TWI690115B - A tunable antenna device having proximity detection - Google Patents

Abstract

A tunable antenna device having proximity detection is provided. The antenna device includes a first radiation member, a grounded member, a second radiation member, a proximity sensing chip and a variable capacitor. The first radiation member has a signal feeding point to enable antenna signals to be input to the first radiation member. The variable capacitor is disposed adjacent to the first radiation member, the grounded member and the second radiation member to tune a frequency of the antenna. In addition, plural switches and capacitance adjustment blocks can be used to replace the variable capacitor. The capacitance adjustment blocks and the grounded member are disposed on different surfaces of a circuit board. An area of each of the capacitance adjustment blocks is different from each other. The switches are used to selectively connect one of the capacitance adjustment blocks to the second radiation member, thereby tuning the frequency of the antenna device.

Description

Adjustable antenna device with function of detecting object approach

The invention relates to an adjustable antenna device with an object detection proximity function, and in particular to an adjustable antenna device with an object detection proximity function suitable for a narrow space.

With the rapid development of communication technology, various communication products, such as wireless access points (Wireless Access Point), smart phones and notebook computers have gradually become part of human life. Most of these communication products have antenna devices to realize the function of wireless transmission to meet the needs of consumers. In addition, current communication products usually use small-sized antenna devices to make the communication products smaller and integrate more functions. For example, current communication products usually integrate object proximity detection to improve the performance of antenna devices. However, the current small-sized antennas can only be operated at a fixed frequency after the manufacturing is completed. Therefore, the small-sized antennas usually cannot cover the frequencies required by users, which limits the use of communication products.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide an adjustable antenna device with the function of detecting the proximity of objects to solve the above-mentioned problems.

The embodiment of the invention provides an adjustable antenna device with the function of detecting the approach of an object.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an adjustable antenna device with a proximity detection function includes a first radiator, a second radiator, a ground, a variable capacitor, and a proximity sensing chip. The first radiator has a signal feeding point for the antenna signal to feed into the first radiator. The second radiation system is adjacent to the first radiator. The proximity sensing chip is electrically connected to the second radiator to detect the change in capacitance between the object and the antenna when the object approaches the antenna device, and outputs a sensing signal accordingly. The variable capacitor is electrically connected between the ground portion and the second radiator. The capacitance value of the variable capacitor changes according to the sensing signal.

In some embodiments, the antenna device further includes a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the proximity sensing chip and the variable capacitor to change the capacitance value of the variable capacitor according to the sensing signal.

In some embodiments, the proximity sensing chip is electrically connected to the variable capacitor to transmit the sensing signal to the variable capacitor to control the capacitance value of the variable capacitor.

In some embodiments, the antenna device further includes a power amplifier, which outputs the antenna signal to the first radiator according to the sensing signal.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an adjustable antenna device with a proximity detection function includes a circuit board, a first radiator, a second radiator, a ground, a plurality of capacitance adjustment blocks, a proximity sensing chip, and a switch group. The circuit board has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first radiation system is arranged on the first surface of the circuit board, wherein the first radiator It has a signal feeding point for the antenna signal to feed into the first radiator. The grounding portion is provided on the second surface of the circuit board. The second radiation system is arranged on the first surface of the circuit board. The capacitance adjustment block is disposed on the first surface of the circuit board, wherein the capacitance adjustment block overlaps the ground, and the areas of the capacitance adjustment block are different from each other. The proximity sensing chip is electrically connected to the second radiator to detect the change in capacitance between the object and the antenna when the object approaches the antenna device, and outputs a sensing signal accordingly. The switch group is electrically connected between the second radiator and the capacitance adjustment block, so as to electrically connect one of the capacitance adjustment blocks to the second radiator according to the sensing signal.

In some embodiments, the antenna device further includes a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the switch group and the proximity sensing chip to electrically connect one of the capacitance adjustment blocks to the second radiator according to the sensing signal.

