KR100816262B1 - Antenna molded inside housings of electric devices and producing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A housing built-in antenna embedded in a housing of an electronic device and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The housing-embedded antenna of the present invention includes a substrate on which an antenna radiator is formed, and an antenna housing manufactured separately from the substrate and coupled to the substrate, and is embedded in the electronic device housing by insert molding. According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently utilize the internal space of the electronic device by embedding the antenna in the electronic device housing without modification of the antenna radiator, and it is possible to easily embed a plurality of antennas in the electronic device housing.

Radiator, Antenna Housing, Electronics Housing, Insert Molding

Description

ANTENNA MOLDED INSIDE HOUSINGS OF ELECTRIC DEVICES AND PRODUCING METHOD THEREOF

1 is an exploded view of an antenna assembly of a housing-mounted antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 illustrates an antenna assembly of a housing-mounted antenna according to one embodiment of the invention.

3 illustrates a housing-mounted antenna according to one embodiment of the invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a mounting state of a housing-mounted antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 illustrates an antenna element of a housing-mounted antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 illustrates an antenna assembly of a housing-mounted antenna according to another embodiment of the invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting state of a housing-mounted antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a view showing a mounting method of a housing-mounted antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a housing-mounted antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100, 500: antenna element 110, 510: substrate

112, 512: radiator 114, 514: feeder

116, 516: ground portion 200: antenna housing

210: main part 214: opening for the first feeding

216: first ground opening 300: terminal housing

314: opening for the second feeding 316: opening for the second ground

400: circuit board 414: power supply terminal

416: ground terminal 418: circuit elements

424: feeding pad 426: ground pad

518: film

The present invention relates to an antenna for wireless communication, and more particularly, to an antenna embedded in a housing of an electronic device.

Conventional wireless communication antennas include rod-shaped rod antennas, helical antennas formed by winding rod antennas, retractable antennas in which a helical antenna and a rod antenna are combined, and the like. All of these antennas are installed outside the electronic device, especially the wireless communication terminal, causing an increase in the volume of the terminal, there is a problem that the antenna protrudes to the outside of the terminal to reduce the convenience of carrying. In order to solve this problem, a method of embedding an antenna in a terminal has recently been adopted.

The antenna embedded in the terminal adopts the form of an inverted L type antenna, a Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA), a chip antenna, and is fixedly installed at a predetermined position inside the terminal. However, as terminals become smaller and various functions are integrated into one terminal, a problem of mounting many devices in a small space is encountered. Accordingly, the space that can be allocated for antenna installation is rapidly decreasing.

The gain of the antenna is proportional to the volume, and the antenna must be manufactured to have a predetermined electrical length depending on the wavelength used. Therefore, as the antenna installation space is reduced, the gain of the antenna is reduced, and there is a problem in that a complex radiator pattern needs to be developed in order to install an antenna of an appropriate length in a small installation space. In addition, as the function of the terminal is diversified, the antenna is required to have a multi-band characteristic. In order to install such a multi-band antenna in a narrow space, a higher patterning technique is required. In particular, in the case of devices operating at a high frequency such as an antenna, the capacitance effect due to capacitive coupling increases as the distance between conductors decreases, so it is very difficult to install the antenna in a narrow space.

Recently, a MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) system using a plurality of antennas has attracted attention. MIMO system is a system that can significantly increase the capacity and increase the reliability of the system by using a plurality of antennas on both the transmitting side and the receiving side. It is necessary to install a plurality of antennas in the terminal to implement the MIMO system, but there are difficulties in the implementation due to interference between the antennas, constraints on the internal space of the terminal, and the like.

In order to solve such a problem, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-9810 discloses a built-in antenna device formed by forming a groove of a predetermined shape in the lower casing rear surface of a terminal, and filling and coating a conductor in the groove. However, according to the related art, when the coating part is peeled or damaged, a conductor may be exposed to damage the antenna, and there is an inconvenience in that a separate terminal should be formed in the terminal casing for connection with the circuit board.

