Patent Publication Number: US-2007097013-A1

Title: Antenna rotational structure

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an antenna rotational structure and particularly to a rotational structure for transmission devices outside wireless communication equipment to provide multi-dimensional rotations mating the specific directional radiation field type generated by the antenna to attain an optimal transmission direction from the wireless communication equipment.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Wireless communication equipment originated from the military equipment used by U.S.A. during world war II about fifty years ago. Nowadays wireless communication equipment are well developed. They are widely used in schools, medical institutions, manufacturers, warehousing industry and the like to improve communication. Development of antenna is most notable. At present the antenna can be generally divided in micro-band antenna built-in the wireless communication equipment and external antenna located outside the wireless communication equipment. The micro-band antenna can reduce the size of the wireless communication equipment and prevent the risk associated with exposure of the antenna. On the other hand, the external antenna can be adjusted to the optimal transmission direction to get optimal receiving according to the installed location of the wireless communication equipment. Hence the high performance wireless communication equipment mostly adopt the external antenna.  
      These days population density increases greatly. It becomes increasingly difficult to find installation sites for the wireless communication equipment with unobstructed space to transmit signals. As a result, antenna transmission and receiving also become more difficult. Hence transmission angle and direction of the antenna have to be adjusted according to the installed location of the wireless communication equipment. The external antenna generally can provide rotation and anchoring function. It is especially useful in the narrow and dense space. A conventional external antenna as shown in  FIG. 3  includes an external connection dock  40  which has trough  41  and a first aperture  42  formed respectively on two sides of the trough. The trough  41  has inner walls with an anchor ridge  43  abutting the first aperture  42 . There is an internal connection dock  45  which has a coupling head  46  with anchor flutes  47  corresponding to and engageable with the anchor ridge  43 . The external connection dock  40  may be coupled with the internal connection dock  45  by inserting a rivet  44  through the first aperture  42  into a second aperture  48  formed on the coupling head  46 . Thus the external connection dock  40  can be rotated relative to the internal connection dock  45  about the axis formed by the rivet  44 , first and second apertures  42  and  48 , and anchored on a selected angle. Therefore an antenna  49  can be positioned substantially vertical to the internal connection dock  45  in a first condition (as shown in  FIG. 4A ), or rotated to the axial direction to be aligned with the internal connection dock  45  in a second condition (as shown in  FIG. 4B ). Such a structure allows the antenna to be rotated and anchored so that the antenna  49  coupled on the external connection dock  40  can be positioned on a suitable wireless transmission angle and direction.  
      However, the antenna  49  can provide only a non-directional transmission. It alters the wireless transmission angle merely through the relative rotational angle of the external connection dock  40  and the internal connection dock  45 . In the densely populated city, the congested space hinders transmission of the wireless communication equipment. By rotating the external connection dock  40  against the internal connection dock  45  to alter the relative angle between them to attain the optimal transmission angle and direction cannot meet the transmission requirement in the dense space. To obtain the required wireless transmission, users usually have to rely a more powerful wireless communication transmission power. This causes energy waste in the non-transmission directions. The wireless communication transmission of the greater power also is harmful to human body.  
      As the conventional technique of the external antenna that adopts relative rotation of the external connection dock and the internal connection dock to form an angle between them cannot provide desired wireless communication transmission capability in the narrow and dense space, and causes harmful effect to human body, how to provide an improved external antenna to overcome the aforesaid disadvantages is an issue remained to be resolved.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Therefore the primary object of the invention is to provide an antenna rotational structure that has a seat turnable to mate a positional electric field generated by a communication circuit to attain an optimal transmission direction from a wireless communication equipment.  
      The antenna rotational structure according to the invention includes an antenna and a seat. The antenna includes a communication circuit and a cylindrical cavity. The communication circuit can generate a radiation field of a selected direction. The seat has a cylindrical boss mating the cylindrical cavity so that the antenna can be rotated relative to the seat. The cylindrical cavity is coupled with the cylindrical boss through a first rotational axis so that the antenna can be rotated about the first rotational axis relative to the seat to alter the radiation field direction.  
