ANTENNA MODULE ACCOMMODATION STRUCTURE

Abstract

As such, in the disclosure, a slit is formed in a side plate. The slit has an opening in the upper end surface of the side plate. The opening has a width which is smaller than a thickness of the side plate and enables to correspond to a thickness t of the substrate and a length which enables to correspond to a length a of one side of the substrate. An RF antenna module is housed in the slit formed in the side plate of the housing to be accommodated in the housing by inserting the one side of the substrate through the opening of the slit, which is formed in the upper end surface of the side plate, and inserting the substrate into the slit by an amount equal to or larger than a length of another side of the substrate.

Claims

1. An antenna module accommodation structure comprising an antenna module having an antenna disposed in or on a substrate, wherein the antenna module is housed in a slit provided in a side plate of a housing to be accommodated in the housing.

2. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a thickness smaller than a thickness of the side plate, and the slit has, in an end surface of the side plate, an opening having a width smaller than the thickness of the side plate and allowing to accommodate the thickness of the substrate and a length allowing to accommodate a length of one side of the substrate, and has a depth equal to or larger than a length of another side of the substrate.

3. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the slit is set in accordance with an arrangement position of the antenna module in the side plate.

4. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 1, wherein a rear surface side of the side plate on a back side of the slit facing an internal portion of the housing is cut out and a cavity causing a part of the accommodated antenna module to be exposed to the internal portion of the housing is provided in the slit.

5. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises a front-direction radiation antenna emitting radio waves toward a front fore side of the side plate exposed to an outside of the housing and a lateral-direction radiation antenna emitting radio waves in a lateral direction of the side plate.

6. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an internal portion side of the housing.

7. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an outer portion side of the housing.

8. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 2, wherein a depth of the slit is set in accordance with an arrangement position of the antenna module in the side plate.

9. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 2, wherein a rear surface side of the side plate on a back side of the slit facing an internal portion of the housing is cut out and a cavity causing a part of the accommodated antenna module to be exposed to the internal portion of the housing is provided in the slit.

10. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 3, wherein a rear surface side of the side plate on a back side of the slit facing an internal portion of the housing is cut out and a cavity causing a part of the accommodated antenna module to be exposed to the internal portion of the housing is provided in the slit.

11. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 2, wherein the antenna comprises a front-direction radiation antenna emitting radio waves toward a front fore side of the side plate exposed to an outside of the housing and a lateral-direction radiation antenna emitting radio waves in a lateral direction of the side plate.

12. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 3, wherein the antenna comprises a front-direction radiation antenna emitting radio waves toward a front fore side of the side plate exposed to an outside of the housing and a lateral-direction radiation antenna emitting radio waves in a lateral direction of the side plate.

13. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 4, wherein the antenna comprises a front-direction radiation antenna emitting radio waves toward a front fore side of the side plate exposed to an outside of the housing and a lateral-direction radiation antenna emitting radio waves in a lateral direction of the side plate.

14. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 2, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an internal portion side of the housing.

15. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 3, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an internal portion side of the housing.

16. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 4, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an internal portion side of the housing.

17. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 5, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an internal portion side of the housing.

18. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 2, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an outer portion side of the housing.

19. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 3, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an outer portion side of the housing.

20. The antenna module accommodation structure according to claim 4, wherein a thickness of the side plate at a front side on a fore side of the slit exposed to an outside of the housing is reduced at an outer portion side of the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating a first existing antenna module accommodation structure.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a second existing antenna module accommodation structure.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a third existing antenna module accommodation structure.

[0035] FIG. 4A is an outer appearance perspective view of a housing to which an antenna module accommodation structure according to each of embodiments of the disclosure is applied, FIG. 4B is a plan view of a radio frequency (RF) antenna module that is accommodated in the housing illustrated in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is a side view of the RF antenna module.

[0036] FIG. 5A is a partially enlarged perspective view in which respective components are seen from the rear surface side of a side plate when the RF antenna module is accommodated in the side plate with an antenna module accommodation structure in a first embodiment of the disclosure, FIG. 5B is a plan view illustrating the antenna module accommodation structure in the first embodiment, and FIG. 5C is a plan view illustrating an existing antenna module accommodation structure.

[0037] FIG. 6A is a directivity diagram for comparing front-direction antenna radiation patterns of patch antennas between the embodiment and the existing technique, and FIG. 6B is a directivity diagram for comparing lateral-direction antenna radiation patterns of dipole antennas between the embodiment and the existing technique.

