U.S. patent application number 12/023987 was filed with the patent office on 2008-06-26 for electronic apparatus with an antenna.
This patent application is currently assigned to Acer Incorporated. Invention is credited to Lin Yung-Sen.
Application Number | 20080150813 12/023987 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39247123 |
Filed Date | 2008-06-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080150813 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yung-Sen; Lin |
June 26, 2008 |
Electronic Apparatus with an Antenna
Abstract
An electronic apparatus with an antenna, an anti-jamming system
and a method are disclosed. The electronic apparatus comprises a
casing and the antenna. The antenna is composed of a patterned
metal thin film and a carrier and provided for processing a
wireless signal. The casing and the antenna are made by injection
molding. When the electronic apparatus has a display device, the
anti-jamming system can modulate a clock signal generated by the
display device to prevent the multiplication of clock signal from
interfering with signals within an operating band of the
antenna.
Inventors: |
Yung-Sen; Lin; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LAW OFFICES OF LAI AND ASSOCIATES, P.C.
5800 RANCHESTER STE 200
HOUSTON
TX
77036
US
|
Assignee: |
Acer Incorporated
Sijih City
TW
|
Family ID: |
39247123 |
Appl. No.: |
12/023987 |
Filed: |
January 31, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11534524 |
Sep 22, 2006 |
|
|
|
12023987 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
343/702 ;
29/600 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01Q 1/2266 20130101;
G06F 1/1698 20130101; H01Q 1/52 20130101; H01Q 1/38 20130101; Y10T
29/49016 20150115; G06F 1/1616 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
343/702 ;
29/600 |
International
Class: |
H01Q 1/24 20060101
H01Q001/24; H01P 11/00 20060101 H01P011/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 26, 2006 |
TW |
095127391 |
Claims
1. An electronic apparatus with an antenna, comprising: a casing;
and an antenna, composed of a patterned metal thin film and a
carrier, for processing a wireless signal; wherein said casing and
said antenna are made by injection molding.
2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein said carrier is
selected from a group consisting of a flexible printed circuit
(FPC) or a metal plated plastic film.
3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein said antenna is
selected from a group consisting of a meander-line antenna, a
dipole antenna, a fractal antenna or an inverted F antenna
(IFA).
4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein said electronic
apparatus is selected from a group consisting of a notebook
computer, a personal digital assistant, an electronic dictionary or
a wireless communication apparatus.
5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein said patterned
metal thin film is a metal conductor made of a material selected
from the collection of copper, gold and silver.
6. An antenna for processing a wireless signal, comprising a
patterned metal thin film and a carrier, wherein said antenna and a
casing of an electronic apparatus are made of an injection
molding.
7. The antenna of claim 6, wherein said carrier is selected from a
group consisting of a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a metal
plated plastic film.
8. The antenna of claim 6, wherein said antenna is selected from a
group consisting of a meander-line antenna, a dipole antenna, a
fractal antenna or an inverted F antenna (IFA).
9. The antenna of claim 6, wherein said electronic apparatus is
selected from a group consisting of a notebook computer, a personal
digital assistant, an electronic dictionary or a wireless
communication apparatus.
10. The antenna of claim 6, wherein said patterned metal thin film
is a metal conductor made of a material selected from the
collection of copper, gold and silver.
11. A method for manufacturing a casing structure with an antenna,
and said casing structure being applicable for an electronic
apparatus, and said method comprising the steps of: setting a
patterned metal thin film on a carrier to form an antenna for
processing a wireless signal; and placing said antenna in a mold
for performing an injection process to form said casing
structure.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein said carrier is selected from a
group consisting of a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a metal
plated plastic film.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein said antenna is selected from a
group consisting of a meander-line antenna, a dipole antenna, a
fractal antenna or an inverted F antenna (IFA).
14. The method of claim 11, wherein said electronic apparatus is
selected from a group consisting of a notebook computer, a personal
digital assistant, an electronic dictionary or a wireless
communication apparatus.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein said patterned metal thin film
is a metal conductor made of a material selected from the
collection of copper, gold and silver.
16. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of
electrically coupling said antenna to a radio frequency cable.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein said injection process is an
injection molding with an in-mode decoration (IMD) technology or an
in-mode film decoration (IMF) technology.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a divisional patent application of copending
application Ser. No. 11/534,524, filed, 22 Sep. 2006, entitled
"Electronic Apparatus with an Antenna". The aforementioned
application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus
with an antenna, its anti-jamming system and its method, and more
particularly to an electronic apparatus that integrates an antenna
with a casing to prevent the clock signal of a display module from
interfering the electronic apparatus of a wireless communication
module.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] As wireless transmission technologies are well developed,
wireless data receiving and transmission become basic functions of
many electronic apparatuses. For example, a notebook computer can
support the functions of transmitting many different wireless
network signals including wireless local area network (WLAN)
signals, wireless Bluetooth signals and digital television signals,
etc. To receive these wireless signals at different bands, it is
necessary to build many antennas in the notebook computer.
