Near-field communication antenna, antenna module and wireless communications apparatus

• US 9,692,130 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2013
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Metals (Thailand) Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Metals (Thailand) Ltd.
• Inventors: Okamoto, Hiroshi, Miki, Hirohiko, Nakamura, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Levi, Dameon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOTTER, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US14/389,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 343788, 455 411, 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07777 the antenna being of the inductive type
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/06 with core of ferromagnetic material H01Q7/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A near-field communication antenna comprising at least one annular coil, a planar, non-magnetic resin member holding the annular coil, a planar, soft-magnetic member overlapping the non-magnetic resin member via the annular coil, and terminals to which the conductor wire leads of the annular coil are connected, the annular coil being received in a circumferential recess along the periphery of the non-magnetic resin member lest that it projects from the periphery of the magnetic member, and the conductor wire leads of the annular coil being connected to the terminals through notches provided in the peripheral edge of the soft-magnetic member.

Claims

1. A near-field communication antenna comprising at least one annular coil, a planar, non-magnetic resin member holding said annular coil, a planar, soft-magnetic member overlapping said non-magnetic resin member via said annular coil, and terminals connected to conductor wire leads of said annular coil;

said annular coil being disposed in a circumferential recess along a periphery of said non-magnetic resin member, lest that said annular coil projects from the periphery of said soft-magnetic member and that said soft-magnetic member is disposed in an outside region of said annular coil;

an entire inside of said annular coil is a non-magnetic region, or an almost entire inside of said annular coil is a non-magnetic region filled with said soft-magnetic member; and

conductor wire leads of said annular coil being connected to said terminals through notches formed in a peripheral edge of said soft-magnetic member.

2. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 1, wherein the entire inside of said annular coil is a non-magnetic region,

wherein said non-magnetic resin member has a projection, and

wherein said soft-magnetic member has a recess for receiving the projection.

3. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 1, wherein said non-magnetic resin member has a fixed surface in contact with said soft-magnetic member, and a free surface opposing it;

wherein the circumferential recess of said non-magnetic resin member is constituted by a circumferential step having a peripheral flange extending from said free surface; and

wherein said annular coil is received in a gap defined by said soft-magnetic member bonded to said non-magnetic resin member and said peripheral flange.

4. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 1, wherein said non-magnetic resin member has a fixed surface bonded to said soft-magnetic member, and a free surface opposing it;

wherein the circumferential recess of said non-magnetic resin member is a circumferential groove defined by a pair of peripheral flanges extending from said fixed surface and said free surface; and

wherein said annular coil is received in said circumferential groove.

7. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 1,

said non-magnetic resin member comprising a projection;

said soft-magnetic member having an opening or recess receiving said projection of said non-magnetic resin member; and

said non-magnetic resin member being positioned to said soft-magnetic member, with said projection inserted into said opening or recess.

8. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 1,

said soft-magnetic member comprising a projection;

said non-magnetic resin member having an opening or recess receiving said projection of said soft-magnetic member; and

said soft-magnetic member being positioned to said non-magnetic resin member, with said projection inserted into said opening or recess.

9. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate member comprising terminals;

said substrate member being bonded to a surface of said soft-magnetic member on the opposite side of said annular coil.

10. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 9, wherein said substrate member comprises at least one projection;

wherein said soft-magnetic member has at least one opening receiving the projection of said substrate member; and

wherein said non-magnetic resin member has at least one opening or recess receiving the projection of said substrate member.

11. A module comprising the near-field communication antenna recited in claim 1, wherein said near-field communication antenna, reactance elements constituting a matching circuit, reactance elements constituting a noise filter, and an integrated circuit constituting a transmission circuit and a reception circuit are mounted onto a resin substrate.

