Patent Description:
The way of life of human is changed with the popularization of positioning methods such as the Global Positioning System, GPS, and Beidou. Mobile phones, as the terminals with the highest frequency of access to the mobile Internet, install various location-based applications, APPs, which bring a revolutionary change to the transportation and travel methods of people. The positioning capacity of the mobile phone terminal is important, which largely depends on the signal receiving capacity of mobile phone antenna.

Electromagnetic waves of a satellite positioning antenna are circularly polarized. At present, considering the integrated body and the appearance of the mobile phone, the antenna is mostly built in the mobile phone. The common type of the positioning antenna in the mobile phone is Inverted-F Antenna, IFA. As shown in <FIG>, a metal middle frame <NUM> of a terminal is combined with the antenna, a proper slot <NUM> is formed in a frame of an edge of the metal middle frame <NUM>, and the metal frame serves as an antenna. Such an antenna form cannot control the polarization mode of the antenna, and are all linearly polarized, so that the polarization gain performance of the antenna is sacrificed. Moreover, for such an antenna form, the structural strength of the middle frame <NUM> is destroyed to a certain extent and the structural space of the middle frame is occupied, although the metal middle frame is effectively utilized.

The patent application with <CIT> provides a technology that can suppress decrease in the antenna gain while maintaining the design of the exterior of an antenna. Provided is an antenna device including: an antenna module provided with a first slot antenna for transmitting or receiving a first radio signal, a first feeding element for feeding the first slot antenna, a second slot antenna for transmitting or receiving a second radio signal the polarization direction of which is orthogonal to the polarization direction of the first radio signal, and a second feeding element for feeding the second slot antenna; and a metal plate provided with a first slot and a second slot the longitudinal direction of which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the first slot.

The patent application with publication No. <CIT> provides a camera module and electronic equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. The camera module includes: a first shell and a camera main body arranged on the first shell; a first mainboard arranged on the first shell and electrically connected to the camera main body; and a first communication assembly arranged on the first shell and electrically connected to the first mainboard. The scheme of the patent application is used for solving the problem of poor use convenience of the intelligent terminal.

The patent application with <CIT> discloses an electronic device including an antenna. The electronic device includes: a housing including a first slit having a length corresponding to a first frequency and a second slit extending from one point of the first slit in a different direction from the first slit and having a length corresponding to a second frequency, and configured to resonate at the first frequency and the second frequency by the first slit and the second slit; a printed circuit board disposed in the housing and at least partially made of a non-conductive material in regions corresponding to the first slit and the second slit; and a power supply unit for supplying power through one point of the housing, adjacent to the first slit or the second slit.

The patent application with <CIT> discloses a compact antenna device radiating circularly polarized wave. In an antenna device, a radiation slot formed in a metal plate includes a main slot part on one diagonal line of the metal plate and first and second branch slot parts. The first and second branch split parts extend along two adjacent sides of the metal plate and are connected to one end of the main slot part. A power feeder line and a ground line are formed in the vicinity of another end of the main slot part. The length and relative position of each slot part is set such that the plane of polarization of an electric wave radiated from the main and first slot parts and the plane of polarization of an electric wave radiated from the main and second slot parts are orthogonal to each other and the two electric waves differ in phase by <NUM> degrees.

The present application provides an antenna assembly and a terminal.

According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an antenna assembly is provided. The antenna assembly includes: a metal protector of an image acquisition assembly, wherein the metal protector includes a plurality of radiating slots, the plurality of radiating slots comprise a first radiating slot formed in a first direction and a second radiating slot formed in a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are arranged at a first set angle; and a phase shift feed assembly configured to generate a first signal and a second signal having a phase difference of a second set angle, wherein the first signal is configured to excite the first radiating slot, and the second signal is configured to excite the second radiating slot.

The phase shift feed assembly includes: a processing assembly configured to generate the first signal and the second signal having the phase difference of the second set angle; and a feed assembly connected to the processing assembly and configured to feed the radiating slots.

