Helical antenna with connector and fabrication method of the same

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a helical antenna in which radiation elements are provided in helical form on the surface of a cylindrical member composed of a dielectric, and to a method of manufacturing this helical antenna.

2. Description of the Related Art

Helical antennas are used as the antennas for portable terminals in portable telephone systems that employ-non-geostationary satellites. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of this type of helical antenna of the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 1, helical antenna 102 of the prior art is shown that includes element 100 , feeder circuit 200 , and connection pins 310 . Element 100 is formed by winding flexible print circuit board 120 in the form of parallel quadrilaterals around dielectric pipe 110 . Flexible print circuit board 120 is secured to dielectric pipe 110 by an adhesive or a double sided tape.

Feeder circuit 200 is formed from circuit board 104 (also referred to as a “dielectric board”) made up from a disk-shaped dielectric having a larger diameter than dielectric pipe 110 . Microstrip lines (not shown in the figure) are formed and a chip-type 4-distributor, resistor, and capacitor are mounted on one surface of dielectric board 104 , these components having the function of a 4-distributor/combiner circuit. A ground conductor is formed on the other surface of dielectric board 104 . Since this type of feeder circuit is well known in the art, and functionally, is not an element that is closely connected to the present invention, a detailed explanation of these components is omitted.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the connection points between element 100 and feeder circuit 200 in helical antenna 102 shown in FIG. 1 . In the figure, components identical to those shown in FIG. 1 bear the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of connection pins 310 are arranged at the edge of element 110 . Each of connection pins 310 passes through a through-hole formed in dielectric board 104 of feeder circuit 200 . One end of connection pins 310 is soldered to element 100 and the other is soldered to feeder circuit 200 .

In the configuration of helical antenna 102 of the prior art, element 100 and dielectric board 104 are connected by inserting connection pins 310 through dielectric board 104 , and the outside diameter of feeder circuit 200 is therefore greater than the outside diameter of dielectric pipe 110 . This factor is not advantageous for reducing the outside diameter of helical antenna 102 .

An antenna that is incorporated into a portable telephone is preferably as compact as possible, and, for example, a helical antenna of the following construction has been proposed to eliminate the above-described drawback.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example of a helical antenna of the prior art. In the figure, constituent elements identical to those of FIG. 1 bear the same reference numerals.

Helical antenna 106 shown in FIG. 3 includes element 100 A, feeder circuit 200 A, and connection pins 310 . Element 100 A is formed by winding flexible print circuit board 120 A, which is shaped as a parallel quadrilateral, around dielectric pipe 110 A. The outside diameter of feeder circuit 200 A is somewhat larger than the outside diameter of element 100 . The electrical configuration of feeder circuit 200 A is the same as that of feeder circuit 200 shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing in detail the connection points between element 100 A and feeder circuit 200 A in the helical antenna 106 shown in FIG. 3 . In the figure, constituent elements that are the same as those shown in FIG. 3 bear the same reference numerals.

The walls of dielectric pipe 110 A are thicker on the side of feeder circuit 200 A than in other portions of dielectric pipe 110 A. and holes for inserting connection pins 310 are formed in this thicker portion of dielectric pipe 110 A. Flexible print circuit board 120 A is wound around dielectric pipe 110 A such that its lower end-bends inwards at the lower end of dielectric pipe 110 A. Flexible print circuit board 120 A is secured to dielectric pipe 110 A by means of an adhesive or a double sided tape.

The upper ends of connection pins 310 are inserted into the above-described holes in dielectric pipe 110 A, and the lower ends are inserted into through-holes formed in dielectric board 104 of feeder circuit 200 A. Connection pins 310 are then connected to feeder circuit 200 A by soldering at these through-holes. The upper ends of connection pins 310 , on the other hand, are soldered to the end of flexible print circuit board 120 A that is bent inside dielectric pipe 110 A.

This helical antenna 106 allows each of connection pins 310 to be provided at points closer to the center of dielectric board 104 than in helical antenna 102 shown in FIG. 1, and the outside diameter of feeder circuit 200 A can therefore be made smaller than that of feeder circuit 200 shown in FIG. 1 .

