Radio communication apparatus and current reducing method

• US 9,065,891 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Innovation Company Limited Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sakurai, Masanori, Kobayashi, Naoki, Ando, Noriaki, Toyao, Hiroshi, Imazato, Masaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Levi, Dameon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAGALLANES, RICARDO I
• Application Number:
  US13/576,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20120306705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 361/749
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0086 said selective devices having materials with a synthesized negative refractive index, e.g. metamaterials or left-handed materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0241 using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call

Abstract

A radio communication apparatus includes: a first casing; a second casing; a connection section that connects the first and second casings to each other to be movable; and an antenna device that operates at a predetermined communication frequency. In the radio communication apparatus, first and second states are switched between by relatively moving the first and second casings. The first state is a state in which the first and second casings are opened or closed with respect to one another, and a first conductor (122) installed from the connection section to the first casing and a second conductor (240) installed from the connection section to the second casing are separated and faced each other. In the first state, the first conductor (122) and the second conductor (240) are electrically connected to each other at the communication frequency. The second state is a state in which the first and second casings are closed or opened with respect to one another.

Claims

1. A radio communication apparatus comprising:

a first casing mechanically connected to a second casing in a slidable manner so that the casings may be moved between open and closed positions;

a connection section electrically connecting electronic components of the first casing to electronic components of the second casing;

an antenna device that operates at a predetermined communication frequency located in at least one of the casings;

the connection section having first and second conductors which are spaced apart and face one another when the casings are in the open position so as to form a metamaterial that resonates at the predetermined communication frequency and thus the first and second conductors are electrically connected to each other at the predetermined communication frequency,

wherein the connection section is a flexible interconnect substrate including an interconnect layer, a conductor layer, and a conductor component connected to the interconnect layer;

wherein when the casings are in the closed position, the first flexible;

interconnect substrate is folded and the first conductor formed with the conductor component in one region faces the second conductor formed with a conductor layer in another region, and the flexible interconnect substrate is further extended in the open position than it is in the closed position;

wherein the flexible interconnect substrate further includes a reflection structure that reflects an electromagnetic wave of the communication frequency of the radio communication apparatus;

wherein the reflection structure is either disposed in the same layer as a second conductor layer formed on a side of a rear surface of the conductor layer with the interconnect layer interposed therebetween or is laminated on the side of the rear surface further from the second conductor layer.

2. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an area of an overlapping region of the flexible interconnect substrate when the casings are in the closed position is greater than an area of the overlapping region when the casings are in the open position.

3. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the antenna device is located at a position that faces the overlapping region.

4. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the conductor component is either disposed in the same layer as the conductor layer or is laminated on a side of a front surface of the conductor layer, and

the flexible interconnect substrate is folded so that the side of the front surface is folded inward when the casings are in the closed position.

5. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible interconnect substrate is formed in a substantial Ω

shape when the casings are in the closed position and a single or plurality of the conductor components are provided in a neck portion of the substantial Ω

shape.

6. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflection structure faces the antenna device when the casings are in at least one of the open and closed positions.

7. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the conductor components are formed locally in the conductor layer, and a greater number of the reflection structures than the conductor components are installed in the second conductor layer.

8. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductor component forms a right-handed metamaterial in the first state and the reflection structure forms a left-handed metamaterial.

9. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

one end of the first casing is mounted on one end of the second casing to be rotatable by the connection section so that the first and second casings overlap with each other, and

the first casing, the second casing, or the connection section has the antenna device therein,

the first casing has the first conductor therein, and

the second casing has the second conductor therein, and the second conductor is disposed at a position facing the first conductor when the first and second casings overlap with each other.

10. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 9 further comprising a plurality of the second conductors.

11. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of second conductors are arranged at an interval equal to or less than half of a wavelength of the communication frequency of the radio communication apparatus.

12. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a third conductor disposed inside the second casing and at a position facing the second conductor; and

a connection portion connecting each of the second conductors to the third conductor,

wherein the second conductor is located to be closer to the first casing than the third conductor is, when the first and second casings overlap with each other.

13. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a third conductor disposed inside the second casing and at a position facing the second conductor; and

a fourth conductor disposed inside first casing and at a position facing the first conductor,

wherein the fourth conductor is located to be closer to the second casing than the first conductor is and the second conductor is located to be closer to the first casing than the third conductor is, when the first and second casings overlap with each other.

14. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 13, wherein:

the first and second conductors form a first metamaterial,

the second and fourth conductors form a second metamaterial, and

the first and second casings are electrically connected to each other at the communication frequency of the radio communication apparatus by the first and second metamaterials.

15. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the first casing includes a first metal structure formed with plate-shaped metal, and wherein the first conductor is formed as a part of the first metal structure.

16. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second casing includes a second metal structure formed with plate-shaped metal, and the second conductor is formed as a part of the second metal structure.

17. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the antenna device is mounted inside the connection section or on one end of the first or second casing, the first conductor is located at the other end of the first casing, and the second conductor is located at the other end of the second casing.

18. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first and second conductors face each other with no conductor interposed therebetween, when the first and second casings overlap with each other.

19. A method of reducing current flow in an overlapping region in a radio communication apparatus including a first casing mechanically connected to a second casing in a slidable manner so that the casings may be moved between open and closed positions, a connection section electrically connecting electronic components of the first casing to electronic components of the second casing and an antenna device that operates at a predetermined communication frequency located in at least one of the casings, the method comprising:

providing the connection section with first and second conductors which are spaced apart and face one another when the casings are in the open position so as to form a metamaterial that resonates at the predetermined communication frequency and thus the first and second conductors are electrically connected to each other at the predetermined communication frequency,

wherein the connection section is a flexible interconnect substrate including an interconnect layer, a conductor layer, and a conductor component connected to the conductor layer when the casings are in the closed position, the conductor component is made resonate at the communication frequency, when a second conductor formed with the conductor layer on one side of the flexible interconnect substrate in the overlapping region faces the first conductor formed with the conductor component of the other side of the flexible interconnect substrate in the overlapping region,

wherein a part of the overlapping region and a different part of the overlapping region are short-circuited to each other by making the conductor component resonate at the communication frequency of the radio communication apparatus, when the conductor component disposed in the same layer as the conductor layer or laminated on the inner side of the folded interconnect substrate with respect to the conductor layer faces the conductor layer in the different part of the overlapping region.