Abstract:
The present invention discloses a wireless communication module, comprising a substrate; at least one wireless module, disposed on the substrate; and a module which does not emit wireless signals can be disposed on the substrate as well. The wireless communication module forms a compact structure and removes the need for RF shielded coaxial cables within the communication module. The present invention further discloses a portable device, which comprises a display part comprising a communication module; and a host part coupled to the display part; wherein the communication module is deposited on top of display part for better reception.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/236,163, filed on Aug. 24, 2009 and entitled “Wireless Communication Module, Portable Device Using the Same and Method for Manufacturing the Same,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a wireless communication module, and more particularly, to a multi-function wireless communication module and a portable device using the same. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the advancement of wireless communication technology, various wireless communication systems are developed, such as Bluetooth (BT), wireless local area network (WLAN), 3G, LTE, high speed packet access (HSPA), WiMAX, etc. Supporting various wireless communication systems in a consumer electronic device (such as notebook/laptop/personal computer, PDA, hand-held videogame device, etc.), is a key and remarkable feature. Therefore, how to integrate multiple wireless communication modules and antennas in a restricted space of an electronic device has become a challenge because layout method, isolation, interference, efficiency, or any other factors, which may affect performance of the wireless communication systems, should be considered at the same time. 
     For example, please refer to  FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a notebook  100  of the prior art. The notebook  100  includes a WLAN processing unit  105  and a BT processing unit  106  in a host part  102 , to process signals of WLAN and BT respectively. To effectively receive or transmit wireless signals of WLAN and BT, antennas  107  and  109  are respectively disposed in a display part  101  of the notebook  100  for better reception. The antennas  107  and  109  are coupled to antenna connectors on the WLAN processing unit  105  and the BT processing unit  106  through metal coaxial cables  108  and  110 , respectively. The metal coaxial cables  108  and  110  are required to be isolated, to prevent interference while transmitting signals to the corresponding units, because both WLAN and BT can be operate in the ISM frequency band around 2.4 GHz. In the prior art, the required isolation is achieved by covering the coaxial cables  108  and  110  with metal isolation layer. 
     In addition, the WLAN processing unit  105  and the BT processing unit  106  are coupled to a main board of the notebook  100  via a mini PCI-e interface and a USB connector, which takes much space, and is a disadvantage because all the portable devices have to be thin, light and small. Moreover, the isolated coaxial cables and the antenna connectors on the processing units also increase manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the huge number of parts and processing steps also make the manufacturing process complicated. 
     Therefore, there is a need to design a wireless communication module that is small and easy to be integrated into a portable device. 
     Accordingly, there is a desire therefore for a system and method to allowing for improved communication between devices that include a wireless interface. This system should be easy to implement, cost effective, and adaptable to existing systems. The present invention addresses such a need. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore a primary objective of the claimed invention to provide a wireless communication module, a portable device using the same and method for manufacturing the same. 
     The present invention discloses a wireless communication module, comprising a substrate; at least one wireless module, disposed on the substrate; and a module which does not emit wireless signals, can be disposed on the substrate as well. This wireless communication module form a compact structure and remove the need for RF shielded coaxial cables within the communication module. 
     The present invention further discloses a portable device, which comprises a display part comprising a communication module; and a host part coupled to the display part; wherein the communication module is deposited on top of display part for better reception and remove the need of RF shielded coaxial cables within the communication modules. The communication module is coupled to the host part by one or more series-to-deseries connection for performing a plurality of formats of wireless communications. 
     A method for manufacturing a portable device with a communication module, the method comprising the steps of disposing the communication module into a display part of the portable device; and coupling the communication module with a host part of the portable device. 
     These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a notebook of the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a portable device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4A  is a schematic diagram of the portable device shown in  FIG. 3  including grounding connectors. 
         FIG. 4B  is a schematic diagram of frequency response corresponding to the portable device shown in  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 5A  is a schematic diagram of the portable device shown in  FIG. 4A  including an extra grounding connector. 
         FIG. 5B  is a schematic diagram of frequency response corresponding to the portable device shown in  FIG. 5A . 