In some embodiments, the capacitance adjustment block is a metal sheet.

In some embodiments, the antenna device further includes a power amplifier, which outputs the antenna signal to the first radiator according to the sensing signal.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, an adjustable antenna device having an object proximity detection function includes a first radiator, a second radiator, a ground, a variable capacitor, a proximity sensing chip, and a controller. The first radiator has a signal feeding point for the antenna signal to feed into the first radiator. The second radiation system is adjacent to the first radiator. The proximity sensing chip is electrically connected to the second radiator to detect the change in capacitance between the object and the antenna when the object approaches the antenna device, and outputs a sensing signal accordingly. The variable capacitor is electrically connected between the ground and the second radiator. The controller is electrically connected to the variable capacitor to change the capacitance value of the variable capacitor according to the externally input control signal.

In some embodiments, the antenna device further includes a power amplifier, which outputs the antenna signal to the first radiator according to the sensing signal.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the embodiments are specifically described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings for detailed description as follows.

100‧‧‧ Antenna device

110‧‧‧The first radiator

110a‧‧‧Signal feed point

120‧‧‧Second radiator

130‧‧‧Ground

140‧‧‧Variable capacitance

150‧‧‧Proximity sensing chip

160‧‧‧Controller

170‧‧‧Power amplifier

200A, 200B‧‧‧ Antenna device

300‧‧‧ Antenna device

301‧‧‧ circuit board

301a‧‧‧First surface

301b‧‧‧Second surface

310‧‧‧ First radiator

310a‧‧‧Signal feed point

320‧‧‧Second radiator

330‧‧‧Ground

350‧‧‧Proximity sensing chip

360‧‧‧Controller

370‧‧‧Power amplifier

381-383‧‧‧Capacitance adjustment block

400‧‧‧ Antenna device

SW‧‧‧Switch group

[FIG. 1] A schematic diagram showing the structure of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[FIG. 2A] A schematic structural diagram of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[FIG. 2B] It is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 3A] to [FIG. 3B] are schematic structural diagrams of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 4] A schematic structural diagram of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the invention.

With regard to the "first", "second", ... etc. used in this article, it does not specifically mean the order or order, it is only to distinguish the elements or operations described in the same technical terms.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna device 100 includes a first radiator 110, a second radiator 120, a ground 130, a variable capacitor 140, a proximity sensing chip 150, a controller 160, and a power amplifier 170. The first radiator 110 has a signal feeding point 110 a for feeding antenna signals to the first radiator 110. In this embodiment, the antenna signal is fed into the first radiator 110 through a signal feeding component (for example, a coaxial line). Specifically, the signal feeding component includes a signal terminal and a ground terminal, wherein the signal terminal of the signal feeding component is connected to the signal feeding point 110a of the first radiator 110, and the ground terminal of the signal feeding component is connected to the ground portion 130.

The second radiator 120 is adjacent to the first radiator 110 to generate an electromagnetic coupling effect and form a resonance path. In this embodiment, the second radiator 120 is electrically connected to the ground 130 through the variable capacitor 140. By adjusting the capacitance value of the variable capacitor 140, the impedance of the resonance path can be changed. In addition, in this embodiment, the first radiator 110, the second radiator 120, and the ground portion 130 are all metal. For example, the first radiator 110, the second radiator 120, and the ground portion 130 may be made of copper sheets, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

The proximity sensing chip 150 is electrically connected to the second radiator 120, so as to utilize the second radiator 120 to realize the object proximity detection function. In this embodiment, the proximity sensing chip 150 senses the equivalent capacitance between the second radiator 120 and the object to determine whether the object is close. For example, when the object approaches the second radiator 120, the capacitance value of the equivalent capacitance formed between the second radiator 120 and the object will change. When the capacitance value of the equivalent capacitance is less than the preset capacitance threshold value, the sensing signal output by the proximity sensing chip 150 will remain at the first logic level, and when the capacitance value of the equivalent capacitance is greater than the When the capacitance threshold is set, the sensing signal output by the proximity sensing chip 150 is the second logic level. In other embodiments of the present invention, multiple capacitance thresholds may also be set to facilitate sensing the proximity of objects. In another embodiment of the present invention, the proximity sensing chip 150 is directly disposed on the second radiator 120 and is adjacent to the variable capacitor 140.

