Antenna apparatus, communication apparatus, and antenna apparatus designing method

• US 20030179143A1
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Atsushi, Iwai, Hiroshi, Yamada, Kenichi, Kamaeguchi, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 7,362,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence

Abstract

For a PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) folding cellular phone that uses, for example, an 800-MHz band for communication, it is desirable to reduce a height of an antenna apparatus in order to reduce a thickness of the cellular phone.

An antenna apparatus including an antenna element having a feeding plate, a ground plate arranged opposite the antenna element, a short circuit section that connects the antenna element and the ground plate together, and one or more ground wires each connected to the ground plate at a predetermined position and each having a (1) linear shape or a (2) bent or curved shape.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus comprising:

an antenna element having a feeding section;

a ground plate arranged opposite said antenna element;

a short circuit section that connects said antenna element and said ground plate together; and

one or more ground wires each connected to said ground plate at a predetermined position and each having a linear shape or a bent or curved shape.

4. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ground wire is at least partly located in a plane different from a plane in which said ground plate is located.

5. The antenna apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said antenna apparatus is used for cellular phone, and when said ground wire is located in a plane different from the plane in which said ground plate is located, said ground wire is located further from a user'"'"'s head when said user uses said cellular phone.

6. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ground wire is also used as a ground electrode.

7. The antenna apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said antenna apparatus is used for a cellular phone having a camera and/or a receiver, and

said ground electrode is used in said camera and/or said receiver.

8. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ground wire is constructed as a member different from said ground plate.

9. The antenna apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said antenna apparatus is used in a cellular phone having an enclosure, and

when said ground wire is constructed as a member different from said ground plate, said ground wire is constructed as a member stuck to an inner wall portion of said enclosure.

10. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least part of said ground wire is not opposite said antenna element.

11. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said short circuit sections each have a plurality of short circuit pins corresponding to predetermined operating frequencies, respectively, and

said antenna apparatus further comprises a switch circuit used to carry out switching to one of said plurality of short circuit pins which is to be used.

12. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said antenna element has a predetermined slit.

13. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ground wire partly has a coil and/or a capacitor.

14. The antenna apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said coil and/or said capacitor is used to equivalently adjust the electric length of said ground wire.

15. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said ground wires are provided, and

said ground wires correspond to respective predetermined operating frequencies.

16. The antenna apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said ground wire has a helical shape.

17. A communication apparatus comprising:

an antenna apparatus according to claim 1;

transmission means of transmitting electric wave signals using said antenna apparatus; and

reception means of receiving electric wave signals using said antenna apparatus.

18. The communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said antenna apparatus is used in a cellular phone, and

said communication apparatus further comprises a first enclosure that houses said antenna apparatus, a second enclosure that is different from said first enclosure, and a hinge section that joins said first enclosure and said second enclosure together.

21. An antenna apparatus designing method for the antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined positions and/or said predetermined shapes are adjusted on the basis of predetermined rules.

22. The antenna apparatus designing method according to claim 21, wherein said ground wire partly has a coil and/or a capacitor, and

said coil and/or said capacitor is used to equivalently adjust the electric length of said ground wire.

2. An antenna apparatus comprising:

an antenna element having a feeding section;

a ground plate arranged opposite said antenna element and having a generally rectangular shape with short sides and long sides;

a short circuit section that connects said antenna element and said ground plate together; and

one or more ground wires each connected to said ground plate at a predetermined position and each having a predetermined shape, and

wherein said antenna element is arranged on the side of one of said short sides, and

all or part of said ground wires are each connected to a corner of said ground plate which is located on the side of said antenna element, and each have a generally spiral shape the width of which is equal to or smaller than the length of said short side and which is formed outside the short side on the side of said antenna element.

3. An antenna apparatus comprising:

an antenna element having a feeding section;

a ground plate arranged opposite said antenna element and having a generally rectangular shape with short sides and long sides;

a short circuit section that connects said antenna element and said ground plate together; and

one or more ground wires each connected to said ground plate at a predetermined position and each having a predetermined shape, and

wherein said antenna element is arranged on the side of one of said short sides, and

all or part of said ground wires each have a foot portion extending along the long sides of said ground plate and connected to the middle of one of said long sides and each have a generally spiral shape the width of which is equal to or smaller than the length of said short side and which is formed outside the short side on the side of said antenna element.

19. A communication apparatus comprising:

a predetermined antenna apparatus, a first enclosure that houses said antenna apparatus and a predetermined substrate, a second enclosure that is different from said first enclosure, and a hinge section that joins said first enclosure and said second enclosure together, and

wherein a ground of said substrate and said hinge section are electrically connected together.

20. The communication apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said electric connection is such that one end of said hinge section is connected to a ground of said substrate, with the other end open.