Patent Publication Number: US-11394119-B2

Title: Antenna device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to an antenna device. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Non-patent document 1 discloses, as a conventional antenna device installed in a mobile communication terminal, a patch antenna that uses a communication frequency in the 2 GHz band, for example. To widen the communication frequency range, this patch antenna has a three-layer structure in which a ground surface, an antenna surface, and a stub constituting a transmission line are provided in a lower layer, a middle layer, and an upper layer, respectively, which are laid one on another. 
     Non-patent document 1: Shinji Nakano and other four persons, “Wide Band Impedance Matching of a Polarization Diversity Patch Antenna by Use of Stubs Mounted on the Patch” November 2003, The Transactions of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers B, Vol. J86-B, No. 11, pp. 2,428-2,432. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The concept of the present disclosure has been conceived in view of the above circumstances in the art, and an object of the disclosure is therefore to provide an antenna device capable of widening the communication frequency range and increase the antenna gain by decreasing the Q value indicating the sharpness of a peak of a resonance frequency characteristic without increasing the overall thickness of the antenna device itself. 
     The present disclosure provides an antenna device including an antenna surface provided with an antenna conductor; a ground surface opposed to the antenna surface and provided with a ground conductor; and a stub in which a plurality of transmission lines having different line widths and the same line length are connected to each other in series, and the stub is located in approximately the same plane as the antenna surface or between the antenna surface and the ground surface. 
     The disclosure makes it possible to widen the communication frequency range and increase the antenna gain by decreasing the Q value indicating the sharpness of a peak of a resonance frequency characteristic without increasing the overall thickness of an antenna device itself. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a sectional view showing a layered structure of a patch antenna according to a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing an antenna surface. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a power supply surface. 
         FIG. 4  is a see-through plan view, as viewed from above the patch antenna, showing shapes of the patch and the stub. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an example equivalent circuit of the patch antenna. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating, using a Smith chart, how the bandwidth of the patch antenna is widened. 
         FIG. 7  is a see-through plan view, as viewed from above a patch antenna, showing shapes of patches and stubs employed in a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view showing the configuration of a patch antenna according to a third embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing a patch and a stub provided on the front surface of a substrate. 
         FIG. 10  is a Smith chart showing an impedance characteristic of the patch antenna. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Background Leading to Embodiments 
     In Non-patent document 1, the antenna surface has a copper foil patch provided on a surface of a dielectric. The patch forms a parallel resonance circuit that radiates radio waves. The ground surface has a ground conductor that is shaped from a metal plate into a shape that extends parallel with a housing of a mobile communication terminal. The stub has a transmission line provided on a surface of the dielectric and forms a series resonance circuit. Coupled with the patch in series, the stub can make the reactance component of the patch antenna close to zero and thereby widen the communication frequency range of the antenna device. 
     However, in the antenna device disclosed in Non-patent document 1, the antenna surface is interposed between the ground surface and the stub. This means a structure that the interval between the antenna surface and the ground surface is small and hence the Q value indicating the sharpness of a peak of a resonance frequency characteristic is increased, resulting in a problem that further bandwidth widening is difficult. On the other hand, the overall thickness of the antenna device itself is restricted to miniaturize the antenna device. As a result, in the configuration of the antenna device of Non-patent document 1, the interval between the antenna surface and the ground surface cannot be increased. In other words, it is difficult to reduce the Q value of the patch antenna, which makes it difficult to further widen the communication frequency range or increase the antenna gain. 
     Thus, an example antenna device capable of widening the communication frequency range and increasing the antenna gain by decreasing the Q value indicating the sharpness of a peak of a resonance frequency characteristic without increasing the overall thickness of the antenna device itself will be described in each of the following embodiments. 
     Each embodiment in which an antenna device according to the present disclosure will be disclosed in a specific manner will be described in detail by referring to the drawings when necessary. However, unnecessarily detailed descriptions may be avoided. For example, detailed descriptions of already well-known items and duplicated descriptions of constituent elements having substantially the same ones already described may be omitted. This is to prevent the following description from becoming unnecessarily redundant and thereby facilitate understanding of those skilled in the art. The following description and the accompanying drawings are provided to allow those skilled in the art to understand the disclosure thoroughly and are not intended to restrict the subject matter set forth in the claims. 