The controller 160 is electrically connected to the proximity sensing chip 150 to receive the sensing signal of the sensing chip 150 and adjust the capacitance of the variable capacitor 140 accordingly. For example, when an object close to the antenna device 100 is detected by the sensing chip 150, the controller 160 may adjust the capacitance of the variable capacitor 140 to change the impedance of the resonance path. Since the impedance of the resonance path is changed, the frequency of the antenna device 100 will also change. The relationship between the logic level of the sensing signal and the frequency required by the user is written into the controller 160 in advance, and the controller 160 can adjust the frequency of the antenna device 100 to the frequency of the user according to the logic level of the sensing signal The required frequency. In this embodiment, the frequency of the antenna device 100 may vary between 700 MHz and 1000 MHz, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

In addition, the controller 160 can also adjust the intensity value of the antenna signal according to the sensing signal of the sensing chip 150. For example, when an object detected by the sensing chip 150 approaches the antenna device 100, the controller 160 may control the power amplifier 170 to reduce the strength of the antenna signal.

As can be seen from the above description, the antenna device 100 of this embodiment utilizes the variable capacitor 140 to change the impedance of the resonance path, thereby achieving the frequency function of the antenna device 100. Secondly, since the variable capacitor 140 is disposed between the second radiator 120 and the ground 130, the antenna device 100 does not need to provide additional To realize the frequency adjustment function, so that the antenna device 100 can maintain a small size design. In addition, the real system of the variable capacitor 140 is disposed in a range close to the first radiator 110, the second radiator 120, and the ground portion 130. As shown in FIG. 1 of the present case, in this embodiment, the entity of the variable capacitor 140 may be disposed between the second radiator 120 and the ground portion 130, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments of the present invention, the entity of the variable capacitor 140 may be disposed between the first radiator 110 and the second radiator 120.

Please refer to FIG. 2A, which is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device 200A according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna device 200A is similar to the antenna device 100, but the difference is that the capacitance adjustment of the variable capacitor 140 is performed using the sensing chip 150. In this embodiment, the user pre-writes the relationship between the logic level of the sensing signal and the frequency required by the user into the sensing chip 150, so that the sensing chip 150 can directly use the sensing signal to adjust The capacitance of the variable capacitor 140 does not need to pass through the controller 160. In this embodiment, the first radiator 110, the second radiator 120, the grounding portion 130, the variable capacitor 140, and the proximity sensing wafer 150 may be disposed on the same circuit board. Since the variable capacitor 140 does not need to be electrically connected to the controller 160, the circuit board does not need to be provided with an additional connector to achieve the electrical connection between the variable capacitor 140 and the controller 160. As such, the antenna device 200A can have a smaller size and lower cost.

Please refer to FIG. 2B, which is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device 200B according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna device 200B is similar to the antenna device 100, but the difference is that the controller 160 is a To adjust the capacitance value of the variable capacitor 140. In this embodiment, the user can input the desired capacitance value to the controller 160 according to actual needs, so that the controller 160 adjusts the capacitance value of the variable capacitor 140 to reach the set capacitance value.

Please refer to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B at the same time. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are schematic structural diagrams of an antenna device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna device 300 includes a circuit board 301, a first radiator 310, a second radiator 320, a ground portion 330, a proximity sensing chip 350, a controller 360, a power amplifier 370, capacitance adjustment blocks 381-383, and a switch group SW. In this embodiment, the first radiator 310, the second radiator 320, and the capacitance adjustment blocks 381-383 are disposed on the first surface 301a of the circuit board 301, as shown in FIG. 3A. The ground portion 330 is disposed on the second surface 301b of the circuit board 301, as shown in FIG. 3B, wherein the first surface 301a of the circuit board 301 is opposite to the second surface 301b.