12. A wireless communications apparatus comprising the near-field communication antenna recited in claim 1.

5. A near-field communication antenna comprising at least one annular coil, a planar, non-magnetic resin member holding said annular coil, a planar, soft-magnetic member overlapping said non-magnetic resin member via said annular coil, and terminals connected to conductor wire leads of said annular coil;

said annular coil being disposed in a circumferential recess along a periphery of said non-magnetic resin member, lest that said annular coil projects from the periphery of said soft-magnetic member; and

conductor wire leads of said annular coil being connected to said terminals through notches formed in a peripheral edge of said soft-magnetic member;

said annular coil being constituted by first and second coils concentrically arranged;

one end of a conductor wire of each of said first and second coils being connected to a ground terminal, and the other end of a conductor wire of each of said first and second coils being connected to a signal terminal; and

said first and second coils being wound in an opposite direction when viewed from said ground terminal.

13. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 5,

said non-magnetic resin member comprising a projection;

said soft-magnetic member having an opening or recess receiving said projection of said non-magnetic resin member; and

said non-magnetic resin member being positioned to said soft-magnetic member, with said projection inserted into said opening or recess.

14. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 5,

said soft-magnetic member comprising a projection;

said non-magnetic resin member having an opening or recess receiving said projection of said soft-magnetic member; and

said soft-magnetic member being positioned to said non-magnetic resin member, with said projection inserted into said opening or recess.

15. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 5, further comprising a substrate member comprising terminals;

said substrate member being bonded to a surface of said soft-magnetic member on the opposite side of said annular coil.

16. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 15, wherein said substrate member comprises at least one projection;

wherein said soft-magnetic member has at least one opening receiving the projection of said substrate member; and

wherein said non-magnetic resin member has at least one opening or recess receiving the projection of said substrate member.

17. A module comprising the near-field communication antenna recited in claim 5, wherein said near-field communication antenna, reactance elements constituting a matching circuit, reactance elements constituting a noise filter, and an integrated circuit constituting a transmission circuit and a reception circuit are mounted onto a resin substrate.

18. A wireless communications apparatus comprising the near-field communication antenna recited in claim 5.

6. A near-field communication antenna comprising at least one annular coil, a planar, non-magnetic resin member holding said annular coil, a planar, soft-magnetic member overlapping said non-magnetic resin member via said annular coil, and terminals connected to conductor wire leads of said annular coil;

said annular coil being disposed in a circumferential non-magnetic resin member, lest that said annular coil projects from the periphery of said soft-magnetic member; and

conductor wire leads of said annular coil being connected to said terminals through notches formed in a peripheral edge of said soft-magnetic member;

said annular coil being constituted by the first and second coils arranged on a surface of said soft-magnetic member;

one end of a conductor wire of each of said first and second coils being connected to a ground terminal, and the other end of a conductor wire of each of said first and second coils being connected to a signal terminal; and

said first and second coils being wound in an opposite direction when viewed from said ground terminal.

19. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 6,

said non-magnetic resin member comprising a projection;

said soft-magnetic member having an opening or recess receiving said projection of said non-magnetic resin member; and

said non-magnetic resin member being positioned to said soft-magnetic member, with said projection inserted into said opening or recess.

20. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 6,

said soft-magnetic member comprising a projection;

said non-magnetic resin member having an opening or recess receiving said projection of said soft-magnetic member; and

said soft-magnetic member being positioned to said non-magnetic resin member, with said projection inserted into said opening or recess.

21. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 6, further comprising a substrate member comprising terminals;

said substrate member being bonded to a surface of said soft-magnetic member on the opposite side of said annular coil.

22. The near-field communication antenna according to claim 21, wherein said substrate member comprises at least one projection;

wherein said soft-magnetic member has at least one opening receiving the projection of said substrate member; and

wherein said non-magnetic resin member has at least one opening or recess receiving the projection of said substrate member.

23. A module comprising the near-field communication antenna recited in claim 6, wherein said near-field communication antenna, reactance elements constituting a matching circuit, reactance elements constituting a noise filter, and an integrated circuit constituting a transmission circuit and a reception circuit are mounted onto a resin substrate.

24. A wireless communications apparatus comprising the near-field communication antenna recited in claim 6.