COMMUNICATION TERMINAL

• US 20060055607A1
• Filed: 08/28/2003
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Kenichi, Satoh, Noriyoshi, Komukai, Yasunori
• Granted Patent: US 7,046,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/244 extendable from a housing along a given path
• 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 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/08 for varying two co-ordinates of the orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/321 within a radiating element or between connected radiating elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/16 with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/32 Vertical arrangement of element H01Q9/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0212 with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0218 The hinge comprising input and/or output user interface means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0241 using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication terminal that can suppress the deterioration of a gain of an antenna either in an opening state or in a closing state. The communication terminal includes a hinge part for connecting a first casing member (101a) to a second casing member (101b) so as to freely open and close, a second antenna (103b) provided near the hinge part in the second casing member (101b) and a flexible base for connecting together first and second printed circuit boards (116a) and (116b) respectively provided in the first and second casing members (101a) and (101b). The hinge part includes a first rotating shaft serving as an axis when the two casing members (101a) and (101b) rotate in opposed directions and a second rotating shaft serving as an axis upon rotating in a direction perpendicular to the rotating direction by the first rotating shaft. The flexible base is disposed in one end side of the first rotating shaft and a feeding part (103h) of the second antenna (103b) is disposed in the other end side of the first rotating shaft.

Claims

1. A communication terminal, comprising:

a hinge part, which connects two casing members so as to freely open and close;

an antenna, which is provided near the hinge part in one casing member of the two casing members; and

a flexible conductor, which connects conductive portions to each other, and the conductive portions being respectively provided in the two casing members,

wherein the hinge part includes;

a first rotating member, which serves as an axis for rotating the two casing members in an opposed direction of the two casing members; and

a second rotating member, which serves as an axis for rotating one casing member of the two casing members relative to the other casing member under a non-opposed state of the two casing member in a direction perpendicular to a rotating direction in which the first rotating member serves as the axis;

wherein the flexible conductor is disposed in one end side of the first rotating member; and

wherein a feeding part of the antenna is disposed in the other end side of the first rotating member.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the flexible conductor is disposed along a vicinity of a center of axis of the first rotating member and a vicinity of a center of axis of the second rotating member;

wherein the flexible conductor is extended to the first casing member side through the one end side of the first rotating member; and

wherein the flexible conductor is extended to the second casing member side through the other end side of the second rotating member.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the two casing members is insulated from the hinge part.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein a winding part is formed on the flexible conductor disposed in the one end side of the first rotating member.

5. The communication terminal according to claim 4, further comprising a second flexible conductor which has a cable shape, the second flexible conductor connecting the conductive portions provided in the two casing members to each other;

and

wherein the second flexible conductor is inserted into the winding part.

6. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is extended from the one end side to the other end side of the first rotating member.

7. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the antenna has a first element part having a first electric length and a second element part having a second electric length;

wherein the one end sides of the first element part and the second element part are connected to each other by a reactance part having a reactance component; and

wherein the other end side of one element part of the two element parts is connected to the feeding part.

8. The communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein the electric length of the first element part is set to ¼

times as long as the wavelength λ

1 of a first frequency; and

wherein the electric length of the second element part is formed so that the sum of the electric length of the second element part and the electric length of the first element part is set to ¼

or ⅜

times as long as the wavelength λ

2 of a second frequency.

9. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein a receiving part and a transmitting part are provided in exposed surface sides of the two casing members which are exposed when the two casing members are changed from a closed state to a opened state;

and

wherein the antenna is disposed near the hinge part provided in a back surface side opposite to the exposed surfaces.