TWI849763B - Antenna module - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna module includes a ground plane, a first radiation section, a second radiation section, and an inductive circuit. The first radiation section includes a first coupling section. The second radiation includes a second coupling section. The first coupling section and the second coupling section are adjacent to each other and separated by a first coupling gap. The inductive circuit includes a first inductive unit and a second inductive unit. The first inductive unit provides a first inductive path between the first radiation section and a feed source. The second inductive unit provides a second inductive path between the second radiation section and the ground plane. The first inductive path is adjacent to and not connected to the second inductive path.

Description

Antenna Module

The present invention relates to communication technology, and more particularly to an antenna module.

Nowadays, the size of various electronic devices is gradually shrinking, so the size of the antenna in the electronic device also needs to be reduced. Generally, the height of the antenna is reduced to reduce the size of the antenna, for example, the height of the antenna is reduced to less than 5mm (millimeter). This type of antenna is also called a low profile antenna. However, there is a positive correlation between the antenna height and the antenna characteristics. Specifically, when the antenna height is reduced, the radiation element of the antenna will be closer to the ground element and produce a capacitive effect, causing the impedance of the antenna to be capacitive. In this way, the bandwidth of the antenna will be reduced and the antenna characteristics will be poor.

In view of the above, the present invention provides an antenna module. The antenna module includes a ground portion, a first radiation segment, a second radiation segment and an inductor circuit. The first radiation segment includes a first coupling segment. The second radiation segment includes a second coupling segment. The first coupling segment and the second coupling segment are adjacent to each other and separated by a first coupling gap. The inductor circuit includes a first inductor unit and a second inductor unit. The first inductor unit provides a first inductive path between the first radiation segment and the feed source, and the second inductor unit provides a second inductive path between the second radiation segment and the ground portion, and the first inductive path and the second inductive path are adjacent to each other and are not connected.

In summary, according to some embodiments, the present invention can reduce the height of the antenna (i.e., low posture) by using an inductor circuit while eliminating the capacitance effect between the first radiation segment and the ground portion and eliminating the capacitance effect between the second radiation segment and the ground portion, so as to improve the bandwidth and antenna characteristics of the antenna module.

In this article, parallel can refer to true parallelism or approximate parallelism in mathematics.

Referring to FIG. 1 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The antenna module 10 includes a ground portion 20, a first radiation segment 30, a second radiation segment 40 and an inductor circuit 50. The ground portion 20 is connected to a reference ground terminal (not shown) of a motherboard to obtain a reference ground. The first radiation segment 30 and the second radiation segment 40 are used to send (excite) and receive wireless signals (electromagnetic waves). The inductor circuit 50 is connected between the ground portion 20, the first radiation segment 30, the second radiation segment 40 and a feed source FD. The inductor circuit 50 is used to provide two inductive paths. The first inductive path is between the feed source FD and the first radiation section 30 to eliminate the capacitive effect between the first radiation section 30 and the ground portion 20; the second inductive path is between the second radiation section 40 and the ground portion 20 to eliminate the capacitive effect between the second radiation section 40 and the ground portion 20. The two inductive paths are adjacent to each other but not connected to generate mutual inductance, so as to further eliminate the capacitive effect between the first coupling gap CG1 between the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 and the ground portion 20. The bandwidth and antenna characteristics of the antenna module 10 are improved by eliminating the aforementioned capacitive effect.

The first radiation section 30 includes a first coupling section 31. The second radiation section 40 includes a second coupling section 41. The first coupling section 31 and the second coupling section 41 are adjacent to each other and separated by a first coupling gap CG1. The feed source FD is connected to the first radiation section 30 via a first inductive path of the inductive circuit 50, so that the first coupling section 31 excites a first resonance frequency band. Through the first coupling gap CG1, energy is coupled from the first coupling section 31 to the second coupling section 41, and passes through the second inductive path of the inductive circuit 50, the grounding portion 20 and the reference ground to form a loop, so that the first coupling gap CG1 and the second coupling section 41 excite a second resonance frequency band and a third resonance frequency band respectively. The first resonance frequency band may be a high frequency band, for example, between 6 GHz and 7 GHz. The second resonance frequency band may be a middle frequency band, for example, between 5 GHz and 6 GHz. The third resonance frequency band may be a low frequency band, for example, between 2 GHz and 3 GHz.

Refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. The inductor circuit 50 includes a first inductor unit 51 for realizing the aforementioned first inductive path and a second inductor unit 52 for realizing the aforementioned second inductive path. The first inductor unit 51 is connected between the first radiation section 30 and the feed source FD. The second inductor unit 52 is connected between the second radiation section 40 and the ground portion 20. Specifically, one end (i.e., the first end E1) of the first inductor unit 51 is connected to the feed source FD, and the second end E2 of the first inductor unit 51 relative to the first end E1 is connected to the first coupling section 31 of the first radiation section 30. One end (i.e., the third end E3) of the second inductor unit 52 is connected to the ground portion 20, and a fourth end E4 of the second inductor unit 52, which is opposite to the third end E3, is connected to the second coupling section 41 of the second radiation section 40. The first inductor unit 51 is used to provide a first self-inductance to eliminate the capacitive effect between the first coupling section 31 and the ground portion 20. The second inductor unit 52 is used to provide a second self-inductance to eliminate the capacitive effect between the second coupling section 41 and the ground portion 20. The first inductor unit 51 and the second inductor unit 52 are coupled to each other to generate mutual inductance to eliminate the capacitive effect between the first coupling gap CG1 and the ground portion 20. Thus, when the antenna height is lowered (ie, in a low posture, for example, the distance between the first coupling section 31 and the ground portion 20 and the distance between the second coupling section 41 and the ground portion 20 are both less than 5 mm), the antenna module 10 can still have good bandwidth and antenna characteristics.

In some embodiments, the inductance values of the first self-inductance and the second self-inductance may be between 0.1 nanohenry (nH) and 10nH, respectively. The inductance value of the mutual inductance between the first inductance unit 51 and the second inductance unit 52 may be between 0.1nH and 5nH. In an exemplary embodiment, when the antenna module 10 excites the first resonant frequency band (e.g., 6.5GHz), the inductance value of the first self-inductance may be 2.23nH, the inductance value of the second self-inductance may be 1.8nH, and the inductance value of the mutual inductance may be 0.62nH. When the antenna module 10 excites the second resonant frequency band (e.g., 5.5GHz), the inductance value of the first self-inductance may be 2.28nH, the inductance value of the second self-inductance may be 1.85nH, and the inductance value of the mutual inductance may be 0.62nH. When the antenna module 10 excites the third resonance frequency band (eg, 2.45 GHz), the inductance value of the first self-inductance may be 2.59 nH, the inductance value of the second self-inductance may be 2.12 nH, and the inductance value of the mutual inductance may be 0.66 nH.

Refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. In some embodiments, the antenna module 10 further includes a substrate 60. The ground portion 20, the first radiation section 30, the second radiation section 40 and the inductor circuit 50 are located on the same surface (e.g., the top surface) of the substrate 60. In some embodiments, the first coupling section 31 of the first radiation section 30 has two sections, the first section of the first coupling section 31 extends from the second end E2 of the inductor circuit 50 in a direction away from the ground portion 20 for a length, and the second section of the first coupling section 31 is connected to the end of the first section of the first coupling section 31 to extend along an edge parallel to the ground portion 20 for a length. The second coupling section 41 of the second radiation section 40 has two sections. The first section of the second coupling section 41 extends from the fourth end E4 of the inductor circuit 50 to a distance away from the ground portion 20. The second section of the second coupling section 41 continues the end of the first section of the second coupling section 41 and extends along a distance substantially parallel to the edge of the ground portion 20. In other words, the second section of the first coupling section 31 is parallel to the second section of the second coupling section 41. In some embodiments, the length of the second section of the first coupling section 31 is shorter than the length of the second section of the second coupling section 41. As shown in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the second radiation section 40 is located outside the first radiation section 30 (from the perspective of the ground portion 20), that is, the first radiation section 30 is located between the second radiation section 40 and the ground portion 20. In some embodiments, the grounding portion 20 has a short-circuit end 21 for connecting to the third end E3 of the inductor circuit 50. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , the first coupling gap CG1 is an equal-width structure. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3 , the first coupling gap CG1 is an unequal-width structure. For example, the first coupling gap CG1 includes a first region CG1A_1 and a second region CG1A_2, the first region CG1A_1 is adjacent to the end of the second segment of the first coupling segment 31 and the end of the second segment of the second coupling segment 41, and the second region CG1A_2 is adjacent to the inductor circuit 50. The width of the first region CG1A_1 is smaller than that of the second region CG1A_2. In some embodiments, the first coupling segment 31 and the second coupling segment 41 are substantially parallel straight lines, but should not be limited thereto.

