TWM678134U - Antenna structure - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna structure includes a first radiation element, a second radiation element, a third radiation element, a fourth radiation element, a fifth radiation element, a sixth radiation element, a seventh radiation element, and a carrier element. The first radiation element has a feeding point. The second radiation element and the third radiation element are coupled to the first radiation element. The fourth radiation element is coupled to a ground voltage. The fourth radiation element is adjacent to the second radiation element. The fifth radiation element is coupled to the ground voltage. The first radiation element is disposed between the fourth radiation element and the fifth radiation element. The sixth radiation element is coupled to the ground voltage. The sixth radiation element defines a notch region. The seventh radiation element is adjacent to the second radiation element, the third radiation element, the fourth radiation element, and the sixth radiation element. Both the third radiation element and the seventh radiation element at least partially extend into the notch region.

Description

Antenna structure

This work relates to an antenna structure, and more particularly to an antenna structure with a wideband capability.

With the advancement of mobile communication technology, mobile devices have become increasingly common in recent years, including laptops, mobile phones, multimedia players, and other multi-functional portable electronic devices. To meet people's needs, mobile devices typically have wireless communication capabilities. Some cover long-range wireless communication, such as mobile phones using 2G, 3G, and LTE (Long Term Evolution) systems and their respective frequency bands of 700MHz, 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz, and 2500MHz. Others cover short-range wireless communication, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth systems using the 2.4GHz, 5.2GHz, and 5.8GHz frequency bands.

Antennas are indispensable components in the field of wireless communication. If the operating bandwidth of the antenna used for receiving or transmitting signals is too narrow, it can easily lead to a degradation in the communication quality of mobile devices. Therefore, designing a small-size, wide-bandwidth antenna structure is an important task for designers.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention proposes an antenna structure comprising: a first radiating section having a feed point; a second radiating section coupled to the first radiating section; a third radiating section coupled to the first radiating section and the second radiating section; a fourth radiating section coupled to a ground potential, wherein the fourth radiating section is adjacent to the second radiating section; a fifth radiating section coupled to the ground potential, wherein the first radiating section is disposed between the fourth radiating section and the fifth radiating section; and a sixth radiating section coupled to the ground potential. A grounding potential, wherein the sixth radiating portion defines a gap region; a seventh radiating portion, which is adjacent to the second, third, fourth, and sixth radiating portions, wherein the third and seventh radiating portions each extend at least partially into the gap region; and a carrier element, wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh radiating portions are all disposed on the carrier element.

In some embodiments, the third radiating portion includes a U-shaped portion.

In some embodiments, the sixth radiating element includes a main body, a short-circuit branch, a first branch, a second branch, and an inclined branch. The main body is coupled to the ground potential via the short-circuit branch. The gap region is located between the first branch and the second branch, which are substantially parallel to each other.

In some embodiments, the inclined branch forms a blunt angle with the main body.

In some embodiments, the seventh radiating part is in a floating state and is independent of the second radiating part, the third radiating part, the fourth radiating part, and the sixth radiating part.

In some embodiments, the antenna structure covers a first frequency band, a second frequency band, and a third frequency band, wherein the first frequency band is between 700MHz and 800MHz, the second frequency band is between 1710MHz and 2170MHz, and the third frequency band is between 2500MHz and 2690MHz.

In some embodiments, the total length of the first radiating portion and the second radiating portion is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength of the highest frequency of the second frequency band.

In some embodiments, the total length of the first radiating portion and the third radiating portion is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength of the lowest frequency of the second frequency band.

In some embodiments, the length of the fifth radiating part is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the third frequency band.

In some embodiments, the length of the seventh radiating part is between 0.1667 times and 0.25 times the wavelength of the lowest frequency of the first frequency band.

To make the purpose, features and advantages of this invention clearer and easier to understand, specific examples of this invention are provided below, along with detailed explanations in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams.

Certain terms are used in this specification and the scope of the patent application to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will understand that hardware manufacturers may use different names to refer to the same component. This specification and the scope of the patent application do not distinguish components by name, but by functional differences. The terms "comprising" and "including" used throughout this specification and the scope of the patent application are open-ended and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to". The term "generally" means that, within an acceptable range of error, those skilled in the art can solve the described technical problem and achieve the described basic technical effect within a certain range of error. Furthermore, the term "coupled" in this specification includes any direct and indirect electrical connection means. Therefore, if the text describes a first device coupled to a second device, it means that the first device can be directly electrically connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically connected to the second device via other devices or connection means.