     An antenna device according to each of the following embodiments will be described for an example use that it is applied to a patch antenna (e.g., microstrip antenna) that is provided in a seat monitor installed in a seat of an airplane, for example. However, the device that is provided with the antenna device (patch antenna) is not limited to a seat monitor. 
     Embodiment 1 
       FIG. 1  is a sectional view showing a layered structure of a patch antenna  5  according to the first embodiment.  FIG. 1  is a sectional view taken along an arrowed line E-E in  FIG. 2  and an arrowed line F-F in  FIG. 3 . The patch antenna  5  has a substrate  8  having a three-layer structure in which a ground surface  10 , a power supply surface  20 , and an antenna surface  40  are provided in a lower layer, a middle layer, and an upper layer, respectively, which are laid one on another. The patch antenna  5  according to the first embodiment transmits a radio signal (in other words, radio waves) in, for example, the 2.4 GHz frequency band as an operative frequency band. 
     The substrate  8  is a dielectric substrate obtained by shaping a dielectric material having large relative permittivity such as PPO (polyphenylene oxide) and has a structure that a first substrate  8   a  and a second substrate  8   b  are laid on each other. The ground surface  10  is in the back surface of the first substrate  8   a . The antenna surface  40  is in the front surface of the second substrate  8   b . The power supply surface  20  is formed between the front surface of the first substrate  8   a  and the back surface of the second substrate  8   b . Thus, in the patch antenna  5  according to the first embodiment, the antenna surface  40  is supplied with power from the power supply surface  20  by bottom surface energization. The total thickness of the substrate  8  is 3 mm, for example. The thickness of the first substrate  8   a  is 2.9 mm, for example. The thickness of the second substrate  8   b  is 0.1 mm, for example. A wireless communication circuit (not shown) for supplying power to the patch antenna  5  is provided on the back side of the substrate  8  (i.e., on the back side of the ground surface  10 ). 
     Via conductors  54  and  56  are formed in respective through-holes  86  and  83  which penetrate through the substrate  8  from its front surface (i.e., antenna surface  40 ) to its back surface (i.e., ground surface  10 ). The via conductors  54  and  56  are formed in cylindrical shape by charging a conductive material into the through-holes  86  and  83 . The via conductor  54  is a single conductor for electrically connecting a contact  41  (i.e., the top end surface of the via conductor  54 ) formed on the antenna surface  40 , a power supply point  21  (i.e., an intermediate cross section of the via conductor  54 ) formed on the power supply surface  20 , and a contact  11  (i.e., the bottom end surface of the via conductor  54 ) formed on the ground surface  10 . The via conductor  54  is a power supply conductor for driving the antenna surface  40  so that it serves as a patch antenna. The contact  11  is connected to a power supply terminal of the wireless communication circuit (not shown) provided on the side of the back surface of the substrate  8 . 
     The via conductors  56  are plural conductors for electrically connecting a patch  45  (an example of a term “antenna conductor”) formed on the antenna surface  40  to a ground conductor  15  formed on the ground surface  10 . The via conductors  56  are not electrically connected to anything existing on the power supply surface  20  and are merely inserted through the power supply surface  20 . The plural through-holes  83  generated on the power supply surface  20  penetrate through the power supply surface  20 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the antenna surface  40 . The patch  45 , which is an example of an antenna conductor for the 2.4-GHz band, is formed on the antenna surface  40 . The patch  45  is a rectangular copper foil. An opening  44  is formed at one position in the planar patch  45  and the contact  41  (i.e., the top end surface of the via conductor  54 ) is exposed in the opening  44  at the center. The patch  45 , which has a characteristic of a parallel resonance circuit, radiates a radio signal (i.e., radio waves) according to an excitation signal that is supplied from the wireless communication circuit (not shown) to the power supply point  21  of a stub  25 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the power supply surface  20 . The stub  25  (an example of a term “power supply line”) is formed on the power supply surface  20 . The stub  25  has a characteristic of a series resonance circuit that is connected to the patch  45  in series to take impedance matching of the patch antenna  5  that is suitable for an operation target frequency band. That is, the stub  25  can make the radiation reactance component of the patch antenna  5  close to zero by coupling with the patch  45  in series electrically. 