Refer to Figures 2 and 4. Figure 4 is a side view schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. In the first embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first inductor unit 51 includes a first coil CL1, and the second inductor unit 52 includes a second coil CL2. The first coil CL1 provides a first self-inductance, and the second coil CL2 provides a second self-inductance. The first coil CL1 has at least one first coil turn, and the second coil CL2 has at least one second coil turn. Two first coil turns CL1N_1, CL1N_2 and two second coil turns CL2N_1, CL2N_2 are shown here, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of first coil turns and second coil turns can be adjusted according to design requirements. There is a turn spacing GN between adjacent first coil turns and second coil turns, so that the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 can be coupled with each other to generate mutual inductance. As shown in FIG. 4 , the first coil turn CL1N_2 is adjacent to the second coil turn CL2N_1 and has a turn-to-turn distance GN therebetween.

Refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in the first embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 are wound by square wire. As shown in FIG. 5, the difference from the first embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 is that in the second embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 are wound by round wire.

Referring to FIG. 6 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. The difference from the second embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 is that in the third embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first coil turns and the second coil turns are arranged alternately with each other. For example, a first coil turn is sandwiched between every two second coil turns. As shown in FIG. 6 , a first coil turn CL1N_2 is sandwiched between two second coil turns CL2N_1 and CL2N_2. Specifically, the arrangement order of the first coil turns CL1N_1 and CL1N_2 and the second coil turns CL2N_1 and CL2N_2 is "first coil turn CL1N_1, second coil turn CL2N_1, first coil turn CL1N_2, second coil turn CL2N_2...etc.". In this way, the first coil turn CL1N_1 and the second coil turn CL2N_1 are adjacent to each other and are separated by a turn distance GN1, the second coil turn CL2N_1 and the first coil turn CL1N_2 are adjacent to each other and are separated by a turn distance GN2, and the first coil turn CL1N_2 and the second coil turn CL2N_2 are adjacent to each other and are separated by a turn distance GN3. In some embodiments, the turn distances GN1, GN2, and GN3 between the first coil turns CL1N_1, CL1N_2 and the second coil turns CL2N_1, CL2N_2 may have the same size. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the turn distances GN1, GN2, and GN3 may have different sizes.

Referring to FIG. 7 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. In some embodiments, the inductor circuit 50 further includes a sealing body 53 covering the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2. Although not shown in FIG. 2 , FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 , the inductor circuit 50 in these embodiments may also include a sealing body 53 covering the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2. As shown in FIG. 6 , in the third embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 are wound by round wire. As shown in FIG. 7 , the difference from the third embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 is that in the fourth embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 are wound by square wire. In some embodiments, the sealing body 53 may be formed of an insulating material, such as FR4 glass fiber, ceramic, strontium titanate (SrTiO ₃ ), titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ), barium titanate (BaTiO ₃ ), and the like.

In the first, second, third and fourth embodiments of the inductor circuit 50, the turn pitches GN, GN1, GN2 and GN3 may be within a range of less than 0.15 mm, and the turn pitches GN, GN1, GN2 and GN3 may be adjusted as required, but should not be limited thereto. In the first, second, third and fourth embodiments of the inductor circuit 50, the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 overlap. Specifically, the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 have the same winding axis. That is, the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 are wound based on the same winding axis.

Referring to FIG8 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fifth embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 is that in the fifth embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 do not overlap or partially overlap. Specifically, there is a first distance R between the winding axis C1 around which the first coil CL1 is wound and the winding axis C2 around which the second coil CL2 is wound. In some embodiments, the first distance R is not greater than the sum of the winding radius R1 of the first coil CL1 and the winding radius R2 of the second coil CL2, as shown in Formula 1. The winding radius R1 is the distance from the winding axis C1 of the first coil CL1 to one end of the first coil CL1 (i.e., the first end E1 or the second end E2). The winding radius R2 is the distance from the winding axis C2 of the second coil CL2 to one end of the second coil CL2 (i.e., the third end E3 or the fourth end E4). In some embodiments, the sum of the winding radius R1 of the first coil CL1 and the winding radius R2 of the second coil CL2 may be 4 mm. In some embodiments, there is a second distance GV between adjacent ends of the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2 (i.e., between the first end E1 and the fourth end E4). In some embodiments, the second distance GV is within a range of less than 1.5 mm, as shown in Formula 2.

