Abstract:
According to one embodiment, a data sending and receiving terminal includes a first body, a second body connected to the first body, the second body forming an opening and closing mechanism for the first body, a plurality of first antennas embedded in the first body, and a plurality of second antennas embedded in the second body. According to another embodiment, a method of configuring a data sending and receiving terminal having a first body and a second body is disclosed. The method includes: embedding a plurality of first antennas in the first body; embedding a plurality of second antennas in the second body; and coupling the first body and the second body such that the second body has an open state and a closed state relative to the first body.

Description:
[0001]    Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a), this application claims the benefit of earlier filing date and right of priority to Korean Application No. 10-2009-0094610, filed on Oct. 6, 2009, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a data sending and receiving terminal and, in particular, to a data sending and receiving terminal which is connected to external information terminals through a wired/wireless interface and sends and receives data by using multi-input multi-output technology. 
         [0004]    2. Discussion of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Mobile communication technology is evolving to the 4th generation mobile communications. A core technology of the 4th generation mobile communication technology is multi-input multi-output (MIMO) technology. MIMO technology utilizes a multiple antenna signal processing scheme which sends and receives data by using multiple antennas in a mobile environment. 
         [0006]    By sending and receiving data simultaneously through a plurality of antennas, MIMO technology implements broadband wireless data communication and significantly enhances data sending and receiving speed, thereby increasing data transfer rate. Based on MIMO technology, if signals are transmitted through N antennas arranged in the sending side along with N antennas arranged in the receiver side, an N times increase in transfer rate can be obtained. 
         [0007]    In particular, if MIMO technology is used together with OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), which has been incorporated into LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology representing the 4th generation mobile communication technology, high speed data transmission and high data capacity can be obtained, by which a communication environment optimized for multimedia services can be realized. OFDM technology, which employs a scheme that assigns data into multiple frequency and time ranges, can divide a single channel into several sub-channels; by allowing overlap between the sub-channels, bandwidth is saved and frequency interference can be minimized as the frequency band is divided into hundreds of sub-bands. 
         [0008]    Demand for small sized (or smaller-sized) devices for sending and receiving data is rapidly growing, where the device is attached to an information terminal, such as a computer or a mobile phone, and relays data between the information terminal and a mobile communication network or between the information terminal and a wireless Internet network. However, MIMO technology requires multiple antennas and cannot be easily applied to a small sized device for sending and receiving data because of a coupling problem among the antennas and limited dimensions (or capacity) for installing multiple antennas. 
         [0009]    Recently, a new LTE frequency band lower than the pre-existing 700 MHz frequency band of 3GPP bands 12, 13, and 17 has been assigned. Accordingly, the ground plane of an antenna, namely, the size of a printed circuit board (PCB), should be enlarged. Due to the limited dimensions of a small sized terminal, however, it is not easy to design an antenna ground plane appropriate for the new LTE frequency band. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    Embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to a data sending and receiving terminal, where the terminal is portable and employs multi-input and multi-output technology. 
         [0011]    According to one embodiment, a data sending and receiving terminal includes a first body, a second body connected to the first body, the second body forming an opening and closing mechanism for the first body, a plurality of first antennas embedded in the first body, and a plurality of second antennas embedded in the second body. 
         [0012]    According to another embodiment, a method of configuring a data sending and receiving terminal having a first body and a second body is disclosed. The method includes: embedding a plurality of first antennas in the first body; embedding a plurality of second antennas in the second body; and coupling the first body and the second body such that the second body has an open state and a closed state relative to the first body. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The above and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description of embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of a data sending and receiving terminal according to one embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate perspective views of a data sending and receiving terminal according to one embodiment; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4A  illustrates a front view of internal portions of a data sending and receiving terminal according to one embodiment; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4B  illustrates a side view of internal portions of the data sending and receiving terminal of  FIG. 4A ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4C  illustrates a rear view of internal portions of the data sending and receiving terminal of  FIG. 4A ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates a connection configuration of a first body and a second body of a data sending and receiving terminal according to one embodiment; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates a connection configuration of a first body and a second body of a data sending and receiving terminal according to one embodiment; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of an external information terminal to which a data sending and receiving terminal according to one embodiment is connected. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawing figures which form a part hereof, and which show by way of illustration specific embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in this technological field that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural, electrical, as well as procedural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. 
         [0023]    A mobile terminal according to various embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use herein of a suffix such as “module” or “unit” is applied merely for ease of description, and the suffix itself does not give any special meaning or function. Therefore, it should be noted that the suffix “module” or “unit” may be interchangeably used relative to each other. 