Referring to FIG. 1 for the design of a traditional antenna of a
notebook computer 1, the notebook computer 1 installs two
detachable antennas 13, 14 around a screen 12 in a casing 11, and
the size of the antennas 13, 14 is restricted by the limited
available space around the periphery of the screen 12.
[0004] As to the radio frequency signals with a frequency of 2.4
GHz or 5 GHz, only a small antenna is sufficient. For example, the
length of a dipole antenna with a primary frequency of 5 GHz is
approximately equal to 3 cm, and the antenna with a primary
frequency of 2.4 GHz is approximately equal to 6 cm. For signals
with a lower frequency such as the very high frequency (VHF) signal
(45 MHz.about.300 MHz) or the ultra high frequency (UHF) signal
(300 MHz.about.900 MHz) of a digital television, the required
length of the antenna is very long. For instance, the length of a
dipole antenna with a primary frequency of 150 MHz is approximately
equal to 100 cm, and the length of a planar inverted F antenna
(PIFA) with a primary frequency of 150 MHz is approximately equal
to 70 cm. As mentioned in these situations, it is quite difficult
to install such a long detectable antenna into a notebook computer
1 in accordance with the prior art, and thus the notebook computer
1 requires a connecting device such as a SMB or MMCX connector to
connect an external antenna 15 for receiving or transmitting a
signal of a lower frequency. However, the use of an external
antenna 15 not only bends or breaks the antenna easily due to
collisions, but also causes inconvenience for users to carry and
use the antenna.
[0005] As wireless communication applications become popular,
various different portable electronic apparatuses are equipped with
a wireless communication module. If the antenna is installed near a
display device, the clock multiplication of the display device will
interfere with signals within the operating band of the antenna,
and thus lowering the wireless communication performance. For
instance, a notebook computer comes with a GSM communication
module, and its operating band falls in the range from 880 MHz to
915 Hz, and its antenna is installed in a display device casing of
the notebook computer, and the clock of 70 MHz is adopted by the
display device of the notebook computer for updating images, then
the multiplication of the clock signal by 13 times (910 MHz) will
interfere signals within the GSM operating band. If the electronic
apparatus is equipped with only one kind of wireless communication
module, then the aforementioned interference can be avoided by
using a hardware circuit design. However, there are more and more
wireless communication modules installed in an electronic
apparatus, and one set of notebook computer may have a GSM
communication module, a WCDMA communication module and a WLAN
communication module at the same time. The band used for one kind
of wireless communication module is different from the other, and
the chance of having an interfered band is increased drastically,
and the traditional hardware circuit design is no longer sufficient
for preventing interferences.
[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor
of the present invention based on years of experience in the
antenna field to conduct experiments and modifications, and finally
developed an electronic apparatus with an antenna, its anti-jamming
system and its method to overcome the foregoing shortcomings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
an electronic apparatus with an antenna, its anti-jamming system
and its method to improve the usable space of the antenna and
prevent the signals within a band of the antenna from being
interfered.
[0008] An electronic apparatus with an antenna in accordance with
the present invention comprises a casing and an antenna. The
antenna is composed of a patterned metal thin film and a carrier
and provided for processing a wireless signal. The casing and
antenna are made by injection molding.
[0009] In addition, the invention provides an antenna composed of a
patterned metal thin film and a carrier for processing a wireless
signal. The antenna and a casing of the electronic apparatus are
made by injection molding.
[0010] Further, the invention provides a method for manufacturing a
casing structure with an antenna, and such casing structure is
applicable for an electronic apparatus. The method comprises the
steps of: setting a patterned metal thin film on a carrier to form
an antenna for processing a wireless signal; and placing the
antenna into a mold for an injection process to form the casing
structure.
[0011] The invention also provides an anti-jamming system
applicable for an electronic apparatus, and the electronic
apparatus includes a first module and a second module, and the
first module processes a signal at a band, and the second module
performs its operation according to a clock signal. The
anti-jamming system comprises a detection module and a control
module, and the detection module is provided for detecting an
execution mode of the first module to produce a detection result,
and the control module modulates a clock signal according to the
detection result to prevent the multiplication of a clock signal
from interfering with signals within this band.
