PRINTED-CIRCUIT BOARD HAVING ANTENNAS AND ELECTROMAGNETIC-TUNNEL-EMBEDDED ARCHITECTURE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
20180131084 ยท 2018-05-10
Inventors
- Hyo-Hoon Park (Daejeon, KR)
- Hyeon Min Bae (Daejeon, KR)
- Ha Il Song (Daejeon, KR)
- Dae-Seong LEE (Daejeon, KR)
- Harin LEE (Daejeon, KR)
Cpc classification
H05K1/0242
ELECTRICITY
H05K1/0274
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
Disclosed is a printed circuit board (PCB) structure, in which an electromagnetic signal transmitting antenna and/or an electromagnetic signal receiving antenna, and an electromagnetic signal transferring tunnel (EM-tunnel) are embedded, the PCB structure including a PCB, an EM-tunnel that includes a dielectric core and a metal clad that surrounds the dielectric core and that is embedded in the PCB to be parallel to the PCB, and at least one transmitting antenna and/or at least one receiving antenna that are embedded in the PCB, wherein the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna are arranged at an input port and an output port of the EM-tunnel embedded in the PCB to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals to and from the interior of the EM-tunnel.
Claims
1. A printed circuit board (PCB) structure, in which an electromagnetic signal transmitting antenna and/or an electromagnetic signal receiving antenna, and an electromagnetic signal transferring tunnel (EM-tunnel) are embedded, the printed circuit board structure comprising: a printed circuit board; an EM-tunnel that comprises a dielectric core and a metal clad that surrounds the dielectric core and that is embedded in the printed circuit board to be parallel to the printed circuit board; and at least one transmitting antenna and/or at least one receiving antenna that are embedded in the printed circuit board, wherein the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna are arranged at an input port and an output port of the EM-tunnel embedded in the printed circuit board to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel.
2. The printed circuit board structure of claim 1, wherein the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna have planar shapes, and configurations of the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna, at which the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna are arranged at the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel, are determined based on the transmitting and receiving directions of electromagnetic signals from the transmitting antenna and to receiving antenna.
3. The printed circuit board structure of claim 2, wherein the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna are configured to be parallel the printed circuit board such that the electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel when the transmitting and receiving directions of electromagnetic signals are parallel to surfaces of the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna.
4. The printed circuit board structure of claim 2, wherein the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna are configured to be perpendicular to the printed circuit board such that the electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel when the transmitting and receiving directions of electromagnetic signals are perpendicular to surfaces of the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna.
5. The printed circuit board structure of claim 2, wherein the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna are configured to be parallel to the printed circuit board so as covering some open area of the input port and the output port formed on upper or lower side of the EM-tunnel such that the electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel when the transmitting and receiving directions of electromagnetic signals are inclined at a specific angle with respect to surfaces of the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna.
6. The printed circuit board structure of claim 1, wherein the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna comprise a plurality of sets of transmitting antennas and receiving antennas, and wherein the plurality of sets of transmitting antennas and receiving antennas transmit and receive electromagnetic signals of multiple channels to and from the EM-tunnel.
7. The printed circuit board structure of claim 6, wherein the plurality of sets of transmitting antennas and receiving antennas are embedded with multilayered structures, respectively, in the printed circuit board and are configured at the input port and the output port of a single EM-tunnel.
8. The printed circuit board structure of claim 1, wherein any one of the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel is exposed to a surface of the printed circuit board and is coupled to a connector that connects the EM-tunnel to an electromagnetic signal transferring tube (E-tube) provided outside the printed circuit board.
9. The printed circuit board structure of claim 1, wherein the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna are connected to a component of microstrip-to-waveguide transition that is placed on a surface of the printed circuit board or in the printed circuit board.
10. A method for manufacturing a printed circuit board (PCB) structure, in which an electromagnetic signal transmitting antenna and/or an electromagnetic signal receiving antenna, and an electromagnetic signal transferring tunnel (EM-tunnel) are embedded, the method comprising: embedding an EM-tunnel comprising a dielectric core and a metal clad that surrounds the dielectric core in the printed circuit board, the EM-tunnel being parallel to the printed circuit board; and embedding the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna in the printed circuit board, wherein the embedding of the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna comprises: configuring the transmitting antenna and/or the receiving antenna at an input port and an output port of the EM-tunnel such that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0019] The above and other objects and features will become apparent from the following description with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified, and wherein:
[0020]
[0021]
[0022]
[0023]
[0024]
[0025]
[0026]
[0027]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the inventive concept is neither limited nor restricted by the embodiments. Further, the same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same members.