         [0024]    A data sending and receiving device according to various embodiments may include a data card of a USB (Universal Serial Bus) dongle type, a dongle terminal (or a broadband wireless adaptor), an MP3 player, a PMP (Portable Media Player), a mobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), and/or a navigation terminal. 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of a data sending and receiving terminal according to one embodiment. With reference to  FIG. 1 , the data sending and receiving terminal  100  includes a control module  101 , a communication module  102 , an interface module  103 , a memory  104 , an identification module  105 , and a power module  106 . 
         [0026]    The control module  101  is connected to an external information terminal such as a personal computer or a notebook computer (see, for example,  FIG. 7 ) through the interface module  103  and provides the communication module  102  with data from the information terminal. The control module  101  stores data from the external information terminal into the memory  104 , reads out data stored in the memory  104 , and provides the data for (or to) the communication module  102 . Also, the control module  101  checks data received from the communication module  102  for errors, transforms the checked data into a signal complying with specifications requested by the external information terminal, and transfers the signal into the interface module  103 . 
         [0027]    The communication module  102  may include more than one module which enables wireless communication between the data sending and receiving terminal  100  and a wireless communication system or between the data sending and receiving terminal  100  and a network to which the data sending and receiving terminal  100  belongs. For example, the communication module  102  may include a mobile communication module, a broadcasting receiver module, a wireless Internet module, a short range communication module, and/or a location information module. These communication modules can be adjusted selectively by a manufacturer. 
         [0028]    According to one embodiment, the communication module  102  modulates data received from the control module  101  according to mobile communication specifications, transmits the modulated data to base stations of a mobile communication network through more than one primary antenna (e.g., primary antenna  107 _ 1 , . . . , primary antenna  107 _N, where N is a positive integer) and more than one diversity antenna (e.g., diversity antenna  108 _ 1 , . . . , diversity antenna  108 _N), demodulates data received from the base stations of the mobile communication network, and provides the demodulated data to the control module  101 . 
         [0029]    The mobile communication specifications may include CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), CDMA2000, HRPD (High Rate Packet Data), and/or UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband). The mobile communication specifications may further include those of the 4th generation mobile communication network, for example, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) specifications, and 3GPP2 UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband) specifications. 
         [0030]    The primary antennas  107 _ 1 , . . . ,  107 _N may include a PCS (Personal Communication Service) primary antenna which sends and receives signals at a PCS frequency, a CDMA/DCN (Digital Cellular Network)/WCDMA primary antenna which sends and receives signals at a CDMA/DCN/WCDMA frequency, a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) primary antenna which sends and receives signals at a GSM frequency, an LTE/UMB primary antenna which sends and receives signals at an LTE/UMB frequency, and a combination thereof (e.g., a combination totaling two or more of the above-noted antennas). The diversity antennas  108 _ 1 , . . . ,  108 _N may include a diversity antenna for e-HRPD which receives signals at a PCS frequency, a diversity antenna for HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access)/HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access)/HSPA which receives signals at a WCDMA frequency, a diversity antenna for LTE which receives signals at an LTE frequency, and a combination thereof (e.g., a combination totaling two or more of the above-noted antennas). 
         [0031]    Each antenna can additionally utilize a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna for multi-module implementation. The data sending and receiving terminal  100  may further include a broadcasting receiving antenna and a short range communication antenna as well as primary antennas  107 _ 1 , . . . ,  107 _N and diversity antennas  108 _ 1 , . . . ,  108 _N. 
         [0032]    A broadcasting receiving module, which that may be included in the communication module  102 , receives broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting-related information from an external broadcasting management server through a broadcasting receiving antenna. Such signals and information may be received over a broadcasting channel that may include a satellite channel and/or a terrestrial channel. A broadcasting receiving module may receive digital broadcasting signals from a digital broadcasting system such as DMB-T (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial), DMB-S (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite), MediaFLO (Media Forward Link Only), DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld), and ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). 
         [0033]    The broadcasting management server may be either a server which generates and transmits broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting-related information or a server which receives previously generated broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting-related information and provides them to terminals. In addition to TV broadcasting signals, radio broadcasting signals, and data broadcasting signals, the broadcasting signals may further include broadcasting signals including data broadcasting signals combined with TV broadcasting signals or radio broadcasting signals. 
         [0034]    Broadcasting-related information may be information about broadcasting channels, broadcasting programs, or broadcasting service providers. Broadcasting-related information may be provided through a mobile communication network with broadcasting-related information received by the communication module  102 . Broadcasting-related information can be produced in the form of an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of a DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) system or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of a DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld) system. 
         [0035]    A wireless Internet module, which may be included in the communication module  102 , is connected to a wireless Internet network through WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi, Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), or HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access). A short range communication module, which may be included in the communication module  102 , sends and receives data based on short range communication specifications of Bluetooth™, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), UWB (Ultra Wideband), or ZigBee™. A location information module, which may be included in the communication module  102 , may be implemented by a GPS module. 