The feed assembly includes a feeder line electrically connected to the processing assembly and electrically connected to a feed point of each radiating slot.

The feed point is located on an outer edge of each radiating slot or an inner edge of each radiating slot, and a distance between the outer edge of each radiating slot and a center of the metal protector is larger than a distance between the inner edge of each radiating slot and the center of the metal protector.

In some embodiments, the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the second set angle is <NUM> degrees.

In some embodiments, the metal protector includes two radiating slots, the first radiating slot, and the second radiating slot.

In some embodiments, one end of the first radiating slot is disposed adjacent to one end of the second radiating slot.

In some embodiments, the metal protector includes four radiating slots.

In some embodiments, the four radiating slots are disposed adjacent to one another in an end-to-end manner.

In some embodiments, the metal protector includes six radiating slots, and the six radiating slots are disposed adjacent to one another in an end-to-end manner. An angle between each two adjacent radiating slots is <NUM> degrees, and the second set angle is <NUM> degrees.

In some embodiments, the plurality of radiating slots are disposed in an annular pattern.

In some embodiments, the feed point is located at a midpoint position of each radiating slot.

In some embodiments, the feed assembly further includes: a feed tab, wherein the feed tab is spaced apart from the metal protector, and configured to feed the radiating slots through electromagnetic coupling.

According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a terminal is provided. The terminal includes: an antenna assembly described in any of the above embodiments; and a middle frame, wherein the phase shift feed assembly of the antenna assembly is disposed on the middle frame.

In some embodiments, the metal protector of the antenna assembly is electrically connected to the middle frame, and the middle frame forms at least a part of a ground plane of the antenna assembly.

In some embodiments, the terminal further includes: a shell disposed on the middle frame, wherein the shell is provided with an opening, and the antenna assembly is disposed in the opening and at least partially exposed outside the shell.

The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application may include the beneficial effects as follows.

As known from the above embodiments, in the present application, the metal protector of the image acquisition assembly is provided with a plurality of radiating slots, so that transmitting and receiving of wireless signals is realized through the radiating slots. The forming direction of the first radiating slot and the forming direction of the second radiating slot are different from each other and are arranged at the first set angle. The first radiating slot and the second radiating slot may radiate wireless signals in different polarization directions respectively under the excitation of the phase shift feed assembly. Such an antenna form improves the controllability of the antenna polarization mode, thereby facilitating achieving the circular polarization of antenna signals. Moreover, in the embodiments of the present application, the antennas are formed on the metal protector of the image acquisition assembly, so that the arrangement space of the antenna is enlarged, and the number of antennas formed in the middle frame is reduced, which is beneficial to improve the structural strength of the middle frame and improve the space utilization of the terminal, thereby effectively saving the structural space of the middle frame.

It should be understood that the above general description and following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory, and are not intended to limit the present application.

The accompanying drawings here, which are incorporated into the description and constitute a part of the description, illustrate embodiments that conform to the present application and are used together with the description to explain the principles of the present application.

Exemplary embodiments will be described here in detail, and examples thereof are represented in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same reference numeral in different accompanying drawings represents the same or similar elements. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. On the contrary, they are merely examples of apparatuses consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

Terms used in the present application are merely for describing specific examples and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms "one", "the", and "this" used in the present application and the appended claims are also intended to include a multiple form, unless other meanings are clearly represented in the context. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" used in the present application refers to any or all of possible combinations including one or more associated listed items.

It should be understood that although terms "first", "second", "third", and the like are used in the present application to describe various information, the information is not limited to the terms. These terms are merely used to differentiate information of a same type. For example, without departing from the scope of the present application, first information is also referred to as second information, and similarly the second information is also referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, for example, the term "if" used herein may be explained as "when" or "while", or "in response to. , it is determined that".

An example of the present application provides an antenna assembly. The antenna assembly includes:.

Without limitation, the first set angle may be <NUM> degrees or <NUM> degrees. The second set angle may be <NUM> degrees or <NUM> degrees, etc..