[0038] FIG. 7A is a plan view illustrating an antenna module accommodation structure in a second embodiment of the disclosure, and FIG. 7B is a plan view illustrating an antenna module accommodation structure in a third embodiment of the disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view in which respective components are seen from the rear surface side of a side plate when an RF antenna module is accommodated in the side plate in a variation of the antenna module accommodation structure in each of the embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0040] Next, modes for carrying out an antenna module accommodation structure according to the disclosure will be described.

[0041] FIG. 4A is an outer appearance perspective view of a housing 31 to which an antenna module accommodation structure according to each of embodiments of the disclosure is applied. The housing 31 is made of resin and has a hollow box shape, and rectangular side plates are formed on respective surfaces of a hexahedron. A radio frequency (RF) antenna module 32 is accommodated in a side plate 31a located at the front side of the housing 31 with the antenna module accommodation structure in each of the embodiments.

[0042] FIG. 4B is a plan view of the RF antenna module 32 and FIG. 4C is a side view thereof. The RF antenna module 32 is a communication module with antennas and is configured by forming the antennas on a substrate 33. A plurality of patch antennas 34 as front-direction radiation antennas are formed on the fore surface of the substrate 33, and a plurality of dipole antennas 35 as lateral-direction radiation antennas are formed on both the side ends of the substrate 33. A metal case 36 is mounted on the back surface of the substrate 33, and a high-frequency device configuring an RF part is mounted on the back surface of the substrate 33 in the metal case 36. The RF part is connected to a baseband (BB) IC card (not illustrated) incorporated in the housing 31 with a cable.

[0043] FIG. 5A is a partially enlarged perspective view in which respective components are seen from the rear surface side of the side plate 31a when the RF antenna module 32 is accommodated in the side plate 31a with the antenna module accommodation structure in a first embodiment of the disclosure. In FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, the same reference numerals denote the portions that are the same as or correspond to those in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C and description thereof is omitted.

[0044] A slit 40 is formed in the side plate 31a. The slit 40 has an opening 40a in the upper end surface of the side plate 31a. The opening 40a has a width W which is smaller than a thickness T of the side plate 31a and enables to correspond to a thickness t of the substrate 33 and a length L which enables to correspond to a length a of one side on a longer side of the substrate 33. The substrate 33 has the thickness t which is smaller than the thickness T of the side plate 31a. Furthermore, the slit 40 has a depth D which is equal to or larger than a length b of the other side, which is a side on a shorter side, of the substrate 33. The depth D of the slit 40 is set in accordance with an arrangement position of the RF antenna module 32 in the height direction in the side plate 31a. In the embodiment, the depth D is set to be equal to the length b of the other side.

[0045] The RF antenna module 32 is housed in the slit 40 formed in the side plate 31a of the housing 31 to be accommodated in the housing 31 by, from the upper side of the side plate 31a, inserting the one side on the longer side of the substrate 33 through the opening 40a of the slit 40, which is formed in the upper end surface of the side plate 31a, and inserting the substrate 33 into the slit 40 by an amount equal to or larger than the length b of the other side on the shorter side of the substrate 33.

[0046] In the embodiment, a cavity 40b is formed in the slit 40 by cutting out the rear surface side of the side plate 31a at the back side of the slit 40 facing an internal portion of the housing 31 into a rectangular shape. Both the side ends of the substrate 33 of the RF antenna module 32 are held between opposing side walls of the slit 40. The cavity 40b causes the metal case 36 as a part of the RF antenna module 32 housed in the slit 40 to be exposed to the internal portion of the housing 31. In the embodiment, a plate-shaped heat sink 41 is bonded to the metal case 36 exposed to the cavity 40b with a double-faced adhesive tape 42 as illustrated in FIG. 5B.

[0047] FIG. 5B is a plan view illustrating the RF antenna module 32 accommodated in the side plate 31a and illustrates the antenna module accommodation structure in the first embodiment. The heat sink 41 is fixed to the rear surface of the side plate 31a with screws at both end portions with the cavity 40b interposed therebetween. The fixing of the heat sink 41 causes the heat sink 41 to press the metal case 36 exposed to the cavity 40b to the front side of the side plate 31a on the fore side of the slit 40 with the double-faced adhesive tape 42 interposed therebetween and fixes a position of the RF antenna module 32 in the slit 40.