Nevertheless, this helical antenna 106 has the drawback that the process of winding flexible print circuit board 120 A around dielectric pipe 110 A is complicated by the necessity of bending the lower end of flexible print circuit board 120 A inside the lower end of dielectric pipe 110 A. A further drawback is the increased number of fabrication steps required for forming holes in dielectric pipe 110 A for inserting connection pins 310 .

It is an object of the present invention to provide a helical antenna that is compact and that can be assembled reliably in a short time, as well as a method of fabricating the helical antenna.

To achieve the above-described objects, the helical antenna according to the present invention comprises a plurality of radiation elements provided in helical form that are spaced at intervals from each other on the outer surface of a cylindrical member that is composed of a dielectric, a circuit board on which is mounted a feeder circuit for supplying high-frequency energy to the radiation elements, and a connector for electrically connecting the radiation elements and the circuit board. The circuit board is arranged below the cylindrical member, and the connector is arranged between the lower end of the cylindrical member and the circuit board. The connector is composed of an insulating material and is provided as a solid unit with a plurality of connection pins that electrically connect the end of each radiation element with the circuit board.

According to a preferable embodiment of the present invention, the connector includes a connector body, and the plurality of connection pins are provided on the connector body. The connector body includes a lower portion that is formed with an outside diameter that is substantially equal to the outside diameter of the cylindrical member and an upper portion that is formed with an outside diameter that allows insertion inside the cylindrical member with substantially no gap. The lower ends of the connection pins protrude downward from the lower surface of the lower portion of the connector body. The upper ends of the connection pins protrude upward from the lower portion of connector body with a gap between the connection pins and the outer surface of the upper portion of the connector body. The connector body is then joined to the cylindrical member by inserting the upper portion of the connector body into the lower end of the cylindrical member and interposing the lower end of the cylindrical member between the outer surface of the upper portion of the connector body and the upper ends of the connection pins. The upper ends of the connection pins are thus electrically connected to the ends of the radiation elements, and moreover, the lower ends of the connection pins are electrically connected to the circuit board.

In the fabrication method of the helical antenna according to the present invention, a cylindrical member, a circuit board, and a connector composed of an insulating material are prepared beforehand. A plurality of helical radiation elements are provided at intervals on the outer surface of the cylindrical member. A feeder circuit for supplying high-frequency energy to the radiation elements is mounted on the circuit board. A plurality of connection pins for electrically connecting the ends of the radiation elements to the circuit board are provided as a solid unit with the connector. Then, the connector is installed on the circuit board and the connection pins are electrically connected to the feeder circuit, and in addition, the connector is attached to the lower end of the cylindrical member and the connection pins are electrically connected to the ends of the radiation elements.

According to a preferable embodiment of the fabrication method of the helical antenna of this invention, the connector includes a connector body composed of an insulating material, and the plurality of connection pins are provided as a solid unit with this connector body. The lower ends of the connection pins protrude downward from the lower surface of the lower portion of the connector body. The upper ends of the connection pins protrude upward from the lower portion of the connector body and form a gap with respect to the outer surface of the upper portion of the connector body. The connector body and cylindrical member are then joined by inserting the upper portion of the connector body into the lower end of the cylindrical member and interposing the lower end of the cylindrical member between the upper ends of the connection pins and the outer surface of the upper portion of the connector body, thereby electrically connecting the upper ends of the connection pins and the ends of the radiation elements, and further, electrically connecting the lower ends of the connection pins to the circuit board.

According to the present invention, radiation elements provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical member are connected by means of a connector to a feeder circuit that is mounted on a circuit board. Accordingly, a connector body provided as a solid unit with connection pins is of a construction that includes a lower portion that is formed with substantially the same outside diameter as the outside diameter of a cylindrical member and an upper portion that is formed with an outside diameter that allows insertion inside the cylindrical member with substantially no gap; the lower ends of the connection pins are configured to protrude from the lower surface of the lower portion of the connector body, and the upper ends of the connection pins are configured to extend upward from the lower portion of the connector body such that a gap is formed between the upper ends of the connection pins and the outer surface of the upper portion of the connector body; whereby the diameter of the circuit board can be made equal to or less than the outside diameter of the cylindrical member. In addition, the diameter of the connector can also be made substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical member. As a result, a slimming of the entire helical antenna can be achieved.

