Wristwatch-type communication device and antenna therefor

• US 6,278,873 B1
• Filed: 09/09/1999
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Nitta, Tatsuo, Yasuoka, Tadashi, Satoh, Nobuhiro, Hasumi, Yu̅iti, Itakura, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chow, C.
• Application Number:
  US09/380,795
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 455/351, 455/575, 455/90, 455/344, 455/347, 455/274, 455/82
• US Class Current: 455/351
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/02 Component assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 60/10 inside cases
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets

Abstract

A device includes: a communication device case 2 having therein a display panel 13 supported by a support frame 12 and a circuit board 15 stacked with a battery 22 and electrically connected to the battery 22; and an antenna 6 housed in the communication device case 2, the antenna having a first conductor portion 23 formed in a ring, a second conductor portion 24 opposed to the first conductor portion 23 at a predetermined interval, and a third conductor portion 25 for electrically connecting the first conductor portion 23 and the second conductor portion 24. And a communication module assembly 3 is formed by disposing a communication device module in the antenna 6, the communication device module including the circuit board and the support frame. And the first conductor portion 23 of the antenna 6 in the communication device module assembly is positioned on a side of the circuit board 15 opposite to the support frame and outward, and the second conductor portion 24 is positioned on a side of the support frame 12 opposite to the circuit board and outward. As a result, the conductor portion of the antenna is positioned in an outermost portion of the communication device module. Therefore, the dimension of strap in the thickness direction and the dimension of the communication device case in the plane direction can be set to small values, respectively. In addition, favorable feeling of wearing the communication device can be obtained, and the size of the communication device as a whole can be made small.

Claims

1. A wristwatch-type communication device, comprising:

a case,

an antenna housed in the case and including a first conductor portion having a generally ring shape;

a second conductor portion opposed to and spaced apart from the first conductor portion to form an internal space therebetween, said second conductor portion having a generally ring shape, a space portion for housing a component therein and interrupting the second conductor portion, and end portions sandwiching the space portion;

a third conductor portion connected between the first and second conductor portions and having two connecting conductors connected to the end portions of the second conductor portion for electrically connecting the first and second conductor portions;

a first feeder terminal connected to the first conductor portion and;

a second feeder terminal connected to the second conductor portion, and

a support frame, a display panel supported by the support frame, a battery, and a circuit board stacked to the battery and electrically connected to the battery and the first and second feeder terminals, said support frame and circuit board being disposed in the internal space between the first and second conductor portions so that one of the first and second conductor portions is positioned on a side of the circuit board opposite to the support frame and outward thereof, and the other of the first and second conductor portions is positioned on a side of the support frame opposite to the circuit board and outward thereof.

2. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 1, wherein said first and second feeder terminals being positioned at a side opposite to the connecting conductors.

3. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 1, wherein the battery and the circuit board are held in the case by a board support base.

4. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 1, wherein a circuit portion and reflective noise generators are disposed near a central part of the circuit board.

5. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board has a display circuit board and a communication circuit board disposed in parallel at a predetermined interval in a thickness direction of the communication device case, and a ground pattern for intercepting noise applied to the communication circuit board is formed on the display circuit board.

6. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of struts are disposed between the display circuit board and the communication circuit board in parallel at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction.

7. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 6, wherein the struts are erected on one of the display circuit board and the communication circuit board, and screw hole is formed in each of the struts so as to open toward the other of the display circuit board and the communication circuit board.

8. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 6, wherein the struts comprise metal struts, and the struts are connected to the ground pattern of the display circuit board.

9. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 6, wherein conductive rubber pieces for board connection are elastically mounted between the display circuit board and the communication circuit board, and the conductive rubber pieces are disposed on lines each connecting two adjacent struts among the struts or near the lines.

10. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 7, wherein each of the conductive rubber pieces is disposed near one of the struts.

11. A wristwatch-type communication device according to claim 1, wherein a shield box covering a plurality of circuit components is disposed on the circuit board, and a partition portion existing between two circuit elements adjacent to each other included in the circuit elements is formed by bending a part of the shield box.

12. An antenna comprising:

a first conductor portion having a generally ring shape,

a second conductor portion opposed to and spaced apart from the first conductor portion to form an internal space therebetween, said second conductor portion having a generally C shape when viewed from above, and

a third conductor portion formed of two connecting conductors, said two connecting conductors being coupled to ends of the second conductor portion in a peripheral direction to electrically connect the first and second conductor portions.

13. An antenna according to claim 12, wherein said first conductor portion includes a first feeder terminal, and the second conductor portion includes a second feeder terminal, said first and second feeder terminals connecting the antenna to other component.