Abstract:
A wireless terminal holder includes a body that attachably accommodates a wireless terminal that exchanges radio waves via an antenna, an antenna unit attached to the body and that is of sufficient strength to freely support the body, and that functions as the antenna for the wireless terminal when connected to an antenna terminal of the wireless terminal, and a connector attached to the body that connects the antenna unit to the antenna terminal of the wireless terminal, with the wireless terminal being accommodated in the body.

Description:
[0001]    This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-188101 filed on Jul. 7, 2006. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a wireless terminal holder and a wireless communication system. 
         [0004]    2. Related Art 
         [0005]    In recent years, non-contact IC tags (RFIDs), which exchange data stored in an IC chip in a non-contact manner, have been developed, and are expected to replace conventional bar-codes to become the next-generation of individual recognition technology. A non-contact IC tag includes, commonly, an IC chip for storing data and an antenna for exchanging data, and a variety of types of such tags have been developed, such as a card type, label type, and stick type. An antenna of a non-contact IC tag is commonly formed by printing a conductive coating material on an IC chip-embedded board, by depositing a wire on an IC chip-embedded board, or by etching a metal thin film formed on an IC-embedded board. Therefore, as the length of an antenna increases, the size of a board increases. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    To address the above problem, an aspect of the present invention provides a wireless terminal holder including a body that attachably accommodates a wireless terminal that exchanges radio waves via an antenna, an antenna unit attached to the body and that is of sufficient strength to freely support the body, and that functions as the antenna for the wireless terminal when connected to an antenna terminal of the wireless terminal, and a connector attached to the body that connects the antenna unit to the antenna terminal of the wireless terminal, with the wireless terminal being accommodated in the body. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the following figures, wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective diagram illustrating wireless terminal holder is  1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating an example of an electrode pattern formed on rear face  104  of body  10  of wireless terminal holder  1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of wireless terminal  30  attached to wireless terminal holder  1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an example of an electrode pattern formed on rear face  104  of body  10  of wireless terminal holder  1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating an example of an electrode pattern formed on rear face  104  of body  10  of wireless terminal holder  1 ; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of wireless terminal  30  attached to wireless terminal holder  1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    An Exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described below with reference to the drawings. 
       (1) Exemplary Embodiment 
       [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective diagram illustrating wireless terminal holder  1 . 
         [0016]    As shown in the drawing, wireless holder  1  includes body  10  and antenna-containing strap  20 . 
         [0017]    Body  10  is hollow and of a rectangular parallelepiped form opening at an upper side. Body  10  includes: bottom face  101 ; side faces  102  and  103 ; rear face  104 ; and front face  105  in which a rectangular window  105 ′ is provided in a central position. Body  10  is capable of accommodating card-shaped wireless terminal  30 , in which case a width of body  10  is configured to be slightly longer than that of wireless terminal  30 ; a length of body  10  is configured to be slightly longer than that of wireless terminal is  30 ; and the space between rear face  104  and front face  105  is spaced apart to accommodate wireless terminal  30 . 
         [0018]    Antenna-containing strap  20  includes strap  201  and antenna  202  contained in strap  201 . Strap  201  can be made from chemical fiber, synthetic resin, leather, and so on. Wireless terminal holder  1  can be carried by a user by placing strap  201  around the user&#39;s neck or strap  201  can he hand held by the user. Antenna  202  contained in strap  201  is a field emission antenna such as a monopole antenna, a dipole antenna, or a loop antenna. 
         [0019]    In a case where a monopole antenna or a dipole antenna is used as antenna  202 , the length of the antenna is configured to be one fourth of the wavelength of the frequency of radio waves emitted from a reader/writer (not shown) which exchanges data with wireless terminal holder  1 . Therefore, in a case where the radio wave frequency is equal to or greater than 75 MHz, the length of antenna  202  is less than or equal to 1 m. In a case where the frequency is within the UHF band (300 MHz to 3 GHz), the length of antenna  202  is from 2.5 cm to 25 cm. The distance of communication between wireless terminal holder  1  and a reader/writer, e.g. if the communication is carried out via radio waves having faint signal strength of 300 MHz, is approximately 1 m. 
         [0020]    In a case where a loop antenna is used as antenna  202 , the length thereof is configured to be equal to one wavelength of the frequency of radio waves emitted from a reader/writer (not shown) which exchanges data with wireless terminal holder  1 . Therefore, in a case where the frequency is equal to or greater than 150 MHz, the length of antenna  202  is less than or equal to 2 m. In a case where the frequency is within the UHF band, the length of antenna  202  is from 10 cm to 1 m. If the communication is carried out via radio waves having a low signal strength of, for example, 300 MHz a distance over which communication can be conducted between wireless terminal holder  1  and a reader/writer, is still as much as around 1 m. 
         [0021]    To facilitate carrying of wireless terminal holder  1 , the length of strap  201  is configured to make it easy for the strap to be placed around a user&#39;s neck. The length of antenna  202  is configured in accordance with a radio wave frequency used, and if the length of the antenna is longer than that of strap  201 , it can be coiled so as to be accommodated within strap  201 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating an example of an electrode pattern formed on the inner side of rear face  104  (hereinafter, referred to simply as “rear face  104 ”) of body  10  of wireless terminal holder  1 . As shown in the drawing, rear face  104  is provided with contact terminals  1041  and connecting lines  1042  for connecting contact terminals  1041  and antenna  202 . 