It will be understood that, the closer the wireless signals which are radiated by both the first radiating slot <NUM> and the second radiating slot <NUM> is to the circularly polarized wireless signals, the smaller the polarization loss of the wireless signals received by the wireless assembly from the satellite antenna is, and the better the positioning capacity of the wireless assembly is.

Without limitation, each radiating slot <NUM> is elongated. The first direction R1 and the second direction R2 each refer to the direction where the longest edge of each radiating slot is oriented, and an angle between the first radiating slot and the second radiating slot is the same as an angle between the first direction R1 and the second direction R2. As shown in <FIG>, when applied to a terminal, the first direction R1 may be a direction parallel to a short edge of the middle frame of the terminal, and the second direction R2 may be a direction parallel to a long edge of the middle frame. This is merely an example of the first direction R1 and the second direction R2. In other examples, the first direction R1 may be a direction parallel to a long edge of the middle frame, and the second direction R2 may be a direction parallel to a short edge of the middle frame. As shown in <FIG>, the first direction R1 and the second direction R2 are both not parallel to the long edge or the short edge of the middle frame. Taking the metal protector <NUM> with a cross section in a rectangular shape as an example, the first radiating slot <NUM> is perpendicular to a first diagonal of the metal protector <NUM>, and the second radiating slot <NUM> is perpendicular to a second diagonal of the metal protector <NUM>, in which the first diagonal is perpendicular to the second diagonal.

The cross section of the metal protector <NUM> may have a generally rectangular shape as shown in <FIG>, and may also have a circular shape as shown in <FIG>. Alternatively, the cross section of the metal protector <NUM> may also have other shapes, which is not limited in the present application.

In the example of the present application, compared with the middle frame <NUM>, the metal protector <NUM> has a smaller cross-sectional area. There are fewer devices on the metal protector <NUM>, and the forming positions of the slots <NUM> are more flexible, so that the form of the antenna can be controlled more easily. For example, an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving the circularly polarized signals may be formed. Thus, the antenna is formed on the metal protector <NUM>, so that the polarization mode of the antenna is more flexible, and it is more advantageous in improving the positioning capacity of the antenna.

As shown in <FIG>, when applied to a terminal, when the terminal falls or is subjected to a collision, the metal protector <NUM> will firstly be subjected to an external force to reduce damage to the image acquisition assembly by the external force, thereby ensuring a protection effect on the image acquisition assembly. The radiating slots <NUM> are formed or disposed in the metal protector <NUM>, and the phase shift feed assembly <NUM> excites the radiating slots in different directions to be capable of transmitting and receiving the wireless signals, so as to realize the antenna function without affecting the protection function of the metal protector <NUM>. Compared with the terminal shown in <FIG>, in the same structural space, such a structure can expand the arrangement space of the antenna and increase the number of antennas. Alternatively, the same number of antennas is provided, so that the number of antennas formed on the middle frame <NUM> can be reduced, the influence of the slots <NUM> on the structural strength of the middle frame <NUM> is reduced, and the space utilization of the terminal is improved, thereby effectively saving the structural space of the middle frame <NUM>.

As known from the above examples, in the present application, the metal protector of the image acquisition assembly is provided with a plurality of radiating slots, so that transmitting and receiving of wireless signals is realized through the radiating slots. The forming direction of the first radiating slot and the forming direction of the second radiating slot are different from each other and are arranged at the first set angle. The first radiating slot and the second radiating slot may radiate wireless signals in different polarization directions respectively under the excitation of the phase shift feed assembly <NUM>. Such an antenna form improves the controllability of the antenna polarization mode, thereby facilitating achieving the circular polarization of the antenna signals. Moreover, in the examples of the present application, the antennas are formed on the metal protector of the image acquisition assembly, so that the arrangement space of the antenna is enlarged, and the number of antennas formed in the middle frame is reduced, which is beneficial to improve the structural strength of the middle frame and improve the space utilization of the terminal, thereby effectively saving the structural space of the middle frame.