       FIG. 4  is a see-through plan view, as viewed from above the patch antenna  5 , showing the shapes of the patch  45  and the stub  25 . The stub  25  has a shape that the power supply point  21 , a first transmission line  27 , a second transmission line  28 , a third transmission line  29  are connected to each other in series. The lengths of the first transmission line  27 , the second transmission line  28 , and the third transmission line  29  are the same and equal to λ/4 (λ: a wavelength corresponding to a resonance frequency) and the overall length of the stub  25  is equal to 3λ/4. The lengths (line lengths) of the first transmission line  27 , the second transmission line  28 , and the third transmission line  29  need not always be the same. 
     The first transmission line  27  has four lines  27   a ,  27   b ,  27   c , and  27   d , and starts from the power supply point  21  and are then bent (approximately) perpendicularly at three bending portions  27   z ,  27   y , and  27   x . The four lines  27   a ,  27   b ,  27   c , and  27   d  have the same line width. 
     The second transmission line  28  has three lines  28   a ,  28   b , and  28   c  and is bent (approximately) perpendicularly at two bending portions  28   z  and  28   y . The second transmission line  28  includes the straight line  28   b  which is larger in line width than the first transmission line  27  and the third transmission line  29 . The two lines  28   a  and  28   c  and the four lines  27   a - 27   d  have the same line width. 
     The third transmission line  29  has two lines  29   a  and  29   b , and are bent (approximately) perpendicularly at one bending portion  29   z  and terminates at an end point. The two lines  29   a  and  29   b  have the same line width. 
     The first transmission line  27  may further have the line  28   a  including the bending portion  28   z  in addition to the four lines  27   a - 27   d . Likewise, the third transmission line  29  may further have the line  28   c  including the bending portion  28   y  in addition to the two lines  29   a  and  29   b . In this case, the stub  25  is configured by three transmission lines that have different line widths and the sane line length. They need not always have the same line length. 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an example equivalent circuit of the patch antenna  5 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the equivalent circuit of the patch antenna  5  is a circuit that is a series connection of an impedance Zr, an impedance Zs, and a reactance jXp. The impedance Zr is an impedance component that contributes to the radiation of the patch  45 . The impedance Zs is an impedance component of the series resonance circuit of the stub  25 . The reactance jXp is a reactance component of a probe for power supply. The probe for power supply is a conductor that extends from the power supply terminal of the wireless communication circuit (not shown) to the power supply point  21  past the contact  11  and the via conductor  54 . 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating, using a Smith chart, how the bandwidth of the patch antenna  5  is widened. The Smith chart represents the entire complex impedance space. 
     Curves ch 1  and ch 2  represent impedance characteristics showing how the impedance Zr and an impedance jXp+Zs vary, respectively, with a frequency variation of a signal supplied from the power supply point  21 . 
     As indicated by the curve Ch 1 , the impedance Zr which contributes to radiation is an impedance that undergoes parallel resonance at a frequency f 0  in a frequency range f low  (e.g., 1.8 GHz) to f high  (e.g., 2.8 GHz). As indicated by the curve ch 2 , the impedance jXp+Zs is an impedance that undergoes series resonance at a frequency f 0  in the frequency range f low  to f high . 
     The input impedance Zin of the patch antenna  5  has a value of a series connection of the impedance Zr and the jXp+Zs (i.e., the sum of them). As the frequency varies from f low  to f high , a curve ch 3  that represents the input impedance Zin comes close to the center (i.e., an impedance value (e.g., 50Ω or 75Ω) as an impedance matching impedance value (prescribed set value) of the Smith chart at the frequency f 0  as it goes around the center one time. In the region where the curve ch 3  comes close to the center, the reactance components cancel out each other and the input impedance Zin comes close to zero. That is, a circle g 0  having the center of the Smith chart as its center includes many impedances in a frequency range in which the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) is smaller than or equal to 2.0, for example, whereby the operative communication frequency range of the patch antenna  5  can be widened. 
