Portable radio devices and manufacturing method of portable radio devices body

• US 6,445,347 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshimi, Akitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Trinh Vo
• Application Number:
  US09/386,224
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: H01/Q.124, H01/Q.136, 343/702, 343/895, 343/900, 343/901, 343/893, 343/751
• US Class Current: 343/702
• 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 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas

Abstract

Of two body parts constituting a cellular telephone, a back body part has a body main part and an antenna attachment portion. An antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from a satellite has a cylindrical excitation antenna and a cylindrical helical antenna. The helical antenna is attached in such a manner that it can be pulled out to establish a state that it does not contact the inner circumferential surface of the excitation antenna. The excitation antenna is integrally molded with the back body part such that of the outer circumferential surface of the excitation antenna an antenna element surface that is formed with antenna elements comes into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the antenna attachment portion. This structure dispenses with, for example, work of attaching an attaching member to the body, thus simplifying the manufacturing process.

Claims

1. A portable radio device comprising:

a body incorporating a transmission/reception circuit for radio communication and having a cylindrical antenna attachment portion that projects outward; and

an antenna device having a first antenna that is attached to the antenna attachment portion and a second antenna that is provided movably and is to be electrically coupled with the first antenna;

wherein the first antenna has first antenna elements that are formed on an outer circumferential surface and electrically connected to the transmission/reception circuit, and is integrally molded with the antenna attachment portion such that the first antenna elements come into close contact with an inner circumferential surface of the antenna attachment portion.

2. The portable radio device according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna is an excitation antenna and has a feeding circuit and dipole array antenna elements that are formed on the circumferential surface.

3. The portable radio device according to claim 2, wherein the dipole array antenna elements are inclined from a central axis of the excitation antenna and formed at equal intervals.

4. The portable radio device according to claim 1, wherein the second antenna is a helical antenna having helical antenna elements formed on a circumferential surface, which is accommodated in an internal space of the first antenna, and wherein the helical antenna elements are electrically coupled with the first antenna elements in a state in which the helical antenna is pulled out of the first antenna.

5. The portable radio device according to claim 4, wherein the helical antenna elements are inclined from a central axis of the helical antenna and formed at equal intervals.

6. The portable radio device according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna is integrally molded with the antenna attachment portion such that no air layer is interposed between the first antenna and the antenna attachment portion.

7. The portable radio device according to claim 1, wherein the body includes a front body part and a back body part that is connected to the front body part and has the antenna attachment portion, wherein the transmission/reception circuit is attached to the front body part, and wherein the first antenna is attached to the antenna attachment portion of the back body part.

8. The portable radio device according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are arranged so as to be concentric with each other with respect to a common central axis.

9. The portable radio device according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna and the body are made of an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin.

10. The portable radio device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna device is one that is used in a satellite cellular telephone.

11. The portable radio device according to claim 10, further comprising a terrestrial cellular telephone antenna that is incorporated in the body and electrically connected to the transmission/reception circuit.

12. A manufacturing method of a portable radio device body that has a cylindrical antenna attachment portion projecting outward from a body main part and which a cylindrical antenna having antenna elements formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof is attached to an inner circumferential surface of the antenna attachment portion, comprising the steps of:

positioning the antenna in a die that is formed with a main part cavity having a shape corresponding to the antenna attachment portion such that the antenna elements formed on the outer circumferential surface of the antenna are facing an inner circumferential surface of the antenna cavity; and

forming the body main part and the antenna attachment portion and simultaneously integrally molding them with each other such that the antenna elements of the antenna come into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the antenna attachment portion by injecting a resin into the main part cavity and the antenna cavity.

13. The manufacturing method according to claim 12, wherein the step of positioning the antenna in the die includes the steps of inserting a reference piniro aft internal space of the antenna, and engaging a fixing pin with a pin engagement recess that is formed in the antenna.