Display device, computer terminal, and antenna

• US 6,853,336 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gaucher, Brian P., Studwell, Thomas W., Flint, Ephraim B., Asano, Takeshi, Fujii, Kazuo, Usui, Hideyuki, Liu, Duixian, Oie, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wimer, Michael C.
• Application Number:
  US09/876,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20020021250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/720, 343/767, 343/872, 343/873, 455/347, 361/681, 361/683
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/52 Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure absorbing means H01Q17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/106 Microstrip slot antennas patch antenna elements H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

In a notebook type computer terminal, a plate type slot antenna is provided between a display panel and a surrounding wall of a display panel housing so that a radiator portion thereof is projecting from a frame of the display panel and a stay, which are made of conductive material by a length more than a predetermined dimension S. A ground portion of the antenna is connected not only to a ground of a radio transceiver unit but also to the display panel housing made of conductive material through the stay.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a display panel having a display surface for images and an outer side face adjacent to said display surface;

a housing containing said display panel and having an inner surface opposed to said outer side face of said display panel;

an antenna located between said outer side face of said display panel and said inner surface of said housing;

wherein said antenna includes a radiator portion provided at a predetermined distance from a conductive material portion of said display panel and/or said housing and a ground portion connected to said portions made of conductive material;

a rib formed on the outer portion of said housing so that it projects approximate vertically to said display surface of said display panel; and

a frame filling a space between said housing and said display panel wherein said antenna is sandwiched between said rib and said frame.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said antenna is a plate type slot antenna or an inverted-F type antenna.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said radiator portion of said antenna is located at a predetermined distance from said portions made of conductive material in a direction orthogonal to said display surface of said display panel.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said radiator portion of said antenna is located at a predetermined distance from said portions made of conductive material in a direction parallel to said display surface of said display panel.

5. A computer terminal which is capable of opening and closing, comprising:

a first housing with a built-in display panel; and

a second housing rotatably connected to one end of said first housing wherein said first housing has a rib on its outer portion which projects from the side opposed to said second housing wherein said rib contains a plate type antenna which transmits and receives radio signals for communicating data between said computer terminal and outside, wherein said second housing has, at a location corresponding to said rib of said first housing, a recess for receiving said rib when said first housing and said second housing are closed.

6. The computer terminal according to claim 5, wherein said antenna is formed to be located on almost the top of said computer terminal when said first housing is opened to be in an upright position with respect to said second housing.

7. The computer terminal according to claim 5, wherein said antenna has a radiator portion which transmits and receives radio signal, provided at a distance larger than a dimension determined from the wavelength of radio signals to be transmitted and received by said antenna, from portions of said display panel and said first housing that are made of conductive material.

8. The computer terminal according to claim 5, wherein said rib projects perpendicularly from the side of said first housing opposed to said second housing.

9. The computer terminal according to claim 5, wherein said plate type antenna is fixed within said rib.

10. A computer terminal, comprising:

a display panel having a display surface for images and an outer side face adjacent to said display surface;

a housing made of conductive material and having an inner surface opposed to said outer side face of said display panel for containing said display panel;

a control unit controlling said display panel;

an antenna transmitting radio signals to receive radio signals from outside and transferring signals based on said radio signals between said control unit wherein said antenna is located between said outer side face of said display panel and said inner surface of said housing and is electrically grounded to said housing;

another housing rotatably connected to said housing; and

a hinge unit made of conductive material and rotatably connecting said housing and said another housing wherein said antenna is grounded to said housing via said binge unit.

11. The computer terminal according to claim 10, wherein one end of a ground line is connected to said antenna and the other end of said ground line is connected to a ground made of conductive material.

12. The computer terminal according to claim 10, wherein said antenna has a radiator portion provided ax a predetermined distance from said housing and the frame of said display panel wherein said housing has a cut-out formed to be at a predetermined distance from said radiator portion and said cut-out has a cover made of non-conductive material to fill said cut-out.

13. The computer terminal according to claim 12, wherein a rib is formed on the outer portion to project toward said display surface of said display panel and said rib is provided with said cut-out and said cover.