When assembling the helical antenna, the cylindrical member and circuit board need only be connected by way of the connector. In particular, a construction in which the connector body includes an upper portion and lower portion as described hereinabove and the upper ends of the connection pins are constructed as described hereinabove enables the radiation elements to be electrically connected to the connection pins by inserting the upper portion of the connector body into the lower end of the cylindrical member and interposing the ends of the radiation elements between the upper ends of the connection pins and the outer surface of the upper portion of the connector body. The ends of the radiation elements and the upper ends of the connection pins may also be soldered together as necessary.

In a case in which the radiation elements are constituted by metal foil patterns formed on a dielectric sheet, the radiation elements can be provided in helical form on the outer surface of the cylindrical member by wrapping the dielectric sheet around a cylindrical member. In this case as well, adopting a construction in which the radiation elements are interposed between the outer surface of the upper portion of the connector body and the upper ends of the connection pins as described above eliminates the need for bending the lower end of the dielectric sheet toward the center of the cylindrical member, as in the prior art, and further, eliminates the need to form holes for inserting connection pins in the end surface of the cylindrical member.

The present invention therefore enables easy, reliable, and speedy assembly of a helical antenna without need for special methods.

In addition, the terms “upper” and “lower” that are used in the present invention indicate “up” and “down” when the helical antenna is in an erect state in which the feeder circuit is positioned below the cylindrical member, and do not necessarily indicate “up” or “down” when the helical antenna is in use or when the helical antenna is being assembled.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate examples of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one example of a helical antenna of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a section showing the connection points between elements and the feeder circuit in the helical antenna of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example of a helical antenna of the prior art;

FIG. 4 is a section showing a detailed view of the connection points between the element and feeder circuit in the helical antenna of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a helical antenna according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the helical antenna of FIG. 5 after assembly;

FIG. 7 is a plan development of the flexible print circuit board that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the feeder circuit that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 5 turned upside down;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the feeder circuit that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 5 as seen from below;

FIG. 10 is a detailed perspective view showing the connector that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a detailed side sectional view of the connector that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 5;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the bar piece for explaining one method of fabricating the connection pins that make up a part of the connector;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the bent bar piece for explaining one fabrication method of the connection pins that make up a part of the connector;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the construction of the helical antenna of FIG. 5;

FIG. 15 is a vertical section showing the construction of a modification of the connector;

FIG. 16 is a plan development showing a modification of the flexible print circuit board that makes up a part of the helical antenna;

FIG. 17 is a plan development showing another modification of the flexible print circuit board that makes up a part of the helical antenna;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a helical antenna according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a plan development showing the dielectric sheet that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the connector that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a side view of the connector that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 18;

FIG. 22 is a plan view of the connector that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 18;

FIGS. 23A-23C are perspective views of modifications of the connection pins;

FIG. 24 is a side view showing another modification of the connector provided with Y-shaped connection pins;

FIG. 25 is a plan view of the connector of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of yet another example of the connector that makes up a part of the helical antenna of the present invention;

FIG. 27 is a sectional view of the connector of FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the helical antenna according to the third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a plan development of the flexible print circuit board that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 28; and

FIG. 30 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing the secured portion of the flexible print circuit board that makes up a part of the helical antenna of FIG. 28 .

Referring now to FIGS. 5-17, the first embodiment of the present invention is next explained. In the figures, constituent elements that are equivalent to the prior art bear the same reference numerals.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in which helical antenna 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown, this helical antenna 20 comprises element 100 , feeder circuit 210 , and connectors 300 for connecting element 100 and feeder circuit 210 .

Element 100 is formed by winding flexible print circuit board 120 (a dielectric sheet) around the outer surface of cylindrical dielectric pipe 110 (a cylindrical member) and securing with an adhesive or a double sided tape.

Materials such as polycarbonate, Teflon (registered trademark of Dupont), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), and ABS may be applied as the material of dielectric pipe 110 .