……………………………………(Formula 1)

…… ...

Referring to FIG. 9 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the sixth embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. In the sixth embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first inductor unit 51 of the inductor circuit 50 includes a first inductor segment ML1. The second inductor unit 52 of the inductor circuit 50 includes a second inductor segment ML2. The first inductor segment ML1 provides a first self-inductance, and the second inductor segment ML2 provides a second self-inductance. There is a line spacing g between the first inductor segment ML1 and the second inductor segment ML2, so that the first inductor segment ML1 and the second inductor segment ML2 can be coupled to each other to generate mutual inductance. The two ends of the first inductor segment ML1 are the first end E1 and the second end E2. The two ends of the second inductor segment ML2 are the third end E3 and the fourth end E4. In some embodiments, the line spacing g between the first inductive line segment ML1 and the second inductive line segment ML2 may be in a range of less than 3 mm.

In the sixth embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first inductor segment ML1 and the second inductor segment ML2 are conductive layers located on the same surface of the substrate 54. The material of the conductive layer can be carbon fiber, metal or alloy with conductive properties, such as gold, silver, copper, nickel, palladium alloy, etc. In some embodiments, the first inductor segment ML1 and the second inductor segment ML2 are formed by patterning the conductive layer laid on the surface of the substrate 54 by dry etching or wet etching. In some embodiments, the first inductor segment ML1 and the second inductor segment ML2 are substantially straight and parallel to each other. That is, the distribution shapes of the conductive layers of the first inductor segment ML1 and the second inductor segment ML2 can be substantially straight and parallel to each other.

Refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the seventh embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional schematic diagram of the seventh embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 of the present invention. The difference from the sixth embodiment of the inductor circuit 50 is that in the seventh embodiment of the inductor circuit 50, the first inductor line segment ML1 and the second inductor line segment ML2 are respectively located in two opposite planes of the substrate 54. In this way, the line spacing g between the first inductor line segment ML1 and the second inductor line segment ML2 is the distance between the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate 54 (i.e., the thickness of the substrate 54). In some embodiments, the routing paths of the first inductor line segment ML1 and the second inductor line segment ML2 are not straight lines, for example, they are concave and convex, respectively. The first inductive line segment ML1 and the second inductive line segment ML2 each have an overlapping section, and the two overlapping sections are opposite to each other to couple with each other to generate mutual inductance.

As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 , in some embodiments, the first inductor unit 51 further includes a first inductor I1. The second inductor unit 52 further includes a second inductor I2. The first inductor I1 is connected to the first inductance line segment ML1. The second inductor I2 is connected to the second inductance line segment ML2. The first inductor I1 and the second inductor I2 are inductor components. In this way, an additional inductance value can be added to enhance the first self-inductance of the first inductor unit 51 and the second self-inductance of the second inductor unit 52, thereby satisfying the inductance required by the antenna module 10 to eliminate the capacitive effect. In some embodiments, the first inductor I1 and the second inductor I2 are located on the same side of the substrate 54. In some embodiments, the first inductor I1, the second inductor I2 and the first inductive line segment ML1 are located on the same side of the substrate 54; in other embodiments, the first inductor I1, the second inductor I2 and the second inductive line segment ML2 are located on the same side of the substrate 54 (not shown). As shown in FIG10 and FIG11, the first inductor I1, the second inductor I2 and the first inductive line segment ML1 are located on the same side of the substrate 54, and the pin of the first inductor I1 is directly connected to the first inductive line segment ML1, and the pin of the second inductor I2 is indirectly connected to the second inductive line segment ML2 via the wire WR passing through the substrate 54.

In some embodiments, the first inductor I1 and the second inductor I2 are located on opposite sides (i.e., the first side and the second side) of the substrate 54. For example, the first inductor I1 and the first inductive line segment ML1 are located on the same side (the first side) of the substrate 54, and the first inductor I1 is directly connected to the first inductive line segment ML1; the second inductor I2 and the second inductive line segment ML2 are located on the same side (the second side) of the substrate 54, and the second inductor I2 is directly connected to the second inductive line segment ML2.

In some embodiments, the inductance of the first self-inductance and the second self-inductance can be determined by the length, width and permeability of the first coil CL1, the second coil CL2, the first inductive line segment ML1 and the second inductive line segment ML2 and the inductance of the first inductor I1 and the second inductor I2. In some embodiments, the permeability can be less than 40 times the vacuum permeability, where the vacuum permeability is 4π× ^10-7 H/m (henry per meter). In some embodiments, the mutual inductance between the first inductance unit 51 and the second inductance unit 52 can be determined by the size of the overlapping area between the first coil CL1 and the second coil CL2, the turn spacing GN, GN1, GN2, GN3, the second distance GV and the line spacing g.

