TWI851249B - Antenna module - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna module includes a plurality of antenna groups, a plurality of first wires and a plurality of second wires. Each of the antenna groups includes a plurality of antenna elements. The antenna elements respectively include a plurality of first ends and a plurality of second ends. Each of the first wires is connected to the first ends of the antenna elements of the corresponding antenna group. Each of the second wires is connected to the second end of one of the antenna elements of each of the antenna groups.

Description

Antenna Module

The present invention relates to an antenna module, and in particular to an antenna module that can reduce the number of required pins.

The general electromagnetic sensing antenna (EMR Sensing Antenna) module includes multiple antenna units. One end of the antenna unit is connected to the corresponding end of other antenna units through a common wire, and the other end of the antenna unit is connected to the corresponding IC chip pin. The antenna unit is connected to the IC chip through the common wire and pin, so that the antenna module senses or receives electromagnetic signals. When an object that can generate electromagnetic signals approaches the antenna module, the antenna module will generate corresponding electromagnetic changes, so that the chip can determine the position of the object relative to the antenna module.

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a known antenna module. Referring to FIG1, for example, the antenna module 10 includes a plurality of antenna units 01-05. Each antenna unit 01-05 has a first end P1 and a second end P2, the second end P2 is connected to a common wire m, the common wire m is further connected to the IC chip, and the first end P1 of the antenna unit 01-05 is connected to the corresponding IC chip pin. In other words, each antenna unit 01-05 of the known antenna module 10 needs to have a corresponding pin to form a closed antenna loop.

However, when the antenna module is used in a larger device and needs to include more antenna units, the conventional antenna loop layout method will significantly increase the number of pins and even IC chips, resulting in increased production costs and complicated wiring.

The present invention provides an antenna module that helps reduce the number of required pins, saves production costs and simplifies wiring.

An antenna module of the present invention includes multiple antenna groups, multiple first wires and multiple second wires. Each antenna group includes multiple antenna units. Each antenna unit surrounds an arc. These antenna units respectively include multiple first ends and multiple second ends. Each first wire is connected to the first ends of the antenna units of the corresponding antenna group. Each second wire is connected to the second end of one of the antenna units in each of the antenna groups.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the number of the above-mentioned first conductive wires corresponds to the number of the antenna groups.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the number of the above-mentioned second conductive wires corresponds to the number of antenna units in each antenna group.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above antenna groups are arranged along an axis, the antenna units of each antenna group are arranged along the axis, and the antenna units are separated from each other.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above antenna groups are arranged along an axis, the antenna units of each antenna group are arranged along the axis, and these antenna units are partially overlapped.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the antenna groups mentioned above are arranged along an axis. The antenna units of each antenna group are arranged along the axis. The number of antenna units in each antenna group is n, n>1, and these n antenna units are numbered 1~n along the axis. In the antenna group, the second ends of the antenna units with the same number are connected to the same second wire.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first conductive lines are arranged in parallel with the second conductive lines. The first conductive lines are close to each other, and the second conductive lines are close to each other.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the antenna units of the antenna groups mentioned above include a plurality of first antenna units and a plurality of second antenna units. The first antenna units are arranged along a first axis, and the second antenna units are arranged along a second axis. The first antenna units and the second antenna units are arranged in a chessboard pattern. Each antenna group includes one of the first antenna units and one of the second antenna units.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the antenna module further includes a plurality of common pads and a plurality of pins located outside the antenna group. Each common pad extends along a first axis, and these common pads are arranged along a second axis. These first wires are respectively connected to these pins, these pins are closely arranged along the first axis, and these second wires are respectively connected to these common pads.

Based on the above, the antenna module of the present invention includes multiple antenna groups, multiple first wires and multiple second wires. Each antenna group includes multiple antenna units, and each antenna unit includes a first end and a second end. Each first wire is connected to the first end of each antenna unit of the corresponding antenna group, and each second wire is connected to the second end of one antenna unit of each of these antenna groups. Therefore, the subsequent antenna module only needs to connect these first wires and second wires to the corresponding pins to identify the location where the electromagnetic induction occurs, without each antenna unit having a corresponding pin. This not only simplifies the layout of the antenna loop, but also reduces the number of pins required for the antenna module, saving production costs.

A, B, C: First conductor

a, a1~a3, b, b1~b3, c, c1~c3: Second conductor

D: Axis

D1: First axis

D2: Second axis

G1~G3, G1A~G3A, G1B~G3B: Antenna group

m: common conductor

PA1, PA2: common pad

P1, P101~P109, P10~P18: First end

P2, P201~P209, P20~P28: Second end

Q1, Q2, Q3: pins

X10, X20, X30: the first antenna unit

Y10, Y20, Y30: Second antenna unit

01~05, 101~109, X0~X8: antenna unit

10, 100, 100A, 100B: Antenna module

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a known antenna module.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG3A is a schematic diagram of an antenna module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the antenna module in Figure 3A.