As another prior art, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-58778 discloses a technique of insert molding a patterned antenna substrate into a housing and slidingly coupling it to a terminal cover or the like. However, according to the related art, there is a problem in that the antenna pattern formed on the substrate is directly exposed to the molten resin, the injection solution, and the like when the insert molding of the antenna substrate is performed. In addition, the sliding coupling of the housing back to the terminal increases the number of man-hours, the manufacturing process is cumbersome, and there is a problem that it is difficult to form a connection with the circuit board.

In addition, according to the related arts, when a plurality of antennas are installed, a separate process must be performed to form each antenna, and thus there is a problem that the process becomes complicated and the implementation of the MIMO system becomes difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a built-in antenna having a simple assembly process without being restricted by an installation space regardless of other electronic devices.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a built-in antenna which is exposed to the outside of the housing only the contact portion with the internal circuit of the electronic device and stably connected to the internal circuit of the terminal, and there is no pattern deformation by injection during the manufacturing process.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a built-in antenna that is easy to install a number, useful for implementing a MIMO system.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a housing-embedded antenna of an electronic device comprising: a substrate on which an antenna radiator is formed; And an antenna housing manufactured separately from the substrate and coupled to the substrate, wherein the housing embedded antenna is provided with a housing embedded antenna embedded by insert molding in the housing of the electronic device.

Preferably, a first opening is formed in the antenna housing so that the feed portion of the antenna radiator is exposed, and a second opening is formed in the housing of the electronic device at a position corresponding to the first opening.

It is also preferable that a third opening is formed in the antenna housing so that the ground portion of the antenna radiator is exposed, and a fourth opening is formed in the housing of the electronic device at a position corresponding to the third opening.

In order to achieve the above object, according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a housing built-in antenna of an electronic device comprising: a film formed with an antenna radiator; A substrate supporting the film; And an antenna housing manufactured separately from the film and the substrate, the antenna housing being coupled to the film and the substrate, wherein the housing embedded antenna is provided in the housing of the electronic device by insert molding.

Preferably, a first opening is formed in the antenna housing, a second opening is formed in a position corresponding to the first opening in the housing of the electronic device, and a part of the film on which the feed part of the antenna radiator is formed is formed. Extends through the first and second openings.

A third opening is formed in the antenna housing, a fourth opening is formed in a position corresponding to the third opening in the housing of the electronic device, and a part of the film having the ground portion of the antenna radiator is formed in the third and the third openings. It is also preferable to extend through the opening.

In order to achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing of an electronic device incorporating a housing built-in antenna of the embodiment.

It is preferable that two or more of said housing built-in antennas are incorporated.

According to another aspect of the present invention, to achieve the above object, forming an antenna radiator; Coupling the radiator with an antenna housing manufactured separately from the radiator so that the feeding part of the radiator is exposed; And insert molding the combined antenna housing to form an electronics housing so that the feed part is exposed.

Advantageously, the method further comprises coupling a substrate supporting said radiator to said antenna housing.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, the antenna assembly of the present embodiment includes an antenna housing 200 and an antenna element 100, and the antenna element 100 includes a substrate 110 such as a printed circuit board (PCB), a synthetic resin, a dielectric, or the like. A conductive antenna radiator 112 formed on the substrate.

The antenna radiator 112 may be formed to have a predetermined electrical length and shape according to the frequency band used of the antenna, and may have a special shape to have characteristics such as multi-band and broadband. The shape of such a radiator 112 will be easily recognized by those skilled in the art, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

The radiator 112 may be formed by printing a conductive paint on the substrate 110 or etching a conductor such as copper. In particular, in the case of forming the radiator 112 by printing a conductive paint, it is possible to form a precise pattern using a silk printing method, it is also possible to adjust the printing thickness in accordance with the radiation characteristics of the radiator. In this regard, it is described in the applicant's patent application 2005-52931, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The radiator 112 is provided with a feed part 114 and a ground part 116 to constitute a PIFA type antenna. However, it is also possible to form the second feeder instead of the ground portion 116 to form a loop antenna, or to form an inverted L-type antenna without forming the ground portion 116.