     As described above, the patch antenna  5  according to the first embodiment is equipped with the antenna surface  40  which is provided with the patch  45 , the ground surface  10  which is opposed to the antenna surface  40  and is provided with the ground conductor  15 , and the stub  25  in which the first transmission line  27  to the third transmission line  29  that have different line widths are connected to each other in series. The stub  25  is located in approximately the same plane as the antenna surface  40  or between the antenna surface  40  and the ground surface  10 . 
     With this configuration, in contrast to the above-described patch antenna disclosed in Non-patent document 1, the patch antenna  5  according to the first embodiment can widen the interval between the antenna surface  40  and the ground surface  10  without increasing the overall thickness of the patch antenna  5  itself. Thus, in the patch antenna  5 , the Q value indicating the sharpness of a peak of a resonance frequency characteristic can be decreased. In other words, the Q value at a communication frequency can be decreased without increasing the thickness of the patch antenna  5 . The radio wave frequency range in which the patch antenna  5  can operate can be widened by decreasing the Q value. Furthermore, the degree of radio wave reflection is lowered by the bandwidth widening, whereby the antenna gain (i.e., communication power gain) can be increased. 
     The plurality of transmission lines (first transmission line  27  to third transmission line  29 ) have the same line length. With this measure, since all of the first transmission line  27  to the third transmission line  29  have the same line length, impedance matching for obtaining a prescribed impedance suitable for the resonance frequency can be attained in the stub  25  by adjusting the line widths and hence the impedance matching can be simplified. 
     The substrate  8  is configured by the first substrate  8   a  and the second substrate  8   b  that is a layer located above the first substrate  8   a . The ground surface  10  is the back surface of the first substrate  8   a . The antenna surface  40  is in the front surface of the second substrate  8   b . The power supply surface  20  is provided between the front surface of the first substrate  8   a  and the back surface of the second substrate  8   b . In this manner, the patch antenna  5  has a three-layer structure in which the antenna surface  40  is in a top layer and the power supply surface  20  is in an intermediate layer. With this measure, the stub  25  which is formed on the power supply surface  20  is electromagnetically coupled with the patch  45  in the direction perpendicular to the antenna surface  40  (i.e., the top-bottom direction in the paper surface of  FIG. 1 ) and can supply power to the patch  45  formed on the antenna surface  40 . Furthermore, the reactance component of the series resonance circuit of the stub  25  can cancel out the radiation reactance component of the parallel resonance of the antenna surface  40 . Thus, the transmission frequency range of radio waves transmitted from the patch antenna  5  can be widened. Furthermore, the gain of communication power is increased because of reduction in the degree of reflection of radio waves. 
     In the patch antenna  5 , the line width of the first transmission line  27  that is closest to the power supply point  21  disposed in the stub  25  among the first transmission line  27 , the second transmission line  28 , and the third transmission line  29  is smaller than the line width of the second transmission line  28  that is connected to the first transmission line  27  in series. With this measure, since the line width of the first transmission line  27  located on the side of the power supply point  21  is small, the transmission lines can be routed easily. Narrowing the first transmission line  27  that is closest to the power supply point  21  and thereby increasing its impedance is effective for the impedance matching. 
     The stub  25  has at least one bending portion for arranging portions of the same transmission line or different transmission lines parallel with each other in the first transmission line  27 , the second transmission line  28 , and the third transmission line  29 . Since in this manner the transmission lines have at least one bending portion, their overall length can be kept short even if their line length is made large. Furthermore, the strength of electromagnetic coupling between the stub  25  and the patch  45  can be increased. 
     Embodiment 2 
     The first embodiment is directed to the patch antenna that performs transmission at the frequency 2.4 GHz. In a second embodiment, an example of a patch antenna capable of transmission at two frequencies 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz will be described. 