[0012] The invention further provides an anti-jamming method
applicable for an electronic apparatus, and the electronic
apparatus includes a first module and a second module, and the
first module processes a signal at a band and the second module
performs its operation according to a clock signal. The method
comprises the step of: detecting an execution mode of the first
module to produce a detection result; and modulating a clock signal
according to the detection result to prevent the multiplication of
a clock signal from interfering with signals within this band.
[0013] In addition, the invention further provides an electronic
apparatus with an antenna, comprising a wireless communication
module, a display module, a detection module and a control module.
The wireless communication module processes a signal at a band
through an antenna. The display module has a clock generator for
displaying an image according to a clock signal generated by the
clock generator. The detection module is provided for detecting an
execution mode of the first module to produce a detection result.
The control module modulates the clock signal according to the
detection result to prevent the multiplication of the clock signal
from interfering with signals within this band.
[0014] To make it easier for our examiner to understand the
objective of the invention, its structure, innovative features, and
performance, we use preferred embodiments together with the
attached drawings for the detailed description of the
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the design of an antenna in
accordance with a prior art;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an antenna provided for
processing a wireless signal in accordance with the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of an
electronic apparatus with an antenna in accordance with the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the method for manufacturing a
casing structure with an antenna in accordance with the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an anti-jamming system in
accordance with the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of an
electronic apparatus with an antenna in accordance with the present
invention; and
[0021] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of an
anti-jamming method in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] In the related figures of a preferred embodiment, the same
referring numerals are used for the same components of an input
apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 2 for a schematic view of an antenna
provided for processing a wireless signal in accordance with the
present invention, the antenna 2 is composed of a patterned metal
thin film 20 and a carrier 21 for processing a wireless signal,
wherein the antenna 2 and a casing 22 of an electronic apparatus
are made by injection molding, and the injection process is
preferably an injection molding with an in-mode decoration (IMD)
technology or an in-mode film decoration (IMF) technology.
[0024] The electronic apparatus is selected from a group consisting
of a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant, an electronic
dictionary or a wireless communication apparatus, and the carrier
is selected from a group consisting of a flexible printed circuit
(FPC) or a metal plated plastic film, and the antenna 11 is
selected from a group of a meander-line antenna, a dipole antenna,
a fractal antenna or an inverted F antenna (IFA). The patterned
metal thin film is a metal conductor made of a material preferably
selected from copper, gold and silver.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 3 for a schematic view of a preferred
embodiment of an electronic apparatus with an antenna in accordance
with the present invention, a display device casing 31 of a
notebook computer 3 has an antenna composed of a meander-line
patterned copper thin film 33 and a flexible printed circuit 32,
and an end 34 of the antenna is electrically coupled to a radio
frequency cable for receiving a desired processing signal. The
display device casing and antenna 32 are made by injection molding
with an in-mode film decoration (IMF) technology, so as to achieve
the effects of increasing the installable space of the antenna
without increasing the volume of the notebook computer 3 and
enhancing the performance of the antenna 32.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 4 for a flow chart of the method for
manufacturing a casing structure with an antenna in accordance with
the present invention, the casing structure is applicable for an
electronic apparatus. The method comprises the steps of:
[0027] Step 41: setting a patterned metal thin film on a carrier to
form an antenna for processing a wireless signal;
[0028] Step 42: placing the antenna into a mold to perform an
injection molding process and form the casing structure; and
[0029] Step 43: electrically coupling the antenna to a radio
frequency cable.
[0030] The foregoing electronic apparatus is selected from a group
consisting of a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant, an
electronic dictionary or a wireless communication apparatus, and
the carrier is selected from a group consisting of a flexible
printed circuit (FPC) or a metal plated plastic film, and the
antenna is selected from a group consisting of a meander-line
antenna, a dipole antenna, a fractal antenna or an inverted F
antenna (IFA). The patterned metal thin film is a metal conductor
made of a material preferably selected from copper, gold and
silver. The injection process is preferably performed by an
injection molding with an in-mode decoration (IMD) technology or an
in-mode film decoration (IMF) technology.