Meanwhile, in the antenna housing 200, in order to configure the antenna assembly as shown in FIG. 2, recesses 210 are formed in a shape corresponding to the antenna element 100. The antenna housing 200 may be a resin material formed by injection molding or the like, and may be manufactured separately from the antenna element 100 to be coupled to the antenna element 100. In the corresponding positions of the power feeding portion 114 and the grounding portion 116 of the antenna housing 200, an opening 214 for the first feeding and a first grounding opening 216 are formed, respectively, so that the feeding portion 114 and the grounding portion are formed. 116 may be exposed to the outside. On the other hand, as long as the antenna housing 200 is a configuration in which the antenna element 100 can be embedded, there is no limitation on the thickness thereof and may be formed in a thin shape.

As such, since the antenna element 100 and the antenna housing 200 are separately manufactured and combined, deformation of the radiator 112 due to the injection of the housing can be prevented. In addition, since the openings 214 and 216 are formed to expose the feed section 114 and the ground section 116, stable connection with the circuit board is possible as described later.

Referring to FIG. 3, the antenna assembly including the antenna element 100 and the antenna housing 200 may be embedded in the terminal housing 300 by insert molding or the like. The antenna assembly 100, 200 is fully embedded within the terminal housing 300, while the second feed opening 314 and the position corresponding to the first feed opening 214 and the first ground opening 216 and A second ground opening 316 is formed to expose the ground portion 114 and the feed portion 116 of the antenna radiator 112 to the outside of the housing 300.

As described above, since the antenna assemblies 100 and 200 may be formed in a thin shape, even if the antenna assemblies 100 and 200 are embedded in the terminal housing 300, the shape of the housing 300 is not affected. Therefore, it is possible to embed the antenna assembly (100, 200) without changing the existing terminal shape.

As shown in Figure 4, the antenna assembly (100, 200) is embedded in the terminal housing 300, the circuit board 400 is accommodated on the terminal housing 300, the terminal upper housing (not shown) is coupled to the inside It can seal the space and form the appearance of the terminal. Various electronic devices 418 such as a power device, an RF device, a processor, an LCD, a speaker, and a power supply device for operating the terminal may be mounted on the circuit board 400. In addition, a ground plane (not shown) may be formed in the circuit board 400 to provide a ground plane for the entire circuit including the antenna.

The circuit board 400 is provided with a conductive feed terminal 414 connected to the power feeding element and a conductive ground terminal 416 connected to the ground plane. Terminals 414 and 416 may be formed by extending the conductor and bending the ends at an angle. The feed terminal 414 and the ground terminal 416 extend in the direction of the housing 300 to contact the feed portion of the radiator 112 through the feed openings 214 and 314 and the ground openings 216 and 316, respectively. It is connected to the branch. The terminals 414 and 416 may be bent at an end portion or other predetermined portion thereof, and may be connected to the radiator 112 more stably with an elastic force.

The terminals 414 and 416 are inserted into the openings 314 and 316 and can be supported by the side walls of the openings 314 and 316 so that their positions are fixed and the connection with the radiator 112 can be made more stable. In addition, the terminals 414 and 416 may be formed by covering them with a dielectric or the like so that the conductors are exposed only at their ends. In this case, not only the fixing of the terminals 414 and 416 is more stable, but also due to contact with other elements. The risk of malfunction can also be reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by simply coupling the antenna element 100 and the antenna housing 200 and insert molding them into the terminal housing 300, there is no deformation of the antenna pattern by the ejection of the housings 200 and 300. The antenna can be manufactured simply. In addition, since the antenna is embedded in the terminal housing 300, the number of components for assembling the antenna is reduced, the circuit element mounting space in the terminal can be secured, and the terminal can be miniaturized and multifunctional. In addition, since the separate assembly process of the antenna is not necessary, the terminal manufacturing process can be simplified and productivity can be improved.

In addition, since the antenna radiator and the circuit board are connected through the opening formed in the housing 300, the connection can be made stably.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. In the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the previous embodiment, and detailed description is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5, the antenna element 500 according to the present embodiment includes a film 518 on which an antenna radiator 512 is formed and a substrate 510 supporting the film 518. The film 518 may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), a film of a resin material, or the like, and may be bent as necessary to have flexibility. The film 518 in the region where the feed portion 514 and the ground portion 516 of the radiator 512 is formed extends a predetermined length and is not fixed to the substrate 510. The film 518 other than the feed part 514 and the ground part 516 may be attached to and fixed to the substrate 510, but may also be coupled to the housing 200 without being fixed to the substrate 510 as described below. Do.

