Planar antenna apparatus and support of planar antenna apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10218047-B2
Application number	US-201715417935-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2017
Priority date	Feb 1, 2016
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a planar antenna apparatus includes a support including: a support main body, and three or more support legs extending from the support main body, a first movable unit rotatably supported around a first axis with respect to the support, a second movable unit rotatably supported around a second axis with respect to the first movable unit, the second axis extending along a main surface of the first movable unit, a third movable unit rotatably supported around a third axis with respect to the second movable unit, the third axis extending along a thickness direction of the second movable unit, an antenna unit supported by the third movable unit, and a connection wire electrically connecting the first movable unit and the third movable unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A planar antenna apparatus comprising:
a support comprising: a support main body, and three or more support legs extending from the support main body;
a first movable unit rotatably supported around a first axis with respect to the support;
a second movable unit rotatably supported around a second axis with respect to the first movable unit, the second axis extending along a main surface of the first movable unit;
a third movable unit rotatably supported around a third axis with respect to the second movable unit, the third axis extending along a thickness direction of the second movable unit;
an antenna unit supported by the third movable unit; and
a connection wire electrically connecting the first movable unit and the third movable unit,
wherein, when an elevation angle of the antenna unit is set to a minimum use angle, a center of gravity of an entire body including the support, the first movable unit, the second movable unit, the third movable unit, the antenna unit, and the connection wire is aligned with a center of gravity of a polygon which connects a grounding point of the three or more support legs when viewed perpendicular to an installation surface with which the support legs are in contact.

2. The planar antenna apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of the support legs are rotatably supported around a rotating shaft parallel to the first axis with respect to the support main body to be switchable between a protrusion position and a retraction position,
the protrusion position is a position in which at least two of the support legs protrude from the first movable unit when viewed in the direction parallel to the first axis, and
the retraction position is a position in which at least two of the support legs are disposed in a contour of the first movable unit when viewed in the direction parallel to the first axis.

3. The planar antenna apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the rotatable support legs are parallel to each other at the retraction position when viewed in the direction parallel to the first axis.

4. The planar antenna apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein one of the support legs is a fixed support leg disposed in the contour of the first movable unit when viewed in the direction parallel to the first axis, and the fixed support leg is fixed at the support main body,
the rotatable support legs are a first rotating support leg and a second rotating support leg,
the first rotating support leg protrudes to one side of the first movable unit at the protrusion position, and
the second rotating support leg protrudes to the other side of the first movable unit at the protrusion position.

5. The planar antenna apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a protrusion retention mechanism configured to retain the rotatable support legs at the protrusion position,
wherein the protrusion retention mechanism comprises: a locking protrusion provided at one side of the support legs or the support main body, and a lock receiver provided at the other side of the support legs or the support main body so that the locking protrusion is releasably locked.

6. The planar antenna apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a retraction retention mechanism configured to retain the rotatable support legs at the retraction position,
wherein the retraction retention mechanism comprises: a locking protrusion provided at one side of the support legs or the support main body, and a lock receiver provided at the other side of the support legs or the support main body so that the locking protrusion is releasably locked.

7. The planar antenna apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the support main body comprises a tentative supporting protrusion which is contactable with the installation surface when the rotatable support legs are disposed at the retraction position.

8. A support of a planar antenna apparatus usable in a planar antenna apparatus comprising a first movable unit, a second movable unit, a third movable unit, an antenna unit, and a connection wire, the support comprising:
a support main body and three or more support legs extending from the support main body,
wherein at least two of the support legs are rotatably supported around a rotating shaft parallel to a first axis with respect to the support main body to be switchable between a protrusion position in which at least two of the support legs protrude from the first movable unit and a retraction portion in which at least two of the support legs are disposed in a contour of the first movable unit when viewed in the direction parallel to the first axis, and
wherein the first movable unit is rotatably supported around the first axis with respect to the support, the second movable unit is rotatably supported around a second axis with respect to the first movable unit, the second axis extending along a main surface of the first movable unit, the third movable unit is rotatably supported around a third axis with respect to the second movable unit, the third axis extending along a thickness direction of the second movable unit, the antenna unit is supported by the third movable unit, the connection wire electrically connects the first movable unit and the third movable unit, and when an elevation angle of the antenna unit is set to a minimum use angle, a center of gravity of an entire body including the support, the first movable unit, the second movable unit, the third movable unit, the antenna unit, and the connection wire is aligned with a center of gravity of a polygon which connects a grounding point of the three or more support legs when viewed perpendicular to an installation surface with which the support legs are in contact.

9. The support according to claim 8 , wherein the rotatable support legs are parallel to each other at the retraction position when viewed in the direction parallel to the first axis.

10. The support according to claim 8 , wherein the support legs include a fixed support leg disposed in the contour of the first movable unit when viewed in the direction parallel to the first axis and being fixed at the support main body, and
the rotatable support legs include a first rotating support leg which protrudes to one side of the first movable unit at the protrusion position and a second rotating support leg which protrudes to the other side of the first movable unit at the protrusion position.

11. The support according to claim 8 , further comprising a protrusion retention mechanism which retains the rotatable support legs at the protrusion position,
wherein the protrusion retention mechanism has a locking protrusion provided at one side of the support legs or the support main body, and a lock receiver provided at the other side of the support legs or the support main body so that the locking protrusion is releasably locked.

12. The support according to claim 8 , further comprising a retraction retention mechanism which retains the rotatable support legs at the retraction position,
wherein the retraction retention mechanism has a locking protrusion provided at one side of the support legs or the support main body, and a lock receiver provided at the other side of the support legs or the support main body so that the locking protrusion is releasably locked.

13. The support according to claim 8 , wherein a tentative supporting protrusion which is contactable with the installation surface when the rotatable support legs are disposed at the retraction position is formed at the support main body.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Nakamoto Masaki
• Mukai Toshiyuki
• Saito Noriyuki

Classifications

• H01Q1/1207 Primary

  for fastening a rigid aerial element · CPC title

• H01Q9/0414

  in a stacked or folded configuration · CPC title

• H01Q1/1264 Primary

  Adjusting different parts or elements of an aerial unit · CPC title

• H01Q3/08

  for varying two co-ordinates of the orientation · CPC title

• H01Q1/08 Primary

  Means for collapsing antennas or parts thereof (collapsible loop antennas H01Q7/02; means for collapsing H-antennas or Yagi antennas H01Q19/04) · CPC title