         [0023]    Rear face  104  is made from an insulating material such as plastic (PET [Polyethylene Terephthalate]), vinyl chloride (polyethylene resin), polycarbonate, and polyamide; and contact terminals  1041  and connecting lines  1042  are made from a thin conductive layer such as a thin aluminum layer or a thin copper thin layer. 
         [0024]    Contact terminals  1041  are connected to contact terminals of wireless terminal  30 , to thereby enable data exchange between wireless terminal holder  1  and wireless terminal  30 . Consequently, it data stored in wireless terminal  30  can be sent to a reader/writer via antenna  202  of wireless terminal holder  1 . Also, data that is sent from the reader/writer via antenna  202  of wireless terminal holder  1  can be received at wireless terminal  30 . 
         [0025]    It is to be noted that the position and number of contact terminals  1041  are not restricted to the example shown in  FIG. 2 , but can be determined depending on a configuration of contact terminals of wireless terminal  30  attached to wireless terminal holder  1 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of wireless terminal  30  attached to wireless terminal holder  1 . As shown in the drawing, wireless terminal  30  of this example includes: base board  301 ; 
         [0027]    IC chip  302 ; contact terminals  303 ; connecting lines  304 ; and antenna element  305 . The frequency band used by wireless terminal  30  is either a UHF band or microwave band. 
         [0028]    Base board  301  of wireless terminal  30  is made from an insulating material such as plastic (PET), vinyl chloride (polyethylene resin), polycarbonate, and polyamide. Contact terminals  303 , connecting lines  304 , and antenna element  305  are made from a thin conductive layer such as a thin aluminum layer or a thin copper layer, and are formed by photo-etching a thin conductive layer which is provided on base board  301 . 
         [0029]    IC chip  302  exchanges data with a reader/writer (not shown) via antenna element  305  through the UHF band or the microwave band. 
         [0030]    Contact terminals  303  are connected to IC chip  302  and contact terminals  1041  of wireless terminal holder  1 , to thereby enable data exchange between wireless terminal  30  and wireless terminal holder  1 . Consequently, IC chip  302  of wireless terminal  30  is capable of exchanging data with a reader/writer via antenna  202  of wireless terminal holder  1 . 
         [0031]    To reiterate, by the present invention it is possible to carry out wireless communication at a frequency 300 MHz over a distance of around 1 meter, which is significantly further than a communication distance of  2  to  3  cm achievable by use of of a conventional card-type wireless terminal. 
       (2) Modifications 
     (2-1) First Modification 
       [0032]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating another example of an electrode pattern formed on rear face  104  of body  10  of wireless terminal holder  1 . A feeding method for antenna  202  is not restricted to a balanced feed system shown in  FIG. 2 , and an unbalanced feed system shown in  FIG. 4  may instead be employed. 
         [0033]    On rear face  104  shown in  FIG. 4 , in addition to contact terminals  1041  and connecting line  1042  for connecting contact terminals  1041  and antenna  202 , ground  1043  and connecting line  1044  for connecting ground  1043  and contact terminal  1041  are formed. 
         [0034]    It is to be noted that the position and number of contact terminals  1041  used in the present modification may be determined, as in the case shown in  FIG. 2 , on the basis of a configuration of contact terminals  303  of wireless terminal  30  attached to wireless terminal holder  1 . 
       (2-2) Second Modification 
       [0035]      FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating another example of an electrode pattern formed on/inside rear face  104  of body  10  of wireless terminal holder  1 . A method for connection to wireless terminal  30  is not restricted to that shown in  FIG. 2 , and a non-contact method shown in  FIG. 5  may be employed. 
         [0036]    On rear face  104  shown in  FIG. 5 , instead of contact terminals  1041  and connecting lines  1042 , antenna element  1045  is formed. 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of wireless terminal  30  attached to wireless terminal holder  1  having the configuration shown in  FIG. 5 . Wireless terminal  30  shown in the drawing includes base board  301 , IC chip  302  and antenna element  305 , as in the case of  FIG. 3 . However, the wireless terminal does not have connecting terminals  303  and connecting lines  304 , and instead has antenna element  306 . Antenna element  306  communicates with antenna element  1045  of wireless terminal holder  1  in a non-contact manner, and thereby enables data exchange between wireless terminal  30  and wireless terminal holder  1 . Consequently, IC chip  302  of wireless terminal  30  is capable of exchanging data with a reader/writer via antenna  202  of wireless terminal holder  1 . In a case where an antenna coil is formed in a wireless terminal as shown in  FIG. 6 , by use of only the wireless terminal, it is possible to perform short-distance wireless communication. 
         [0038]    It is should be noted that the position of antenna element  1045  according to the present modification may be determined depending on the configuration of antenna element  1045  of wireless terminal  30  attached to wireless terminal holder  1 . 
         [0039]    The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.