Antenna structure and wireless communication device using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10290925-B2
Application number	US-201715653668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2017
Priority date	Jul 21, 2016
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

An antenna structure which is switchable between low, middle, and high frequencies includes a metal housing, a feed portion, a resonance portion, and a connecting portion. The metal housing includes a front frame, a backboard, and a side frame. The side frame defines a slot and the front frame defines a first gap and a second gap. The slot, the first gap, and the second gap separate a continuous antenna portion from the metal housing. The feed portion is electrically connected to the antenna portion for feeding current to the antenna portion. One end of the resonance portion is electrically connected to a first location of the antenna portion and another end grounded. One end of the connecting portion is electrically connected to a second location of the antenna portion and another end is electrically connected to the resonance portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An antenna structure comprising:
a metal housing, the metal housing comprising a front frame, a backboard, and a side frame, the side frame being positioned between the front frame and the backboard; wherein the side frame defines a slot, the front frame defines a first gap and a second gap, the first gap and the second gap communicate with two ends of the slot respectively and extend across the front frame; the slot, the first gap, and the second gap separate a continuous antenna portion from the metal housing;
a feed portion, the feed portion electrically connected to the antenna portion for feeding current to the antenna portion;
a resonance portion, one end of the resonance portion electrically connected to a first location of the antenna portion and another end of the resonance portion being grounded; and
a connecting portion, one end of the connecting portion electrically connected to a second location of the antenna portion and another end of the connecting portion electrically connected to the resonance portion;
wherein the side frame comprises an end portion, a first side portion, and a second side portion, the first side portion and the second side portion are respectively connected to two ends of the end portion; the resonance portion comprises a first resonance section, the first resonance section is perpendicularly connected to the side of the antenna portion adjacent to the first gap and extends along a direction parallel to the end portion towards the second side portion.

2. The antenna structure of claim 1 , wherein the slot, the first gap, and the second gap are all filled with insulating material.

3. The antenna structure of claim 1 , wherein one portion of the metal housing surrounded by the slot, the first gap, and the second gap forms the antenna portion, the other portion of the metal housing forms a ground area, and the ground area is grounded.

4. The antenna structure of claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the front frame extending from the feed portion to the first gap forms a first branch, one end of the resonance portion is electrically connected the side of the first branch adjacent to the first gap; when the feed portion supplies current, the current flows through the first branch and the resonance portion, and is further grounded to activate a first mode for generating radiation signals in a first frequency band.

5. The antenna structure of claim 4 , wherein a second portion of the front frame extending from the feed portion to the second gap forms a second branch, the antenna structure further comprises a ground portion, one end of the ground portion is electrically connected to the side of the second branch adjacent to the second gap, another end of the ground portion is grounded; when the feed portion supplies current, the current flows through the second branch and is grounded through the ground portion to activate a second operation mode for generating radiation signals in a second frequency band, a frequency of the second frequency band is higher than a frequency of the first frequency band.

6. The antenna structure of claim 5 , further comprising a second switching circuit, wherein one end of the second switching circuit is electrically connected to the ground portion, another end of the second switching circuit is grounded to adjust the second frequency band.

7. The antenna structure of claim 6 , wherein the second switching circuit comprises a second switching unit and a plurality of second switching elements, the second switching unit is electrically connected to the ground portion, the second switching elements are connected in parallel to each other, one end of each second switching element is electrically connected to the second switching unit, and the other end of each second switching element is electrically connected to the backboard; through controlling the second switching unit to switch, the second switching unit is switched to different second switching elements and the second frequency band is adjusted.

8. The antenna structure of claim 5 , wherein a wireless communication device uses the first branch, the second branch, and the resonance portion to receive or send wireless signals at multiple frequency bands simultaneously through carrier aggregation (CA) technology of Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A).

9. The antenna structure of claim 4 , wherein the resonance portion further comprises a second resonance section, a third resonance section, and a fourth resonance section, the second resonance section is perpendicularly connected to the end of the first resonance section away from the first gap and extends along a direction parallel to the first side portion towards the end portion; the third resonance section is perpendicularly connected to the end of the second resonance section away from the first resonance section and extends along a direction parallel to the first resonance section towards the second side portion; the fourth resonance section is perpendicularly connected to the end of the third resonance section away from the second resonance section and extends towards the backboard until the fourth resonance section is electrically connected to the backboard; one end of the connecting portion is electrically connected to the antenna portion, and another end of the connecting portion is electrically connected to the third resonance section.

10. The antenna structure of claim 9 , wherein the first resonance section, the second resonance section, the third resonance section, and the fourth resonance section are coplanar with each other; the first resonance section is positioned at a plane parallel to the plane of the backboard; the fourth resonance section is positioned at a plane perpendicular to the plane of the first resonance section and the plane of the backboard.

11. The antenna structure of claim 9 , further comprising a first switching circuit, wherein one end of the first switching circuit is electrically connected to the fourth resonance section, another end of the first switching circuit is grounded to adjust the first frequency band.

12. The antenna structure of claim 11 , wherein the first switching circuit comprises a first switching unit and a plurality of first switching elements, the first switching unit is electrically connected to the fourth resonance section, the first switching elements are connected in parallel to each other, one end of each first switching element is electrically connected to the first switching unit, and the other end of each first switching element is electrically connected to the backboard; through controlling the first switching unit to switch, the first switching unit is switched to different first switching elements and the first frequency band is adjusted.

13. The antenna structure of claim 1 , wherein the backboard is an integral and single metallic sheet, the backboard is directly connected to the side frame and there is no gap formed between the backboard and the side frame, the backboard does not define any slot, break line, and/or gap for separating the backboard.

14. A wireless communication device comprising:
an antenna structure, the antenna structure comprising:
a metal housing, the metal housing comprising a front frame, a backboard, and a side frame, the side frame being positioned between the front frame and the backboard; wherein the side frame defines a slot, the front frame defines a first gap and a second gap, the first gap and the second gap communicate with two ends of the slot respectively and extend across the front frame; the slot, the first gap, and the second gap separate a continuous antenna portion from

Assignees

• Chiun Mai Communication Systems Inc

Inventors

• Huang Kuo-Lun
• Chou Ming-Yu
• Tseng Yu-Kai

Classifications

• H01Q1/243 Primary

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H01Q5/378

  Combination of fed elements with parasitic elements · CPC title

• H01Q5/10

  Resonant antennas · CPC title

• H01Q9/42

  with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength · CPC title

• H01Q13/10

  Resonant slot antennas · CPC title