       FIG. 7  is a see-through plan view, as viewed from above a patch antenna  5 A, showing the shapes of patches  45  and  75  and stubs  25  and  65 . 
     The patch  45  for 2.4 GHz and the patch  75  for 5 GHz are formed on an antenna surface  40  that is in the front surface of the second substrate  8   b . A stub  25  for 2.4 GHz and a stub  65  for 5 GHz are formed on a power supply surface  20  which is provided between the back surface of the second substrate  8   b  and the front surface of the first substrate  8   a.    
     The patch  45  and the stub  25  for 2.4 GHz are the same as those employed in the first embodiment. Constituent elements having the same ones already described will be given the same reference symbols as the latter and their descriptions will be simplified or omitted; only differences will be described below. 
     On the other hand, the patch  75  for 5 GHz is a rectangular copper foil that is smaller in area than the patch  45 . An opening  74  is formed at one position in the planar patch  75  and a contact  71  is formed in the opening  74  at the center. The contact  71  is electrically connected to a power supply point  61  of the stub  65  via a via conductor (not shown). The contact  71  is connected, by a connection line  78 , to the contact  41  which is provided in the patch  45 . The contact  41 , which is the top end surface of the via conductor  54 , is electrically connected to the power supply point  21 . In this manner, the power supply point  21  for 2.4 GHz is electrically connected to the power supply point  61  for 5 GHz via the via conductor  54 , the contact  41 , the connection line  78 , the contact  71 , and the via conductor (not shown). 
     Like the patch  45  for 2.4 GHz, the patch  75  for 5 GHz has a characteristic of a parallel resonance circuit and radiates radio waves according to an excitation signal that is supplied from a wireless communication circuit (not shown) via the power supply point  61 . 
     Like the patch  45  for 2.4 GHz, the stub  65  for 5 GHz has a shape that that the power supply point  61 , a first transmission line  67 , a second transmission line  68 , a third transmission line  69  are connected together in series. The lengths of the first transmission line  67 , the second transmission line  68 , and the third transmission line  69  are the same and equal to λ/4 (λ: a wavelength corresponding to a resonance frequency) and the overall length of the stub  65  is equal to 3λ/4. Since the wavelength corresponding to 5 GHz is shorter than that corresponding to 2.4 GHz, the overall length of the stub  65  for 5 GHz is shorter than that of the stub  45  for 2.4 GHz. 
     The first transmission line  67  has three lines  67   a ,  67   b , and  67   c , and starts from the power supply point  61  and are then bent (approximately) perpendicularly at two bending portions  67   z  and  67   y . The three lines  67   a - 67   c  have the same line width. 
     The second transmission line  68  has two lines  68   b  and  68   c  and includes the straight line  68   b  which is larger in line width than the first transmission line  67  and the third transmission line  69 . 
     The third transmission line  69  has two lines  69   a  and  69   b , and are bent (approximately) perpendicularly at two bending portions  69   z  and  69   y  and terminates at an end point. The third transmission line  69  may further have the line  68   c  including the bending portion  69   z  in addition to the two lines  69   a  and  69   b . In this case, the stub  65  is configured by three transmission lines having different line widths. 
     As described above, in the patch antenna  5 A according to the second embodiment, the plural antenna conductors (patches  45  and  75 ) capable of operating in different frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz band and 5 GHz band) are formed separately from each other on the antenna surface  40  which is in the front surface of the second substrate  8   b . Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the plural sub-stubs (e.g., stubs  25  and  65 ) are provided on the power supply surface  20  which is in the back surface of the second substrate  8   b , so as to be impedance-matched corresponding to the plural respective patches  45  and  75 . With these measures, patch antennas capable of transmission in two respective bands can be constructed using the single patch antenna. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to implement plural patch antennas for respective frequency bands, the number of components can be reduced and the cost can be suppressed. 
     Incidentally, although the second embodiment is directed to the case that the patch and the stub for 2.4 GHz and the patch and the stub for 5.0 GHz are provided on the substrate of the single patch antenna, patches and stubs for three or more frequency bands may be provided on a substrate of a single patch antenna. 