[0048] The RF antenna module 32 housed in the slit 40 emits millimeter radio waves toward the front fore side of the side plate 31a exposed to the outside of the housing 31 in an arrow direction F (see FIG. 4A and FIG. 5B) by the patch antennas 34 configuring the front-direction radiation antennas. Furthermore, the RF antenna module 32 emits millimeter radio waves in arrow directions S (see FIG. 4A and FIG. 5B) as the lateral directions of the side plate 31a by the dipole antennas 35 configuring the lateral-direction radiation antennas.

[0049] FIGS. 6A and 6B include directivity diagrams illustrating antenna characteristics of the RF antenna module 32 accommodated in the housing 31 with the antenna module accommodation structure in the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5B and antenna characteristics of the RF antenna module 32 accommodated in the housing 31 with an existing antenna module accommodation structure illustrated in FIG. 5C in a comparison manner. The existing structure illustrated in FIG. 5C is different from the structure in the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5B only in a point that the RF antenna module 32 is not accommodated in the slit 40, and the fore surface side of the RF antenna module 32 is made to adhere to and be fixed to the rear surface of the side plate 31a with a double-faced adhesive tape 43 to be accommodated in the housing 31.

[0050] FIG. 6A is a directivity diagram for comparing front-direction antenna radiation patterns of the patch antennas 34 configuring the front-direction radiation antennas between the embodiment and the existing technique, and FIG. 6B is a directivity diagram for comparing lateral-direction antenna radiation patterns of the dipole antennas 35 on the right side ends of the substrates 33, which configure the lateral-direction radiation antennas, between the embodiment and the existing technique. In each of these directivity diagrams, a characteristic line A drawn by a solid line indicates the directivity in the antenna module accommodation structure in the first embodiment and a characteristic line B drawn by a dotted line indicates the directivity in the antenna module accommodation structure in the existing technique.

[0051] It is understood from the directivity diagram illustrated in FIG. 6A that a radio wave emission level of the patch antennas 34 in the antenna module accommodation structure in the first embodiment in the front direction, which is indicated by the characteristic line A, is higher than that of the patch antennas 34 in the antenna module accommodation structure in the existing technique, which is indicated by the characteristic line B. As is seen from the directivity diagram illustrated in FIG. 6B, a radio wave emission level of the dipole antennas 35 in the antenna module accommodation structure in the existing technique in the lateral direction is obliquely biased to the fore side as indicated by the characteristic line B, whereas a radio wave emission level of the dipole antennas 35 in the antenna module accommodation structure in the first embodiment in the lateral direction is such that components traveling straight in the lateral direction of 90° are increased as indicated by the characteristic line A.

[0052] As described above, with the antenna module accommodation structure in the first embodiment, the RF antenna module 32 is accommodated in the housing 31 only by simply housing the RF antenna module 32 in the slit 40 formed in the side plate 31a of the housing 31, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Therefore, the RF antenna module 32 need not be fixed to the side plate 31a in the housing 31 with the double-faced adhesive tape 43 or the like as illustrated in FIG. 5C for housing the RF antenna module 32 in the housing 31, unlike the existing structure illustrated in FIG. 1. Accordingly, no gap for the double-faced adhesive tape 43 or the like is formed between the patch antennas 34 and the side plate 31a. As a result, the intensity of the radio waves that are emitted from the patch antennas 34 to the fore side of the side plate 31a in the front direction F with the side plate 31a interposed therebetween is not weakened and the antenna characteristics are improved as illustrated in the directivity diagram in FIG. 6A.

[0053] Furthermore, the number of processes for mounting the RF antenna module 32 in the housing 31 is reduced because the RF antenna module 32 is accommodated in the housing 31 only by simply housing the RF antenna module 32 in the slit 40. Therefore, unlike the existing structure illustrated in FIG. 3, the RF antenna module 32 can be accommodated in the housing 31 easily and rapidly without the process of putting the antenna module in the cavity opened in the molding mold and integrally molding with the resin.

[0054] Moreover, the accommodation capacity for devices capable of being accommodated in the housing 31 is not reduced because the RF antenna module 32 is housed in the slit 40 formed in the side plate 31a of the housing 31 and does not protrude into an internal space of the housing 31. Therefore, a problem that devices other than the antenna module cannot be accommodated due to accommodation of the antenna module in the housing is not raised unlike the existing structure illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0055] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the RF antenna module 32 is housed in the slit 40 formed in the side plate 31a of the housing 31 easily and rapidly by inserting the one side of the substrate 33 through the opening 40a of the slit 40, which is formed in the upper end surface of the side plate 31a, and inserting the substrate 33 into the slit 40 by the amount equal to or larger than the length b of the other side of the substrate 33.

