Portable radio communication apparatus provided with a part of housing operating as an antenna

• US 20040227673A1
• Filed: 02/05/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Atsushi, Iwai, Hiroshi, Yamada, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,009,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/27 Adaptation for use in or on movable bodies H01Q1/08, H01Q1/12, H01Q1/18 take precedence
• 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 3/44 varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/00 Arrangements for simultaneous operation of antennas on two or more different wavebands, e.g. dual-band or multi-band arrangements combinations of separate active antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system H01Q21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/364 Creating multiple current paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/40 Imbricated or interleaved structures; Combined or electromagnetically coupled arrangements, e.g. comprising two or more non-connected fed radiating elements

Abstract

In a portable radio communication apparatus including a housing, at least one part of the housing is formed as a housing electrical conductor portion by an electrically conductive material. The housing electrical conductor portion is connected with a radio communication circuit of the portable radio communication apparatus so as to operate as at least one part of an unbalanced type antenna of the radio communication circuit.

Claims

1. A portable radio communication apparatus comprising a housing,

wherein at least one part of said housing is formed as a housing electrical conductor portion by an electrically conductive material, and

wherein said housing electrical conductor portion is connected with a radio communication circuit of said portable radio communication apparatus so as to operate as at least one part of an antenna of said radio communication circuit.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said antenna is an unbalanced type antenna.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said portable radio communication apparatus is a straight type portable radio communication apparatus.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said portable radio communication apparatus is a slide type portable radio communication apparatus in which an upper housing and a lower housing are slidable through a sliding mechanism, and

wherein at least one part of at least one of said upper housing and said lower housing is formed as a housing electrical conductor portion by an electrically conductive material.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said portable radio communication apparatus is a folding portable radio communication apparatus in which an upper housing and a lower housing are foldable through a hinge portion, and

wherein at least one part of at least one of said upper housing and said lower housing is formed as a housing electrical conductor portion by an electrically conductive material.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said housing electrical conductor portion is made by forming an electrical conductor layer on a dielectric housing which is at least one part of said housing.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6,

wherein said electrical conductor layer is made by forming an electrical conductor pattern on said dielectric housing.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6,

wherein said electrical conductor layer includes electrical conductor patterns different from each other on both surfaces of said dielectric housing, respectively, so that said antenna operates in a plurality of frequency bands.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6,

wherein said electrical conductor layer includes a plurality of electrical conductor portions having electric lengths different from each other, respectively, so that said antenna operates in a plurality of frequency bands.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising one of a slot and a slit which are formed in said electrical conductor layer.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4,

wherein said upper housing includes an upper first housing portion and an upper second housing portion, and

wherein at least one of said upper first housing portion and said upper second housing portion is formed as a housing electrical conductor portion by an electrically conductive material so that said housing electrical conductor portion operates as at least one part of the antenna of the portable radio communication apparatus.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4,

wherein said lower housing includes a lower first housing portion and a lower second housing portion, and

wherein at least one of said lower first housing portion and said lower second housing portion is formed as a housing electrical conductor portion by an electrically conductive material so that said housing electrical conductor portion operates as at least one part of the antenna of the portable radio communication apparatus.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5,

wherein at least one part of said hinge portion is formed as a hinge electrical conductor portion by an electrically conductive material, and

wherein said hinge electrical conductor portion is connected with the radio communication circuit of said portable radio communication apparatus so as to operate as at least one part of the antenna of said radio communication circuit.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5,

wherein at least one part of said hinge portion is formed as a hinge electrical conductor portion by an electrically conductive material so that said hinge electrical conductor portion operates as a parasitic element of the antenna of said radio communication circuit.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13,

wherein said hinge portion is made to be rotatable in at least biaxial directions.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising an electrically insulating layer formed on said hinge portion.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of reactance elements having a plurality of reactance values different from each other, respectively; and

a switching device for selectively switching over said plurality of reactance elements so as to connect selected one of said reactance elements with said housing electrical conductor portion.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of reactance elements having a plurality of reactance values different from each other, respectively; and

a switching device for selectively switching over said plurality of reactance elements so as to connect selected one of said reactance elements with said housing electrical conductor portion through said hinge electrical conductor portion.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17,

wherein said switching device selectively switches over said plurality of reactance elements in accordance with whether said portable radio communication apparatus is in either one of an open state and a closed state thereof.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17,

wherein said switching device selectively switches over said plurality of reactance elements in accordance with a plurality of operating frequency bands of said portable radio communication apparatus.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17,

wherein said switching device selectively switches over said plurality of reactance elements in accordance with either one of transmission and receiving of said portable radio communication apparatus.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said housing electrical conductor portion is made of one of a dielectric material and a magnetic material, and

wherein said housing electrical conductor portion is connected with said radio communication circuit through an electrical insulator having a predetermined capacitance so that a radio signal from said radio communication circuit is fed through the capacitance of the electrical insulator to said housing electrical conductor portion.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a thin-film-shaped electrically insulating sheet formed on the upper housing having said housing electrical conductor portion, said thin-film-shaped electrically insulating sheet being made of one of a dielectric material and a magnetic material.