Patent Publication Number: US-7589681-B2

Title: Wireless communication apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 96127760, filed on Jul. 30, 2007. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to a wireless communication apparatus, and more particularly, to a wireless communication apparatus utilizing a fastener to receive/transmit signals. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   The people of the modern society are being used to wireless communication means for conveying information and ideas, and accordingly, the usage efficiency of a wireless communication apparatus gets higher and higher and more diverse for various circumstances. The modem wireless communication apparatus includes, for example, handset, smart handset, multimedia player, PDA (personal digital assistant), aviation GPS (global positioning system), and the like. In addition, various compact wireless communication apparatuses have been gradually developed to become electronic products serving the daily necessities of people. 
   Generally speaking, the manner for a wireless communication apparatus to receive and process signals usually takes such a mode that an antenna is used to receive signals, then the signals received by the antenna is sent to a circuit for conducting a series of processing. For example,  FIG. 1  is a 3D-diagram with localized view of a conventional wireless communication apparatus, wherein a conventional wireless communication apparatus  100  includes a lower housing  110 , a substrate  120 , a screw  130 , an antenna  140 , an impedance-matching circuit  150  and a transceiver  160 . The antenna  140 , the impedance-matching circuit  150  and the transceiver  160  are disposed on the substrate  120 . 
   The conventional wireless communication apparatus  100  has a through hole  121  at a corner of the substrate  120 , the lower housing  110  has a nut  111  corresponding to the through hole  121 , and the screw  130  is suitable to be screwed into the through hole  121  and fixed in the nut  111  for fastening the substrate  120  with the lower housing  110 . Note that the miniaturization design consideration of the conventional wireless communication apparatus  100  requires the screw  130  to be disposed at a corner of the substrate  120 . In addition, in order to avoid the antenna  140  from being influence by hand holding effect, the antenna  140  may be disposed at the surrounding edges of the substrate  120  as well. 
   When both the antenna  140  and the screw  130  are disposed at a corner of the substrate  120  however, the capacity of receiving and transmitting electromagnetic signals of the antenna  140  is affected by the screw  130 . Therefore, in order to promote the receiving and transmitting capacity of the antenna  140 , the antenna  140  must be spaced apart by a specific distance (for example, 1 mm) or beyond the screw  130 . In other words, the conventional wireless communication apparatus  100  needs to pay a cost of larger hardware space for promoting the receiving and transmitting capacity thereof. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a wireless communication apparatus utilizing the body element of an antenna to fix a substrate and housings so as to make the hardware of the wireless communication apparatus more compact. 
   The present invention provides a wireless communication apparatus, which includes a housing, a substrate and an antenna. The substrate and the antenna are disposed in the housing, a first through hole is disposed at an edge of the substrate and the antenna includes a body element. In terms of the overall operation of the wireless communication apparatus, the antenna utilizes the body element for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal for the wireless communication apparatus to conduct a series of processing on the received electromagnetic signal. 
   In terms of the structure of the wireless communication apparatus, the first through hole passes through the body element of the antenna so as to fix the substrate in the housing where the above-mentioned antenna not only receives/transmits an electromagnetic signal, but also functions to fix the substrate. 
   In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned antenna further includes an extension element disposed on the substrate and coupled with the body element of the antenna, so that the antenna further utilizes the extension element thereof to receive/transmit an electromagnetic signal. Note that the body element and the extension element is comprised of a metal material, including for example but not limited to aluminum, steel, stainless steel, iron, copper, phosphor bronze, beryllium bronze, and the like; and the surface of the metal may be plated with a metal, such as nickel, zinc, and the like. 
   In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned housing includes a fastener, an upper housing and a lower housing, wherein the upper housing and the lower housing superpose each other to form a chamber to accommodate the substrate and the antenna, and the fastener is disposed in a chamber formed by the upper housing and the lower housing and is fixed in the lower housing. In addition, the upper housing has a second through hole corresponding to the first through hole, and the fastener is located corresponding to the first through hole. In this way, the body element of the antenna passes through the first through hole and the second through hole and is fastened to the fastener. 
   Note that when the material of the above-mentioned fastener is comprised of a metal, the antenna may further utilize the fastener to receive/transmit an electromagnetic signal. In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fastener may be a nut or a screwing die. 
   The present invention also provides a wireless communication apparatus, which includes a housing, a substrate and an antenna. The substrate and the antenna are disposed in the housing, and the antenna includes a body element. In terms of the overall operation of the wireless communication apparatus, the antenna utilizes the body element for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal. 