As shown in FIG. 7, if rolled out flat, flexible print circuit board 120 is constituted by a parallel quadrilateral. Y-shaped elongated copper foil patterns 121 , 122 , 123 , and 124 (radiation elements) composed of first copper foil patterns 121 A- 124 A and second copper foil patterns 121 B- 124 B are formed at intervals on the surface of flexible print circuit board 120 and substantially parallel to each other. Copper foil patterns 121 , 122 , 123 , and 124 form a helix when flexible print circuit board 120 is wound onto dielectric pipe 110 , as shown in FIG. 5. A material such as polyimide may be applied as the material of flexible print circuit board 120 .

A first copper foil pattern and a second copper foil pattern of each copper foil pattern are connected at one end, this point forming base 40 (radiation element base) that exhibits a Y-shape.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, feeder circuit 210 has disk-shaped dielectric board 108 of approximately the same diameter as dielectric pipe 110 .

Four through-holes 108 A that pass through dielectric board 108 in the direction of thickness are provided at points along the edge of dielectric board 108 that correspond to lower ends 310 A of connection pins 310 (to be described below), these lower ends 310 A being inserted through these through-holes 108 A. In addition, one through-hole 108 BC through which passes a connection pin (not shown) that is connected to a transmitting/receiving circuit (not shown), is provided in dielectric board 108 in the direction of thickness of dielectric board 108 . Chip-type 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C is provided on lower surface 1081 of dielectric board 108 . This 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C is provided with four antenna-side connection ports 108 C 1 and one input/output port 108 C 2 . Microstrip lines 108 D 1 that connect each antenna-side connection port 108 C 1 to a respective through-hole 108 A and microstrip line 108 D 2 that connects input/output port 108 C 2 and through-hole 108 B are formed on lower surface 1081 of dielectric board 108 .

A ground conductor is formed on the upper surface groud of dielectric board 108 , i.e., the surface that confronts element 100 .

Referring next to FIGS. 10-13, connector 300 that makes up a part of helical antenna 20 of FIG. 5 is described.

Connector 300 includes connection pins 310 and ring 300 A that is composed of plastic resin and that constitutes the connector body. Lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A is formed with an outside diameter that is substantially equal to the outside diameter of dielectric pipe 110 , and upper portion 300 C of ring 300 A is formed with an outside diameter that allows insertion into dielectric pipe 110 with substantially no gap.

Lower ends 310 A of connection pins 310 protrude downward from the lower surface of lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A, and upper ends 310 B protrude upward from lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A so as to form a gap between upper ends 310 B and the outside surface of upper portion 300 C of ring 300 A. In more detail, upper ends 310 B of connection pins 310 protrude from the outer surface of lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A and extend upward along the outer surface of upper portion 300 A. The middle portions of connection pins 310 therefore are buried inside lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A.

In addition, connection pins 310 are bent in the middle portion such that lower ends 310 A protrude from the lower surface of lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A at points that closer to the center in the radial direction of ring 300 A than upper ends 310 B.

One example of a method forming connection pins 310 as a solid unit with ring 300 A is next described. A metal plate of, for example, brass, is first punched out by a sheet metal processing method to form bar piece 311 A of the shape shown in FIG. 12 . This bar piece 311 A is shaped by a bending process to form die insert piece 311 B as shown in FIG. 13 . This die insert piece 311 B is next preset in a prescribed position of a forming die for forming ring 300 A, and insert forming of die insert piece 311 B is carried out, whereby die insert piece 311 B is formed as a solid piece with the plastic resin that constitutes ring 300 A. After forming, the unnecessary parts of the upper portion and lower portion of die insert piece 311 B are cut off, and the remaining portions become the four independent connection pins 310 . The use of brass as the material for connection pins 310 as described above is preferable because brass facilitates soldering.

As shown in FIG. 6, upper portion 300 C of ring 300 A is inserted into the lower end of dielectric pipe 110 , the lower end of dielectric pipe 110 is held between the outer surface of upper portion 300 C of ring 300 A and upper ends 310 B of connection pins 310 , thereby joining ring 300 A to dielectric pipe 110 . Upper ends 310 B of each of connection pins 310 each contact bases 40 of each of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 , thereby establishing electrical connections between each of connection pins 310 and a respective copper foil pattern 121 - 124 . In order to establish good electrical contact between each of connection pins 310 and respective copper foil patterns 121 - 124 , upper ends 310 B of connection pins 310 are preferably each soldered to bases 40 of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 .