         [0036]    According to one embodiment, the interface module  103  receives data or power from the external information terminal and provides the data or power to individual circuit modules inside the data sending and receiving terminal  100 ; the interface module  103  also transmits data from the control module  101  to the external information terminal. The interface module  103  controls a wired/wireless connection of the interface module  103  and the external information terminal as well as an interface controller. 
         [0037]    An interface controller includes a wired interface controller and/or a wireless interface controller. For example, an interface controller may include at least one of a USB (Universal Serial Bus) controller, a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transceiver) controller, a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) controller, and an RS232 controller. 
         [0038]    The interface module  103  may include a wired/wireless data interface, a memory card port, and an identification module card port. The wired/wireless data interface may include a USB port, a UART port, a PCMCIA port, and an RS232 port. The USB port may include a USB connector. 
         [0039]    An identification module may be inserted into the identification module card port of the interface module  103  in a removable manner and thus can be connected to the data sending and receiving terminal  100 . When the data sending and receiving terminal  100  is connected to the external information terminal through a wired/wireless data interface and a request for authentication related to electronic commerce or electronic banking is received from the external information terminal, the control module  101  reads out information stored in the identification module  105  and transfers the data to the external information terminal. 
         [0040]    The identification module may include a user identity module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), and a universal subscriber identity module (USIM). The identification module may be manufactured in the form of a smart card and store information such as a phone number, telephone call information, and billing information. 
         [0041]    The power module  106  provides power for circuit modules which require power inside the data sending and receiving terminal  100 . In embodiments where power may be provided by the external information terminal through the interface module  103 , the power module  106  may or may not be required. 
         [0042]      FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate perspective views (from different directions) of an exterior of a data sending and receiving terminal  100  according to one embodiment. The exterior of the terminal  100  is not limited to that shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and it should be understood that the exterior can be modified in various ways. 
         [0043]    With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the data sending and receiving terminal  100  includes a first body  10  and a second body  20 , which are joined together via a hinge  40 . The first body  10  and the second body  10  are rotatably joined via the hinge  40 . A USB connector  30  is formed in the first body  10 . 
         [0044]    The first body  10  includes a case (e.g., a casing, housing, or cover) on which an exterior image may be displayed. The first body  10  may be divided into a front case (or front casing) and a rear case (or rear casing). According to one embodiment, various electronic components for realizing circuit blocks of  FIG. 1  are installed in an inner volume formed between the front case and the rear case of the first body  10 . More than one primary antenna (e.g., primary antennas  107 _ 1 ,  107 _N of  FIG. 1 ) and more than one diversity antenna (e.g., diversity antennas  108 _ 1 ,  108 _N of  FIG. 1 ) are embedded in the first body  10 . 
         [0045]    The second body  20  can be divided into a front case (or front casing) and a rear case (or rear casing). An inner volume formed between the front case and the rear case of the second body  20  incorporates more than one primary antenna (e.g., primary antenna  107 _ 1  of  FIG. 1 ) and more than one diversity antenna (e.g., diversity antenna  108 _ 1  of  FIG. 1 ). The second body  20  can be operated to cover and uncover the USB connector  30  via the hinge  40 . An identification module  105  card can be connected to the second body  20  in a removable manner. 
         [0046]    The cases of the first and the second body  10 ,  20  can be manufactured by injection molding of synthetic resin or manufactured to have metallic material such as steel use stainless (SUS) (or stainless steel) or titanium (Ti). 
         [0047]    The USB connector  30  protrudes from the first body  10 . The data sending and receiving terminal  100  may perform data communication with an external information terminal through the USB connector  30  which is connected to a USB interface of the external information terminal. If the data sending and receiving terminal  100  and the external information terminal utilize a wireless interface, a wireless interface means can be installed in the first body  10  instead of (or in addition to) the USB connector  30 . 
         [0048]      FIGS. 4A to 4C  show internal portions of a data sending and receiving terminal  100  according to one embodiment.  FIG. 4A  illustrates a front view of internal portions of the terminal  100 ,  FIG. 4B  illustrates a side view of internal portions of the terminal, and  FIG. 4C  illustrates a rear view of internal portions of the terminal. 
         [0049]    With reference to  FIGS. 4A to 4C , more than one printed circuit board (PCB)  51 ,  52  are embedded in a first body  10 , and more than one primary antenna (e.g., primary antennas  107 _ 1 ,  107 _N of  FIG. 1 ) and more than one diversity antenna (e.g., diversity antennas  108 _ 1 ,  108 _N of  FIG. 1 ) are installed in one of the printed circuit boards  51 ,  52 . Antennas embedded in the first body  10  may be realized by broadband monopole antennas operational at 700 Mhz/850 Mhz/1900 Mhz. 
