Antenna device

Abstract

Disclosed is an antenna device. The antenna device of the present invention comprises: a body that defines an upper space and a lower space in the interior; a coaxial connector coupled to the body to transmit a first signal to the interior of the body; one or more dielectric layers stacked in the upper space; a metal pattern provided on at least one surface of the dielectric layers; and a diffusion structure disposed in the lower space.

Description

antenna device

[0001] The present invention relates to an antenna device.

[0002] Radiofrequency hyperthermia focuses on raising the temperature of the target area to above 45°C. When the temperature rises to 45°C, collagen in the dermal layer is stimulated, tightening the skin.

[0003] Skin tightening technology focuses on generating heat in the dermis layer at a depth of about 2 mm to 4 mm.

[0004] However, most studies on RF hyperthermia have focused on emitting electromagnetic fields using tumor resection or electrodes, which is very inefficient.

[0005] It is known that the use of electromagnetic waves in skin tightening treatments minimizes discomfort. The issue lies in the large effective area. Since microwaves spread widely when emitted, it becomes difficult to focus on the target area, and there is a possibility that the temperature of unintended areas may rise.

[0006] Previous studies on RF hyperthermia technologies for skin tightening have utilized electrodes that generate electromagnetic fields. Electrodes for generating electromagnetic fields are advantageous for designing small, portable devices. However, many of these designs do not consider impedance matching, leading to impedance mismatch issues that require higher power or longer treatment times to achieve desired skin-tightening temperatures.

[0007] The technical problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an antenna device that can apply an electromagnetic field concentrated in a specific area and is miniaturized, thereby increasing convenience for use in thermal therapy.

[0008] To solve the above technical problem, an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a body defining an upper space and a lower space on the inside; a coaxial connector coupled to the body and transmitting a first signal to the inside of the body; one or more dielectric layers stacked in the upper space; a metal pattern formed on at least one surface of the dielectric layer; and a diffusion structure disposed in the lower space. The diffusion structure is formed with a cross-section that widens toward the top to generate a second signal by spatially diffusing the first signal and transmitting it to the upper space, and the plurality of dielectric layers and the metal pattern can form a third signal transmitted to the outside in correspondence with the second signal.

[0009] In addition, to solve the above technical problem, an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a body divided into an upper space and a lower space; a coaxial connector coupled to the body and transmitting a first signal to the inside of the body; one or more dielectric layers stacked in the upper space; a metal pattern formed on at least one surface of the dielectric layer; a diffusion structure disposed in the lower space; and a dielectric that fills the lower space and supports the diffusion structure and the dielectric layer; wherein the diffusion structure is formed with a cross-section that widens toward the top to generate a second signal by spatially diffusing the first signal and transmitting it to the upper space, and the plurality of dielectric layers and the metal pattern can form a third signal transmitted to the outside in correspondence with the second signal.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the coaxial connector includes a signal pin inserted through the inside of the body, and the signal pin may be positioned to contact the bottom of the diffusion structure.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the diffusion structure may be formed in the shape of an inverted cone, a tetrahedron, and a pyramid.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the diffusion structure is formed in a shape that is cut parallel to a horizontal plane at a predetermined distance from the bottom, and the area of ​​the cut surface may correspond to the area of ​​the upper surface of the signal pin.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the metal pattern may be formed of line segments having a predetermined thickness along a rectangular border.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, a mediating layer that mediates the transmission of the third signal to the outside may be further included.

[0015] The present invention has the effect of increasing convenience in the use of thermal therapy by being able to apply an electromagnetic field concentrated in a specific area and being miniaturized.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a partial configuration of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 shows the electric field magnitude distribution according to the distance of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0022] In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technology may obscure the essence of the present invention, such detailed description is omitted.

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024]

[0025] FIG. 1 shows an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] An antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0029] An antenna device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a body (110), a coaxial connector (120), a dielectric layer (130), a metal pattern (131), a diffusion structure (140), and a mediating layer (150).

[0030] The body (110) defines the outer and inner surfaces of the antenna device (100).