In some examples, the first direction R1 is perpendicular to the second direction R2, and the second set angle is <NUM> degrees. This is merely one example of the first direction R1 and the second direction R2. The first direction R1 and the second direction R2 are interchangeable, and the angle between the first direction R1 and the second direction R2 may be comprised between <NUM> degree and <NUM> degrees.

In some examples, the angle between the first radiating slot and the second radiating slot is <NUM> degrees, the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is <NUM> degrees, and amplitude of the first signal is equal to amplitude of the second signal. The polarization mode of the wireless signals radiated by the radiating slots is circular polarization.

In some examples, the polarization mode of the wireless signals radiated by the radiating slots is right circular polarization.

In other optional examples, the metal protector includes two radiating slots.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the metal protector includes at least one first radiating slot and at least one second radiating slot, thus, the metal protector includes at least two radiating slots.

Without limitation, if the metal protector includes a plurality of radiating slots <NUM>, the number of the first radiating slots is equal to the number of the second radiating slots.

If the metal protector includes a plurality of radiating slots <NUM>, two adjacent radiating slots <NUM> are arranged at an interval. As shown in <FIG>, the two adjacent radiating slots do not communicate with one another.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the number of the radiating slots is two. The number of the first radiating slot and the number of the second radiating slot are one, and the two radiating slots are arranged perpendicular to each other.

In some examples, the two radiating slots are arranged in a T shape.

In some examples, an end of one of the radiating slots <NUM> is arranged adjacent to an end of the other one of the radiating slots <NUM>. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, each of the two radiating slots is arranged along one of the edges of the metal protector <NUM>, and an end of one of the radiating slots is arranged adjacent to an end of the other one of the radiating slots. This arrangement can make full use of the structural space of the metal protector <NUM>, and realize the light transmitting function, the protection function and the antenna function of the metal protector <NUM> to the image acquisition assembly.

Without limitation, the two radiating slots <NUM> are symmetrically distributed on the metal protector <NUM>.

In some examples, as shown in <FIG>, the first radiating slot <NUM> and the second radiating slot <NUM> are located on two adjacent edges of the metal protector <NUM> respectively.

In other optional examples, the metal protector <NUM> includes four radiating slots <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the number of the first radiating slots is two, and the number of the second radiating slots is two.

In other optional examples, the four radiating slots <NUM> are arranged adjacent to one another in end-to-end manner.

As shown in <FIG>, each two adjacent radiating slots <NUM> are arranged perpendicularly to each other.

In other optional examples, the plurality of radiating slots <NUM> are distributed in an annular pattern.

The polarization mode of the wireless signals generated by the plurality of slots <NUM> distributed in an annular pattern is closer to circular polarization, which is beneficial to further improve the positioning function of the antenna assembly.

As shown in <FIG>, the four slots <NUM> are distributed in a rectangular annular pattern.

In other optional examples, the metal protector <NUM> includes six radiating slots <NUM>. The six radiating slots are arranged adjacent to one another in end-to-end manner, an angle between each two adjacent radiating slots <NUM> is <NUM> degrees, and the second set angle is <NUM> degrees.

As shown in <FIG>, in the six radiating slots <NUM>, the angle between each two adjacent radiating slots <NUM> is <NUM> degrees.

In other optional examples, the six radiating slots <NUM> are distributed in an annular pattern.

As shown in <FIG>, the six radiating slots <NUM> are arranged adjacent to one another in end-to-end manner to form a generally hexagonal annular structure.

The phase shift feed assembly <NUM> includes:.

In some examples, the feed assembly <NUM> may be coupled with the metal protector <NUM> to feed the metal protector. For example, the feed assembly <NUM> further includes a feed tab. The feed tab is spaced apart from the metal protector and configured to feed the radiating slots through electromagnetic coupling.

The feed tab may be a metal sheet, which is located below the slot. That is, the metal sheet is located at an inner side of the metal protector.

In some examples, the feed tab may be connected to the processing assembly through a feeder line.