As shown in FIG. 6, antenna element 500 is combined with antenna housing 200 to form an antenna assembly. At this time, the film of the feeding part 514 and the grounding part 516 extended without being fixed to the substrate 510 is exposed to the outside of the housing 200 through the openings 214 and 216 formed in the antenna housing 200. Alternatively, after only the film 518 is inserted into the housing 200, the substrate 510 may be separately combined with the housing 200 to fix the film 518.

The antenna assemblies 200, 500 are insert molded into the terminal housing 300 and formed integrally with the terminal housing 300, as in the previous embodiment. Again, the film of the feed section 514 and the ground section 516 extends out of the housing 300 through openings 314 and 316 formed in corresponding positions of the terminal housing 300.

As shown in FIG. 7, the antenna assembly is embedded in the terminal housing 300, and the circuit board 400 is accommodated on the terminal housing 300. A lower portion of the circuit board 400 is provided with a feed pad 424 and a ground pad 426 connected to the feed element and the ground plane, respectively, which are films extending out of the housing 300 through the openings 314 and 316. Is connected to the power supply unit 514 and the grounding unit 516. The connection of the films 514, 516 and the pads 424, 426 can be made in any known manner. Alternatively, a connector may be formed in place of the feeding pad 424 and the ground pad 426, and a corresponding connector may be provided in the feeding portion 514 and the grounding portion 516 of the film to form a simple connection. have.

In this embodiment, the terminal does not extend from the circuit board 400, and the flexible film 518 extends and connects toward the circuit board 400. Therefore, even when the circuit board 400 is displaced due to vibration in use of the terminal, movement in the manufacturing process, or the like, the connection between the antenna radiator and the circuit board can be stably maintained. In addition, due to the stabilization of the connection, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the terminal design, such as the circuit board 400 is moved or installed in a separate housing.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of antenna assemblies 600a and 600b are embedded in the terminal housing 300. Each antenna assembly 600a, 600b has the configuration described above in the above embodiments, and thus will not be described in detail here.

Openings 314a, 316a, 314b, and 316b are formed in the housing 300 at the feed and ground portions corresponding positions of the antenna assemblies 600a and 600b, respectively, so that the ground element and the ground plane of the circuit board (not shown) of the terminal and Connection is possible. The connection of the circuit board with the antenna assembly (specifically, the antenna radiator) through the openings 314a, 316a, 314b, 316b is made as described above in the above embodiments.

Each antenna assembly 600a, 600b has a different frequency characteristic and may each be used for a separate service. For example, the first antenna assembly 600a may be used for Digital Multimedia Broadcast (DMB) service and the second antenna assembly 600b may be used for cellular phone service. In addition, the antenna assembly used for each of a variety of services, such as Bluetooth ^TM , RFID, WiBro may be further embedded. Alternatively, each antenna assembly 600a, 600b embedded in a different location has the same frequency characteristics and can optionally be used based on each received signal strength. It is also possible for multiple antenna assemblies 600a, 600b to be installed to implement a MIMO system. 8 shows only two antenna assemblies, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that two or more antenna assemblies may be incorporated within the housing 300.

Since the antenna assemblies 600a and 600b of this embodiment are built in the housing 300 by insert molding, the position can be set freely. Thus, the position of the antenna assemblies 600a and 600b and the positions of the openings 314a, 316a, 314b and 316b can be adjusted in accordance with the arrangement of the elements on the circuit board, and the design constraints of the circuit board are reduced. In addition, since the terminal housing 300 can be embedded in a single process at the time of injection, the manufacturing process is simple and the manufacturing cost is low because the number of necessary parts is small. Thus, it is suitable for application in systems requiring multiple antennas, in particular in MIMO systems.

Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the manufacturing method of the housing | casing built-in antenna which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

The method of this embodiment first forms a radiator on a substrate in step S100.

The radiator may be formed by printing a conductive paint on a substrate or etching copper. Alternatively, it is also possible to attach and form a flexible film having a radiator formed on the substrate.

