ANTENNA MODULE

• US 20130038501A1
• Filed: 02/08/2012
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: KATO, Noboru, SASAKI, Jun, ISHINO, Satoshi, TANIGUCHI, Katsumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,705,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/860
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40

Abstract

In an antenna module, a main portion includes a plurality of insulating sheets made of a flexible material and laminated on each other. An antenna configured to transmit/receive a high-frequency signal is disposed in the main portion. A connection portion is disposed in the main portion and is connected to an electronic device that inputs/outputs the high-frequency signal. A signal transmission line is disposed in the main portion and has a strip line structure or a microstrip line structure to transmit the high-frequency signal. An impedance matching circuit is disposed in the main portion and between the antenna and end of a signal transmission line facing in a negative x direction. An impedance matching circuit is disposed in the main portion and between the connection portion and an end of the signal transmission line facing in a positive x direction.

Claims

1. An antenna module comprising:

a main portion including a lamination of a plurality of flexible insulating sheets;

an antenna disposed on the main portion and configured to transmit/receive a high-frequency signal;

a connection portion disposed on the main portion and configured to be connected to an electronic device that outputs/inputs the high-frequency signal;

a signal transmission line configured to transmit the high-frequency signal, the signal transmission line being disposed in the main portion and having a strip line structure or a microstrip line structure;

a first impedance matching circuit disposed in the main portion and between the antenna and one end of the signal transmission line; and

a second impedance matching circuit disposed in the main portion and between the connection portion and the other end of the signal transmission line.

2. The antenna module according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device has a first characteristic impedance, and the signal transmission line has a second characteristic impedance smaller than the first characteristic impedance.

3. The antenna module according to claim 2, wherein an antenna port defining a connection port between the antenna and the first impedance matching circuit has a characteristic impedance smaller than the first characteristic impedance and the second characteristic impedance.

4. The antenna module according to claim 1, wherein

the first impedance matching circuit provides impedance matching between a first impedance of the antenna seen from one end of the signal transmission line and a second impedance of the signal transmission line seen from the one end of the signal transmission line;

and

the second impedance matching circuit provides impedance matching between a third impedance of the connection portion in a state in which the electronic device is connected to the connection portion seen from the other end of the signal transmission line and a fourth impedance of the signal transmission line seen from the other end of the signal transmission line.

5. The antenna module according to claim 4, wherein the first impedance and the second impedance are conjugate with each other, and the third impedance and the fourth impedance are conjugate with each other.

6. The antenna module according to claim 1, wherein each of the insulating sheets has a thickness equal to or more than about 10 μ

m and equal to or less than about 100 μ

m.