In some examples, the feed assembly <NUM> may be in contact with the metal protector <NUM> to feed the metal protector. For example, the feeder line of the feed assembly <NUM> is directly in contact with the metal protector to achieve contact feeding. Herein, the point at which the feeder line is in contact with the metal protector may serve as a feed point. In the case of contact feeding, an elastic feeder line such as an elastic sheet or an elastic probe may be adopted to connect the metal sheet and the processing assembly, so as to further guarantee the contact between the metal sheet and the metal protector, as well as the performance of the antenna assembly for transmitting and receiving signals.

The feed assembly <NUM> includes:
a feeder line <NUM> electrically connected to the processing assembly and electrically connected to the feed point of each radiating slot <NUM>. Herein, the feed point is located on an outer edge of each radiating slot <NUM> or an inner edge of each radiating slot <NUM>. A distance between the outer edge of each radiating slot and a center of the metal protector <NUM> is larger than a distance between the inner edge of each radiating slot and the center of the metal protector <NUM>.

<FIG> exemplarily illustrates a feed point located on the outer edge of each radiating slot <NUM>.

Compared with the outer edge, the inner edge of each radiating slot is closer to the center of the metal protector.

Without limitation, the feeder line <NUM> includes a coaxial line, a microstrip line, a strip line or a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) line.

Without limitation, one radiating slot <NUM> includes one feed point.

In some examples, the processing assembly <NUM> may adjust the amplitude and/or phase of the electrical signals transferred to the feed point, so that the first radiating slot <NUM> radiates the first signal in a first polarization direction, and the second radiating slot <NUM> radiates the second signal in a second polarization direction.

When applied to a terminal, the processing assembly <NUM> may be integrated in a Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the terminal.

In some examples, the feed point is located at a midpoint position of each radiating slot <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the metal sheet of the feed point may be disposed at the midpoint of each radiating slot <NUM>.

It will be understood that the position of the feed point may also slightly deviate from the midpoint position of each radiating slot. However, the feed point at the midpoint position of each radiating slot is more advantageous in transmitting and receiving the wireless signals.

In other optional examples, the antenna assembly further includes:
an insulating filler filled in each slot <NUM>.

The insulating filler is filled in each slot <NUM>, so that the strength of the metal protector <NUM> is improved on the basis of ensuring the function of the antenna for transmitting and receiving the wireless signals, which is beneficial to enhance the protection effect on the image acquisition assembly.

The filler may be made of an insulating material, such as resin or silicate compounds.

Without limitation, an injection molding material in a molten state may be filled into the slots <NUM> by injection molding, and then may be cooled and solidified to form an insulating filler.

In other optional examples, the metal protector <NUM> further includes:
a plurality of through holes <NUM> configured to allow ambient light to be incident to the image acquisition assembly.

The through holes <NUM> are located between the radiating slots <NUM> and the center of the metal protector <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the lens of the image acquisition assembly may be aligned with each through hole <NUM>, so as to receive light from an external environment and capture images.

The metal protector may include one or more through holes <NUM>.

Compared with the radiating slots <NUM>, the through hole <NUM> is closer to the center of the metal protector <NUM>. That is, the through hole <NUM> is located within an area enclosed by the slots <NUM>. Such a distribution may simultaneously achieve the protection effect of the metal protector <NUM> on the image acquisition assembly, the function of the image acquisition assembly for receiving light and the antenna function.

An example of the present application further provides a terminal. The terminal includes:.

In some examples, the terminal further includes a circuit board disposed on the middle frame <NUM>. The antenna assembly is disposed on the circuit board. In practical applications, the circuit board may be a main board of the terminal.

Without limitation, the metal protector <NUM> may be disposed on the middle frame <NUM> by means of a snap connection, welding, bonding or a connection through a fastener such as a screw. Alternatively, the metal protector <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM> are integrally formed by molding.

The terminals include but not limited to mobile phones, tablets, laptops, unmanned aerial vehicles or wearable devices, etc..