FIG4A is a schematic diagram of an antenna module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the antenna module of Figure 4A.

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG2, the antenna module 100 of this embodiment is, for example, an electromagnetic sensing antenna (EMR Sensing Antenna) loop, which determines the position and movement path of the contact object by the principle of electromagnetic induction.

For example, the antenna module 100 can be set in an electronic device (such as a digital display board). When the user uses an electromagnetic pen to write on the display surface of the electronic device, the antenna module 100 senses or receives the electromagnetic signal emitted by the electromagnetic pen, and after calculation and processing, the position and movement path of the electromagnetic pen on the display surface can be obtained. Of course, the application of the antenna module 100 is not limited to this.

The antenna module 100 includes a plurality of antenna groups G1, G2, G3, a plurality of first wires A, B, C, and a plurality of second wires a, b, c. The antenna groups G1, G2, G3 are arranged along an axis D and include a plurality of antenna units 101-109. In this embodiment, the number of antenna groups G1, G2, G3, the number of first wires A, B, C, and the number of second wires a, b, c are three respectively, and the number of antenna units 101-109 is nine, but the number of these components is not limited thereto.

The antenna unit 101-109 includes a plurality of first ends P101-P109 and a plurality of second ends P201-P209. Each first wire A, B, C is connected to the first end P101-P109 of the antenna unit 101-109 of the corresponding antenna group G1, G2, G3, and the antenna unit 101-109 can be further connected to the corresponding IC chip pin through the first wire A, B, C. Each second wire a, b, c is connected to the second end P201-P209 of one antenna unit 101-109 of each of the antenna groups G1, G2, G3, and the antenna unit 101-109 can be connected to the corresponding IC chip pin through the second wire a, b, c.

In other words, the antenna units 101-109 are connected to the IC chip through the first wires A, B, C and the second wires a, b, c respectively, so as to form a closed antenna loop to sense or receive signals.

Taking antenna group G1 as an example, antenna group G1 includes antenna units 101, 102, and 103. Each antenna unit 101, 102, and 103 surrounds an arc, and the antenna units 101, 102, and 103 are separated from each other and arranged along axis D. Antenna unit 101 has a first end P101 and a second end P201, antenna unit 102 has a first end P102 and a second end P202, and antenna unit 103 has a first end P103 and a second end P203.

The first ends P101, P102, and P103 are connected to the same first wire A, the second end P201 is connected to the second wire a, the second end P202 is connected to the second wire b, and the second end P203 is connected to the second wire c. The first wire A is connected to the IC chip pin, and the second wires a, b, and c are connected to the corresponding pins of the IC chip, so that the antenna units 101, 102, and 103 each form a closed antenna loop, and can sense or receive signals. The layout of the antenna groups G2 and G3 is similar to the layout of the antenna group G1, and will not be repeated here.

This layout ensures that the combination of the two output ends of each antenna unit 101-109 is not repeated, that is, each antenna loop of the antenna module 100 can correspond to a non-repeated sensing position to well sense or receive signals. More importantly, this layout can simplify wiring and reduce the number of pins required for the antenna module 100.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , if the number of antenna units of the conventional antenna module 10 increases to 120, 120 IC chip pins are required to correspond to these antenna units. This will greatly increase the number of pins and even IC chips required, and also complicate the wiring of the antenna module 100.

In contrast, the number of first wires in this embodiment corresponds to the number of antenna groups, and the number of second wires corresponds to the number of antenna units in each antenna group. Taking the antenna module 100 of FIG. 2 as an example, the number of antenna groups G1 to G3 is three, so the number of first wires A, B, and C is three. The number of antenna units 101 to 103, 104 to 106, and 107 to 109 in each antenna group G1 to G3 is three, so the number of second wires a, b, and c is three.

When the number of antenna units in the antenna module 100 increases to 120, if the 120 antenna units are divided into 40 antenna groups, each antenna group includes 3 antenna units, then only 3 second wires and 40 first wires (i.e. 43 pins) are needed to complete the configuration of the antenna loop. In other words, the antenna module 100 of this embodiment uses the layout of the first wires A~C and the second wires a~c to greatly reduce the number of pins and IC chips required, reduce production costs, and make the antenna loop wiring more concise.

