Antenna device

Abstract

Disclosed is an antenna device. The antenna device of the present invention comprises: a body; 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 interior space of the body; and a metal pattern formed on at least one surface of the dielectric layers, wherein the device has a through-hole passing through the dielectric layers, the through-hole electrically connects the metal patterns, and the structure electrically connecting the one or more metal patterns and the one or more dielectric layers, together with the interior of the body, can form a second signal that is transmitted to the outside in response to the first signal.

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; 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 inner space of the body; and a metal pattern formed on at least one surface of the dielectric layer, wherein a through hole is formed penetrating the dielectric layer and the metal pattern is electrically connected through a connection through the through hole, and the electrical connection structure of the one or more dielectric layers and the one or more metal patterns can form a second signal transmitted to the outside in correspondence with the first signal together with the inside of the body.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a mediating layer that mediates the transmission of the second signal may be further included.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, a coating layer made of a metal material formed on the inner surface of the through hole may be further included.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the metal pattern may be formed in a circular thin film shape.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the through holes are formed with a point between the center axis and the radius of the circular metal pattern as the center axis, and may be formed in multiple numbers at predetermined azimuth intervals.

[0013] 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 can penetrate at least a portion of the dielectric layer.

[0014] 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.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 4 shows a partial configuration of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 5 shows a partial configuration of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 shows parameters according to frequency of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 7 shows the SAR according to distance of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 8 shows the electric field magnitude distribution according to the distance of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026]

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the antenna device (100) of the present invention includes a body (110), a coaxial connector (120), a dielectric layer (130), a metal pattern (131), a connecting layer (140), and a mediating layer (150).

[0031] The body (110) defines the outer and inner surfaces of the antenna device (100).

[0032] The body (110) may be formed in a cylindrical shape having a predetermined thickness. The corresponding horizontal cross-section may be in a donut shape. Additionally, the bottom of the body (110) is closed and the top is open.

[0033] The body (110) does not necessarily have to be cylindrical in shape. For example, the body (110) may be in the shape of a rectangular box with an open top. In this case, the dielectric layer (130) and the metal pattern (131) may also be deformed into corresponding shapes.

[0034] The body (110) is formed of a metal material. For example, the body (110) may include aluminum (Al), but is not limited thereto.

[0035] A waveguide is defined by the inner surface and internal structure of the body (110).

[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 inserted into the waveguide inside the body (110) to transmit a signal.

[0038] The signal pin (121) may be positioned to penetrate a portion of the region extending from the lowest layer to the highest layer of the dielectric layer (130). The dielectric layer (130) and the metal pattern (131) through which the signal pin (121) penetrates may have corresponding through holes formed therein.

[0039] The coaxial connector (120) may be an SMA (Sub-Miniature version A) connector.

[0040] The dielectric layer (130) is stacked in multiple numbers on the inside of the body (110).

[0041] 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.

[0042] According to an embodiment, the dielectric layer (130) may have a rectangular shape with thickness.

[0043] 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).

[0044] 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).

[0045] A dielectric layer (130) with a metal pattern (131) printed on both sides is shown in FIG. 4.

[0046] 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.

[0047] The metal pattern (131) can be formed with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the dielectric.

[0048] A metal pattern (131) may have a hole of a size corresponding to the through hole (141) formed in each through hole (141).

[0049] Figure 5 shows a metal pattern (131) with a diameter (d) of 30 mm.

[0050] When the antenna device (100) of the present invention is used as a skin warming device, at least one of the diameters of the through hole (141) and the metal pattern (131) can be adjusted for impedance matching with the skin. The coating layer (142) and the metal pattern (131) that can be printed on the inner diameter of the through hole (141) define a substantial area of ​​metal arranged in three dimensions.

[0051] The metal pattern (131) may be in the shape of a disc of the thin film. According to an embodiment, the metal pattern (131) may be in the shape of a rectangle of the thin film.

[0052] A through hole (141) penetrating the dielectric layer (130) may be formed therein.

[0053] Some dielectric layers (130) stacked on the bottom may include those in which the metal pattern (131) is not printed. Additionally, in this case, the connecting layer (140) may not be formed.

[0054] The location of the through hole (141) corresponds to the location where the metal pattern (131) is formed.