The following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments or examples to implement the different features of this application. The following disclosure describes specific examples of the components and their arrangements for simplification. Of course, these specific examples are not intended to be limiting. For example, if this disclosure describes a first feature formed on or above a second feature, it indicates that it may include embodiments where the first and second features are in direct contact, or embodiments where an additional feature is formed between the first and second features, so that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Furthermore, the same reference numerals and/or markings may be repeated in different examples of the following disclosure. These repetitions are for simplification and clarity and are not intended to limit any specific relationship between the different embodiments and/or structures discussed.

Furthermore, spatial terms such as "below," "lower," "above," "higher," and similar terms are used to facilitate the description of the relationship between one element or feature in the diagram and another element or feature(s). In addition to the orientation shown in the diagram, these spatial terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation. The device may be rotated to different orientations (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatial terms used here can be interpreted in the same way.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an antenna structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna structure 100 can be applied to a mobile device, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wireless access point, a router, or any device with communication capabilities. Alternatively, the antenna structure 100 can be applied to an electronic device, such as any unit in an Internet of Things (IoT) system.

As shown in Figure 1, the antenna structure 100 includes: a first radiation element 110, a second radiation element 120, a third radiation element 130, a fourth radiation element 140, a fifth radiation element 150, a sixth radiation element 160, a seventh radiation element 170, and a carrier element 180. The first radiation element 110, the second radiation element 120, the third radiation element 130, the fourth radiation element 140, the fifth radiation element 150, the sixth radiation element 160, and the seventh radiation element 170 can all be made of metal materials, such as copper, silver, aluminum, iron, or their alloys.

The first radiating section 110 can be generally shaped as a straight strip. Specifically, the first radiating section 110 has a first end 111 and a second end 112, wherein a feeding point FP is located at the first end 111 of the first radiating section 110. The feeding point FP can be coupled to a signal source 190. For example, the signal source 190 can be a radio frequency (RF) module, which can be used to excite the antenna structure 100. It should be noted that the first radiating section 110 is disposed between the fourth radiating section 140 and the fifth radiating section 150.

The second radiating section 120 may be generally in the shape of another straight strip, which may be generally perpendicular to the first radiating section 110. In detail, the second radiating section 120 has a first end 121 and a second end 122, wherein the first end 121 of the second radiating section 120 is coupled to the second end 112 of the first radiating section 110, and the second end 122 of the second radiating section 120 is an open end.

The third radiating section 130 has a first end 131 and a second end 132, wherein the first end 131 of the third radiating section 130 is coupled to the second end 112 of the first radiating section 110 and the first end 121 of the second radiating section 120, and the second end 132 of the third radiating section 130 is an open-circuit end. In some embodiments, the third radiating section 130 further includes a U-shaped portion 135 located at its second end 132, such that the second radiating section 120 and the third radiating section 130 can extend in different directions. For example, the second end 122 of the second radiating section 120 can extend generally in the direction of the -X axis, while the second end 132 of the third radiating section 130 can extend generally in the direction of the +Y axis, but it is not limited thereto.

The fourth radiating section 140 can generally be L-shaped with unequal width, and is adjacent to the second radiating section 120. Specifically, the fourth radiating section 140 has a first end 141 and a second end 142, wherein the first end 141 of the fourth radiating section 140 is coupled to a ground voltage VSS, and the second end 142 of the fourth radiating section 140 is an open-circuit end. For example, the second end 142 of the fourth radiating section 140 can also extend generally in the direction of the -X axis, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, in the fourth radiating section 140, its second end 142 can also be wider than its first end 141. In some embodiments, the ground potential VSS may be provided by a ground copper foil or a system ground plane of the antenna structure 100 (not shown). It must be understood that the terms "proximity" or "adjacent" in this specification may refer to a distance between corresponding elements that is less than a predetermined distance (e.g., 10 mm or less), but generally do not include cases where corresponding elements are in direct contact with each other (i.e., the aforementioned distance is reduced to 0).

The fifth radiating section 150 can be generally shaped as a short, straight strip, and can be generally parallel to the first radiating section 110. Specifically, the fifth radiating section 150 has a first end 151 and a second end 152, wherein the first end 151 of the fifth radiating section 150 is coupled to the ground potential VSS, and the second end 152 of the fifth radiating section 150 is an open-circuit end. For example, the second end 152 of the fifth radiating section 150 can also extend generally in the direction of the +Y axis and close to the third radiating section 130, but is not limited thereto.