[0056] In addition, in the first embodiment, the RF antenna module 32 is accommodated in the slit at a predetermined arrangement position in the depth direction thereof only by inserting the RF antenna module 32 into the slit 40 down to the depth D to be simply housed in the slit 40. Therefore, a position in the height direction of the housing 31 at which the RF antenna module 32 is mounted on the side plate 31a is automatically determined only by performing a process of housing the RF antenna module 32 in the slit 40 and assembly of the RF antenna module 32 in the housing 31 is made easy.

[0057] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the position of the RF antenna module 32 is fixed in the slit 40 by pressing the metal case 36 exposed to the cavity 40b formed in the slit 40 to the front side of the side plate 31a on the fore side of the slit 40 by the heat sink 41. The position of the RF antenna module 32 is reliably fixed in the slit 40 by pressing the metal case 36 by the heat sink 41. However, the RF antenna module 32 is supported on the heat sink 41 and the position thereof is fixed in the slit 40 only by causing the metal case 36 to adhere to the heat sink 41 with the double-faced adhesive tape 42 without pressing the metal case 36 by the heat sink 41. Moreover, heat generated in the RF antenna module 32 can be released from the heat sink 41 by fixing the RF antenna module 32 to the heat sink 41 in this manner.

[0058] In the existing antenna module accommodation structure with which the RF antenna module 32 is fixed to the rear surface of the side plate 31a with the double-faced adhesive tape 43 or the like to be accommodated in the housing 31 as illustrated in FIG. 5C, the side plate 31a is present on the fore side of the side ends of the substrate 33 on which the dipole antennas 35 are formed and spaces are present on the back side of the side ends of the substrate 33. Therefore, materials having different dielectric constants are asymmetrically present on the fore and back sides of the side ends of the substrate 33 centered to the side ends of the substrate 33. Accordingly, the radio waves that are emitted from the dipole antennas 35 in the lateral directions S of the side plate 31a do not travel straight along the lateral directions of the side plate 31a and propagate being biased to the fore direction of the side plate 31a as indicated by the characteristic line B in the directivity diagram in FIG. 6B.

[0059] However, with the accommodation structure in the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5B with which the substrate 33 is accommodated in the slit 40 formed in the side plate 31a, the side plate 31a is equally present at the fore and back sides of the side ends of the substrate 33 on which the dipole antennas 35 are formed and a material having the same dielectric constant is symmetrically present centered to the side ends of the substrate 33. Accordingly, radio waves that are emitted from the dipole antennas 35 in the lateral directions S of the side plate 31a are difficult to be biased to the fore direction of the side plate 31a and components that propagate along the lateral directions of the side plate 31a are increased as indicated by the characteristic line A in the directivity diagram in FIG. 6B. As a result, lateral-direction antenna characteristics of the dipole antennas 35 are improved.

[0060] Next, antenna module accommodation structures according to second and third embodiments of the disclosure will be described.

[0061] FIG. 7A is a plan view illustrating the antenna module accommodation structure in the second embodiment. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, the same reference numerals denote the portions that are the same as or correspond to those in FIG. 5B and description thereof is omitted.

[0062] The antenna module accommodation structure in the second embodiment is different from the antenna module accommodation structure in the above-described first embodiment only in a point that the thickness T1 of the side plate 31a at the front side on the fore side of the slit 40 is reduced at the internal portion side of the housing 31 and a rectangular groove 51 is formed on the fore side of the slit 40.

[0063] With this configuration, an amount by which the thickness T1 of the side plate 31a at the front side on the fore side of the slit 40 is reduced at the internal portion side of the housing 31 is adjusted to adjust a distance d between the patch antennas 34 formed on the fore surface of the substrate 33 and the side plate 31a present at the fore side of the substrate 33 and the thickness T1 of the side plate 31a present at the fore side of the substrate 33. With this, a beam width and a radiation power level of the radio waves that the patch antennas 34 emit toward the front fore side of the side plate 31a can respectively be set to a desired beam width and a desired radiation power level, thereby providing preferable antenna characteristics.

[0064] FIG. 7B is a plan view illustrating the antenna module accommodation structure in the third embodiment.