[0029] Furthermore, the terminologies used herein are used to properly express the embodiments of the inventive concept, and may be changed according to the intentions of the user or the manager or the custom in the field to which the inventive concept pertains. Therefore, definition of the terms should be made according to the overall disclosure set forth herein.
[0030]
[0031] Referring to
[0032] Here, the EM-tunnel 203 may transfer an electromagnetic signal of an appropriate frequency band in which absorption of the electromagnetic signal by the metal clad 202 may be enough small. Further, because the EM-tunnel 203 has to be embedded in the PCB 200, the thickness (height in vertical direction) of the EM-tunnel 203 may be adjusted based on the frequency band of the electromagnetic signal and the thickness of the PCB 200. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the EM-tunnel 203 may have any one of a triangular shape, a rectangular shape, a polygonal shape, or a circular shape.
[0033] A Tx antenna and a Rx antenna 204 and 205 that transmits and receives electromagnetic signals are embedded in the PCB 200. Here, the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205 may be placed at the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel 203 to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals through the EM-tunnel 203.
[0034] For example, the Tx antenna 204 is embedded in the PCB 200 such that a portion thereof may be inserted into the input port of the EM-tunnel 203, to transmit an electromagnetic signal to the inside of the EM-tunnel 203, and the Rx antenna 205 may be embedded in the PCB 200 such that a portion thereof may be inserted into the output port of the EM-tunnel 203, to receive an electromagnetic signal through the EM-tunnel. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, but the Tx antenna 204 may be arranged at a location that is close to the input port of the EM-tunnel such that an electromagnetic signal may be transmitted to the inside of the EM-tunnel 203, and the Rx antenna 205 may be arranged at a location that is close to the output port of the EM-tunnel 203 such that an electromagnetic signal may be received from the inside of the EM-tunnel 203.
[0035] The Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205 may be connected through metal lines or microstrip lines 206 to the components of MWT 209 and 210 which are integrated in a data transmitting chip and a data receiving chip 207 and 208, respectively. The MWT provides functions of signal conversion between electrical signals and electromagnetic signals. MWT 209 in the transmitting part converts electrical signals that is supplied from the transmitting chip 207 to an electromagnetic signal. MWT 210 in the receiving part converts electromagnetic signals to electrical signals that is supplied to the receiving chip 208. Accordingly, the Tx antenna 204 may receive an electromagnetic signal from a MWT 209 in the data transmitting chip 207 through the metal line or the microstrip line 206. The Rx antenna 205 may receiver an electromagnetic signal from the EM-tunnel and transfer the electromagnetic signal through the metal line or the microstrip line 206 to a MWT 210 in the data receiving chip 208.
[0036] Although it is illustrated in the drawings that the data transmitting chip and the data receiving chip 207 and 208 and the MWTs 209 and 210 are placed on a surface of the PCB 200, the inventive concept is neither restricted nor limited thereto and the data transmitting/receiving chips 207 and 208 and the MWTs 209 and 210 may be placed in the PCB 200.
[0037] The Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205 may have planar shapes to be embedded in the PCB 200. However, the inventive concept is neither restricted nor limited thereto, and the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205 may have various forms by which they may be embedded in the PCB 200. In this case, the forms of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205 may be determined based on the frequency of the electromagnetic wave and the thickness of the PCB 200.
[0038] The Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205 having planar shapes may have various transmitting and receiving directions of electromagnetic signals with respect to the surfaces of the Rx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205. For example, the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205 may have transmitting and receiving directions of electromagnetic signals that are parallel, perpendicular, or inclined at specific angles with respect to the surfaces of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205.
