Patent Publication Number: US-9853352-B1

Title: Antenna module, signal enhancement device and communication device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a signal enhancement device with an antenna module as a part of a communication device for enhancing signal quality of the communication device. 
     2. The Related Art 
     At present, communication devices such as mobile phone include a communication antenna, a battery, a radio frequency module, and other kinds of electronic components. The communication antenna is easily affected by electromagnetic coupling effects of adjacent electronic components to make the efficiency of the communication antenna reduced. Designers reserve an isolation distance between the communication antenna and the adjacent electronic components in order to solve the problem of the electromagnetic coupling effects. Nevertheless, the above design method increases inner space of the mobile phone. 
     In order to solve the above problems, some designers embed the communication antenna in a framework of the mobile phone or the other communication devices. In some instances, the communication antenna is put in a middle of a back cover of the mobile phone. However, users&#39; hands cover the back cover when holding the mobile phone, which interferes with the communication antenna of the mobile phone. Therefore, how to design a communication device capable of transmitting and receiving signals with a good effect has become an important research direction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A first object of the present invention is to provide an antenna module for being fixed to a back cover having a backboard and a top board. The antenna module includes a base portion of board shape for being fixed on a portion of an inside surface of the backboard adjacent to the top board, a first bending portion connected with a top edge of the base portion for being fixed on an inside surface of the top board, a second bending portion connected with a distal end of the first bending portion for being fixed on a front end surface of the top board, and a third bending portion connected with a distal end of the second bending portion for being fixed on an outside surface of the top board and a portion of an outside surface of the backboard adjacent to the top board. 
     A second object of the present invention is to provide a signal enhancement device suitable for a main body with a communication antenna. The signal enhancement device includes a back cover and an antenna module. The back cover includes a backboard for covering a rear surface of the main body and a top board connected with a top end of the backboard for covering a top of the main body. The antenna module is set in a top of the back cover and includes a base portion of board shape, a first bending portion connected with a top edge of the base portion, a second bending portion connected with a distal end of the first bending portion and a third bending portion connected with a distal end of the second bending portion. The base portion is fixed in a portion of an inside surface of the backboard adjacent to the top board, the first bending portion is fixed in an inside surface of the top board, the second bending portion is fixed in a front end face of the top board, the third bending portion is fixed in an outside surface of the top board and a portion of an outside surface of the backboard adjacent to the top board. 
     A third object of the present invention is to provide a communication antenna which includes a main body and a signal enhancement device. The main body has a communication antenna therein for executing communication functions. The signal enhancement device is mounted on the main body and includes a back cover and an antenna module. The back cover includes a backboard for covering a rear surface of the main body and a top board connected with a top end of the backboard for covering a top of the main body. The antenna module is set in a top of the back cover and faces to and is spaced from the communication antenna for coupling with the communication antenna. The antenna module includes a base portion of board shape, a first bending portion connected with a top edge of the base portion, a second bending portion connected with a distal end of the first bending portion and a third bending portion connected with a distal end of the second bending portion. The base portion is fixed in a portion of an inside surface of the backboard adjacent to the top board, the first bending portion is fixed in an inside surface of the top board, the second bending portion is fixed in a front end face of the top board, the third bending portion is fixed in an outside surface of the top board and a portion of an outside surface of the backboard adjacent to the top board. 
     As described above, when the signal enhancement device is mounted on the main body, the antenna module faces to and is spaced from the communication antenna for coupling with the communication antenna. The antenna module is used to send and receive signals of a frequency range covering 2.4 GHz that is suitable for Bluetooth and WiFi (Wireless Fidelity). The antenna module couples with the communication antenna of the main body so as to enhance signal quality of the communication antenna. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an explosive view of a communication device in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an antenna module of a signal enhancement device of the communication device in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a signal enhancement device  10  according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a back cover  20  and an antenna module  30 . The signal enhancement device  10  is used as a part of a communication device. The communication device further includes a main body  40  with a communication antenna  41  therein. In some embodiments, the main body  40  is a mobile phone. The main body  40  executes predetermined communication functions by the communication antenna  41 . The antenna module  30  sends and receives signals of at least one wireless frequency band and couples with the communication antenna  41  so as to enhance signal quality of the communication antenna  41 . The back over  20  includes a backboard  21  for covering a rear surface of the main body  40  and a top board  22  that connects with a top end of the backboard  21  for covering a top of the main body  40 . There is a camera hole  23  defined in a top portion of the backboard  21 . 
     The antenna module  30  is made of metal conductor material. The antenna module  30  is used to send and receive signals at a frequency range covering 2.4 GHz that is suitable for Bluetooth and WiFi (Wireless Fidelity). The antenna module  30  includes a base portion  36  of board shape. The base portion  36  includes a horizontal board  31  with a roughly rectangular shape and a vertical board  32  extended upward from a side of a top edge of the horizontal board  31 . A top edge of the vertical board  32  extends frontward and arches upward to form a first bending portion  33 . A distal end of the first bending portion  33  extends frontward, and then bends upward and then bends rearward to form a second bending portion  34 . A distal end of the second bending portion  34  extends rearward and downward with an arc bending to form a third bending portion  35 . A distal end of the third bending portion  35  exceeds the vertical board  32  and is located behind the horizontal board  31 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the antenna module  30  is set in a top of the back cover  20 . The horizontal board  31  and the vertical board  32  are fixed in a portion of an inside surface of the backboard  21  adjacent to the top board  22 . The first bending portion  33  is fixed in an inside surface of the top board  22  of the back cover  20 . The second bending portion  34  is fixed in a front end surface of the top board  22 . The third bending portion  35  is fixed in an outside surface of the top board  22  and a portion of an outside surface of the backboard  21  adjacent to the top board  22 . The bending radian of the first bending portion  33  corresponds to the bending radian of the inside surface of the top board  22 . The bending radian of the third bending portion  35  corresponds to the bending radian of the outside surface of the top board  22 . When the signal enhancement device  10  is mounted on the main body  40 , the antenna module  30  faces to and is spaced from the communication antenna  41  for coupling with the communication antenna  41 . In some embodiments, the side of the top edge of the horizontal board  31  which extends upward to form the vertical board  32  is near the camera hole  23 . 
     As described above, when the signal enhancement device  10  is mounted on the main body  40 , the antenna module  30  faces to and is spaced from the communication antenna  41  for coupling with the communication antenna  41 . The antenna module  30  is used to send and receive signals of a frequency range covering 2.4 GHz that is suitable for Bluetooth and WiFi (Wireless Fidelity). The antenna module couples with the communication antenna  41  of the main body  40  so as to enhance signal quality of the communication antenna  41 .