Referring to FIG. 12 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the third embodiment of the antenna module 10, the first radiation section 30 further includes a first branch section 32, and the second radiation section 40 further includes a second branch section 42. The first branch section 32 is connected to the first coupling section 31. The second branch section 42 is connected to the second coupling section 41. The first branch section 32 and the second branch section 42 are used to respectively excite other resonance frequency bands different from the first resonance frequency band, the second resonance frequency band, and the third resonance frequency band. In this way, the bandwidth diversity supported by the antenna module 10 can be improved. In some embodiments, the first branch segment 32 has two sections, the first section of the first branch segment 32 extends from the middle of the second section of the first coupling segment 31 to the grounding portion 20 for a certain length, and the second section of the first branch segment 32 continues from the end of the first section of the first branch segment 32 to extend for a certain length along the second section substantially parallel to the first coupling segment 31. In other words, the second section of the first branch segment 32 is parallel to the second section of the first coupling segment 31. The first branch segment 32 is located at the inner side of the first coupling segment 31 (from the perspective of the grounding portion 20), that is, the first branch segment 32 is located between the first coupling segment 31 and the grounding portion 20. In some embodiments, the second section of the first branch segment 32 is shorter than the second section of the first coupling segment 31. In some embodiments, the second branch segment 42 extends from the boundary between the first segment and the second segment of the second coupling segment 41 to a length substantially along an edge parallel to the ground portion 20 in a direction away from the second segment of the second coupling segment 41 .

In some embodiments, the antenna module 10 further includes a parasitic section 70. The parasitic section 70 is connected to the ground portion 20. The parasitic section 70 is adjacent to at least one of the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 and is separated by a second coupling gap CG2 (CG2_A, CG2_B). Through the second coupling gap CG2 (CG2_A, CG2_B), the energy of the feed source FD can be coupled from the first coupling section 31 to the parasitic section 70, and pass through the ground portion 20 and the reference ground to form a resonant loop, so that the parasitic section 70 excites other frequency bands different from the first resonant frequency band, the second resonant frequency band, and the third resonant frequency band, or the parasitic section 70 assists the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 to excite the first resonant frequency band, the second resonant frequency band, and the third resonant frequency band. The parasitic segment 70 will be described below using the fourth to seventh embodiments of the antenna module 10 .

Referring to FIG. 13 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment of the antenna module 10, the parasitic section 70 extends from the short-circuit end 21 of the ground portion 20 to a distance substantially along the second section of the first coupling section 31 parallel to the first radiation section 30. The parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the first radiation section 30 and is separated by a second coupling gap CG2. In some embodiments, the ends of the second section of the parasitic section 70 and the second coupling section 41 extend to the same axis. In some embodiments, the parasitic section 70 is located on the inner side of the first radiation section 30 (from the perspective of the ground portion 20), that is, the parasitic section 70 is located between the first radiation section 30 and the ground portion 20.

Referring to FIG. 14 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fifth embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the fourth embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the fifth embodiment of the antenna module 10, the parasitic section 70 has two sections, the first section of the parasitic section 70 extends a distance from the ground portion 20 in a direction away from the ground portion 20, and the second section of the parasitic section 70 is a second section extending a distance from the end of the first section of the parasitic section 70 to substantially extend along the first coupling section 31 parallel to the first radiation section 30. The parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the first radiation section 30 and is separated by the second coupling gap CG2. That is, the second section of the parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the second section of the first coupling section 31 of the first radiation section 30 and is separated by the second coupling gap CG2.

Referring to FIG. 15 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the sixth embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the fifth embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the sixth embodiment of the antenna module 10, the second section of the parasitic section 70 is connected to the end of the first section of the parasitic section 70 to extend a distance substantially along the second section of the second coupling section 41 parallel to the second radiation section 40, and the end of the second section of the parasitic section 70 and the end of the second section of the first coupling section 31 extend toward each other. The parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 and is separated by the second coupling gaps CG2_A and CG2_B, respectively. Specifically, the end of the parasitic section 70 is opposite to the end of the first coupling section 31 and is separated by the second coupling gap CG2_A. The second section of the parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the second section of the second coupling section 41 of the second radiation section 40 and is separated by a second coupling gap CG2_B. The second coupling gap CG2_A and the second coupling gap CG2_B may be different. In some embodiments, the second radiation section 40 is located outside the parasitic section 70 (from the perspective of the ground portion 20). That is, the parasitic section 70 is located between the second radiation section 40 and the ground portion 20.