Next, in step S110, the substrate on which the radiator is formed is combined with the antenna housing on which the recess is formed, to form an antenna assembly. The antenna housing is manufactured separately from the substrate and then mechanically coupled to the substrate. At this time, an opening is formed in the antenna housing at the feed portion and the ground portion corresponding position of the radiator to expose the feed portion and the ground portion. Alternatively, the feed and ground formed films can extend through the opening on the antenna housing.

On the other hand, in the case of forming a radiator on the film, it is also possible to change the order of step (S100) and step (S110), after bonding the film to the antenna housing, and then to combine the substrate with the housing. In this case, the film may not be attached to the substrate.

In step S120, the antenna assembly of step S110 is inserted into a mold and insert molded to manufacture a terminal housing in which the antenna assembly is embedded. An opening is formed in the terminal housing at a position corresponding to the opening formed on the antenna housing, so that the feed portion and the ground portion of the antenna radiator are exposed and an electrical connection can be made with the circuit board. Alternatively, the film on which the feed portion and the ground portion are formed may extend through the opening to be electrically connected to the circuit board.

According to the present embodiment, after the antenna housing manufactured separately and the substrate on which the radiator is formed are combined, the antenna assembly is insert molded into the terminal housing, so that an antenna embedded in the terminal housing can be manufactured without changing the radiator pattern.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated with reference to specific embodiment, this is only an illustration and this invention is not limited to this. Those skilled in the art can easily change the shape, material, etc. of the components of the present invention described herein or shown in the accompanying drawings without departing from the spirit of the present invention, which is also within the scope of the present invention. In particular, the shape, material, etc. of the above-described antenna radiator may be freely changed according to the frequency of use of the antenna, and such modifications are easy to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the present invention.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the terminal for wireless communication, and can be applied to any electronic device including a resin housing and requiring an antenna. The present invention can be applied to any electronic device requiring wireless transmission and / or reception, such as, for example, televisions, desktops, laptops, radios, PDAs, etc., which should also be construed as not departing from the scope of the present invention. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to secure the installation space of other elements by embedding the antenna in the housing of the electronic device, and it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process of the antenna and reduce costs by eliminating additional parts or processes.

In addition, according to the present invention, since only a part of the antenna radiator is exposed when the electronic device housing is ejected, deformation of the radiator may be minimized, and the connection between the radiator and the circuit board may be stabilized.

In addition, according to the present invention, a large number of built-in antennas can be easily installed without restricting the design of the circuit board, so that the MIMO system can be efficiently implemented.

Claims (10)

In the antenna built-in housing of the electronic device, A substrate on which an antenna radiator is formed; And An antenna housing manufactured separately from the substrate and coupled to the substrate; A first opening is formed in the antenna housing so that the feed portion of the antenna radiator is exposed, and a second opening is formed in the housing of the electronic device at a position corresponding to the first opening. And the housing embedded antenna is embedded by insert molding in the housing of the electronic device. delete The method of claim 1, A third opening is formed in the antenna housing so that the ground portion of the antenna radiator is exposed; And a fourth opening is formed in the housing of the electronic device at a position corresponding to the third opening. In the antenna built-in housing of an electronic device A film formed with an antenna radiator; A substrate supporting the film; And An antenna housing manufactured separately from the film and the substrate, the antenna housing coupled to the film and the substrate, And the housing embedded antenna is embedded by insert molding in the housing of the electronic device. The method of claim 4, wherein A first opening is formed in the antenna housing, The housing of the electronic device is formed with a second opening at a position corresponding to the first opening, And a portion of the film on which the feed portion of the antenna radiator is formed extends through the first and second openings. The method of claim 4, wherein A third opening is formed in the antenna housing, A fourth opening is formed in the housing of the electronic device at a position corresponding to the third opening. And a portion of the film on which the ground portion of the antenna radiator is formed extends through the third and fourth openings. A housing of an electronic device incorporating the housing-embedded antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The method of claim 7, wherein A housing of an electronic device, in which two or more of the housing built-in antennas are incorporated. Forming an antenna radiator; Coupling the antenna housing and the radiator such that a feed portion of the radiator is exposed through a first opening formed in the antenna housing manufactured separately from the radiator; And And insert molding the combined antenna housing to form the electronics housing such that the feed antenna is exposed through a second opening formed in the electronics housing. The method of claim 9, Coupling the substrate supporting the radiator to the antenna housing.

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