         FIGS. 5C and 5D  are schematic diagrams of radiating patterns corresponding to the portable device shown in  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of a manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention relates generally to wireless systems and more particularly relates to a method and system for allowing for direct communications between devices in such systems. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2 , which illustrates a schematic diagram of a wireless communication module  200  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication module  200  comprises a substrate  200  and a plurality of modules. In this embodiment the modules include a first wireless communication module  204 , a second wireless communication module  206 , and a third module  208 . The first wireless communication module  204 , the second wireless communication module  206  and the third module  208  are disposed on the substrate  202 . The first wireless communication module  204  is utilized for performing operations corresponding to a first wireless communication system, and includes a first processing unit  210  and a first antenna  212 . The first processing unit  210  receives or transmits signals of the first wireless communication system via the first antenna  212 , and can be composed of various elements, circuits, firmware, etc. as long as signals of the first wireless communication system are accurately processed. The second wireless communication module  206  is utilized for performing operations corresponding to a second wireless communication system, and includes a second processing unit  214  and a second antenna  216 . The second processing unit  214  receives or transmits signals of the second wireless communication system via the second antenna  216 , and can also be composed of various elements, circuits, firmware, etc. as long as signals of the second wireless communication system are accurately processed. As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , the third module  208  is between the first wireless communication module  204  and the second wireless communication module  206 , and can be a camera module or any other devices that do not emit wireless signals of a certain wireless communication system. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that although three modules are disclosed in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , there may be any number of modules located on the substrate and that use would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     In short, the wireless communication module  200  provides a function not related to communication via the third module  208 , and supports operations of both the first and the second wireless communication systems via the first wireless communication module  204  and the second wireless communication module  206 . Since the three modules  204 ,  206  and  208  and associated antennas are formed in a compact structure, high-cost isolated coaxial cables between antennas  212 ,  216  and processing units  210 ,  214  can be eliminated, so as to save cost. Accordingly, the need for RF shielded isolated coaxial cables within the communication module is removed. Note that, each of the first and the second wireless communication systems is not limited to any wireless communication system, and can be WLAN (such as IEEE 802.11, 11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, etc.), BT, 3G, LTE, HSPA, etc. Thus, the first wireless communication module  204  and the second wireless communication module  206  can respectively be a WLAN module, a BT module, a 3G module, a HSPA module or any other wireless modules. In addition, to enhance isolation, the antennas  212  and  216  are preferably formed near the two edges of the wireless communication module  200 , and can be any formats, such as monopole, PIFA, etc. Also, the antennas  212  and  216  can be printed antennas on the substrate  202 , or formed by metal plates, which is not limited herein. 
     Moreover, in order to reduce interference among the plurality of modules  204 ,  206  and  208 , a distance from the antenna  212  of the first wireless module  204  to the third module  208  is preferably based on a quarter to half of a wavelength of wireless signals of the first communication system, i.e. signals used by the first wireless module  204 . Similarly, a distance from the antenna  216  of the second module  206  to the third module  208  is preferably based on a quarter to half of a wavelength of wireless signals of the second communication system, i.e. signals used by the second wireless module  206 . 
     Furthermore, since the plurality of modules  204 ,  206 ,  208  are formed on the same substrate  202 , only one or multiple connectors may be required to connect the modules to a system. These connectors can be series-to-deseries connectors such as PCIe, USB, etc. Certainly, other different connectors may be used for each module due to system design considerations. For example, please refer to  FIG. 3 , which is a schematic diagram of a portable device  300  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The portable device  300  has a display part  301  and a host part  302 . The display part  302  has a display  303  to show information from the host part  302 . A combo module  304 , designed according to the wireless module  200  shown in  FIG. 2 , is disposed in the display part  301  and on top of the display  303  for better reception, and comprises a first wireless module  306 , a second wireless module  307 , and a camera module  305 . The first wireless module  306  comprises an antenna  308  and a processing unit  312  formed thereon, while the second wireless module  307  also comprises an antenna  309  and a processing unit  314  formed thereon. The antennas  308  and  309  can be printed, metal-plate, or other types of antennas. Since the antennas  308 ,  309  and the processing modules  312 ,  314  are formed in the compact structure, the high-cost isolated coaxial cables between antennas  308 ,  308  and processing units  312 ,  314  can be eliminated, such that only one or two couplings are needed between the wireless modules  306 ,  307  to the host part  302 , and thus, manufacturing cost is reduced. In addition, since the wireless modules  306 ,  307  are disposed on top of the display  303 , the wireless modules  306 ,  307  are farther away from the host part  302  and the user. Therefore, wireless signals from the wireless modules  306 ,  307  do not cause any interference to devices in the host part  302 , such as a microphone, high speed digital clocks, etc. If a size of the display  303  is large enough, the distance from the wireless modules  306 ,  307  to the user is increased and thus unnecessary to perform SAR (Specific Absorption Rate Testing). 