The first radiator 310 has a signal feeding point 310a for feeding antenna signals to the first radiator 310. In this embodiment, the antenna signal is fed into the first radiator 310 through a signal feeding component (for example, a coaxial line). Specifically, the signal feeding component includes a signal terminal and a ground terminal, wherein the signal terminal of the signal feeding component is connected to the signal feeding point 310a of the first radiator 310, and the ground terminal of the signal feeding component is connected to the ground portion 330.

The second radiator 320 is adjacent to the first radiator 310 to generate an electromagnetic coupling effect and form a resonance path. In this embodiment, the first radiator 310, the second radiator 320, the ground portion 330, and the capacitance adjustment blocks 381-383 are all metal. For example, the first radiator 310, the second radiation The body 320, the ground portion 330, and the capacitance adjustment blocks 381-383 may be made of copper sheets, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

The capacitance adjustment blocks 381-383 are adjacent to the second radiator 320, and are electrically connected to the second radiator 320 through the switch group SW. In this embodiment, the capacitance adjustment blocks 381-383 overlap with the ground portion 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the capacitance adjustment blocks 381-383 are vertically projected onto the second surface 301b of the circuit board 301, they correspond to the regions 381P, 382P, and 383P of the ground portion 330, respectively. In other words, the area 381P overlaps the capacitance adjustment block 381; the area 382P overlaps the capacitance adjustment block 382; and the area 383P overlaps the capacitance adjustment block 383. Therefore, the area 381P of the ground portion 330, the capacitance adjustment block 381 and the circuit board portion therebetween can be regarded as the first capacitor; the area 382P of the ground portion 330, the capacitance adjustment block 382 and the circuit board portion therebetween can be regarded as the second capacitance; The area 383P of the ground portion 330, the capacitance adjustment block 383, and the circuit board portion therebetween can be regarded as the third capacitance.

By selectively connecting the capacitance adjustment blocks 381, 382, or 383 to the second radiator 320 through the switch group SW, the second radiator 320 can be connected to the above-mentioned first capacitor, second capacitor, or third capacitor. In this embodiment, the capacitance adjustment blocks 381, 382, and 383 have different areas, so the corresponding first capacitance, second capacitance, and third capacitance have different capacitance values. As such, by selectively connecting the second radiator 320 to one of the capacitance adjustment blocks 381, 382, and 383, the impedance of the resonance path can be adjusted.

The proximity sensing chip 350 is electrically connected to the second radiator 320 so as to use the second radiator 320 to achieve the object proximity detection function. In this embodiment, the proximity sensing chip 350 senses the second radiator 120 and The equivalent capacitance between objects to determine whether the object is close. For example, when the object approaches the second radiator 320, the capacitance value of the equivalent capacitance formed between the second radiator 320 and the object will change. When the capacitance value of the equivalent capacitance is less than the preset capacitance threshold value, the sensing signal output by the proximity sensing chip 350 will remain at the first logic level, and when the capacitance value of the equivalent capacitance is greater than the preset capacitance threshold value At the value, the sensing signal output by the proximity sensing chip 350 is the second logic level. In other embodiments of the present invention, multiple capacitance thresholds may also be set to facilitate sensing the proximity of objects.

The controller 360 is electrically connected to the proximity sensing chip 350 to receive the sensing signal of the sensing chip 350 and switch the switches in the switch group SW accordingly. For example, when an object close to the antenna device 300 is detected by the sensing chip 350, the controller 360 can switch the switches in the switch group SW to switch the capacitance connected to the second radiator 320 to change the impedance of the resonance path. Since the impedance of the resonance path is changed, the frequency of the antenna device 300 will also change. The relationship between the logical level of the sensing signal and the frequency required by the user is written into the controller 360 in advance, and the controller 360 can adjust the frequency of the antenna device 100 to the frequency of the user according to the logical level of the sensing signal The required frequency. In this embodiment, the frequency of the antenna device 300 may vary from 700 MHz to 1000 MHz, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

In addition, the controller 360 can also adjust the intensity value of the antenna signal according to the sensing signal of the sensing chip 350. For example, when an object detected by the sensing chip 350 approaches the antenna device 300, the controller 360 may control the power amplifier 370 to reduce the strength of the antenna signal.