Lower ends 310 A of each of connection pins 310 are electrically connected to feeder circuit 210 , which is arranged below connector 300 . In other words, lower ends 310 A of connection pins 310 , having been inserted through four through-holes 108 A that are formed in dielectric board 108 of feeder circuit 210 that is shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, electrically connect with each microstrip line 108 Di by soldering. Accordingly, lower ends 310 A of connection pins 310 electrically connect by way of each microstrip line 108 D 1 with antenna-side connection ports 108 C 1 of 4-distributor/combiner 108 C on dielectric board 108 .

Upper ends 310 B of connection pins 310 , on the other hand, as described hereinabove, make contact with, and are soldered to bases 40 of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 . Copper patterns 121 - 124 are thus electrically connected to feeder circuit 210 by way of connection pins 310 of connector 300 .

Referring now to FIG. 14, which is a block diagram showing the configuration of helical antenna of FIG. 5, the electrical operation of helical antenna 20 configured according to the foregoing description is next explained. The following explanation pertains to a case in which this helical antenna 20 is used as a satellite telephone antenna that uses a non-geostationary satellite.

The lengths of first copper patterns 121 A- 124 A and second copper pattern 121 B- 124 B are set such that first copper foil patterns 121 A- 124 A resonate at a first frequency and second copper foil patterns 121 B- 124 B resonate at a second frequency. The first frequency is used as the transmitting band and the second frequency is used as the receiving band. In this embodiment, moreover, the first frequency is set to a lower frequency than the second frequency, and first copper foil patterns 121 A- 124 A are therefore longer than second copper foil patterns 121 B- 124 B.

The four antenna-side connection ports 108 C 1 of 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C are configured to receive and output signals that are of equal amplitude but that differ from each other by 90-degree phase shifts (in the figure, these are shown as 0-degrees, −90 degrees, −180 degrees, and −270 degrees).

Input/output port 108 C 2 of 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C is connected to a transmitting/receiving circuit (not shown in the figure) by way of the connection pin (not shown in the figure) that passes through through-hole 108 B (refer to, for example, FIG. 8) and microstrip line 108 D 2 (refer to, for example, FIG. 8 ). Transmission signals are received from this transmitting/receiving circuit, and received signals that have been combined by 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C are outputted to this transmitting/receiving circuit.

Each of antenna side connection ports 108 C 1 is connected by the above-described connector 300 to a respective lower end of each of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 .

Explanation first regards operation when transmitting.

When a high-frequency signal of the first frequency is received at input/output port 108 C 2 of 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C from the transmitting/receiving circuit, 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C distributes the high-frequency signal of the first frequency and outputs to antenna-side connection ports 108 C 1 . At this time, signals that are of equal amplitude but of phases that differ by shifts of 90 degrees are outputted to each of antenna-side connection ports 108 C 1 . Each of the distributed high-frequency signals is received at a respective copper foil pattern 121 - 124 by way of a respective connection pin 310 of connector 300 . Each of the high-frequency signals that is received at a copper foil pattern 121 - 124 resonates at first copper foil pattern 121 A- 124 A of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 , is converted to electromagnetic waves, and is radiated into space. The electromagnetic waves that are radiated from the four first copper foil patterns 121 A- 124 A can be combined at a space that is sufficiently separated from this helical antenna 20 to obtain a desired radiation pattern.

Next, the operation during reception is described.

High-frequency signals of the second frequency that are transmitted from a satellite are received at the four second copper foil patterns 121 B- 124 B, and then applied to each of antenna-side connection ports 108 C 1 of 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C by way of each of connection pins 310 of connector 300 . At this time, each of the high-frequency signals of the second frequency are of equal amplitude but differ from each other by 90-degree phase shifts. 4-distributor/combiner circuit 108 C combines these received high-frequency signals of the second frequency and outputs from input/output port 108 C 2 to the transmitting/receiving circuit. The transmitting/receiving circuit then performs a reception process based on the high-frequency signal that is received from input/output port 108 C 2 .

