English:
[0001] Computing devices generally include an antenna module to connect wirelessly to a base station. The antenna module may be included in a computing device such as a laptop, tablet, smartphone, cell phone, and the like. Specific absorption rate (SAR) is a way of measuring the quantity of radio frequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body. A computing device has to comply with a regulatory limit on SAR.
[0003] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computing device including an antenna module with an integrated proximity sensor element according to an implementation;
[0004] Fig. 2 is a top view of the antenna module with a parasitic proximity sensor element according to an implementation;
[0005] Fig. 3 is a top view of the antenna module with a proximity sensor element isolated within the ground plane according to an implementation;
[0006] Fig. 4 is a top view of the antenna module with the proximity sensor element in the ground plane according to an implementation;
[0007] Fig. 5 is a top view of the antenna module with the proximity sensor element in the active element of the antenna module according to an implementation; and
[0008] Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a method of forming an antenna module with an integrated proximity sensor element according to an implementation.
[0009] In order to comply with regulatory requirements, some antenna modules may be associated with a proximity sensor element near the antenna module. The proximity sensor element utilizes capacitive low frequency charge and discharge to detect changes in capacitance that may be associated with the proximity of the user. Providing the proximity sensor element near the antenna module requires additional volume reserved for the proximity sensor element pad. The present techniques relate to an antenna module having an integrated proximity sensor element. The antenna module includes the proximity sensor element within the structure. The proximity sensor element detects changes in capacitance that may be associated with the proximity of a user. The proximity sensor element may be integrated with circuitry of the antenna module to enable the antenna module to reduce transmission of signals, such as radio signals, to a tower, base station, wireless router, and the like.
[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computing device 100 including an antenna module 104 with an integrated proximity sensor element 105. The computing device 100 also includes a processor 106 and a storage device 108. The antenna module 1 04 may be a structure of a low profile antenna such as a patch antenna. The antenna module 104 may be constructed on a dielectric substrate, and communicatively coupled to the computing device 100.
[0011] The computing device 100 may be, for example, a laptop computer, desktop computer, tablet computer, mobile device, server, or cellular phone, a wearable computing device, among others. The processor 106 can be a single core processor, a multi-core processor, a computing cluster, or any number of other configurations. The processor 106 may be implemented as Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) or Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processors, x86 Instruction set compatible processors, multi-core, or any other microprocessor or central processing unit (CPU). In some embodiments, the main processor 1 06 includes dual-core processor(s), dual-core mobile processor(s), or the like.
[0012] The computing device 100 may include a memory device 1 1 0. The memory device 1 10 can include random access memory (e.g., SRAM, DRAM, zero capacitor RAM, SONOS, eDRAM, EDO RAM, DDR RAM, RRAM, PRAM, etc.), read only memory (e.g., Mask ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), flash memory, or any other suitable memory systems.
[0013] The processor 106 may be connected through a system bus 1 20 (e.g., PCI, ISA, PCI-Express, HyperTransport®, NuBus, etc.) to the sensor interface 104. The processor 106 may also be linked through the system bus 120 to the network interface 102 adapted to connect the computing device 1 00 to a radio communication system 1 10. The radio communication system 1 10 may be a structure disposed remote from the computing device 100 and may communicate with the computing device 100 via wireless signals. In some embodiments, the radio communication system 1 10 may be a wireless router, a peripheral computing device adapted to provide a wireless signal, a cell phone station, and the like.
[0014] The storage device 108 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The storage device 1 08 may have instructions stored thereon that when executed by the processor 106 cause the computing device 100 to perform operations. In some embodiments, the operations may be executed by a controller (not shown). In these embodiments, the controller may be a microcontroller configured to carry out the operations related to receiving voltage related to contextual data. In other embodiments, the operations may be executed by logic at least partially comprising hardware logic. Hardware logic at least partially includes hardware, and may also include software, or firmware. Hardware logic may include electronic hardware including interconnected electronic components to perform analog or logic operations on the computing device 100. Electronic hardware may include individual chips/circuits and distributed information processing systems. The operations may include reducing the communication of the antenna module 104 when a user is detected to be nearby. For example, the antenna module 104 may be electrically coupled to a transmitter configured to communicate radio frequencies with the radio communication system 1 10. If a user is nearby, the proximity sensor element 105 may reflect a change in capacitance. In response, the computing device 100 may reduce the signal strength of the transmitter.