It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the first ends of all antenna units in the same antenna group are connected to the same first wire, and the second ends of each antenna unit in the same antenna group are connected to different second wires. Assuming that the number of antenna units in each antenna group is n, n>1, and the n antenna units are numbered 1~n along the axis D, then in these antenna groups, the second ends of antenna units with the same number will be connected to the same second wire to make the wiring clear and avoid line confusion, but the arrangement method is not limited to this.

For example, the second end P201 of the first antenna unit 101 from the left of antenna group G1, the second end P204 of the first antenna unit 104 from the left of antenna group G2, and the second end P207 of the first antenna unit 107 from the left of antenna group G3 are respectively connected to the same second wire a. Similarly, the second ends P202, P205, and P208 are respectively connected to the same second wire b, and the second ends P203, P206, and P209 are respectively connected to the same second wire c.

In addition, the antenna groups G1-G3 and antenna units 101-109 of this embodiment are arranged along axis D. However, in other embodiments, the antenna groups G1-G3 and antenna units 101-109 may not be arranged along the same axis D, and the arrangement of the antenna groups and antenna units is not limited to this.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of an antenna module according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the antenna module of FIG. 3A. Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the antenna module 100A of this embodiment is similar to the antenna module 100 of FIG. 2. The main difference between the two is that the antenna units X0 to X8 of the antenna module 100A are partially overlapped, and the first wires A, B, C and the second wires a, b, c are arranged in parallel.

Specifically, the antenna module 100A includes antenna groups G1A, G2A, and G3A. Antenna group G1A includes antenna units X0, X3, and X6, antenna group G2A includes antenna units X1, X4, and X7, and antenna group G3A includes antenna units X2, X5, and X8. Antenna groups G1A, G2A, and G3A are arranged along axis D with antenna units X0 to X8. Antenna units X0 to X8 include first ends P10 to P18 (FIG. 3B) and second ends P20 to P28 (FIG. 3B).

Taking antenna group G1A as an example, the first ends P10, P13, and P16 of antenna units X0, X3, and X6 are respectively connected to the same first wire A, the second end P20 of antenna unit X0 is connected to the second wire a, the second end P23 of antenna unit X3 is connected to the second wire b, and the second end P26 of antenna unit X6 is connected to the second wire c.

The first wire A is connected to the IC chip pin, and the second wires a, b, and c are connected to the corresponding pins of the IC chip, so that the antenna units X0, X3, and X6 each form a closed antenna loop to sense or receive signals.

Similarly, for antenna group G2A, the first terminals P11, P14, and P17 of antenna units X1, X4, and X7 are respectively connected to the same first wire B, the second terminal P21 of antenna unit X1 is connected to the second wire a, the second terminal P24 of antenna unit X4 is connected to the second wire b, and the second terminal P27 of antenna unit X7 is connected to the second wire c. Therefore, antenna units X1, X4, and X7 each form a closed antenna loop to sense or receive signals.

Similarly, for antenna group G3A, the first ends P12, P15, and P18 of antenna units X2, X5, and X8 are respectively connected to the same first wire C, the second end P22 of antenna unit X2 is connected to the second wire a, the second end P25 of antenna unit X5 is connected to the second wire b, and the second end P28 of antenna unit X8 is connected to the second wire c. Thus, antenna units X2, X5, and X8 each form a closed antenna loop to sense or receive signals.

Similar to the aforementioned embodiment, the antenna module 100A of this embodiment uses a layout of first wires A~C and second wires a~c to significantly reduce the number of pins and IC chips required, reduce production costs, and make the antenna loop wiring simpler.

In addition, the antenna units X0-X8 of this embodiment are partially overlapped, and the first wires A, B, C and the second wires a, b, c are arranged in parallel. The first wires A, B, C are close to each other, and the second wires a, b, c are also close to each other. Such a layout can effectively save space and make the antenna module 100 more flexible in space utilization.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of an antenna module according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the antenna module of FIG. 4A. Referring to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the main difference between the antenna module 100B of this embodiment and the antenna module 100 of FIG. 2 is that the antenna units of the antenna module 100B are arranged in a chessboard format. It should be noted that the range covered by FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B may actually be filled with antenna groups, but for the convenience of explanation, the antenna groups in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are shown as three.

Specifically, the antenna module 100B includes antenna groups G1B, G2B, G3B, first wires A, B, C (FIG. 4B), second wires a1~a3 (FIG. 4B) and b1~b3 (FIG. 4B). The antenna groups G1B~G3B include a plurality of first antenna units X10~X30 and a plurality of second antenna units Y10~Y30. Each antenna group G1B~G3B includes one of the first antenna units X10, X20 or X30 and one of the second antenna units Y10, Y20 or Y30.

In more detail, antenna group G1B includes a first antenna unit X10 and a second antenna unit Y10, antenna group G2B includes a first antenna unit X20 and a second antenna unit Y20, and antenna group G3B includes a first antenna unit X30 and a second antenna unit Y30.