   Besides, in terms of the structure of the wireless communication apparatus, the body element of the antenna has a cavity for a corresponding side edge of the substrate to insert into. Since the body element of the antenna is fixed in the housing, thus, the substrate may be fixed in the housing through the antenna. In other words, the above-mentioned antenna not only receives/transmits an electromagnetic signal, but also functions to fix the substrate. 
   In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned body element includes a first component and a second component, wherein the first component is for forming a cavity associated with the side edge form of the substrate, while the second component is for connecting the first component and fixed in the housing. 
   Since the present invention employs an antenna that has the function of fixing the substrate, the wireless communication apparatus can be more compact, and therefore the cost can be reduced and the goal of device miniaturization can be achieved. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  is a 3D-diagram with localized view of a conventional wireless communication apparatus. 
       FIG. 2  is a structure diagram of a wireless communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded diagram of a housing and a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a structure diagram of a wireless communication apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
   Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
   The major feature of the present invention is the antenna in the wireless communication apparatus, which is employed for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal and also fix the housing and the substrate. In the following, the depicted embodiments together with the included drawings are exemplarily intended to describe, not to limit, the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art is allowed to modify the following embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, which still falls within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. 
   Prior to explaining the present invention by embodiments, the expansible wireless communication apparatus listed by the following embodiments may be handset, smart handset, multimedia player, PDA (personal digital assistant), aviation GPS (global positioning system), and the like, which are not limited by the present invention. 
     FIG. 2  is a structure diagram of a wireless communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 2 , a wireless communication apparatus  200  includes a housing  210 , a substrate  220 , an antenna  230 , an impedance-matching circuit  240  and a transceiver  250 , wherein the antenna  230  includes a body element  231 , a through hole  221  is disposed at the edge of the substrate  220 , the substrate  220  and the antenna  230  are disposed in the housing  210 , and the impedance-matching circuit  240  and the transceiver  250  are disposed on the substrate  220 . 
   In terms of the overall operation of the wireless communication apparatus  200 , the antenna  230  utilizes the body element  231  to receive/transmit an electromagnetic signal. Since the impedance-matching circuit  240  is coupled to the transceiver  250  and the antenna  230 , the electromagnetic signal received/transmitted by the antenna  230  would travel between the transceiver  250  and the antenna  230  via the impedance-matching circuit  240 , wherein the impedance-matching circuit  240  makes the impedance of the antenna  230  to match with that of the transceiver  250 , therefore, the energy loss during the travelling of the electromagnetic signal between the transceiver  250  and the antenna  230  is reduced. The transceiver  250  receives an electromagnetic signal in associated with the antenna  230  and then a series of processing is conducted on the received electromagnetic signal. 
   In order to avoid the antenna  230  from being influenced by hand holding effect, the antenna  230  is required to be disposed at an edge of the substrate  220 . Meanwhile, the through hole  221  is also disposed at the same edge of the substrate  220  at a same position as the antenna  230 . However, so-called edge of the substrate  220  includes a corner of the substrate  220  as well, thus as shown by  FIG. 2 , the through hole  221  of the present embodiment is disposed at a corner of the substrate  220  corresponding to the position of the antenna  230 . 
   In terms of the structure of the wireless communication apparatus  200 , the body element  231  of the antenna  230  would pass through the through hole  221  and be fixed in the housing  210  to fix the substrate  220  in the housing  210 . In other words, the antenna  230  of the embodiment not only receives/transmits an electromagnetic signal, but also functions to fix the substrate  220 . Compared to the prior art, the wireless communication apparatus  200  can be more compact, and therefore the cost can be reduced and the goal of the miniaturization can be achieved. 
   In more detail, the antenna  230  further includes an extension element  232  and the substrate  220  further has a metal film  222 , wherein the extension element  232  is disposed on the substrate  220 , the metal film  222  covers the surface of the through hole  221  and is coupled to the extension element  232  and the body element  231 . The extension element  232  is coupled to the body element  231  through the metal film  222 . Thus, the antenna  230  is able to further utilize the extension element  232  for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal. 
   It would be understood by those skilled in the art that once the extension element  232  and the body element  231  are coupled to each other, the antenna  230  is able to utilize the extension element  232  for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal. Therefore, although the embodiment explains an implementation of the couplings between the extension element  232  and the body element  231 , but it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the above-mentioned coupling means between the extension element  232  and the body element  231  as such. 
   In addition, the body element  231  and the extension element  232  of the embodiment are comprised of metal, including for example but not limited to aluminum, steel, stainless steel, iron, copper, phosphor bronze, beryllium bronze, and the like; and the surface of the metal may be plated with a metal, such as nickel, zinc, and the like. Furthermore, the body element  231  of the embodiment may be comprised of a screw, while the extension element  232  may be comprised of a metal wire, wherein the frequency range of the electromagnetic signal received and transmitted by the antenna  230  may be adjusted by changing the length of the screw length or the metal wire. 