[0015] Fig. 2 is a top view of the antenna module 104 with a parasitic proximity sensor element 206. The antenna module 1 04 includes an active element 202, a ground plane 204, and a proximity sensor element 206. In this and other embodiments, the active element 202 may be a sheet of metal mounted over the ground plane 204. The active element 202 is electrically coupled to a receiver (not shown) and a transmitter (not shown). The active element 202 may be configured to receive radio frequency signals by collecting incoming radio frequency signals to be provided to the receiver. The active element 202 may be configured to transmit and receive wireless communication. The active element 202 may be configured to transmit radio frequency signals by being driven by the transmitter. The ground plane 204 is an electrically conductive surface that may be electrically coupled to electrical ground. The ground plane 204 may be a conductive sheet of metal relatively larger than the active element 202. The active element 202, the proximity sensor element 206, and the ground plane 204 may be any type of conductive elements including stamped metal components, etched components of a printed circuit board, a metal deposits on a piece of plastic, and the like.
[0017] In these and other embodiments, the antenna module 104 may include an antenna window 208. The antenna window 208 may be a physical opening in a shell of the computing device 1 00. In some embodiments, the antenna window 208 may not be a physical opening but composed of material configured to enable wireless signals to pass through, including radio signals, to the radio communication system 1 10 of Fig. 1 . The antenna window 208 may also be configured to enable signals related to the proximity of a user to be received at the proximity sensor element 206.
[0018] The proximity sensor element 206 may be configured to detect the presence of nearby objects, such as a user of the computing device 100. The proximity sensor element 206 may be a proximity sensor such as a capacitive photoelectric sensor, an inductive proximity sensor or another proximity sensor. In one embodiment, the proximity sensor element 206 is a capacitive proximity sensor configured to detect a frequency charge and discharge associated with changes in a user's proximity. As shown in Fig. 2, the proximity sensor element 206 is integrated in the antenna module 1 04, and is disposed in a free space area of the antenna module 1 04 between the active element 202 and the ground plane 204.
[0019] Fig. 3 is a top view of the antenna module 104 including the proximity sensor element 206 isolated within the ground plane 204. In this embodiment, the proximity sensor element 206 may be disposed within a recess of the ground plane 204. The proximity sensor element 206 may be capacitively coupled via a dielectric material to the ground plane 204, and the proximity sensor 206 is separate from the active element 202. As shown in Fig. 3, the proximity sensor element 206 is more isolated from the active element 202, as compared to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, and thus, the active element 202 may have more volume to optimize radio frequency transmissions. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the antenna 104 may include an antenna window 302. The antenna window 302 may be relatively larger than the antenna window 208 illustrated in Fig. 2.
[0020] Fig. 4 is a top view of the antenna module 104 with the proximity sensor element 206 in the ground plane. In this embodiment, the proximity sensor element 206 may be integrated with the ground plane 204. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor element 206 is disposed within footprint of the active element 202, and the proximity element 206 is separate from the active element 202. In this embodiment, the antenna module 104 may also include a low pass filter 404 and a high pass filter 406. The low pass filter 404 may receive signals from both the ground plane 204 and the proximity sensor element 206. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the low pass filter 404 is an inline element of the sensor pad interconnect 212. The low pass filter 404 may be configured to enable proximity signals to be communicated to the computing device 100 by substantially filtering out high frequency signals associated with the ground plane 404. Likewise, the high pass filter 406 is an inline element of the conductive interconnect 210. The high pass filter 406 may be configured to receive signals from both the active element 202 and the proximity sensor element 206. The high pass filter 504 may be configured to enable radio signals to be communicated to the computing device 100 by substantially filtering out low frequency signals associated with the proximity sensor element 206. By integrating the proximity sensor element 206 with the ground plane 206, the active element 202 may reference the entire ground plane 204 for increased radio frequency performance, in comparison to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the antenna window 402 may be relatively large when compared to the antenna window 208 or the antenna window 302 as in the embodiments illustrated in either Fig. 2 or Fig. 3.
