Mobile terminal

• US 10,297,906 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Youngjoon, Kwon, Taemin, Kim, Sangmo, Bang, Sooho, Lee, Geunsu, Choi, Kyujin, Pyo, Baekbong, Hong, Changho
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Pablo N
• Application Number:
  US15/865,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20180323496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/145 by varying the electrical length
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a terminal body having a display unit disposed on one surface thereof; a frame supporting the display unit; a metal member spaced apart from the frame and exposed to an outside of the mobile terminal; a plurality of connecting members connecting the metal member to the frame and grounding the metal member; and an antenna unit disposed adjacent to the frame and including a radiator radiating wireless signals in a first frequency band. Further, the metal member is divided into specific areas by the connecting members, and one area located adjacent to the radiator, generates a parasitic resonance at a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, and a frequency band of the antenna unit is shifted to a third frequency band including the first frequency band by the metal member and the radiator when a dielectric is placed adjacent to the metal member.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a terminal body having a display unit disposed on one surface thereof;

a frame supporting the display unit;

a metal member spaced apart from the frame and exposed to an outside of the mobile terminal;

a plurality of connecting members connecting the metal member to the frame and grounding the metal member; and

an antenna unit disposed adjacent to the frame and including a radiator radiating wireless signals in a first frequency band,

wherein the metal member is divided into specific areas by the connecting members, and one area located adjacent to the radiator, generates a parasitic resonance at a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, and

wherein a frequency band of the antenna unit is shifted to a third frequency band including the first frequency band by the metal member and the radiator when a dielectric is placed adjacent to the metal member.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein a frequency band at which the metal member resonates is changed from the second frequency band to be close to the first frequency band, when the dielectric is placed adjacent to the metal member.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the plurality of connecting members connected to the metal member are spaced apart from one another at different intervals.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

an LC matching element electrically connected to the connecting members to change an electric length of a transmission line of the one area of the metal member adjacent to the antenna unit.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, further comprising:

a main circuit board supported by one area of the frame and having the LC matching element mounted thereon;

a connecting circuit board extending from the frame and overlapping the main circuit board; and

a connection pin connecting the connecting circuit board and the main circuit board.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the LC matching element is mounted on one area of a case, adjacent to the metal member, the case constituting the terminal body.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible circuit board disposed on the frame, and extending from a corresponding connecting member to have a specific length so that the one area of the metal member generates the parasitic resonance at the second frequency band.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the metal member is disposed on a side surface of the terminal body.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the metal member comprises a pair of metal beams disposed on both side surfaces of the terminal body facing each other.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a first area of the metal member is electrically connected to a feeder of the antenna unit so that the metal member resonates at the first frequency band by the first area and the radiator, and

wherein the connecting members are fixed to a second area spaced apart from the first area so that the parasitic resonance is generated at the second frequency band by the second area.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the metal member is disposed inside the terminal body without power fed thereto, and resonates at the second frequency band.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the antenna unit comprises:

first to fifth antennas disposed adjacent to edges and corners of the mobile terminal.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein:

the first antenna is disposed at a first end of the mobile terminal,

the second antenna is disposed near a first corner of the mobile terminal,

the third antenna is disposed at a second end of the mobile terminal, and

the fourth antenna and the fifth antenna are disposed at second and third corners of the mobile terminal near the second end of the mobile terminal with the third antenna being between the fourth antenna and the fifth antenna.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the first antenna is configured to radiate wireless signals at a low frequency band and at a high frequency band,

wherein the second antenna is configured to radiate wireless signals at a middle frequency band, and

wherein the third antenna is configured to radiate wireless signals in a range from the low frequency band to the high frequency band.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna are not electrically connected to the metal member, and

wherein the fourth antenna and the fifth antenna are connected to the metal member.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the metal member comprises a first metal member and a second metal member.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the fourth antenna is connected to the first metal member and receives a GPS signal, and

wherein the fifth antenna is connected to the second metal member and performs WiFi communications.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the first to fifth antennas are spaced apart from one another to maximize a radiation function.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the dielectric corresponds to a user'"'"'s hand grasping the mobile terminal.