Referring to FIG. 16 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the seventh embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the fifth embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the seventh embodiment of the antenna module 10, the second section of the parasitic section 70 is connected to the end of the first section of the parasitic section 70 to extend a distance substantially along the edge parallel to the ground portion 20. The parasitic section 70 is located on the outer side of the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 (from the perspective of the ground portion 20). That is, the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 are located between the parasitic section 70 and the ground portion 20. The second section of the parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the second section of the second coupling section 41 of the second radiation section 40 and is separated by a second coupling gap CG2.

In some embodiments, the first radiation section 30 is located outside the second radiation section 40 (from the perspective of the ground portion 20). That is, the second radiation section 40 is located between the first radiation section 30 and the ground portion 20. The eighth to twelfth embodiments of the antenna module 10 are described below.

Referring to FIG. 17 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the eighth embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the eighth embodiment of the antenna module 10, the first radiation section 30 is located outside the second radiation section 40 (from the perspective of the ground portion 20). The second coupling section 41 of the second radiation section 40 extends along a length substantially parallel to the edge of the ground portion 20. In other words, the second section of the first coupling section 31 is parallel to the second coupling section 41. The length of the second section of the first coupling section 31 is shorter than the extension length of the second coupling section 41.

Referring to FIG. 18 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the ninth embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the eighth embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the ninth embodiment of the antenna module 10, the first radiation section 30 further includes a first branch section 32 connected to the first coupling section 31, and the second radiation section 40 further includes a second branch section 42 connected to the second coupling section 41. For example, the second branch section 42 has two sections, the first section of the second branch section 42 extends from the middle of the second coupling section 41 to the ground portion 20 for a length, and the second section of the second branch section 42 continues from the end of the first section of the second branch section 42 to extend for a length substantially parallel to the second coupling section 41. That is, the second section of the second branch section 42 is parallel to the second coupling section 41. The second branch segment 42 is located inside the second coupling segment 41 (from the perspective of the grounding portion 20), that is, the second branch segment 42 is located between the second coupling segment 41 and the grounding portion 20. In some embodiments, the second segment of the second branch segment 42 is shorter than the second coupling segment 41. The first branch segment 32 extends from the boundary between the first segment and the second segment of the first coupling segment 31 substantially along the edge parallel to the grounding portion 20 toward the direction away from the second segment of the first coupling segment 31.

Refer to Figure 19, which is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the tenth embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the eighth embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the tenth embodiment of the antenna module 10, the antenna module 10 further includes a parasitic section 70 connected to the ground portion 20. For example, the parasitic section 70 extends a distance from the short-circuit end 21 of the ground portion 20 approximately along the edge parallel to the ground portion 20. The parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the first radiation section 30 and is separated by the second coupling gap CG2. That is, the parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the second section of the first coupling section 31 of the first radiation section 30 and is separated by the second coupling gap CG2. In some embodiments, the distance extended by the parasitic section 70 may be longer than the second section of the first coupling section 31 but shorter than the second coupling section 41. The parasitic section 70 is located outside the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 (from the perspective of the ground portion 20 ). That is, the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 are located between the parasitic section 70 and the ground portion 20 .

Referring to FIG. 20 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the eleventh embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the tenth embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the eleventh embodiment of the antenna module 10, the parasitic section 70 has two sections, the first section of the parasitic section 70 extends a distance from the ground portion 20 in a direction away from the ground portion 20, and the second section of the parasitic section 70 is connected to the end of the first section of the parasitic section 70 and extends a distance substantially along the edge parallel to the ground portion 20. The parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the first radiation section 30 and the second radiation section 40 and is separated by second coupling gaps CG2_A and CG2_B, respectively. That is, the first section of the parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the end of the second coupling section 41 and separated by the second coupling gap CG2_B, and the second section of the parasitic section 70 is adjacent to the second section of the first coupling section 31 and separated by the second coupling gap CG2_A. The second coupling gap CG2_A and the second coupling gap CG2_B may be different.