[0031] The outer surface of the body (110) may be in the shape of a rectangular box with an open top. However, the shape of the body (110) is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the body (110) may be in the shape of a cylinder with an open top and a closed bottom.

[0032]

[0033] In the body (110), the space where the dielectric layer (130) is stacked is referred to as the upper space, and the space where the diffusion structure (140) is arranged is referred to as the lower space.

[0034] The inner surface corresponding to the upper space of the body (110) defines a waveguide.

[0035] The body (110) is formed of a metal material. For example, the body (110) may include aluminum (Al), but is not limited thereto.

[0036] The coaxial connector (120) is for transmitting electromagnetic signals and is coupled to the lower part of the body (110). According to an embodiment, the coaxial connector (120) may be coupled to the body (110) in such a way that a signal pin (121) is inserted through the side of the body (110).

[0037] The coaxial connector (120) includes a signal pin (121). The signal pin (121) can be in contact with the bottom of the diffusion structure (140).

[0038] The diffusion structure (140) is positioned above the signal pin (121) in the lower space of the body (110) and contacts the signal pin (121).

[0039] The diffusion structure (140) spatially diffuses the electromagnetic signal input from the signal pin (121) and propagates it into the upper space.

[0040] The diffusion structure (140) converts a first signal input from a signal pin (121) into a diffused second signal and transmits it into the upper space, which is the inside of a waveguide.

[0041] The diffusion structure (140) may be formed in the shape of an inverted cone. However, it may be cut parallel to the horizontal plane at a predetermined distance from the tip of the cone, and the cross-section may be trapezoidal. The area of ​​the cut surface may correspond to the area of ​​the upper surface of the signal pin (121).

[0042] The diffusion structure (140) may have a shape in which the cross-sectional area increases as it extends upward from the signal pin (121). The shape of this diffusion structure (140) is not necessarily limited to the cone shape described above. For example, the diffusion structure (140) may be an inverted tetrahedron or a pyramid shape.

[0043] In the lower space, the parts other than the diffusion structure (140) may be left empty or filled with a dielectric. If filled with a dielectric, it may be easier to support the diffusion structure (140) and the dielectric layer (130) stacked on top.

[0044] The dielectric layer (130) is stacked in multiple layers in the upper space.

[0045] The dielectric layer (130) is composed of a material that can be polarized by electromagnetic energy as an insulator, and may be selected as a material having a suitable dielectric constant depending on the desired electromagnetic energy or the characteristics of the related device. The dielectric layer (130) may be, for example, any one selected from polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), and Tefron, or a combination thereof.

[0046] The dielectric layer (130) may have a rectangular shape with thickness.

[0047] The area of ​​the dielectric layer (130) is formed to a size corresponding to the inner perimeter of the upper space.

[0048] A metal pattern (131) can be formed by printing on the first direction surface of the dielectric layer (130). The first direction may refer to the open direction (upward side) of the body (110).

[0049] A metal pattern (131) can also be printed and formed on the second direction surface of the dielectric layer (130). In this case, since two metal patterns (131) are superimposed on the boundary surface between the dielectric layers (130), excluding the first direction surface and the second direction surface of the uppermost and lowermost dielectric layers (130) on which the metal pattern (131) is printed, the thickness becomes twice that of the printed metal pattern (131).

[0050] A metal pattern (131) printed on the first direction and second direction surfaces, respectively, is shown in FIG. 4.

[0051] The metal pattern (131) may be formed of copper (Cu), but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the metal pattern (131) may be formed of one selected from gold, silver, copper, tin, nickel, and palladium. However, it is sufficient for the metal pattern (131) to be formed of a material with high electrical conductivity and is not necessarily limited by the above examples.

[0052] The metal pattern (131) can be formed by line segments having a predetermined thickness along a rectangular border. However, it is not necessarily limited to this shape, and various patterns such as rings, triangles, semicircles, and combinations thereof can be formed on the upper surface of the dielectric layer (130).

[0053] Since the body (110), dielectric layer (130), and metal pattern (131) are each formed in corresponding shapes, for example, when the outer surface of the body (110) is cylindrical, the dielectric layer (130) and the metal pattern (131) can be formed in the shapes of a disc and a ring, respectively.

