile stations.

[0193] Furthermore, a base station may be a ground-based base station (ground station) installed on the ground. For example, a base station may be a base station located on a structure on the ground, or a base station installed on a mobile body moving on the ground. More specifically, a base station may be an antenna installed on a structure such as a building and a signal processing device connected to that antenna. Of course, a base station may be the structure or mobile body itself. "Ground" refers to ground in a broad sense, including not only land (ground in the narrow sense) but also underground, on water, and underwater. Note that a base station is not limited to a ground-based base station. For example, if a communication system equipped with a base station is a satellite communication system, the base station may be an aircraft station. From the perspective of a satellite station, an aircraft station located on Earth is a ground station.

[0194] Furthermore, base stations are not limited to ground stations. Base stations may also be non-ground base stations (non-ground stations) capable of floating in the air or space. For example, base stations may be aircraft stations or satellite stations.

[0195] Here, a satellite station is a radio station capable of floating outside the atmosphere. A satellite station may be a device mounted on a spacecraft such as an artificial satellite, or it may be the spacecraft itself. A spacecraft is a mobile object that moves outside the atmosphere. A spacecraft may be at least one of the following: an artificial satellite, a spacecraft, a space station, and a probe. Of course, a spacecraft may be any other artificial celestial body. The satellite that becomes a satellite station may be a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite. A satellite station may be a device mounted on a low Earth orbit satellite, a medium Earth orbit satellite, a geostationary satellite, or a highly elliptical orbit satellite.

[0196] Furthermore, an aircraft station is a radio communication device capable of floating within the atmosphere of an aircraft or similar vessel. An aircraft station may be a device mounted on an aircraft or similar vessel, or it may be the aircraft itself. The concept of an aircraft includes not only heavy aircraft such as airplanes or gliders, but also light aircraft such as balloons or airships. The concept of an aircraft also includes not only heavy or light aircraft, but also rotary-wing aircraft such as helicopters or autogyros. An aircraft station, or an aircraft on which an aircraft station is mounted, may be an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone.

[0197] The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS) also includes unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tethered UAS. Furthermore, the concept of unmanned aerial vehicles includes lighter than air UAS (LTA) and heavier than air UAS (HTA). In addition, the concept of unmanned aerial vehicles also includes high-altitude UAS platforms (HAPs).

[0198] <4-5. Other Modifications> In this embodiment, a wireless communication device (communication device 10) equipped with wireless communication functionality was given as an example of an apparatus to which the technology of this embodiment is applied (hereinafter referred to as the electronic device of this embodiment). However, the electronic device to which the technology of this embodiment is applied is not limited to a wireless communication device.

[0199] For example, the electronic device of this embodiment may be an information processing device / signal processing device equipped with an RF (Radio Frequency) sensor. For example, the electronic device of this embodiment may be a positioning device (for example, a GNSS device such as a GPS device) equipped with a wireless positioning sensor (for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor) as the RF sensor. In addition, the electronic device of this embodiment may be a radar device equipped with a radar as the RF sensor.

[0200] Here, an RF sensor is a sensor that uses radio waves to perform measurements and other operations. An example of an RF sensor is radar, which uses radio waves such as millimeter waves. In this case, the radio waves used in radar are not limited to the millimeter wave band (e.g., 30-300 GHz band), but may also be radio waves in the microwave band (e.g., 3-30 GHz band) or the quasi-millimeter wave band (e.g., 20-30 GHz band).

[0201] Another example of an RF sensor is a wireless positioning sensor (wireless positioning system). An example of a wireless positioning sensor is a GNSS sensor. Here, the GNSS sensor may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, a GLONASS sensor, a Galileo sensor, or a QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) sensor. Note that wireless positioning sensors are not limited to GNSS sensors, and examples include sensors for 3GPP positioning or Wi-Fi / Bluetooth positioning.

[0202] The RF sensor may include a wireless unit 11. The antenna 12 may be considered part of the RF sensor. And, similar to the communication device 10 described above, a ground unit 15 may be connected to the wireless unit 11.

[0203] Furthermore, the electronic device in this embodiment may be a broadcast receiving device such as a television receiver. In this case, the broadcast receiving device may include a wireless unit 11 that has a function of receiving broadcast radio waves. In addition, the broadcast receiving device may include an antenna 12 in addition to the wireless unit 11. And, similar to the communication device 10 described above, a ground unit 15 may be connected to the wireless unit 11.

[0204] It should be noted that the electronic device in this embodiment does not necessarily need to have a wireless communication function as long as it has a radio wave receiving / transmission function. Of course, the electronic device may have a wireless communication function as one of its radio wave receiving functions. For example, the electronic device may have a wireless communication function in addition to a sensing radio wave receiving function (e.g., GNSS signals and / or radar signals).