Referring to FIG. 21 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the twelfth embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the eleventh embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the twelfth embodiment of the antenna module 10, the second section of the parasitic section 70 is connected to the end of the first section of the parasitic section 70 to extend a distance substantially parallel to the second coupling section 41. The parasitic section 70 is located on the inner side of the second radiation section 40 (from the perspective of the ground portion 20). That is, the parasitic section 70 is located between the second radiation section 40 and the ground portion 20.

Referring to FIG. 22 , it is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the thirteenth embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment of the antenna module 10 is that in the thirteenth embodiment of the antenna module 10, the ground portion 20 is connected to an inductor I3 as a short-circuit end 21 for connection to the third end E3 of the inductor circuit 50. The inductor I3 may be an inductor assembly. In some embodiments, the inductance value of the inductor I3 may be less than 2nH.

In some embodiments, the grounding portion 20, the first radiation section 30, the second radiation section 40 and the parasitic section 70 are made of a conductive material. The conductive material may be a conductive layer on the surface of the substrate 60. For example, the grounding portion 20, the first radiation section 30, the second radiation section 40 and the parasitic section 70 are formed by patterning the conductive layer disposed on the substrate 60 by dry etching or wet etching.

In some implementations, the feed source FD is connected to the wireless communication module of the motherboard via a coaxial cable (specifically, its internal core wire and braided wire). In this way, the wireless communication module can transmit wireless signals via the antenna module 10. The wireless communication module can be a wireless communication circuit with wireless communication authentication (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, etc. wireless transmission functions.

Refer to Figures 23 to 25. Figure 23 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the antenna module 10_PA of the first comparative example of the present invention. Figure 24 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the antenna module 10_PA of the second comparative example of the present invention. Figure 25 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the antenna module 10_PA of the third comparative example of the present invention. In the first comparative example, the antenna height is relatively high, that is, the distance between the second coupling section 41_PA and the ground portion 20_PA is greater than 5 mm. In the second comparative example, the antenna height is relatively low, that is, the distance between the second coupling section 41_PA and the ground portion 20_PA is less than 5 mm, that is, compared with the first comparative example, the antenna module 10_PA of the second comparative example is in a low posture. The difference from the second comparative example is that in the third comparative example, an inductor I_PA (ie, an inductor assembly) is connected between the first coupling section 31_PA and the feeding source FD_PA and between the second coupling section 41_PA and the ground portion 20_PA, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 26 , it is an experimental data diagram of the return loss of the antenna module 10_PA of the first to third comparative examples of the present invention. As can be seen from FIG. 26 , in the first comparative example, when the antenna height is higher, the antenna module 10_PA has a better return loss (such as curve CU1), for example, in the resonance frequency band supported by the antenna module 10_PA, the return loss of the antenna module 10_PA is less than -6dB (Decibel). In the second comparative example, when the antenna height is lower (i.e., low posture), the antenna module 10_PA has a worse return loss (such as curve CU2), for example, in the resonance frequency band supported by the antenna module 10_PA, the return loss of the antenna module 10_PA is greater than -6dB. That is to say, there is a positive correlation between the antenna height and the antenna characteristics. In the third comparative example, since the inductor I_PA can eliminate part of the capacitive effect (e.g., the capacitive effect between the first coupling section 31_PA and the ground portion 20_PA and the capacitive effect between the second coupling section 41_PA and the ground portion 20_PA), the return loss of the third comparative example (such as curve CU3) is better than the return loss of the second comparative example. However, since there are still other capacitive effects in the antenna module 10_PA (e.g., the capacitive effect between the first coupling gap CG1_PA and the ground portion 20_PA) that have not been eliminated, the return loss of the third comparative example still cannot have a better return loss and cannot approach the return loss of the first comparative example.

Referring to FIG. 27 , it is an experimental data graph of the echo loss of the first embodiment and the third embodiment of the antenna module 10 of the present invention. Curve CU4 is the echo loss of the first embodiment of the antenna module 10. Curve CU5 is the echo loss of the third embodiment of the antenna module 10. Since the inductor circuit 50 can eliminate the capacitive effect between the first radiation section 30 and the ground portion 20 and eliminate the capacitive effect between the second radiation section 40 and the ground portion 20 (for example, the capacitive effect between the first coupling section 31 and the ground portion 20, the capacitive effect between the second coupling section 41 and the ground portion 20, and the capacitive effect between the first coupling gap CG1 and the ground portion 20), the antenna module 10 has better echo loss. For example, in the resonance frequency band supported by the antenna module 10, the echo loss of the antenna module 10 is less than -6 dB and can be close to the echo loss of the first comparative example.