     In order to reduce interference, a distance from the antenna  308  of the first wireless module  306  to the camera module  305  is preferably based on a quarter to half of a wavelength of wireless signals used by the first wireless module  306 . Similarly, a distance from the antenna  309  of the second module  307  to the camera module  305  is preferably based on a quarter to half of a wavelength of wireless signals used by the second wireless module  309 . 
     Moreover, since the plurality of modules  305 ,  306  and  307  form the combo module  304 , only one conducting wire  310  may be required to connect the modules to the host part  302 . However, an additional conducting wire  311  may also be used due to other system design consideration. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a common connector, such as a PCIe, USB or other connector, can be used to couple the combo module  304  to the host part  302 . 
     In addition, to further enhance performance of the combo module  304 , additional grounding connectors can be added between a ground plane of the display  303  and the combo module  304 . For example, in  FIG. 4A , grounding connectors  400 ,  402  are added between the ground plane of the display  303  and the wireless modules  306 ,  307 , where sizes thereof are taken as an example. In such a situation, the corresponding frequency response is shown in  FIG. 4B , where isolation is around 17.5 dB. Note that, the camera module  305 , e.g. web cam, is a device generating lots of noises affecting the first and second wireless modules  306  and  307 , and the generated noises can only be transferred to ground via the grounding connectors  400 ,  402  shown in  FIG. 4A . Therefore, in  FIG. 5A , another grounding connector  404  is further added between the ground plane of the display  303  and the camera module  305 , and is utilized for transferring noise generated by the camera module  305  to ground, to avoid influence on the wireless modules  306  and  307 . The corresponding frequency response is shown in  FIG. 5B , where isolation is around 19 dB, and the radiating pattern is almost omni-radiating as shown in  FIGS. 5C and 5D . The grounding connectors  400 ,  402  and  404  provide extra ground routes between the ground plate of the display  303  and the combo module  304 , and can enhance isolation as well as performance of the combo module  304 . Note that, sizes of each component of the combo module  304  and the grounding connectors  400 ,  402  and  404  shown in  FIGS. 4A and 5A  are examples, and should be well designed according to system requirements, in order to maintain normal function. 
     Note that, the above-mentioned embodiments are utilized for narrating the concept of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can make modifications and alterations accordingly. For example, the combo module  304  (or the wireless communication module  200 ) can include any amount of wireless modules, not limited to two. Each of the wireless modules can be a WLAN module, a BT module, a 3G module, a HSPA module or any other wireless module, and may include multiple antennas, which is so-called MIMO (multi-input Multi-output) structure. 
     As to manufacturing of the combo module  304 , the present invention further provides a manufacturing process  60  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The manufacturing process  60  comprises the following steps: 
     Step  600 : Start. 
     Step  602 : Dispose the plurality of modules  305 ,  306 ,  307  on a substrate, to form the combo module  304 . 
     Step  604 : Dispose the combo module  304  into the display part  301 . 
     Step  606 : Couple the combo module  304  with the host part  302 . 
     Step  608 : End. 
     The process  60  is utilized to form the combo module  304  in the portable device  300 , and the related description can be referred to the above description. 
     In summary, the present invention forms the plurality of wireless modules in a compact structure disposed into a display part of the portable device, such that high-cost isolated coaxial cables can be eliminated, and the manufacturing process is simplified. Therefore, the present invention can save cost, enhance manufacturing efficiency, and reduce time to market. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims. 
     Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.