[0065] The antenna module accommodation structure in the third embodiment is different from the antenna module accommodation structure in the above-described first embodiment only in a point that a thickness T2 of the side plate 31a at the front side on the fore side of the slit 40 is reduced at the outer portion side of the housing 31 and a rectangular groove 52 is formed in the fore surface of the side plate 31a.

[0066] With this configuration, an amount by which the thickness T2 of the side plate 31a at the front side on the fore side of the slit 40 is reduced at the outer portion side of the housing 31 is adjusted to adjust the thickness T2 of the side plate 31a present on the fore side of the patch antennas 34 formed on the fore surface of the substrate 33. With this, a beam width and a radiation power level of the radio waves that the patch antennas 34 emit toward the front fore side of the side plate 31a can respectively be set to a desired beam width and a desired radiation power level, thereby providing preferable antenna characteristics.

[0067] In the above-described respective embodiments, the opening 40a of the slit 40 formed in the side plate 31a is opened in the upper end surface of the side plate 31a as illustrated in FIG. 5A. However, a slit 40A may be formed such that the opening 40a is opened in the side end surface of the side plate 31a as illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0068] FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view in which respective components are seen from the rear surface side of the side plate 31a when the RF antenna module 32 is accommodated in the side plate 31a in a variation of the antenna module accommodation structure in each of the above-described embodiments. In FIG. 8, the same reference numerals denote the portions that are the same as or correspond to those in FIG. 5A and description thereof is omitted.

[0069] The opening 40a of the slit 40A has a width W which is smaller than the thickness T of the side plate 31a and enables to correspond to the thickness t of the substrate 33 and a length L which enables to correspond to the length b of one side on a shorter side of the substrate 33. Furthermore, the slit 40A has a depth D which is equal to or larger than a length a of the other side, which is a side on a longer side, of the substrate 33. The depth D of the slit 40A is set in accordance with an arrangement position of the RF antenna module 32 in the side plate 31a in the width direction.

[0070] The RF antenna module 32 is housed in the slit 40A formed in the side plate 31a of the housing 31 to be accommodated in the housing 31 by, from the lateral side of the side plate 31a, inserting the one side on the shorter side of the substrate 33 through the opening 40a of the slit 40A formed in the side end surface of the side plate 31a and inserting the substrate 33 into the slit 40A by an amount equal to or larger than the length a of the other side on the longer side of the substrate 33. Furthermore, a plate-shaped heat sink 41A is bonded to the metal case 36 exposed to the cavity 40b with the double-faced adhesive tape 42. The heat sink 41A is fixed to the rear surface of the side plate 31a with screws at both upper and lower end portions thereof with the cavity 40b interposed therebetween. The fixing of the heat sink 41A causes the heat sink 41 to press the metal case 36 exposed to the cavity 40b to the front side of the side plate 31a and fixes a position of the RF antenna module 32 in the slit 40A.

[0071] The antenna module accommodation structure in the variation can also provide the same action effects as those obtained with the antenna module accommodation structure in each of the above-described embodiments.

[0072] An antenna module accommodation structure according to the present disclosure can be used when an RF antenna module is accommodated in a housing of a wireless dock making wireless LAN communication at high speed with millimeter radio waves. The above wireless LAN communication is made between devices with a short distance therebetween while the emitted radio waves are caused to have directivity by beam forming under the WiGig standards. [0073] 31 HOUSING [0074] 31a SIDE PLATE [0075] T, T1, T2 THICKNESS OF SIDE PLATE 31a [0076] 32 RF ANTENNA MODULE [0077] 33 SUBSTRATE [0078] a LENGTH OF ONE SIDE (OTHER SIDE) OF SUBSTRATE 33 [0079] b LENGTH OF OTHER SIDE (ONE SIDE) OF SUBSTRATE 33 [0080] t THICKNESS OF SUBSTRATE 33 [0081] 34 PATCH ANTENNA (FRONT-DIRECTION RADIATION ANTENNA) [0082] 35 DIPOLE ANTENNA (LATERAL-DIRECTION RADIATION ANTENNA) [0083] 36 METAL CASE [0084] 40, 40A SLIT [0085] 40a OPENING [0086] 40b CAVITY [0087] W WIDTH OF OPENING 40a [0088] L LENGTH OF OPENING 40a [0089] D DEPTH OF SLIT 40 AND SLIT 40A [0090] 41, 41A HEAT SINK [0091] 42, 43 DOUBLE-FACED ADHESIVE TAPE [0092] 51, 52 GROOVE