   Continuing to refer  FIG. 2 , the housing  210  in the embodiment includes a fastener  211 , an upper housing  212  and a lower housing  213 , wherein the upper housing  212  and the lower housing  213  superpose each other to form a chamber to accommodate the substrate  220  and the antenna  230 . In addition, the fastener  211  is disposed in a chamber formed by the upper housing  212  and the lower housing  213 , and the fastener  211  is fixed in the lower housing  213  at a location corresponding to the location of the through hole  221  so as to enable the body element  231  to be fastened to the fastener  211 . 
   Although the embodiment provides a fastening implementation to enable the substrate  220  to be fixed in the housing  210  through the body element  231 , however those skilled in the art would understand that various methods for fastening the body element  231  and the fastener  211  may also be utilized to achieve the purpose of fixing the substrate  220  is fixed in the housing  210  by using the body element  231  of the antenna  230 , which shall also be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention. For example,  FIG. 3  is an exploded diagram of a housing and a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 3 , when the upper housing  212  has a through hole  241  corresponding to the fastener  211 , the body element  231  is able to pass through the through hole  241  to be fastened to the fastener  211 . In other words, the body element  231  simultaneously passes through the through holes  241  and  221  to be fixed in the fastener  211 , which enables the substrate  220  to be more firmly fixed in the housing  210 . 
   Since the body element  231  is fastened to the fastener  211 , which means the body element  231  and the fastener  211  are coupled to each other. Thus, when the fastener  211  is comprised of a metal material, the antenna  230  is able to further utilize the fastener  211  for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal. Note that the fastener  211  of the embodiment may be a nut or a screwing die. 
     FIG. 4  is a structural diagram of a wireless communication apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 4 , a wireless communication apparatus  400  includes a housing  410 , a substrate  420 , an antenna  430 , an impedance-matching circuit  440  and a transceiver  450 , wherein the substrate  420  and the antenna  430  are disposed in the housing  410 , and the impedance-matching circuit  440  and the transceiver  450  are disposed on the substrate  420 . 
   The operation of the embodiment is similar to that of  FIG. 2  that the antenna  430  is for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal, the impedance-matching circuit  440  is for reducing the energy loss during delivering the electromagnetic signal so as to make the transceiver  450  associated with the antenna  430  to receive a complete electromagnetic signal; in turn, the transceiver  450  also transmit a complete electromagnetic signal to the antenna  430  through the impedance-matching circuit  440 . 
   The major difference between the embodiment and that of  FIG. 2  rests in that although the antenna  430  provided by the embodiment functions to fix the substrate  420  as well, but with a different fixing method from that of  FIG. 2 . For example, referring to  FIG. 4 , the antenna  430  includes a body element  431  and an extension element  432 , and the body element  431  includes a first component  41  and a second component  42 , wherein the first component  41  has a cavity fitting the side edge form of the substrate  420 , so that the side edge of the substrate  420  is able to be inserted into the first component  41 . On the other hand, since the second component  42  connects the first component  41  and is fixed in the housing  410 , the substrate  420  is able to be fixed in the housing  410  through the antenna  430 . 
   Note that the extension element  432  is disposed on the substrate  420  and connected to the first component  41 , therefore, the antenna  430  is able to simultaneously utilize the body element  431  and the extension element  432  for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal. In the embodiment, the housing  410  includes a fastener  411 , an upper housing  412  and a lower housing  413 , wherein the upper housing  412  and the lower housing  413  superpose each other to form a chamber to accommodate the substrate  420  and the antenna  430 , while the fastener  411  is fixed in the lower housing  413  at a location corresponding to the location of the second component  42  so as to make the second component  42  fastened to the fastener  411 . 
   In addition, the body element  431  and the extension element  432  of the embodiment are comprised of a metal material, and the second component  42  is comprised of aluminum, steel, stainless steel, iron, copper, phosphor bronze, beryllium bronze, and the like; and the surface of the metal may be plated with metal, such as nickel, zinc, and the like. On the other hand, the second component  42  of the embodiment may be a screw, while the extension element  432  may be a metal wire, and the fastener  411  may be a nut or a screwing die. As to other details of the embodiment are covered by the above-mentioned embodiments, and omitted to describe herein. 
   In summary, the wireless communication apparatus of the present invention utilizes an antenna for receiving/transmitting an electromagnetic signal, and also utilizes the antenna to fix the substrate and the housing so that the wireless communication apparatus can be rendered more compact compared to the prior art. 
   The above described are preferred embodiments of the present invention only, which do not limit the implementation scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention covers modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.