     Embodiment 3 
     In the first and second embodiments, the patch antenna  5 ,  5 A has the three-layer structure consisting of the antenna surface (upper layer), the power supply surface (middle layer), and the ground surface (lower layer). In a third embodiment, an example of a patch antenna having a two-layer structure in which an antenna surface and a power supply surface belong to the same surface will be described. 
       FIG. 8  is a sectional view showing the configuration of a patch antenna  5 B according to the third embodiment.  FIG. 8  is a sectional view taken along an arrowed line G-G in  FIG. 9 . The patch antenna  5 B has a two-layer structure in which a ground surface  10  is provided in a lower layer and a power supply surface  20 A and an antenna surface  40 A are provided in an upper layer that is laid on the lower layer. The power supply surface  20 A and the antenna surface  40 A are in the front surface (same surface) of a substrate  8 C. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing a patch  45 A and a stub  25 A which are formed on the front surface of the substrate  8 C. The patch  45 A for 2.4 GHz, for example, is formed on an antenna surface  40 A which is in the front surface of the substrate  8 C. A power supply surface  20 A that is separated from the antenna surface  40 A and bears the stub  25 A having a bent shape is formed on the front surface of the substrate  8 C inside the antenna surface  40 A. 
     The patch  45 A is a rectangular copper foil obtained by removing an inside portion located on the antenna surface  40 A to form a power supply surface  20 A. On the other hand, the stub  25 A provided on the power supply surface  20 A has a shape that a power supply point  21 A, a first transmission line  127 , a second transmission line  128 , and a third transmission line  129  are connected to each other in series. The lengths of the first transmission line  127 , the second transmission line  128 , and the third transmission line  129  are the same and equal to λ/4 (λ: a wavelength corresponding to a resonance frequency) and the overall length of the stub  25 A is equal to 3λ/4. The lengths (line lengths) of the first transmission line  127 , the second transmission line  128 , and the third transmission line  129  need not always be such example lengths. 
     The first transmission line  127  has three lines  127   a ,  127   b , and  127   c , and starts from the power supply point  21 A and are then bent (approximately) perpendicularly at two bending portions  127   z  and  127   y . The three lines  127   a - 127   c  have the same line width. 
     The second transmission line  128  is a straight line which is larger in line width than the first transmission line  127  and the third transmission line  129 . 
     The third transmission line  129  has three lines  129   a ,  129   b , and  129   c , and are bent (approximately) perpendicularly at two bending portions  129   z  and  129   y  and terminates at an end point. The three lines  129   a - 129   c  have the same line width. That is, the stub  25 A is configured by the three transmission lines having different line widths. 
     The stub  25 A is electromagnetically coupled with the patch  45 A formed on the antenna surface  40 A in in-plane directions (the left-right direction in the paper surface of  FIG. 9 ) and supplies power to the patch  45 A formed on the antenna surface  40 A. Having a characteristic of a parallel resonance circuit, the patch  45 A radiates a radio signal (i.e., radio waves) according to an excitation signal that is supplied from a wireless communication circuit (not shown) via the power supply point  21 A. 
     The stub  25 A has a characteristic of a series resonance circuit that is connected to the patch  45 A in series to take impedance matching of the patch antenna  5  that is suitable for an operation target frequency band. That is, the stub  25 A can make the radiation reactance component of the patch antenna  5 B close to zero by coupling with the patch  45 A in series electrically. 
     An equivalent circuit of the patch antenna  5 A according to the third embodiment is the same as the equivalent circuit (see  FIG. 5 ) of the patch antenna  5  according to the first embodiment. A description of the configuration of this circuit will not be made because it is therefore the same as of the circuit of the first embodiment. 