[0055] The inner surface of the through hole (141) may have a metal coating layer (142) formed thereon.

[0056] The coating layer (142) can be formed together with the metal pattern (131).

[0057] The coating layer (142) may be formed of copper (Cu), but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the coating layer (142) may be formed of one selected from gold, silver, copper, tin, nickel, and palladium. However, it is sufficient for the coating layer (142) to be formed of a material with high electrical conductivity and is not necessarily limited by the above examples.

[0058] The coating layer (142) electrically connects adjacent metal patterns (131) with the dielectric layer (130) in between. For electrical connection, a metal tube may be inserted into the through hole (141) instead of the coating layer (142).

[0059] Instead of a coating layer (142), a metal tube that continuously penetrates a plurality of dielectric layers (130) and a metal pattern (131) printed thereon may be inserted into the through hole (141). In this case, the metal pattern (131) may also have a through hole (141) formed in the same way as the dielectric layer (130).

[0060] The through hole (141) can be formed at a location close to the circumference of the metal pattern (131).

[0061] The through holes (141) are arranged with a point between the radius and the center axis of the circular metal pattern (131) as the center axis, and may be arranged in multiple numbers at predetermined azimuth intervals. For example, the through holes (141) may be arranged at 30° intervals.

[0062] A coating layer (142) is formed in each through hole (141).

[0063] The formation of through holes (141) in the uppermost and lowermost dielectric layers (130) may be omitted depending on the connection relationship between the metal patterns (131). For example, if there are no adjacent metal patterns (131), the formation of through holes (141) may be omitted.

[0064] Each metal pattern (131) is electrically connected by a through hole (141) and a coating layer (142) formed on its inner surface.

[0065] A plurality of dielectric layers (130), a metal pattern (131) formed on the dielectric layer (130), a through hole (141) formed in each of these, and a coating layer (142) formed on the inner surface of the through hole (141) can form a meta structure inside the waveguide.

[0066] 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 body (110) to the outside through the coaxial connector (120).

[0067] The mediating layer (150) can be formed from a genome.

[0068] For example, the mediating layer (150) may include sapphire material.

[0069] A first signal injected into the body (110) by the coaxial connector (120) forms a second signal transmitted to the outside by the internal metastructure, and the second signal can be transmitted to the outside through the mediating layer (150).

[0070] 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.

[0071]

[0072] FIG. 6 shows parameters according to frequency of an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] Referring to Figure 6, the S-parameter appears small around 2.45 GHz, indicating that the reflection loss is lowest and the transmission characteristics are good.

[0074]

[0075] FIG. 7 shows the SAR according to distance of an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0076] SAR can determine the absorption rate of electromagnetic waves by tissue layer.

[0077]

[0078] FIG. 8 shows the electric field magnitude distribution according to distance of an antenna device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0079] 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.

[0080] The graph shows the magnitude of the electric field (y-axis) as a function of skin depth (x-axis).

[0081]

[0082] Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the SAR of the skin layer is measured to be somewhat higher than the electromagnetic field strength, because as the electric field forms a closed loop, the electromagnetic energy must pass through the skin layer to be concentrated in the fat layer.

[0083]

[0084] 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. Body; 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 inner space of the body; and A metal pattern formed on at least one surface of the dielectric layer; comprising, A through hole penetrating the above dielectric layer is formed, and The metal pattern is electrically connected through the connection via the above-mentioned through-hole, and An antenna device characterized in that the electrical connection structure of the one or more dielectric layers and the one or more metal patterns forms a second signal transmitted to the outside in correspondence with the first signal, together with the inside of the body.

2. In Paragraph 1, An antenna device characterized by further including a mediating layer that mediates the transmission of the second signal.

3. In Paragraph 1, An antenna device characterized by further including a metal coating layer formed on the inner surface of the through hole.

4. In Paragraph 1, An antenna device characterized in that the above metal pattern is formed in a circular thin film shape.

5. An antenna device according to claim 4, wherein the through holes are formed with a point between the radius and the center axis of the circular metal pattern as the center axis, and are formed in multiple numbers at predetermined azimuth intervals.

6. In Paragraph 1, 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 penetrates at least a portion of the dielectric layer.

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