As described in the foregoing explanation, helical antenna 20 of this embodiment is of a construction in which element 100 and feeder circuit 210 are connected by connector 300 , and connector 300 is constructed such that lower ends 310 A of connection pins 310 protrude downward from the lower surface of lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A, and upper ends 310 B of connection pins 310 protrude from the outer surface of lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A and extend upward along this same outer surface. The outside diameter of lower portion 300 B of connector 300 can therefore be set to substantially the same dimension as the outside diameter of dielectric pipe 110 as described hereinabove. In addition, connection pins 310 are bent in their middle portions such that the portion of lower ends 310 A that protrudes downward from the lower surface of lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A is positioned more toward the inside of ring 300 A in the radial direction of ring 300 A than upper ends 310 B. As a result, the outside diameter of dielectric board 108 can be made equal to or smaller than the outside diameter of element 100 .

Helical antenna 20 of this embodiment thus enables a slimmer, i.e., more compact, form.

The assembly of helical antenna 20 can be realized by inserting connector 300 , in which feeder circuit 210 is mounted on lower portion 300 B, into the lower end of dielectric pipe 110 such that its upper portion 300 C is arranged inside dielectric pipe 110 , and then connecting upper ends 310 B of each of connection pins 310 to bases 40 of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 by soldering.

In addition, there is no need to bend the lower end of flexible print circuit board 120 toward the center of dielectric pipe 110 when winding flexible print circuit board 120 onto dielectric pipe 110 , as with the helical antennas of the prior art that are shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, and further, there is no need to form holes for inserting connection pins in the end surface of dielectric pipe 110 .

Helical antenna 20 of this embodiment therefore can be quickly and easily assembled.

Although solder was used to connect upper ends 310 B 3 of each of connection pins 310 to bases 40 of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 in the above-described embodiment, a construction that does not require soldering may also be adopted if a connector such as is shown in FIG. 15 is used.

In the modification of connector 300 that is shown in FIG. 15, bent portions 310 B 1 , which are bent in the direction that approaches the outer surface of upper portion 300 C, are formed in the portions of upper ends 310 B of connection pins 310 that protrude from the outer surface of lower portion of ring 300 A and extend upward along the outer surface of upper portion 300 B.

These bent portions 31011 are constructed so as to elastically press against bases 40 of each of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 when upper portion 300 C of connector 300 is inserted into the lower end of dielectric pipe 110 .

The elastic pressure of bent portions 310 B 1 of connection pins 310 against bases 40 of each of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 according to the above-described construction establishes electrical contact between upper ends 310 B of connection pins 310 and bases 40 of each of copper foil patterns 121 - 124 and thus eliminates the need for a soldering step.

In addition, the shape of the copper foil patterns that are formed on the flexible print circuit board that constitutes the helical antenna is not limited to the elongated Y-shaped form such as shown in FIG. 7 .

A number of examples of the shape of the copper foil patterns that are formed on the flexible print circuit board are shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 .

In flexible print circuit board 120 of FIG. 16, copper foil patterns 121 - 124 include first copper foil patterns 121 A- 124 A and second copper foil patterns 121 B- 124 B that extend substantially parallel to each other, and connection points 121 C- 124 C (radiation element bases) that connect the lower ends of both first copper foil patterns 121 A- 124 A and second copper foil patterns 121 B- 124 B. Connection points 121 C- 124 C exhibit V shapes with acute bends.

In flexible print circuit board 120 of FIG. 17, copper foil patterns 121 - 124 include first copper foil patterns 121 A- 124 A and second copper foil patterns 121 B- 124 B that extend substantially parallel to each other, and connection points 121 C- 124 C (radiation element bases) that connect the lower ends of both first copper foil patterns 121 A- 124 A and second copper foil patterns 121 B- 124 B. Connection points 121 C- 124 C exhibit U shapes with acute bends.

Connection points 121 C- 124 C of FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 correspond to bases 40 of FIG. 7 and constitute the part that electrically connects to upper ends 310 B of connection pins 310 .