The first antenna units X10, X20, and 30 are arranged along a first axis D1, and the second antenna units Y10, Y20, and Y20 are arranged along a second axis D2. The first antenna units X10-X30 and the second antenna units Y10-Y30 are arranged in a chessboard pattern to form a sensing plane. This sensing plane can be used, for example, to sense or receive signals from an object that can generate electromagnetic signals (such as an electromagnetic pen), thereby obtaining the position and movement path of the contact object on the sensing plane.

In this embodiment, the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit of the same antenna group are connected to the same first wire, and the first antenna unit and the second antenna unit of the same antenna group are connected to different second wires. Taking antenna group G1B as an example, the first antenna unit X10 and the second antenna unit Y10 are connected to the same first wire A, and the first antenna unit X10 and the second antenna unit Y10 are connected to the second wires a1 and b1 respectively.

Furthermore, the antenna module 100B further includes common pads PA1, PA2 and pins Q1~Q3. Pins Q1~Q3 are, for example, pins of a circuit board. Common pads PA1, PA2 and pins Q1~Q3 are located outside the antenna group G1B~G3B, and common pads PA1, PA2 and pins Q1~Q3 are respectively connected to corresponding pins of the IC chip. Common pads PA1, PA2 extend along the first axis D1 and are arranged along the second axis D2, while pins Q1~Q3 are closely arranged along the first axis D1.

The first wires A, B, and C are connected to pins Q1, Q2, and Q3 respectively, the second wires a1 to a3 are connected to the common pad PA1 respectively, and the second wires b1 to b3 are connected to the common pad PA2 respectively. The antenna module 100B is connected to the IC chip through the common pads PA1, PA2, and pins Q1 to Q3, so that the first antenna unit X10 to X30 and the second antenna unit Y10 to Y30 form a closed antenna loop, thereby sensing or receiving signals well.

In summary, the antenna module of the present invention includes multiple antenna groups, multiple first wires and multiple second wires, each antenna group includes multiple antenna units, and each antenna unit includes a first end and a second end. Each first wire is connected to the first end of each antenna unit of the corresponding antenna group, and each second wire is connected to the second end of one antenna unit of each of these antenna groups. Therefore, the subsequent antenna module only needs to be connected to the corresponding pins with these first wires and second wires, and each antenna unit does not need to be connected to the corresponding pins, which not only simplifies the layout of the antenna loop, but also reduces the number of pins required for the antenna module, saving costs. In addition, the antenna units can be configured separately or partially overlapped from each other, increasing the flexibility of the antenna module in space utilization.

A, B, C: First conductor

a, b, c: second conductor

D: Axis

G1~G3: Antenna group

P101~P109: First end

P201~P209: Second end

101~109: Antenna unit

100: Antenna module

Claims (8)

An antenna module includes: a plurality of antenna groups, each of which includes a plurality of antenna units, each of which surrounds an arc, and each of which includes a plurality of first ends and a plurality of second ends; a plurality of first wires, each of which is connected to the first ends of the antenna units of the corresponding antenna group; and a plurality of second wires, each of which is connected to the second end of one of the antenna units in each of the antenna groups, wherein the antenna units of the antenna groups include a plurality of first antenna units and a plurality of second antenna units, the first antenna units are arranged along a first axis, the second antenna units are arranged along a second axis, the first antenna units and the second antenna units are arranged in a chessboard pattern, and each of the antenna groups includes one of the first antenna units and one of the second antenna units. An antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the number of the first conductors corresponds to the number of the antenna groups. An antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the number of the second conductors corresponds to the number of the antenna units in each of the antenna groups. The antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the antenna groups are arranged along an axis, the antenna units of each antenna group are arranged along the axis, and the antenna units are separated from each other. The antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the antenna groups are arranged along an axis, the antenna units of each antenna group are arranged along the axis, and the antenna units are partially overlapped. The antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the antenna groups are arranged along an axis, the antenna units of each antenna group are arranged along the axis, the number of the antenna units in each antenna group is n, n>1, the n antenna units are numbered 1-n along the axis, and in the antenna groups, the second ends of the antenna units with the same number are connected to the same second wire. The antenna module as described in claim 1, wherein the first wires are arranged in parallel with the second wires, the first wires are close to each other, and the second wires are close to each other. The antenna module as described in claim 1 further includes a plurality of common pads and a plurality of pins located outside the antenna groups, each of the common pads extending along the first axis and the common pads arranged along the second axis, the first wires respectively connected to the pins, the pins are closely arranged along the first axis, and the second wires respectively connected to the common pads.

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