      The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a conventional technique;  
       FIG. 4A  is a schematic view of a conventional technique in a use condition; and  
       FIG. 4B  is a schematic view of a conventional technique in another use condition. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIG. 1  for an embodiment of the invention. The antenna rotational structure of the invention includes:  
      an antenna  10  which has a plate type plane  12  and a barrel  14 . The plate type plane  12  consists of two symmetrical flat plates coupled together. It contains a communication circuit (not shown in the drawings) fixedly located in the antenna  10 . The barrel  14  has a cylindrical cavity  15  which has a bottom  16  and a first neck  17 . The bottom  16  has a diameter greater than that of the first neck  17 . The barrel  14  has a bottom end formed with a plurality of anchor notches  18  that are spaced from one another at a selected distance. The cavity  15  aims to define a first rotational axis C 1  (also referring to  FIG. 2 , will be discussed later); and  
      a seat which includes a pivotal dock  20  and a rotational dock  30 . The pivotal dock  20  has a upper end  21  to couple with a cylindrical boss  22 . The cylindrical boss  22  has a head  23  and a second neck  24 . The head  23  has a diameter greater than that of the second neck  24 . The head  23  can be housed in the bottom  16 , and the second neck  24  can be held in the first neck  17 . Thereby the cylindrical boss  22  mates the cylindrical cavity  15  to allow the antenna  10  to be rotated relative to the seat about the first axis C 1 . The upper end  21  has two anchor lugs  25  mating the anchor notches  18  of the barrel  14  to confine the rotational direction of the antenna  10  and anchor the antenna. The cylindrical boss  22  further has a trough  27  on a lower end  26  that is run through by two rivets  28 . The rotational dock  30  has a front end  31  to be held in the trough  27 . The front end  31  has two apertures  32  to engage with the two rivets  28  so that the pivotal dock  20  is pivotally coupled with the rotational dock  30 . Thereby the pivotal dock  20  and the rotational dock  30  can be turned relative to each other about the two apertures  32  and the two rivets  28 . The rotational dock  30  has a rear end  33  which has two opposing slots  34  and an annular ring  35 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , when in use, the cylindrical boss  22  is housed in the cylindrical cavity  15 . The antenna  10  can be rotated relative to the pivotal dock  20  through the coupling of the cylindrical boss  22  and the cylindrical cavity  15 . And the antenna  10  can be rotated and anchored on an optimal transmission direction and effect through the anchor notches  18  and the two anchor lugs  15 . Through the pivotal structure of the two rivets  28  of the pivotal dock  20  and the two apertures  32  of the rotational dock  30 , the pivotal dock  20  and the rotational dock  30  form a second rotational axis C 2 . The rear end of the rotational dock  30  can be anchored on a chassis of an electronic device (not shown in the drawings) through the annular ring  35 . Thereby the rotational dock  30  and the chassis of the electronic device form a third rotational axis C 3 . Moreover, the communication circuit in the antenna  10  is electrically connected to the internal circuit of the electronic device through the pivotal dock  20  and the rotational dock  30 .  
      Thus through coupling of the cylindrical boss  22  and the cylindrical cavity  15 , the antenna  10  and the pivotal dock  20  can rotate relative to each other about the first rotational axis C 1 . Through coupling of the two rivets  28  and the two apertures  32 , the pivotal dock  20  and the rotational dock  30  can rotate relative to each other about the second rotational axis C 2 . Finally, by coupling of the annular ring  35  with the chassis of the electronic device, the rotational dock  30  can rotate relative to the chassis of the electronic device about the third rotational axis C 3 .  
      It is to be noted that the coupling structure of the pivotal dock  20  and the rotational dock  30  that forms the seat is not the limitation of the invention. The seat may also be formed in an integrated L-shaped hollow tube with two ends coupling with the antenna  10  and the chassis of the electronic device. Thereby one end of the seat and the antenna  10  form the first rotational axis C 1 , and another end of the seat and the chassis form the third rotational axis C 3 . As a result, a two-dimensional rotational anchor structure may be formed to enable the antenna  10  to be rotated and anchored to attain the optimal transmission direction.  
      In addition, in the embodiment previously discussed, the anchor notches  18  are formed on the bottom end of the barrel  14 , and the two anchor lugs  25  are located on the upper end of the pivotal dock  20 . In practice, the positions of the anchor notches  18  and the two anchor lugs  25  may be switched. Moreover, the anchor notches  18  and the two anchor lugs  25  may also be located on the bottom side of the bottom  16  and the top side of the head  23 , or on a side wall of the bottom  16  and one side of the head  23 .  
      In summary, the antenna rotational structure of the invention provides multi-dimensional rotation and anchoring functions through the relative rotation among the antenna, pivotal dock, rotational dock and chassis. It eliminates the problem of the conventional external antenna that forms a relative rotation between the external connection dock and internal connection dock and results in difficult anchoring of the antenna. The trouble of the conventional external antenna used in a narrow and dense space that has to move the wireless communication equipment a number of times due to anchoring difficulty of the antenna also can be overcome. The invention provides a multi-dimensional rotation and anchoring structure, and can be easily adjusted to the optimal transmission direction. There is no need to increase the wireless transmission power. Harmful impact to human body can be reduced. Hence operation of the invention is more convenient, and safety can be enhanced. The advantage of wireless communication to transmit data can be fully realized.  
      While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.