[0021] Fig. 5 is a top view of the antenna module 104 with the proximity sensor element 206 in the active element 202 of the antenna module 104. In this embodiment, the proximity sensor element 206 may be integrated with the active element 202, yet the proximity element 206 is separate from the active element 202. In this embodiment, the antenna module 104 may also include a low pass filter 502 and a high pass filter 504. The low pass filter 504 may receive signals from both the active element 202 and the proximity sensor element 206. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the low pass filter 502 is an inline element of the sensor pad interconnect 212. The low pass filter 502 may be configured to enable proximity signals to be communicated to the computing device 100 by substantially filtering out high frequency signals associated with the active element 202. Likewise, the high pass filter 504 is an inline element of the conductive interconnect 210. The high pass filter 504 may be configured to receive signals from both the active element 202 and the proximity sensor element 206. The high pass filter 504 may be configured to enable radio signals to be communicated to the computing device 1 00 by substantially filtering out low frequency signals associated with the proximity sensor element 206. In some embodiments, a footprint of the proximity sensor element 206 is disposed within a footprint of the ground plane 204. By integrating the proximity sensor element 206 with the active element 202, the antenna window 208 may not need to be smaller than the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, and may be relatively smaller an antenna window 302 and 402 in the embodiments illustrated in either Fig. 3 or Fig. 4, respectively.
[0022] Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a method of forming an antenna module with an integrated proximity sensor element. The method 600 may include forming an antenna module having a structure comprising an active element and a ground plane. The method 600 may include forming a proximity sensor element integrated within the antenna module.