The sixth radiating section 160 can generally exhibit an irregular radial shape, which can be used to define a notch region 168. Specifically, the sixth radiating section 160 includes a body 163, a shortening branch 164, a first branch 165, a second branch 166, and a slope branch 167, wherein the body 163 can be coupled to the ground potential VSS via the shortening branch 164. For example, the body 163 can generally exhibit a rectangular shape, but is not limited thereto. The first branch 165 and the second branch 166 are coupled to different locations on the same side of the body 163, such that the notch region 168 is located between the first branch 165 and the second branch 166. Furthermore, the first branch 165 and the second branch 166 can be approximately parallel to each other, with the length of the first branch 165 potentially being slightly greater than the length of the second branch 166. The inclined branch 167 is coupled to a corner on the opposite side of the main body 163, and a blunt angle θ can be formed between the inclined branch 167 and the main body 163. It must be noted that the third radiating section 130 extends at least partially into the notch region 168 of the sixth radiating section 160.

The seventh radiating section 170 can generally exhibit a meandering shape. The seventh radiating section 170 has a first end 171 and a second end 172, each of which can be an open end. For example, the first end 171 of the seventh radiating section 170 can extend generally in the direction of the -Y axis, while the second end 172 of the seventh radiating section 170 can extend generally in the direction of the +X axis, but is not limited thereto. The seventh radiating section 170 is in a floating state and can exist independently of the first radiating section 110, the second radiating section 120, the third radiating section 130, the fourth radiating section 140, the fifth radiating section 150, and the sixth radiating section 160. In other words, the seventh radiating section 170 can be separated from the first radiating section 110, the second radiating section 120, the third radiating section 130, the fourth radiating section 140, the fifth radiating section 150, and the sixth radiating section 160. In some embodiments, the seventh radiating section 170 may also include an L-shaped section 175 and a horizontal strip section 176 of unequal width coupled to each other, wherein the L-shaped section 175 of the seventh radiating section 170 may be adjacent to the fourth radiating section 140, and the horizontal strip section 176 of the seventh radiating section 170 may be adjacent to the second radiating section 120, the third radiating section 130, and the sixth radiating section 160 at the same time. For example, the unequal-width horizontal stripe portion 176 of the seventh radiating section 170 may be disposed between the third radiating section 130 and the first branch 165 of the sixth radiating section 160. In some embodiments, a first coupling gap GC1 may be formed between the second end 142 of the fourth radiating section 140 and the first end 171 of the seventh radiating section 170, and a second coupling gap GC2 may also be formed between the first branch 165 of the sixth radiating section 160 and the second end 172 of the seventh radiating section 170. For example, the width of the first coupling gap GC1 may be at least twice the width of the second coupling gap GC2. It should be noted that the seventh radiating section 170 also extends at least partially into the notch region 168 of the sixth radiating section 160. In other embodiments, the U-shaped portion 135 of the third radiating portion 130 and the unequal-width horizontal strip portion 176 of the seventh radiating portion 170 can together enclose a clearance region 178, which can be regarded as a square cutout.

The carrier element 180 may be a nonconductive support element, such as a printed circuit board (FPC) or a flexible printed circuit board (FPC), and its shape and type are not particularly limited in this invention. In some embodiments, the first radiating part 110, the second radiating part 120, the third radiating part 130, the fourth radiating part 140, the fifth radiating part 150, the sixth radiating part 160, and the seventh radiating part 170 may all be disposed on the same surface of the carrier element 180, wherein the aforementioned surface may be substantially perpendicular to the +Z axis direction. In other embodiments, the first radiating portion 110, the second radiating portion 120, the third radiating portion 130, the fourth radiating portion 140, the fifth radiating portion 150, the sixth radiating portion 160, and the seventh radiating portion 170 may also be distributed on different surfaces of the carrier element 180. For example, the antenna structure 100 may be a planar antenna structure or a three-dimensional antenna structure.

Figure 2 shows the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of the antenna structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the horizontal axis represents the operating frequency (MHz) and the vertical axis represents the voltage standing wave ratio. According to the measurements in Figure 2, the antenna structure 100 may cover a first frequency band FB1, a second frequency band FB2, and a third frequency band FB3. For example, the first frequency band FB1 may be between 700MHz and 800MHz, the second frequency band FB2 may be between 1710MHz and 2170Hz, and the third frequency band FB3 may be between 2500MHz and 2690MHz. Therefore, antenna structure 100 will at least support broadband operation of LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 5G (5th Generation Wireless Systems).