[0039] The configurations of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 204 and 205, at which they are arranged at the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel 203, may be differently determined depending on the direction of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals. A detailed description thereof will be made with reference to
[0040] Further, a plurality of sets of Tx antennas and Rx antennas 204 and 205 may be provided. A detailed description thereof will be made with reference to
[0041]
[0042] Referring to
[0043] However, unlike in the PCB described with reference to
[0044] Here, the electromagnetic signals of multiple channels, which are transmitted and received by the plurality of sets of Tx antennas and Rx antennas 304 and 305, may be electromagnetic signals of different frequency bands. For example, a first set of a Tx and a Rx antenna may be arranged at the input and output port of the EM-tunnel 303 such they correspond to each other, to transmit and receive an electromagnetic signal of a first channel to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel 303, and a second set of a Tx and a Rx antenna may be arranged at the input and output port of the EM-tunnel 303 such that they correspond to each other, to transmit and receive an electromagnetic signal of a second channel to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel 303.
[0045] Then, the plurality of sets of Tx antennas and Rx antennas 304 and 305 may be arranged with a multilayered structure at the input and output port of the EM-tunnel 303 in the interior of the PCB 300.
[0046]
[0047] Referring to
[0048] As illustrated in the drawing, when the transmitting and receiving directions 401 and 402 of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 403 and 404 are parallel to the surfaces of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 403 and 404 (when the transmitting and receiving directions 401 and 402 are parallel to the directions in which the planar Tx antenna and Rx antenna 403 and 404 are aligned), the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 403 and 404 may be configured parallel to the PCB 400 such that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the EM-tunnel 405.
[0049] Then, the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 403 and 404 may be arranged such that ends thereof are close to the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel 405 so that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel 405.
[0050]
[0051] Referring to
[0052] As illustrated in the drawing, when the transmitting and receiving directions 501 and 502 of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 503 and 504 are perpendicular to the surfaces of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 503 and 504 (when the transmitting and receiving directions 501 and 502 are perpendicular to the directions in which the planar Tx antenna and Rx antenna 503 and 504 are aligned), the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 503 and 504 may be configured perpendicular to the PCB 500 such that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the EM-tunnel 505.
[0053] Then, the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 503 and 504 may be arranged such that surfaces thereof are close to the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel 505 so that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel 505.
[0054]
[0055] Referring to
[0056] As illustrated in the drawing, when the transmitting and receiving directions 601 and 602 of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 603 and 604 are inclined at a specific angle with respect to the surfaces of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 603 and 604 (when the transmitting and receiving directions 601 and 602 are inclined at a specific angle with respect to the directions in which the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 603 and 604 are aligned), the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna 603 and 604 may be configured parallel to the PCB 600 covering some open area of the input port and the output port formed on upper or lower side of the EM-tunnel 605 so that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the EM-tunnel 605.
[0057] When the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel 605 are formed on an upper surface or a lower surface of the EM-tunnel 605, vertical metal clads may be formed at the ends of the EM-tunnel so that electromagnetic waves can be confined inside the EM-tunnel 605. In this case, the metal clads formed at the ends of the EM-tunnel 605 may have an inclined or curved shape instead of a vertical shape so that loss of electromagnetic signals may be minimized at vertical portions thereof.
[0058] As described with reference to
[0059] Further, the configuration of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna based on the transmitting and receiving directions of antennas, as described above, may be also applied to the case in which a plurality of sets of Tx antennas and Rx antennas.
[0060]
[0061] Referring to
[0062] Further, a Tx antenna (or a Rx antenna) 704 is embedded in the PCB 700. Meanwhile, unlike the PCB described with reference to
[0063] For example, the Tx antenna 704 embedded in the PCB 700 may transmit an electromagnetic signal which is converted from an electrical signal by a MWT 708 integrated in a data transmitting chip 707 through a metal line or a microstrip line 709, and may transfer electromagnetic signals to the E-tube 705 through the EM-tunnel 703.
[0064] As another example, the Rx antenna 704 embedded in the PCB 700 may receive an electromagnetic signal which is transferred from E-tube 705 and the EM-tunnel 703 through the metal line or the microstrip line 709, and then a MWT 708 mounted on a data receiving chip 707 converts the electromagnetic into an electrical signal.