In summary, according to some embodiments, the present invention can reduce the height of the antenna (i.e., low posture) by using an inductor circuit while eliminating the capacitance effect between the first radiation segment and the ground portion and eliminating the capacitance effect between the second radiation segment and the ground portion, so as to improve the bandwidth and antenna characteristics of the antenna module.

10,10_PA: antenna module 20,20_PA: grounding part 21: short circuit end I3: inductor 30: first radiation section 31,31_PA: first coupling section 32: first branch section 40: second radiation section 41,41_PA: second coupling section 42: second branch section 50: inductor circuit 51: first inductor unit CL1: first coil CL1N_1,CL1N_2: first coil turn ML1: first inductive line segment I1: first inductor 52: second inductor unit CL2: second coil CL2N_1,CL2N_2: second coil turn ML2: second inductive line segment I2: second inductor 53: sealing body 54: substrate E1: first end E2: second end E3: third end E4: fourth end GN, GN1, GN2, GN3: turn spacing R: first distance R1, R2: winding radius GV: second distance g: wire spacing WR: conductor C1, C2: winding axis 60: substrate 70: parasitic segment FD, FD_PA: feed source CG1, CG1_PA: first coupling gap CG1A_1: first region CG1A_2: second region CG2, CG2_A, CG2_B: second coupling gap I_PA: inductor CU1, CU2, CU3, CU4, CU5: curve

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fifth embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the sixth embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the seventh embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional schematic diagram of the seventh embodiment of the inductor circuit of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fifth embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the sixth embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the seventh embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the eighth embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the ninth embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the tenth embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the eleventh embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the twelfth embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 22 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the thirteenth embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the antenna module of the first comparative example of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the antenna module of the second comparative example of the present invention. FIG. 25 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the antenna module of the third comparative example of the present invention. FIG. 26 is an experimental data diagram of return loss of the antenna modules of the first to third comparative examples of the present invention. Figure 27 is an experimental data diagram of the echo loss of the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the antenna module of the present invention.

10: Antenna module

20: Grounding part

21: Short circuit end

30: The first radiation segment

31: First coupling section

40: Second radiation segment

41: Second coupling section

50: Inductor circuit

E1: First end

E2: Second end

E3: The third end

E4: The fourth end

60: Substrate

FD: Feed source

CG1: First coupling gap

Claims (10)

An antenna module comprises: a ground portion; a first radiation section including a first coupling section; a second radiation section including a second coupling section, wherein the first coupling section and the second coupling section are adjacent to each other and separated by a first coupling gap; and an inductor circuit comprising a first inductor unit and a second inductor unit, wherein the first inductor unit provides a first inductive path between the first radiation section and a feed source, and the second inductor unit provides a first inductive path between the first radiation section and a feed source. The inductive unit provides a second inductive path between the second radiation section and the grounding portion, and the first inductive path is adjacent to and not connected to the second inductive path; wherein the first inductive unit includes a first coil having at least one first coil turn, the second inductive unit includes a second coil having at least one second coil turn, and there is a turn spacing between the at least one first coil turn and the at least one second coil turn. The antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one first coil turn and the at least one second coil turn are arranged alternately with each other. The antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the first inductor unit includes a first inductive line segment, the second inductive unit includes a second inductive line segment, and there is a line spacing between the first inductive line segment and the second inductive line segment. The antenna module as described in claim 3, wherein the first inductive line segment and the second inductive line segment are located in the same plane. The antenna module as described in claim 4, wherein the first inductive line segment and the second inductive line segment are straight lines and parallel to each other. The antenna module as described in claim 3, wherein the first inductive line segment and the second inductive line segment are located in two opposite planes. The antenna module as described in claim 6, wherein the first inductor unit further includes a first inductor connected to the first inductive line segment, and the second inductor unit further includes a second inductor connected to the second inductive line segment. The antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the first radiation section further includes a first branch section connected to the first coupling section, and the second radiation section further includes a second branch section connected to the second coupling section. The antenna module as described in claim 1 further includes a parasitic section connected to the ground portion and adjacent to at least one of the first radiation section and the second radiation section and separated by a second coupling gap. The antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the ground portion has a short-circuit end, the second inductive path is between the second radiation section and the short-circuit end, and the short-circuit end is an inductor.