In some embodiments, the antenna structure 100 operates as follows. The second radiating section 120, the third radiating section 130, the fourth radiating section 140, the sixth radiating section 160, and the seventh radiating section 170 can collectively form a discontinuous ring structure sufficient to generate the aforementioned first frequency band FB1. The seventh radiating section 170 can serve as a key coupling element in this discontinuous ring structure. Based on actual measurement results, the addition of the first coupling gap GC1 and the second coupling gap GC2 can enhance the capacitance of this discontinuous ring structure while suppressing its inductance, thereby enabling fine-tuning of the impedance matching of the first frequency band FB1. The main body 163, short-circuit branch 164, first branch 165, and second branch 166 of the first radiating section 110, the second radiating section 120, the third radiating section 130, the fourth radiating section 140, and the sixth radiating section 160 can generate the aforementioned second frequency band FB2. The inclined branch 167 of the fifth radiating section 150 and the sixth radiating section 160 can generate the aforementioned third frequency band FB3. In addition, the aforementioned notch region 168, clearance region 178, and the region near the blunt angle θ can be used to accommodate some mechanical components (e.g., a plurality of positioning posts, but not shown in Figure 1), which helps to reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the antenna structure 100.

In some embodiments, the component dimensions of the antenna structure 100 may be as described below. The total length L1 of the first radiating section 110 and the second radiating section 120 may be approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength (λ/4) of the highest frequency (e.g., 2170MHz) of the second frequency band FB2 of the antenna structure 100. The total length L2 of the first radiating section 110 and the third radiating section 130 may be approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength (e.g., 1710MHz) of the lowest frequency (e.g., 1710MHz) of the second frequency band FB2 of the antenna structure 100. The length L3 of the fourth radiating section 140 may be approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength (λ/4) of the highest frequency (e.g., 2170MHz) of the second frequency band FB2 of the antenna structure 100. The length L4 of the fifth radiating section 150 is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength of the center frequency (e.g., 2595MHz) of the third frequency band FB3 of the antenna structure 100. The total length L5 of the first branch 165, the main body 163, and the short-circuit branch 164 of the sixth radiating section 160 is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength of the lowest frequency (e.g., 1710MHz) of the second frequency band FB2 of the antenna structure 100. The length L6 of the second branch 166 of the sixth radiating section 160 is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength (λ/4) of the highest frequency (e.g., 2170MHz) of the second frequency band FB2 of the antenna structure 100. The length L7 of the inclined branch 167 of the sixth radiating section 160 can be approximately equal to 0.125 times the wavelength (λ/8) of the center frequency (e.g., 2595MHz) of the third frequency band FB3 of the antenna structure 100. The length L8 of the seventh radiating section 170 can be between 0.1667 times and 0.25 times the wavelength (λ/6~λ/4) of the lowest frequency (e.g., 700MHz) of the first frequency band FB1 of the antenna structure 100, for example, approximately 0.2 times the wavelength (λ/5). The width of the first coupling gap GC1 can be between 0.5mm and 0.7mm. The width of the second coupling gap GC2 can be between 0.1mm and 0.2mm. The blunt angle θ can be between 100 and 140 degrees, for example, approximately 115, 120, or 130 degrees. The above range of component dimensions is derived from the results of multiple experiments, which helps to optimize the operating bandwidth and impedance matching of the antenna structure 100, and also effectively reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the antenna structure 100.

In some embodiments, the aforementioned antenna structure 100 can be applied to a mobile router (not shown) to enable it to support wireless communication functionality. For example, the aforementioned antenna structure 100 can be attached to an inner wall of a non-conductive housing of the mobile router, but is not limited thereto.

This invention presents a novel antenna structure. Compared to traditional designs, this invention offers advantages such as small size, wide bandwidth, and low manufacturing cost, making it well-suited for applications in a wide variety of mobile communication devices or the Internet of Things.

It is important to note that the component dimensions, shapes, and frequency ranges described above are not limiting conditions of this invention. Antenna designers can adjust these settings according to different needs. The antenna structure of this invention is not limited to the state illustrated in Figures 1-2. This invention may include only any one or more features of any one or more embodiments of Figures 1-2. In other words, not all features illustrated need to be implemented simultaneously in the antenna structure of this invention.

The ordinal numbers in this specification and the scope of the patent application, such as "first", "second", "third", etc., are not sequential and are only used to distinguish two different elements with the same name.