[0205] Furthermore, the electronic device of this embodiment (for example, the communication device 10) does not necessarily need to include a second electronic component. For example, the electronic device of this embodiment (for example, the communication device 10) may be an antenna device composed of a wireless unit 11 (the first electronic component), an antenna 12, and a ground unit 15. Of course, the antenna device may also include a second electronic component.

[0206] The above description of "communication equipment 10" can be replaced with "antenna device," "electronic device," "information processing device," or "signal processing device."

[0207] <<5. Conclusion>> As described above, the communication device 10 of this embodiment comprises an antenna 12, a wireless unit 11 (first electronic component) connected to the antenna 12, and a second electronic component connected via a cable 14 (first cable). The second electronic component is, for example, a microphone 131, a battery 132, a driver 133, a sensor 134, or a charging terminal 135. The communication device 10 of this embodiment includes a ground unit 15 with lower resistance than the cable 14. The ground unit 15 is connected directly or indirectly to the wireless unit 11 so as not to come into contact with the antenna 12 and the feed line of the antenna 12. At least a portion of the ground unit 15 is located near the feed point 122 of the antenna 12.

[0208] As a result, the antenna current flows through the ground section 15, which has lower resistance than the cable 14, allowing the communication device 10 to reduce losses caused by the antenna current flowing through the cable 14. Consequently, the communication device 10 can achieve high antenna performance.

[0209] Furthermore, one end of the ground section 15 in the longitudinal direction may be connected to the vicinity of the feed point 122 of the antenna 12. The length of the ground section 15 may be the length that resonates with the frequency band to which the communication device 10 corresponds. For example, the longitudinal length of the ground section 15 may be approximately the same as one-quarter wavelength of the radio waves in the frequency band to which the communication device 10 corresponds.

[0210] This allows the antenna current to flow efficiently to the ground section 15. As a result, the communication device 10 can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0211] Furthermore, the communication device 10 may support multiple frequency bands. In this case, one longitudinal end of the ground section 15 may be connected to the vicinity of the antenna's feed point 122. The ground section 15 may also have multiple protrusions 153 on the other longitudinal end. Here, the lengths of the multiple protrusions 153 may be different so that the ground section 15 resonates with multiple frequency bands.

[0212] As a result, even when the communication device 10 supports multiple frequency bands, the antenna current flows efficiently to the ground section 15. Consequently, the communication device 10 can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0213] Furthermore, the ground portion may be a second cable different from cable 14 (the first cable). In this case, both the first cable and the second cable may be flexible circuit boards.

[0214] This allows the ground unit 15 to be easily attached to the communication device 10. Furthermore, replacing the ground unit 15 is also easy.

[0215] Furthermore, a portion of the surface of the ground portion 15 is bonded to the surface of the wireless portion 11 (first electronic component) so as to be high-frequency coupled (for example, capacitively coupled) with the ground of the wireless portion 11. For example, the wireless portion 11 may be a flat plate-shaped component having a first plane and a second plane located on the opposite side of the first plane. The antenna 12 may be connected to the first plane of the wireless portion 11. A portion of the plane of the ground portion may be bonded to the second plane of the wireless portion 11 so as to be high-frequency coupled (for example, capacitively coupled) with the ground of the first electronic component.

[0216] This allows the antenna current to flow efficiently to the ground section 15. As a result, the communication device 10 can exhibit high antenna performance.

[0217] Although the embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, the technical scope of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of this disclosure. Furthermore, components from different embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0218] Furthermore, the effects described in each embodiment of this specification are merely illustrative and not limiting, and other effects may also occur.