       FIG. 10  is a Smith chart showing an impedance characteristic of the patch antenna  5 B. A curve ch 4  indicates how the input impedance Zin of the patch antenna  5 B varies with a variation of the frequency of a signal supplied from the power supply point. In the curve ch 4 , an end point p 1  represents an input impedance of a case that the frequency of a signal supplied from the power supply point  21 A is 2.0 GHz. An end point p 2  represents an input impedance of a case that the frequency of a signal supplied from the power supply point  21 A is 3.0 GHz. The curve ch 4  starts from the end point p 1 , comes close to the center of the Smith chart as it goes around the center one time, and goes toward the end point p 2  so as to form a large arc. 
     A circle g 1  (broken line) having, as its center, the center (i.e., an impedance value (e.g., 50Ω or 75Ω) as a prescribed set value at which impedance matching is attained) of the Smith chart includes many impedances in a frequency range in which the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) is smaller than or equal to 2.0, for example. That is, inside the circle g 1 , communication frequencies can be used at which the degree of reflection of radio waves is low. Thus, the communication frequency range of the patch antenna  5 B can be widened. Furthermore, the widening of the communication frequency range leads to increase of communication power. 
     As described above, in the patch antenna  5 B according to the third embodiment, both of the patch  45 A (antenna conductor) formed on the antenna surface  40  and the stub  25 A formed on the power supply surface  20  are provided on the front surface (one surface) of the substrate  8 . The patch antenna  5 B has the two-layer structure in which the antenna surface  40  and the power supply surface  20  are in the upper layer. With this configuration, the stub  25 A formed on the power supply surface  20  is electromagnetically coupled with the antenna surface  40  in the left-right direction and can supply power to the patch  45 A formed on the antenna surface  40 . To take impedance matching of the patch antenna  5 A, the stub  25 A has a characteristic of a series resonance circuit that is connected to the patch  45 A in series. That is, the stub  25 A is coupled with the patch  45 A in series and brings the reactance component of the patch antenna  5 B close to zero. Thus, the communication frequency range of radio waves transmitted from the patch antenna  5 B can be widened. Furthermore, the bandwidth widening lowers the degree of reflection of radio waves and increases the gain of communication power. 
     Since the antenna surface  40  and the power supply surface  20  are in the front surface of the substrate  8 , the patch antenna  5 A according to the third embodiment provides the following advantages. For example, the length of a transmission line (power supply line) can be adjusted easily to attain impedance matching before the patch antenna  5 A is installed in a product (e.g., a seat monitor as mentioned above). Where the transmission line exists in a middle layer, there may occur an event that it is difficult to adjust the length or width of the transmission line. 
     When the patch antenna  5 A is attached to a metal housing after being installed in a product (e.g., a seat monitor as mentioned above), there may occur a case that the frequency characteristic of the patch antenna  5 A shifts to the high-frequency side or the low-frequency side. In this case, when the resonance frequency is shifted to the low-frequency side, the frequency range can be returned to the original range by decreasing the width of the transmission line. When the resonance frequency is shifted to the high-frequency side, the frequency range can be returned to the original range by increasing the width of the transmission line. That is, even after the patch antenna is installed in a product, in the patch antenna  5 A according to the third embodiment, the degree of freedom of the manner of impedance matching is high. Furthermore, since the patch antenna  5 A has the two-layer structure, it can be manufactured more easily and the cost can be made lower than in the case of the three-layer structure. 
     Also in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, it goes without saying that combinations of an antenna surface and a power supply surface of two or more respective bands may be provided in the same substrate and, in this case, the same advantages as in the second embodiment can be obtained. 
     Although the various embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the disclosure is not limited to those examples. It is apparent that those skilled in the art could conceive various changes, modifications, replacements, additions, deletions, or equivalents within the confines of the claims, and they are naturally construed as being included in the technical scope of the disclosure. And constituent elements of the above-described various embodiments may be combined in a desired manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     Although in the above-described first to third embodiments the antenna device is applied to the antenna of a transmission device for transmitting radio waves, the antenna device may be applied to the antenna of a receiving device for receiving radio waves. 
     The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-253891 filed on Dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The present disclosure is useful when applied to antenna devices whose communication frequency range is widened and antenna gain is increased by decreasing the Q value indicating the sharpness of a peak of a resonance frequency characteristic without increasing the overall thickness of the antenna device itself