[0031] Although the area of the antenna is increased and the
performance of the antenna is enhanced as described above, yet most
antennas are installed in a display device casing, and the
frequency of a display update clock of the display module becomes
increasingly higher as the display technology advances, so that the
signals within the operating band of the antenna will be interfered
by the frequency multiplication of the display update clock and the
wireless data transmission performance will be lowered.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 5 for a block diagram of an anti-jamming
system in accordance with the present invention, the anti-jamming
system 54 is applicable for an electronic apparatus 5, and the
electronic apparatus 5 includes a first module 50 and a second
module 51, and the first module 50 processes a signal at a band,
and the second module 51 has a clock generator 511, and the second
module 51 performs its operation according to a clock signal
generated by the clock generator 511. The anti-jamming system 54
includes a detection module 52 and a control module 53, and the
detection module 52 is provided for detecting an execution mode of
the first module 50 to produce a detection result 521, and the
control module controls the clock generator 511 according to the
detection result 521, and modulates a clock signal to prevent the
multiplication of a clock signal from interfering with signals
within this band.
[0033] The first module 50 could be a wireless communication
module, for executing a GSM mode, a WLAN mode or a WCDMA mode. The
second module 52 could be a display module, and the detection
module 52 is provided for detecting the intensity of signals within
different bands to determine an execution mode of the first module
50, or the detection module 52 also can detect user defined
parameters to determine an execution mode of the first module 50.
The control module 53 preferably includes a microprocessor, a
spread spectrum circuit and a memory stored with a lookup table.
The lookup table records every target modulation frequency
corresponding to an execution mode of the first module 50, and thus
the microprocessor obtains a target modulation frequency
corresponding to the detection result by looking up the lookup
table according to the detection result and modulates the frequency
of the clock signal to the target modulation frequency, or the
microprocessor controls the spread spectrum circuit according to
the target modulation frequency to modulate a frequency domain
power distribution of the clock signal.
[0034] The control module 53 uses the detection module 52 to detect
the interfering intensity in a band and modulates the frequency of
the clock signal according to the interfering intensity, and then
continues detecting the interfering intensity in the band and
repeats the procedure of detecting the interfering intensity in the
band and modulates the frequency of the clock signal, so as to
achieve the effect of reducing the interference.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 6 for the block diagram of a preferred
embodiment of an electronic apparatus with an antenna in accordance
with the present invention, a notebook computer 6 includes a
wireless communication module 60, a display module 61, a detection
module 62 and a control module 63. The wireless communication
module 60 is provided for processing a signal at a band through an
antenna 64. The display module 61 has a clock generation module 65,
and the display module 61 updates images according to a clock
signal generated by the clock generation module 65. The detection
module 62 is provided for detecting an execution mode of the
wireless communication module 60, such as the detection of an GSM
mode, a WLAN mode or a WCDMA mode of the wireless communication
module 60. The detection module 62 sends the detection result to
the control module 63.
[0036] The control module 63 includes a microprocessor 66, a spread
spectrum circuit 67 and a memory 69 stored with a lookup table 68.
The lookup table 68 records a target modulation frequency
corresponding to every execution mode of the wireless communication
module 60. The microprocessor 66 reads a lookup table 68 from the
memory 69 and obtains a target modulation frequency corresponding
to the detection result by looking up the lookup table 68 according
to the detection result, and then the microprocessor 66 controls
the spread spectrum circuit 67 and the clock generation module 65
according to the target modulation frequency, and modulates the
frequency of the clock signal and the frequency domain power
distribution to prevent the multiplication of a clock signal from
interfering with signals within this band.
[0037] If the wireless communication module 60 executes a GSM mode
and the frequency of the clock signal is equal to 70 MHz, then the
multiplication of the clock signal by 13 times (910 Hz) will
interfere with signals within the band (880 Hz.about.915 Hz) of the
GSM mode. Therefore, the microprocessor 66 controls the clock
generation module 65 to modulate the frequency of the clock signal
to 71 MHz, and the multiplication of the clock signal by 13 times
will shift the frequency of the signal to 923 Hz, so as to prevent
the multiplication of a clock signal from interfering with signals
within the GSM band. Since the modified frequency of the clock
signal is very small, the operation of the display module will not
be affected.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 7 for a flow chart of a preferred
embodiment of an anti-jamming method in accordance with the present
invention, the method is applicable for an electronic apparatus,
and the electronic apparatus includes a first module and a second
module, and the first module processes a signal at a band, and the
second module performs its operation according to a clock signal.
The method comprises the steps of:
[0039] Step 71: detecting an execution mode of the first module to
produce a detection result; and
[0040] Step 72: modulating a clock signal according to the
detection result to prevent the multiplication of a clock signal
from interfering with signals within this band.
[0041] The step of modulating the clock signal includes modulating
the frequency of a clock signal or modulating the frequency domain
power distribution of a clock signal.
[0042] While the invention has been described by way of example and
in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended
to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and
procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should
be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such
modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.
* * * * *