[0023] In some embodiments, the proximity sensor element is formed between the active element and the ground plane. In other embodiments, the method 600 may include forming a recess within the ground plane, wherein the proximity sensor element is formed within the recess of the ground plane. In other embodiments, the proximity sensor element is formed to be integrated with the ground plane. In other embodiments, the proximity sensor element is formed to be integrated with the active element. In yet other embodiments, the proximity sensor element is formed to be capacitively coupled to the ground plane.
[0025] The terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set from by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible within the scope of the invention, which is intended to be defined by the following claims - and there equivalents - in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated.

中文:
[0001]计算设备通常包括天线模块,以无线连接至基站。天线模块可以包括在诸如笔记本电脑、平板电脑、智能电话、蜂窝电话等之类的计算设备中。比吸收率(SAR)是一种测量人体吸收射频(RF)能量的量的方法。计算设备必须符合对SAR的监管限制。
[0003]图1是示出根据实施方式的包括天线模块的计算设备的框图,该天线模块具有集成的接近传感器元件;
[0004]图2是根据实施方式的具有寄生接近传感器元件的天线模块的俯视图;
[0005]图3是根据实施方式的具有在接地面内隔离的接近传感器元件的天线模块的俯视图;
[0006]图4是根据实施方式的其中接近传感器元件位于接地面中的天线模块的俯视图;
[0007]图5是根据实施方式的其中接近传感器元件位于天线模块的有源元件中的天线模块的俯视图;
[0008]图6是示出根据实施方式的用于形成具有集成的接近传感器元件的天线模块的方法的框图。
[0009]为了符合监管要求,一些天线模块可以与天线模块附近的接近传感器元件关联。接近传感器元件利用电容式低频充放电来检测可与用户的接近度关联的电容改变。在天线模块附近提供接近传感器元件需要为接近传感器元件垫预留的附加体积。本技术涉及具有集成的接近传感器元件的天线模块。该天线模块包括位于结构内的接近传感器元件。该接近传感器元件检测可与用户的接近度关联的电容改变。接近传感器元件可以与天线模块的电路集成,以使天线模块能够减少信号(诸如无线电信号)到塔、基站、无线路由器等的传输。
[0010]图1是示出包括天线模块104的计算设备100的框图,天线模块104具有集成的接近传感器元件105。计算设备100还包括处理器106和存储设备108。天线模块104可以是诸如贴片天线的低剖面天线的结构。天线模块104可以被构建在电介质衬底上,并通信联接至计算设备100。
[0011]计算设备100可以是例如笔记本电脑计算机、台式计算机、平板计算机、移动设备、服务器或蜂窝式电话、可佩戴的计算设备等。处理器106可以是单核处理器、多核处理器、计算集群或任意数目的其它配置。处理器106可以被实施为复杂指令集计算机(CISC)或精简指令集计算机(RISC)处理器、x86指令集兼容处理器、多核、或任何其它微处理器或中央处理单元(CPU)。在一些实施例中,主处理器106包括双核处理器、双核移动处理器等。
[0012]计算设备100可以包括存储设备110。存储设备110可以包括随机存取存储器(例如,SRAM、DRAM、零电容器的RAM、SONOS、eDRAM、EDO RAM、DDR RAM、RRAM、PRAM等)、只读存储器(例如,掩模ROM、PROM、EPROM、EEPROM等)中、闪存或任何其它合适的存储系统。
[0013]处理器106可以通过系统总线120(例如,PCI、ISA、PCI-Express、NuBus等)连接至传感器接口104。处理器106还可以通过系统总线120链接至网络接口102,网络接口102适用于将计算设备100连接至无线电通信系统110。无线电通信系统110可以是远离计算设备100布置的结构,并可以经由无线信号与计算设备100通信。在一些实施例中,无线电通信系统110可以是无线路由器、适用于提供无线信号的外围计算设备、蜂窝电话站等。
[0014]存储设备108可以是非临时性计算机可读介质。存储设备108上可以存储有指令,指令在被处理器106执行时促使计算设备100执行操作。在一些实施例中,操作可以由控制器执行(未示出)。在这些实施例中,控制器可以是微处理器,其被配置为执行与接收关于上下文数据的电压有关的操作。在其它实施例中,操作可以由至少部分包括硬件逻辑的逻辑执行。硬件逻辑至少部分包括硬件,并且还可以包括软件或固件。硬件逻辑可以包括包含互连的电子部件的电子硬件,以在计算设备100上执行模拟或逻辑操作。电子硬件可以包括单个芯片/电路和分布式信息处理系统。操作可以包括在检测到用户在附近时减少天线模块104的通信。例如,天线模块104可以电联接至发射器,发射器被配置为与无线电通信系统110互相传递射频。如果用户在附近,则接近传感器元件105可以反映电容改变。作为响应,计算设备100可以减少发射器的信号强度。
