Transparent antenna for display, translucent member for display with an antenna and housing component with an antenna

• US 7,847,753 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissha Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nissha Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Takagi, Takayuki, Okumura, Shuzo, Yamaoka, Yoshitaka, Omote, Ryomei, Muko, Hiromitsu, Ishibashi, Tatsuo, Matsui, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; HoangAnh T
• Application Number:
  US11/887,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20090051620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/700.MS, 343/872, 343/895, 343/897
• US Class Current: 343/897
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• 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

Abstract

A transparent antenna for a display, for example, a portable telephone, the transparent antenna performing good transmission and reception, not bulky, and not impairing design of an apparatus. The transparent antenna for a display has an insulating sheet-like transparent substrate and has a planar antenna pattern formed on the surface of the transparent substrate. An electrically conductive section of the antenna pattern is constructed from an electrically conductive thin film of a mesh structure, outlines of each mesh are constituted from extra fine bands with substantially the same width, and the light transmittance of the section where the antenna pattern is formed is equal to or more than 70%.

Claims

1. A transparent antenna for a display, said antenna comprising:

an electrically isolated transparent substrate having a surface, said transparent substrate being in planar form so as to form a sheet; and

an antenna pattern formed on said surface of said transparent substrate, and having an electrically conductive section, said electrically conductive section of said antenna pattern including an electrically conductive thin film formed from a first mesh structure and a second mesh structure, said first and second mesh structures being formed from metal wires, each of said metal wires in said first mesh structure being substantially equal in width to each other of said metal wires in said first mesh structure, and a light transmittance of said first mesh structure being 70% or higher,

wherein said first mesh structure includes continuous planar meshes on a plane, each of said continuous planar meshes having the same shape and size as each other of said continuous planar meshes, and said second mesh structure forms a distinguishing pattern that distinguishes a part of said antenna pattern, and includes a plurality of meshes, said distinguishing pattern being formed by a linear pattern being disposed on said plurality of meshes in said second mesh structure or bands being disposed on said plurality of meshes in said second mesh structure so as to outline said metal wires in said second mesh structure, the distinguishing pattern decreasing the light quantity passing through said plurality of meshes in said second mesh structure, such that the light quantity passing through said plurality of meshes in said second mesh structure is less than the light quantity passing through said continuous planar meshes in said first mesh structure.

2. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 1, wherein the transparent antenna is capable of being laminated on a display having a picture element, and the first mesh structure has a mesh pitch and a bias angle that do not form moire fringes with a mesh pattern.

3. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 1, wherein said bands disposed on said metal wires in said plurality of meshes in said second mesh structure enable said metal wires in said plurality of meshes in said second mesh structure to have a width larger than the width of said metal wires in said first mesh structure.

4. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 1, wherein said second mesh structure forming said distinguishing pattern is formed by shifting said second mesh structure relative to said first mesh structure within a range not exceeding the size of a single mesh and by superposing said second mesh structure on said antenna pattern.

5. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 1, wherein said distinguishing pattern is formed continuously or intermittently on said antenna pattern to thereby form letters and designs on said antenna pattern.

6. A transparent antenna for a display, said antenna comprising:

an electrically isolated transparent substrate having a surface, said transparent substrate being in planar form so as to form a sheet; and

an antenna pattern disposed on said surface of said transparent substrate, and having an electrically conductive section, said electrically conductive section of said antenna pattern including an electrically conductive thin film formed from a mesh structure, the mesh structure being formed from metal wires, each of said metal wires in said mesh structure being substantially equal in width to each other of said metal wires in said mesh structure, and a light transmittance of said antenna pattern being 70% or higher,

wherein said mesh structure includes continuous planar meshes on a plane forming said antenna pattern and a gradation section forming an antenna pattern non-formation section on said transparent substrate adjacent said antenna pattern so as to form a boundary region between said antenna pattern and said antenna pattern non-formation section, said gradation section decreasing a luminance difference between said antenna pattern and said antenna pattern non-formation section in said boundary region of said antenna pattern and said antenna pattern non-formation section.

7. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, wherein said gradation section is formed by partially eliminating mesh outlines or coarsening meshes of said continuous planar meshes in said boundary region.

8. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, wherein said gradation section is formed by lengthening eliminated mesh outlines of said continuous planar meshes or lengthening an aperture width of said meshes in a step by step manner from said antenna pattern side to said antenna pattern non-formation section side.

9. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, wherein said mesh structure includes a plurality of vertical direction electrically conductive wires and a plurality of transverse direction electrically conductive wires arranged in a lattice state and said gradation section is formed by eliminating a part of at least one of said vertical direction electrically conductive wires and said transverse direction electrically conductive wires or widening intervals of one of said plurality of vertical direction electrically conductive wires and said plurality of transverse direction electrically conductive wires from said antenna pattern to said antenna pattern non-formation section.

10. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, wherein said antenna pattern is formed in a continuous band state by forming slits in a part of said mesh structure and the width of each of said slits is configured not to exceed the maximum size of the mesh size.

11. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 10, wherein a meandering shape is formed in said antenna pattern by forming said slits with a prescribed length alternately from different directions in said mesh structure.

12. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 10, wherein said slits form a spiral toward the center of said mesh structure.

13. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 10, wherein the maximum size of each of said continuous planar meshes is 1 mm.

14. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim claim 6, wherein the shape of each of said continuous planar meshes is a geometric design.

15. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, wherein a width of each metal wire of the metal wires is 30 μ

m or less.

16. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim claim 6, wherein said metal wires are copper or a copper alloy.

17. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, wherein a transparent protection film is formed on the surface of said antenna pattern.

18. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, wherein an electrode for electric power supply is installed in a part of said electrically conductive section and a though hole part corresponding to the electrode is formed in a transparent protection film to expose said electrode.

19. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim claim 6, wherein the surface of each metal wire of said metal wires is subjected to low-reflection treatment.

20. The transparent antenna for a display according to claim claim 6, wherein a transparent pressure sensitive adhesive layer is disposed on a surface of said transparent substrate, said surface on which said transparent pressure sensitive adhesive layer is disposed being opposite said surface on which said antenna pattern is disposed.

21. A translucent member with an antenna obtained by embedding a transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, equipped with an electrode for electric power supply in a part of said electrically conductive section, in two translucent plate materials in a state in which said electrode projects out of one of the translucent plate materials.

22. The translucent member for a display with an antenna according to claim 21, wherein the transparent antenna for a display and the translucent plate materials are integrated by injection molding.

23. A housing component, comprising:

a molded resin material as a main layer and an opaque decorative section in a part or an entire part of said main layer,

wherein a front surface side of a layer providing a decoration of said opaque decorative section has a transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, and said transparent antenna has an electrode for power supply.

24. The housing component according to claim 23, further comprising a transparent window section for display other than a decorative section, and said transparent antenna extends up to said transparent window section.

25. The housing component according to claim 24, wherein said housing component is combined with a window cover.

26. The housing component according to claim 24, wherein said transparent extending up to said transparent window section is set in a mesh shape, a mesh pitch, and a bias angle which do not form moire fringes with a mesh pattern.

27. The housing component according to claim 23, wherein a part of said electrically conductive section of said transparent antenna is combined with said electrode for power supply.

28. A housing component, comprising:

a molded resin material as a main layer and a transmissive decorative section giving a decorative effect by illumination from a back side in a part or an entire part of said main layer,

wherein said transmissive decorative section has a transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, and said transparent antenna has an electrode for power supply.

29. The housing component according to claim 28, further comprising a transparent window section for display other than a decorative section, and said transparent antenna extends up to said transparent window section.

30. The housing component according to claim 28, wherein a part of said electrically conductive section of said transparent antenna is combined with said electrode for power supply.

31. A housing component, comprising:

a molded resin material as a main layer and a transmissive decorative section giving a decorative effect by illumination from a side surface in a part or an entire part of said main layer,

wherein a front surface side of the molded resin material of said transmissive decorative section of said molded resin material has a transparent antenna for a display according to claim 6, and said transparent antenna has an electrode for power supply.

32. The housing component according to claim 31, further comprising a transparent window section for display other than a decorative section, and said transparent antenna extends up to said transparent window section.

33. The housing component according to claim 31, wherein a part of said electrically conductive section of said transparent antenna is combined with said electrode for power supply.