Mobile terminal and method for fabricating antenna of mobile terminal

• US 8,681,057 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Byungwoon, Hyun, Ansun, Yun, Changwon, Ho, Yochuol, Park, Yongseok, Tho, Gihoon, Lim, Youngtae, Kim, Hanki, Jeoung, Euntaek
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAIL, ALLYSON NEEL
• Application Number:
  US13/071,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/841, 438/586, 455/566
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes a body having a user input unit for receiving a control command; an antenna unit mounted on the body to transmit and receive a radio signal; and a circuit board connected to the antenna unit to process the radio signal, wherein the antenna unit includes: a base film made of a light-transmissive material; a first conductive oxide film formed on one surface of the base film; a metal conductive part laminated on the first conductive oxide film and forming an antenna pattern corresponding to the radio signal; and a second conductive oxide film configured to cover the metal conductive part.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a body

a touch sensor located on the body and having at least one electrode layer configured to form a touch pattern to detect a touch input on a touched point;

an antenna unit located on the touch sensor, connected to the at least one electrode layer and configured to transmit and receive a radio signal; and

a circuit board connected to the antenna unit and configured to process the touch input and the radio signal,

wherein the at least one electrode layer and the antenna unit each comprises;

a base film made of a light-transmissive material;

at least one first conductive oxide film formed on one surface of the base film;

at least one metal conductive portion laminated on the at least one first conductive oxide film to form an antenna pattern corresponding to the radio signal and to form the touch pattern extended from the antenna pattern; and

at least one second conductive oxide film configured to cover the at least one metal conductive portion.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one metal conductive portion comprises:

a metal conductive layer configured to cover the first conductive oxide film; and

a grid layer including a plurality of lines as a metal conductor, the plurality of lines formed to cross in order to form a grid on a surface of the metal conductive layer.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein

a width of each of the plurality of lines is 10 micrometers to 20 micrometers;

and

a distance between adjacent lines of the plurality of lines is 400 micrometers to 600 micrometers.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one first and at least one second conductive oxide film is made of IZO (Zinc doped Indium Oxide), ITO (Tin doped Indium Oxide), AZO (Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide), GZO (Gallium doped Zinc Oxide), ZTO Zinc oxide), AZTO (Aluminum, Tin doped Zinc Oxide), TiO₂, IAZTO (Aluminum, Zinc, Tin doped Indium Oxide), IZTO (Zinc, Tin doped Indium Oxide), or SiO₂; and

the at least one metal conductive portion is silver (Ag), copper (Cu), gold (Au), molybdenum (Mo), or aluminum (Al).

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the antenna unit further comprises a plurality of first conductive oxide films, a plurality of metal conductive portions and a plurality of second conductive oxide films;

and

the plurality of second conductive oxide films are symmetrically laminated on both surfaces of the base film in order to receive radio signals of a plurality of frequency bands.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the antenna unit further comprises a plurality of first conductive oxide films, a plurality of metal conductive portions and a plurality of second conductive oxide films;

and

the plurality of second conductive oxide films are sequentially laminated on one surface of the base film.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one metal conductive portion of the antenna unit is laminated on a surface of the at least one first conductive oxide film and comprises a metal conductor forming a grid in an interior of the antenna pattern.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a window mounted on the body and laminated with the touch sensor; and

a display configured to display visual information and located such that the display is covered by the window.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a user input unit configured to receive inputs and comprising

a case of the body that is made of a light-transmissive material;

the touch sensor mounted on the case and further configured to receive a control command; and

a keypad pattern formed on the case and including numbers, characters, and symbols corresponding to the control command.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the antenna unit overlaps the keypad pattern.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein:

the body comprises first and second bodies coupled to be movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration; and

the user input unit is formed on one of the first body and second body and covered by the other of the first body and second body in the closed configuration.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the body comprises a front surface portion, a rear surface portion, and a side surface portion;

the front surface portion comprises a display unit configured to display visual information; and

the antenna unit and the touch sensor are located on the side surface portion such that the antenna pattern faces a direction crossing the front surface portion.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, further comprising a user input unit configured to receive inputs, wherein:

the user input unit is located on the side surface portion and comprises the touch sensor; and

the at least one electrode layer comprises at least one electrode forming the touch pattern.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the body comprises:

a window located on one surface of a case of the body; and

a window bezel on which the antenna unit is mounted, the window bezel made of a light-transmissive material and mounted on the case to support the window.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one first conductive oxide film, the at least one metal conductive portion and the at least one second conductive oxide film are laminated sequentially on the base film.

16. A method for fabricating a light-transmissive antenna and a touch sensor, the method comprising:

coating a first conductive oxide film on a base film that is made of a light-transmissive material;

forming a metal conductive portion having lines that form a pre-set grid on a surface of the first conductive oxide film;

coating a second conductive oxide film to cover the metal conductive portion; and

etching the first conductive oxide film, the metal conductive portion, and the second conductive oxide film to form an antenna pattern corresponding to a particular frequency band and to form a touch pattern extended from the antenna pattern,

wherein the antenna and the touch sensor are connected to each other.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first conductive oxide film, the metal conductive portion and the second conductive oxide film are laminated sequentially on the base film.