[0015]图2是具有寄生接近传感器元件206的天线模块104的俯视图。天线模块104包括有源元件202、接地面204和接近传感器元件206。在这个和其它的实施例中,有源元件202可以是安装在接地面204上的金属薄片。有源元件202电联接至接收器(未示出)和发射器(未示出)。有源元件202可以被配置为通过收集待提供至接收器的输入射频信号来接收射频信号。有源元件202可以被配置为发送和接收无线通信。有源元件202可以被配置为通过被发射器驱动来发送射频信号。接地面204是可以电联接至电接地的导电表面。接地面204可以是相对大于有源元件202的导电金属薄片。有源元件202、接近传感器元件206和接地面204可以是包括冲压金属部件、印刷电路板的蚀刻部件、在塑料片上的金属沉积等的任意类型的导电元件。
[0017]在这些和其它实施例中,天线模块104可以包括天线窗208。天线窗208可以是计算设备100的外壳中的物理开口。在一些实施例中,天线窗208可以不是物理开口,而是由被配置为使包括无线电信号的无线信号穿过至图1的无线电通信系统110的材料组成。天线窗208还可以被配置为使与用户的接近度有关的信号能够在接近传感器元件206处被接收。
[0018]接近传感器元件206可以被配置为检测附近目标的存在,诸如计算设备100的用户。接近传感器元件206可以是诸如电容式光电传感器、感应式接近传感器或其它接近传感器之类的接近传感器。在一个实施例中,接近传感器元件206是被配置为检测与用户的接近度改变关联的频率充放电的电容式接近传感器。如图2所示,接近传感器元件206被集成在天线模块104中,并且被布置在天线模块104中有源元件202与接地面204之间的自由空间区域中。
[0019]图3是包括在接地面204内隔离的接近传感器元件206的天线模块104的俯视图。在这个实施例中,接近传感器元件206可以被布置在接地面204的凹槽内。接近传感器元件206可以经由电介质材料电容性联接至接地面204,并且接近传感器206与有源元件202分离。如图3所示,与图2中示出的实施例相比,接近传感器元件206与有源元件202隔离更多,因此,有源元件202可以具有更大的体积来优化射频传输。如图3所示,天线104可以包括天线窗302。天线窗302可以相对大于图2中示出的天线窗208。
[0020]图4是具有位于接地面中的接近传感器元件206的天线模块104的俯视图。在这个实施例中,接近传感器元件206可以与接地面204集成。在一些实施例中,接近传感器元件206被布置在有源元件202的覆盖区(footprint)内,并且接近元件206与有源元件202分离。在这个实施例中,天线模块104还可以包括低通滤波器404和高通滤波器406。低通滤波器404可以从接地面204和接近传感器元件206接收信号。如图4所示,低通滤波器404是传感器垫互连212的内联元件。低通滤波器404可以被配置为通过充分过滤掉与接地面404关联的高频信号,来使接近度信号能够被传递至计算设备100。类似地,高通滤波器406是导电互连210的内联元件。高通滤波器406可以被配置为从有源元件202和接近传感器元件206接收信号。高通滤波器504可以被配置为通过充分过滤掉与接近传感器元件206关联的低频信号,来使无线电信号被传递至计算设备100。通过将接近传感器元件206与接地面206集成,与图3中示出的实施例相比,对于增加的射频性能,有源元件202可以参照整个接地面204。在这个实施例中,在与图2或图3中示出的实施例中的天线窗208或天线窗302相比时,天线窗402可以相对较大。
[0021]图5是接近传感器元件206位于天线模块104的有源元件202中的天线模块104的俯视图。在这个实施例中,接近传感器元件206可以与有源元件202集成,但是接近元件206与有源元件202分离。在这个实施例中,天线模块104还可以包括低通滤波器502和高通滤波器504。低通滤波器504可以从有源元件202和接近传感器元件206接收信号。如图5所示,低通滤波器502是传感器垫互连212的内联元件。低通滤波器502可以被配置为通过充分过滤掉与有源元件202关联的高频信号,来使接近度信号被传递至计算设备100。类似地,高通滤波器504是导电互连210的内联元件。高通滤波器504可以被配置为从有源元件202和接近传感器元件206接收信号。高通滤波器504可以被配置为通过充分过滤掉与接近传感器元件206关联的低频信号,来使无线电信号被传递至计算设备100。在一些实施例中,接近传感器元件206的覆盖区被布置在接地面204的覆盖区内。通过将接近传感器元件206与有源元件202集成,天线窗208可以不需要小于图2中示出的实施例,并且可以分别相对小于图3或图4中示出的实施例中的天线窗302和402。
[0022]图6是示出形成具有集成的接近传感器元件的天线模块的方法的框图。方法600可以包括形成具有包括有源元件和接地面的结构的天线模块。方法600可以包括形成集成在天线模块内的接近传感器元件。
[0023]在一些实施例中,接近传感器元件形成在有源元件与接地面之间。在其它实施例中,方法600可以包括形成接地面内的凹槽,其中接近传感器元件形成在接地面的凹槽内。在其它实施例中,接近传感器元件被形成为与接地面集成。在其它实施例中,接近传感器元件被形成为与有源元件集成。在又一个实施例中,接近传感器元件被形成为电容性联接至接地面。
[0025]本文中使用的术语、表述和数字仅以示例方式给出并且没有限制的意思。本领域内技术人员将认识到,在由所附权利要求书及其等效物定义的本发明范围内可以有许多变例,其中所有术语具有其最宽的合理含义,除非另有规定。