Although the above-described preferred embodiment is intended to limit the scope of the invention, any person skilled in this art may make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of this invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

100: Antenna Structure 110: First Radiator 111: First End of First Radiator 112: Second End of First Radiator 120: Second Radiator 121: First End of Second Radiator 122: Second End of Second Radiator 130: Third Radiator 131: First End of Third Radiator 132: Second End of Third Radiator 135: U-shaped Section 140: Fourth Radiator 141: First End of Fourth Radiator 142: Second End of Fourth Radiator 150: Fifth Radiator 151: First End of Fifth Radiator 152: Second End of Fifth Radiator 160: Sixth Radiator 163: Main Body 164: Short-Circuit Branch 165: First branch 166: Second branch 167: Inclined branch 168: Gap area 170: Seventh radiating section 171: First end of the seventh radiating section 172: Second end of the seventh radiating section 175: L-shaped section 176: Unequal width horizontal strip section 178: Clearance area 180: Carrier element 190: Signal source FB1: First frequency band FB2: Second frequency band FB3: Third frequency band FP: Feed point GC1: First coupling gap GC2: Second coupling gap L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L7, L8: Length VSS: Ground potential X: X-axis Y: Y-axis Z: Z-axis θ: Obtuse angle

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a voltage standing wave ratio diagram showing the antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

100: Antenna Structure

110: First Radiation Section

111: The first end of the first radiating section

112: The second end of the first radiating section

120: Second Radiation Section

121: The first end of the second radiating section

122: The second end of the second radiating section

130: Third Radiation Section

131: The first end of the third radiating section

132: The second end of the third radiating section

135: U-shaped section

140: Fourth Radiation Unit

141: The first end of the fourth radiating section

142: The second end of the fourth radiating section

150: Fifth Radiation Unit

151: The first end of the fifth radiating section

152: The second end of the fifth radiating section

160: Sixth Radiation Division

163: The Body

164: Short-circuit branch

165: First Branch Road

166: Second Branch Road

167: Inclined side road

168: Gap Area

170: Seventh Radiation Division

171: The first end of the seventh radiating section

172: The second end of the seventh radiating section

175: L-shaped section

176: Unequal width horizontal bars

178: Clear Zone

180: Carrier Components

190: Signal Source

FP: Feed In Point

GC1: First Coupling Gap

GC2: Second Coupling Gap

L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L7, L8: Length

VSS: Grounding Potential

X: X-axis

Y: Y-axis

Z: Z-axis

θ: Obtuse angle

Claims (10)

An antenna structure includes: a first radiating section having a feed point; a second radiating section coupled to the first radiating section; a third radiating section coupled to the first radiating section and the second radiating section; a fourth radiating section coupled to a ground potential, wherein the fourth radiating section is adjacent to the second radiating section; a fifth radiating section coupled to the ground potential, wherein the first radiating section is disposed between the fourth radiating section and the fifth radiating section; and a sixth radiating section coupled to the ground potential, wherein the sixth radiating section defines a gap region. A seventh radiating part, which is adjacent to the second, third, fourth, and sixth radiating parts, wherein the third and seventh radiating parts each extend at least partially into the notch region; and a carrier element, wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh radiating parts are all disposed on the carrier element. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the third radiating portion includes a U-shaped portion. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the sixth radiating part includes a main body, a short-circuit branch, a first branch, a second branch, and an inclined branch, the main body being coupled to the ground potential via the short-circuit branch, the gap region being located between the first branch and the second branch, and the first branch and the second branch being substantially parallel to each other. The antenna structure as described in claim 3, wherein the inclined branch forms a blunt angle with the body. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the seventh radiating part is in a floating state and is independent of the second radiating part, the third radiating part, the fourth radiating part, and the sixth radiating part. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the antenna structure covers a first frequency band, a second frequency band, and a third frequency band, the first frequency band being between 700MHz and 800MHz, the second frequency band being between 1710MHz and 2170MHz, and the third frequency band being between 2500MHz and 2690MHz. The antenna structure as described in claim 6, wherein the total length of the first radiating section and the second radiating section is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength of the highest frequency of the second frequency band. The antenna structure as described in claim 6, wherein the total length of the first radiating section and the third radiating section is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength of the lowest frequency of the second frequency band. The antenna structure as described in claim 6, wherein the length of the fifth radiating section is approximately equal to 0.25 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the third band. The antenna structure as described in claim 6, wherein the length of the seventh radiating element is between 0.1667 times the wavelength and 0.25 times the wavelength of the lowest frequency of the first frequency band.