As can be seen from the above description, the antenna device 300 of this embodiment is The capacitance adjustment blocks 381-383 are used to change the impedance of the resonance path, thereby implementing the frequency function of the antenna device 300.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna device 400 is similar to the antenna device 300, but the difference is that the switching of the switch group SW is performed using the sensing chip 350. In this embodiment, the user pre-writes the relationship between the logic level of the sensing signal and the frequency required by the user into the sensing chip 350, so that the sensing chip 350 can directly use the sensing signal to switch Group SW without going through the controller 360. Since the switch group SW does not need to be electrically connected to the controller 360, the circuit board 301 does not need to be provided with an additional connector to achieve the electrical connection between the switch group SW and the controller 360. As such, the antenna device 400 may have a smaller size and lower cost.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with examples, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined in the appended patent application.

110‧‧‧The first radiator

110a‧‧‧Signal feed point

120‧‧‧Second radiator

130‧‧‧Ground

140‧‧‧Variable capacitance

150‧‧‧Proximity sensing chip

160‧‧‧Controller

170‧‧‧Power amplifier

200A‧‧‧Antenna device

Claims (8)

An adjustable antenna device with the function of detecting the proximity of an object, comprising: a first radiator with a signal feeding point for feeding an antenna signal to the first radiator; a second radiator adjacent to each other In the first radiator; a proximity sensing chip electrically connected to the second radiator to detect a change in capacitance between the object and the antenna when an object approaches the antenna device, and Correspondingly output a sensing signal; a grounding portion; and a variable capacitor electrically connected between the grounding portion and the second radiator, wherein the capacitance value of the variable capacitor is changed according to the sensing signal . The antenna device as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a controller, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the proximity sensing chip and the variable capacitor to change the variable capacitor according to the sensing signal The capacitance value. The antenna device as described in item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the proximity sensing chip is electrically connected to the variable capacitor to transmit the sensing signal to the variable capacitor to control the capacitance value of the variable capacitor . The antenna device as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a power amplifier, wherein the power amplifier outputs the antenna signal to the first radiator according to the sensing signal. An adjustable antenna device with the function of detecting object proximity includes: a circuit board having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a first radiator arranged on the circuit board On the first surface, wherein the first radiator has a signal feeding point for feeding an antenna signal to the first radiator; a ground portion is provided on the second surface of the circuit board; a first Two radiators are arranged on the first surface of the circuit board; a plurality of capacitance adjustment blocks are arranged on the first surface of the circuit board, wherein the capacitance adjustment blocks overlap the ground portion, and the The areas of the capacitance adjustment blocks are different from each other; a proximity sensing chip is electrically connected to the second radiator to detect a capacitance value generated between the object and the antenna when an object approaches the antenna device Change and output a sensing signal accordingly; and a switch group electrically connected between the second radiator and the capacitance adjusting blocks to adjust the capacitance adjusting blocks according to the sensing signal One is electrically connected to the second radiator. The antenna device as described in item 5 of the patent application scope, It further includes a controller electrically connected to the switch group and the proximity sensing chip to electrically connect the ones of the capacitance adjustment blocks to the second radiator according to the sensing signal. The antenna device as described in item 6 of the patent application scope, wherein the capacitance adjustment blocks are metal sheets. The antenna device as described in item 5 of the patent scope further includes a power amplifier, wherein the power amplifier outputs the antenna signal to the first radiator according to the sensing signal.

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