         [0050]    According to one embodiment, most of the circuit blocks illustrated in  FIG. 1  are mounted in the printed circuit boards  51 ,  52 . For example, the control module  101 , the communication module  102 , the interface module  103 , the memory  104 , and the power module  106  may be mounted in the printed circuit boards  51 ,  52 . If the printed circuit board  51 ,  52  is divided into more than two parts, the printed circuit boards  51 ,  52  may be connected electrically through a flexible PCB (FPCB) connector. 
         [0051]    According to one embodiment, more than one primary antenna (e.g., primary antennas  107 _ 1 ,  107 _N) and more than one diversity antenna (e.g., diversity antennas  108 _ 1 ,  108 _N) are embedded in the second body  20 , and an identification module card port, through which an identification module  105  card is inserted in a removable manner, is installed in the second body  20 . Each antenna embedded in the second body  20  may be a chip antenna or a monopole antenna operational at 700 Mhz/850 Mhz/1900 Mhz. 
         [0052]    Also, with reference to  FIG. 4A , FPCBs  61 ,  62  connect the antennas of the second body  20  and the identification module  105  card electrically to the PCBs  51 ,  52  of the first body  10 . The FPCBs  61 ,  62  are embedded in the second body  20 . 
         [0053]    Antennas embedded in the second body  20 , which are connected to the first body  10  through FPCBs  61 ,  62  or a coaxial cable (not shown), may obtain power from the first body  10 . To facilitate the antenna embedded in the second body  20  obtaining power from the first body  10  through the FPCB or a coaxial cable, a ground plane of the antennas embedded in the first body  10  and a ground plane of the antennas embedded in the second body  20  are separated from each other, thereby improving isolation between the antennas. 
         [0054]    The second body  20  of the sending and receiving terminal  100  can be connected to the first body  10  to form an opening and closing mechanism for the first body  10  (see, for example,  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the second body  20  may be connected to the first body  10  via any of various connection configurations—for example, a slide type, a swivel type, and/or a swing type connector. 
         [0055]    With reference to  FIG. 7 , the data sending and receiving terminal  100  can be connected to an external information terminal  200  through a USB interface. When the data sending and receiving terminal  100  is connected to the external information terminal  200  according to a particular embodiment, it may be desirable for the second body  20  to rotate around (or about) the first body  10  through the hinge  40  such that an external surface of the second body  20  and an adjacent external surface of the first body  10  form an angle of approximately 90°. 
         [0056]    This configuration addresses a mechanical constraint that the second body  20  should be opened 90° from the first body  10  to connect the data sending and receiving terminal  100  to the external information terminal  200  through the USB interface. This configuration also addresses the situation that, when the first body  10  and the second body  20  form a right angle to each other, antennas embedded in the first body  10  and antennas embedded in the second body  20  form an orthogonal arrangement and achieve polarity diversity, thereby providing excellent (or at least more optimal) MIMO quality. If an antenna embedded in the second body  20  includes a patch type chip antenna, isolation among the antennas embedded in the first body  10  and antennas embedded in the second body  20  is improved and, thus, interference among the antennas can be minimized (or at least reduced). 
         [0057]    According to various embodiments, the data sending and receiving terminal  100  is manufactured to have a compact size to increase portability. If primary antennas (e.g., primary antennas  107 _ 1 ,  107 _N of  FIG. 1 ) and diversity antennas (e.g., diversity antennas  108 _ 1 ,  108 _N of  FIG. 1 ) are arranged to implement MIMO technology in the compact sized data sending and receiving terminal  100  for sending and receiving data, a coupling effect between the primary and diversity antennas may be generated due to the spatial positioning of the antennas. To minimize (or reduce) this coupling effect between the antennas, an isolation distance between the primary antennas (e.g., primary antennas  107 _ 1 ,  107 _N) and the diversity antennas (e.g., diversity antennas  108 _ 1 ,  108 _N) is increased. For example, with reference to  FIG. 4C , diversity antennas  108 _ 1  and  108 _ 2  are embedded in the second body  20 , and primary antenna  107 _ 1  is arranged in the first body  10  at an end of the first body opposite to the end of the first body at which the hinge  40  is located. 
         [0058]    As described in detail above with reference to various embodiments, by embedding antennas in the first body and embedding antennas in the second body that forms an opening and closing mechanism for the first body, MIMO technology may be implemented. Furthermore, a coupling effect between antennas in a compact sized portable terminal may be reduced. 
         [0059]    The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses and processes. The description of embodiments of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.