[0054] The metal pattern (131) may be a thin film with a thickness that fills the space between the small rectangle and the large rectangle. In this case, the metal pattern (131) may have an area where the inner rectangle is in contact with the upper surface of the diffusion structure (140) rather than the rectangle.

[0055] The metal pattern (131) can be positioned at the same center of gravity as the dielectric layer (130) so as not to be biased in any direction on the first direction plane of the dielectric layer (130).

[0056] A plurality of dielectric layers (130) in the upper space and a metal pattern (131) formed on each dielectric layer (130) can form a meta structure inside the waveguide.

[0057] The lower space is configured to have a diffusion structure (140) made of metal material, and the present invention includes a combined structure of an upper metastructure and a lower diffusion structure (140).

[0058] The mediating layer (150) is coupled to the body (110) in a manner that closes the upper part of the body (110) and mediates the transmission of electromagnetic wave signals propagated into the upper space of the body (110) to the outside through the coaxial connector (120) and the diffusion structure (140).

[0059] The mediating layer (150) can be formed from a genome.

[0060] For example, the mediating layer (150) may include sapphire material.

[0061] A first signal input into the lower space by the coaxial connector (120) is diffused into a second signal by the diffusion structure (140) and transmitted to the upper space, and the second signal is formed into a third signal by the metastructure of the upper space and transmitted to the outside through the mediating layer (150).

[0062] Additionally, the mediating layer (150) can come into direct contact with human skin when the antenna device (100) of the present invention is used as a heating device.

[0063]

[0064] FIG. 5 shows the electric field magnitude distribution according to distance of an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] The frequency of the injected electromagnetic wave was fixed at 2.45 GHz, and the phase was measured by varying it from 0 degrees to 360 degrees in increments of 5.

[0066] The distribution of the electric field is widely distributed across the skin surface and the fat layer, indicating that the thermal effect can be particularly pronounced in the fat layer.

[0067]

[0068] The terms used in this application are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. In this application, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to indicate the presence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A body defining the upper and lower spaces on the inner side; A coaxial connector coupled to the body and transmitting a first signal to the inside of the body; One or more dielectric layers stacked in the upper space above; A metal pattern formed on at least one surface of the dielectric layer; and A diffusion structure disposed in the lower space above; including, The above diffusion structure is formed with a cross-section that widens toward the top to generate a second signal by spatially diffusing the first signal and transmitting it to the upper space, and An antenna device characterized in that the plurality of dielectric layers and metal patterns above form a third signal transmitted externally in response to the second signal.

2. A body divided into an upper space and a lower space; A coaxial connector coupled to the body and transmitting a first signal to the inside of the body; One or more dielectric layers stacked in the upper space above; A metal pattern formed on at least one surface of the dielectric layer; A diffusion structure disposed in the lower space above; and A dielectric material that fills the lower space above and supports the diffusion structure and the dielectric layer; The above diffusion structure is formed with a cross-section that widens toward the top to generate a second signal by spatially diffusing the first signal and transmitting it to the upper space, and An antenna device characterized in that the plurality of dielectric layers and metal patterns above form a third signal transmitted externally in response to the second signal.

3. In Paragraph 1 or 2, The above coaxial connector includes a signal pin inserted through the inside of the body, and An antenna device characterized in that the signal pin is positioned to contact the bottom of the diffusion structure.

4. In Paragraph 3, An antenna device characterized by the above-mentioned diffusion structure being formed in the shape of an inverted cone, a tetrahedron, and a pyramid.

5. In Paragraph 4, The above diffusion structure is formed in a shape that is cut parallel to the horizontal plane at a predetermined distance from the bottom, and An antenna device characterized in that the area of ​​the cut surface corresponds to the area of ​​the upper surface of the signal pin.

6. In Paragraph 1 or 2, An antenna device characterized in that the metal pattern is formed by line segments having a predetermined thickness along a rectangular border.

7. In Paragraph 1 or 2, An antenna device characterized by further including a mediating layer that mediates the transmission of the third signal to the outside.

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