[0219] Furthermore, this technology can also take the following configurations: (1) A communication device comprising: an antenna; a first electronic component connected to the antenna; a second electronic component connected to the first electronic component via a first cable; and a ground portion directly or indirectly connected to the first electronic component so as not to contact the antenna and the antenna's feed line, with at least a portion located near the feed point of the antenna, and having lower resistance than the first cable. (2) The communication device according to (1), wherein the first cable is a flexible circuit board. (3) The communication device according to (1) or (2), wherein the communication device is a wireless communication device corresponding to at least one frequency band, and the frequency band to which the communication device corresponds includes at least one of the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. (4) The communication device according to (2) or (3), wherein the ground portion is a plate-shaped metal or a conductive sheet. (5) The ground portion is connected to the vicinity of the feed point of the antenna at one end in the longitudinal direction, and the length of the ground portion is such that it resonates with the frequency band to which the communication device corresponds, as described in (4). (6) The length of the ground portion is approximately the same as one-quarter wavelength of the radio waves in the frequency band to which the communication device corresponds, as described in (5). (7) The communication device is a wireless communication device that corresponds to multiple frequency bands, as described in (4). (8) The ground portion is connected to the vicinity of the feed point of the antenna at one end in the longitudinal direction, and has a plurality of protrusions at the other end in the longitudinal direction, and the lengths of the plurality of protrusions are different so that the ground portion resonates with the plurality of frequency bands, as described in (7). (9) The length from one end of the ground portion in the longitudinal direction to the tip of the protrusion is approximately the same as one-quarter wavelength of the radio waves in the frequency band to which the communication device corresponds, as described in (8). (10) The communication device according to (2) or (3), wherein the ground portion is a cylindrical metal arranged to surround the first electronic component or the second electronic component. (11) The communication device according to (2) or (3), wherein the ground portion is a conductive film formed on the inner surface of the housing of the communication device.(12) The communication device according to (2) or (3), wherein the ground portion is a conductive film formed on the outer surface of the housing of the communication device. (13) The communication device according to (2) or (3), wherein the ground portion is a second cable different from the first cable. (14) The communication device according to (13), wherein both the first cable and the second cable are flexible substrates. (15) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (14), wherein the ground portion is connected to the first electronic component by soldering. (16) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (14), wherein the ground portion is connected to the first electronic component via a spring, contact probe, connector, or gasket. (17) The communication device according to (2) or (3), wherein a part of the surface of the ground portion is bonded to the surface of the first electronic component so as to be high-frequency coupled with the ground of the first electronic component. (18) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (17), wherein the antenna is an inverted L antenna, a loop antenna, or an inverted F antenna. (19) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (18), wherein the communication device is a wireless earphone or a wireless hearing aid. (20) An antenna device comprising: an antenna; a first electronic component connected to the antenna and connected to a second electronic component via a first cable; and a ground portion directly or indirectly connected to the first electronic component so as not to contact the antenna and the feed line of the antenna, at least a portion of which is located near the feed point of the antenna, and having lower resistance than the first cable.

[0220] 10, 20 Communication equipment 11 Wireless section 12 Antenna 13 Electronic components 14 Cable 15, 15A-15E Ground section 16 Housing 121 Antenna element 122 Feed point 131 Microphone 132 Battery 133 Driver 134 Sensor 135 Charging terminal 141 Insulator 142 Signal line 151, 152 Connection part 153 Protruding part 154 Coil 16a Inner surface 16b Outer surface

Claims

1. A communication device comprising: an antenna; a first electronic component connected to the antenna; a second electronic component connected to the first electronic component via a first cable; and a ground portion directly or indirectly connected to the first electronic component so as not to come into contact with the antenna and the antenna's feed line, with at least a portion of it located near the antenna's feed point, and having lower resistance than the first cable.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first cable is a flexible circuit board.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a wireless communication device corresponding to at least one frequency band, and the frequency band to which the communication device corresponds includes at least one of the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band.

4. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the ground portion is a plate-shaped metal or a conductive sheet.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein one longitudinal end of the ground portion is connected to the vicinity of the feed point of the antenna, and the length of the ground portion is such that it resonates in the frequency band to which the communication device corresponds.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the longitudinal length of the ground portion is approximately the same as one-quarter wavelength of the radio waves in the frequency band to which the communication device corresponds.

7. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the communication device is a wireless communication device that supports multiple frequency bands.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein one longitudinal end of the ground portion is connected to the vicinity of the feed point of the antenna, and the other longitudinal end has a plurality of protrusions, the lengths of which the plurality of protrusions are different so that the ground portion resonates with the plurality of frequency bands.

9. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the length from one longitudinal end of the ground portion to the tip of the protruding portion is approximately the same as one-quarter wavelength of the radio waves in the frequency band to which the communication device corresponds.

10. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the ground portion is a cylindrical metal arranged to surround the first electronic component or the second electronic component.

11. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the ground portion is a conductive film formed on the inner surface of the housing of the communication device.

12. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the ground portion is a conductive film formed on the outer surface of the housing of the communication device.

13. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the ground portion is a second cable different from the first cable.

14. The communication device according to claim 13, wherein both the first cable and the second cable are flexible circuit boards.

15. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the ground portion is connected to the first electronic component by soldering.

16. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the ground portion is connected to the first electronic component via a spring, contact probe, connector, or gasket.

17. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the surface of the ground portion is bonded to the surface of the first electronic component so as to be high-frequency coupled with the ground of the first electronic component.

18. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is an inverted L antenna, a loop antenna, or an inverted F antenna.

19. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a wireless earphone or a wireless hearing aid.

20. An antenna device comprising: an antenna; a first electronic component connected to the antenna and connected to a second electronic component via a first cable; and a ground portion directly or indirectly connected to the first electronic component so as not to come into contact with the antenna and the antenna's feed line, with at least a portion of it located near the feed point of the antenna, and having lower resistance than the first cable.

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