[0065] Here, the connector 706 is a coupling component that connects two electromagnetic waveguides of the EM-tunnel 703 and the E-tube 705, having different cross-sectional shapes each other. One connecting part of the connector 706 may have a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the EM-tunnel 703 and the other connecting part of the connector 706 may have a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the E-tube 705. However, the inventive concept is neither restricted nor limited thereto, and as the cross-sectional shapes of the EM-tunnel 703 and the E-tube 705 may have various forms, the shapes of the connecting parts of the connector 706 may be also appropriately adjusted. For example, when the Tx antenna or the Rx antenna is inclined at a specific angle as in
[0066] Although it is illustrated in the drawing that a plurality of Tx antennas (or a plurality of receiving antennas) 704 are embedded in the PCB 700, one Tx antenna (or one Rx antenna) may be embedded in the PCB 700.
[0067] As illustrated in the drawings, when a plurality of Tx antennas 704 are embedded, electromagnetic signals of multiple channels may be transmitted (or received) through a single E-tube with a single connector, and such connecting structures can simplify a data transmission system requiring multiple data channels.
[0068]
[0069] Referring to
[0070] Then, in operation 810, the system may form the EM-channel such that the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel are also embedded in the PCB.
[0071] However, the inventive concept is neither restricted nor limited thereto, and the system may expose any one of the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel to a surface of the PCB such that the any one of the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel is coupled to a connector that connects the any one of the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel to an E-tube provided outside the PCB. In this case, in operation 820, the system may embed a Tx antenna or a Rx antenna of an electromagnetic wave in the PCB.
[0072] Thereafter, the system embeds a Tx antenna and a Rx antenna in the PCB (820). In detail, the system may arrange the locations of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna at the input port and the output port of the EM tunnel such that electromagnetic signals may be transmitted and received to and from the EM-tunnel.
[0073] Then, the system forms the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna which have planar shapes, and the configurations of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna, at which they are arranged to the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel may be determined based on the transmitting and receiving directions of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna with respect to surfaces of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna.
[0074] For example, when the transmitting and receiving directions of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna are parallel to the surfaces of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna, the system may arrange the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna in parallel to the PCB such that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel.
[0075] As another example, when the transmitting and receiving directions of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna are perpendicular to the surfaces of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna, the system may arrange the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna which are perpendicular to the PCB such that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel.
[0076] As another example, when the transmitting and receiving directions of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna are inclined with respect to the surfaces of the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna, the system may arrange the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna covering some open area of the input port and the output port formed on upper or lower side of the EM-tunnel such that electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received to and from the inside of the EM-tunnel. output port
[0077] In operation 820, the system may embed a plurality of sets of Tx antennas and Rx antennas in the PCB. In this case, the system may arrange the plurality of sets of Tx antennas and Rx antennas with a multilayered structure at the input port and the output port of the EM-tunnel.
[0078] Operation 810 of embedding an EM-tunnel and operation 820 of embedding antennas that have been described with reference to
[0079] Further, although
[0080] Furthermore, although embodiments described with reference to
[0081] According to an embodiment, a deflection of electromagnetic wave may be excluded or restrained by embedding the horizontal EM-tunnel with the Tx and Rx antennas which are placed close to the input and out ports of the EM-tunnel, so that scattering loss and signal distortion due to the deflection of the electromagnetic wave to be induced at any deflected region of a EM-tunnel may be solved or restrained.
[0082] Accordingly, an embodiment may provide a technology of determining configurations of the Tx and Rx antennas which are embedded in the PCB based on the transmitting and receiving directions of electromagnetic signals of the Tx and Rx antennas.
[0083] Further, embodiments may also provide a technology of a PCB that includes a plurality of sets of Tx antennas and Rx antennas such that the plurality of sets of Tx antennas and Rx antennas may transmit and receive electromagnetic signals of multiple channels to and from a single EM-tunnel.
[0084] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the limited embodiments and the drawings, the inventive concept may be variously corrected and modified from the above description by those skilled in the art to which the inventive concept pertains. For example, the above-described technologies can achieve a suitable result even though they are performed in different sequences from those of the above-mentioned method and/or coupled or combined in different forms from the method in which the constituent elements such as the system, the architecture, the device, or the circuit are described, or replaced or substituted by other constituent elements or equivalents.
[0085] Therefore, the other implementations, other embodiments, and the equivalents of the claims pertain to the scope of the claims.