In a specific example, the terminal is a mobile phone. As shown in <FIG>, a radiating slot <NUM> of appropriate length is formed in the metal protector <NUM> of a mobile phone camera in a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction respectively, namely a first radiating slot <NUM> formed or disposed in the transverse direction and a second radiating slot <NUM> formed or disposed in the longitudinal direction. The first radiating slot <NUM> is excited to generate a transverse mode, so as to radiate the horizontally polarized waves. The second radiating slot <NUM> is excited to generate a longitudinal mode, so as to radiate the vertically polarized waves. The polarization modes of the electromagnetic waves in the two directions are orthogonal to each other. The feed point is connected to the processing assembly through a feeder line <NUM>. The processing assembly generates signals having equal amplitude and a phase difference of <NUM> degrees to excite the first radiating slot <NUM> and the second exciting slot <NUM> respectively. That is, a right-hand circularly polarized signal is generated. The processing assembly transmits a received signal to a positioning processing unit <NUM> (generally a CPU) for post processing, so as to decode time information and position information.

In a specific example, as shown in <FIG>, the antenna of the metal protector <NUM> is an antenna including four radiating slots. The processing assembly generates four signals having equal amplitude and a phase difference of <NUM> degrees to excite the four radiating slots <NUM> respectively. A right-hand circularly polarized signal is generated since the excitation signal has a phase difference of <NUM> degrees. This form has better circular polarization performance.

In other optional example, the metal protector <NUM> of the antenna assembly is electrically connected to the middle frame <NUM>. The middle frame <NUM> forms at least a part of a ground plane of the antenna.

The middle frame <NUM> serves as the ground plane, which increases the grounding area of the antenna and facilitates improving the efficiency of the antenna.

In some examples, a part of an area of the metal protector <NUM> which is not connected to the feed point may serve as the ground plane of the antenna together with the middle frame <NUM>.

In other optional examples, the terminal further includes:
a shell disposed on the middle frame <NUM>, in which the shell is provided with an opening, and the antenna assembly is disposed in the opening and at least partially exposed outside the shell.

The antenna assembly is exposed to the outside, so that the interference of a device in the terminal, such as a circuit board or a loudspeaker, to the antenna is reduced.

In some examples, the shell is a battery case. The circuit board, the loudspeaker, the battery, the camera and other devices of the terminal may all be located between the middle frame <NUM> and the shell.

The features disclosed in the several product examples provided in the present application can be combined arbitrarily without conflict to obtain new product examples.

Claim 1:
An antenna assembly, comprising:
a metal protector (<NUM>) of an image acquisition assembly, wherein the metal protector (<NUM>) comprises a plurality of radiating slots (<NUM>), the plurality of radiating slots (<NUM>) comprise a first radiating slot (<NUM>) formed in a first direction (R1) and a second radiating slot (<NUM>) formed in a second direction (R2), and the first direction (R1) and the second direction (R2) are arranged at a first set angle; and
a phase shift feed assembly (<NUM>) configured to generate a first signal and a second signal having a phase difference of a second set angle, wherein the first signal is configured to excite the first radiating slot (<NUM>), and the second signal is configured to excite the second radiating slot (<NUM>),
wherein the phase shift feed assembly (<NUM>) comprises:
a processing assembly (<NUM>) configured to generate the first signal and the second signal having the phase difference of the second set angle; and
a feed assembly (<NUM>) connected to the processing assembly (<NUM>) and configured to feed the radiating slots (<NUM>),
characterized in that the feed assembly (<NUM>) comprises:
a feeder line (<NUM>) electrically connected to the processing assembly (<NUM>) and electrically connected to a feed point of each radiating slot (<NUM>),
wherein the feed point is located on an outer edge of each radiating slot (<NUM>) or an inner edge of each radiating slot (<NUM>), and wherein a distance between the outer edge of each radiating slot (<NUM>) and a center of the metal protector (<NUM>) is larger than a distance between the inner edge of each radiating slot (<NUM>) and the center of the metal protector (<NUM>).