Referring now to the figures, the second embodiment of the present invention is next explained. In the figures showing this embodiment, constituent elements that are the same as those in the first embodiment of the present invention bear the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation of these components is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 18, in which helical antenna 60 of the second embodiment of the present invention is shown, helical antenna 60 of this embodiment differs with respect to the first embodiment in regard to the composition of the flexible print circuit board and the construction of the connection pins.

In concrete terms, as shown in FIG. 19, eight copper foil patterns 121 - 128 are formed at fixed intervals with a prescribed angle so as to extend substantially parallel on flexible print circuit board 120 B that is used in helical antenna 60 of this embodiment. The lengths of copper foil patterns 121 - 128 are of two varieties, long and the short patterns being alternately arranged.

In connector 302 that constitutes a part of helical antenna 60 , the upper ends of connection pins 312 split into two upper end pins 312 A as shown in FIGS. 20-22. Upper end pins 312 A protrude from the outer surface of lower portion 300 B of ring 300 A, extend upward along the outer surface of upper portion 300 C of ring 300 A and form a gap with the outer surface of upper portion 300 C.

The lower ends of connection pins 312 , on the other hand, protrude downward from the lower surface of lower portion 300 B of connector 302 , similar to connector 300 of the first embodiment. In other words, each of connection pins 312 exhibits a Y-shaped form with two upper end pins 312 A and one lower end.

As shown in FIG. 18, each upper end pin 312 A is connected to a different copper foil pattern 121 - 128 on flexible print circuit board 120 B by soldering.

As with the first embodiment, moreover, a construction may be adopted in which each of upper end pins 312 A is provided with a bent portion that is similar to bent portions 310 B 1 shown in FIG. 15 of the previously described first embodiment, and the elastic pressure of these bent portions against the different copper foil patterns 121 - 128 on flexible print circuit board 120 B establishes electrical contact with upper end pins 312 A.

Thus, in a case in which two copper foil patterns that form a pair are not connected to each other at their end portions as in helical antenna 20 of the first embodiment, the upper end pins of a connection pin can be connected to copper foil patterns that form a pair by forming each of the connection pins in a Y shape as described hereinabove as in the present embodiment to obtain the same effect as the first embodiment.

In this embodiment as well, connection pins 312 can be fabricated by the same methods as in the first embodiment.

Next, examples of modifications of the connection pins used in this embodiment are described while referring to FIGS. 23A-23C.

Connections pin 350 shown in FIG. 23A are formed from a plate member and are configured to have elasticity in the direction of thickness of the plate member.

Connection pin 350 is made up of upper end portion 350 A, middle portion 350 B, and lower end portion 350 C. Lower end portion 350 C is configured to protrude downward from the lower surface of lower portion 300 B of connector 302 . Middle portion 350 B is bent in the direction of thickness of the plate material that makes up connection pins 350 and connects lower end portion 350 C to upper end portion 350 A. Upper end portion 350 A is made up of connection part 350 A 1 that extends in a direction that is orthogonal to the direction in which lower end portion 350 C extends, and two upper end pins 350 A 2 . The middle portion of connection part 350 A 1 is connected to the end portion of middle portion 350 B that is opposite lower end portion 350 C. Upper end pins 350 A 2 are each formed to extend upward from the two ends of connection part 350 A 1 .

In other words, upper end portion 350 A splits into two upper end pins 350 A 2 , and a Y shape is formed by this upper end portion 350 A, middle portion 350 B, and lower end portion 350 C.

Connection pin 360 shown in FIG. 23B are formed from a rod material and is configured to have elasticity against the direction of bending.

Connection pin 360 is made up of upper end portion 360 A, middle portion 360 B, and lower end portion 360 C. Lower end portion 360 C is configured to protrude downward from the lower surface of lower portion 300 B of connector 302 . Middle portion 360 B is bent in the direction that crosses the direction in which lower end portion 360 C extends and connects lower end portion 360 C to upper end portion 360 A. Upper end portion 360 A is made up of connection part 360 A 1 that extends in a direction that is orthogonal to the direction in which lower end portion 360 C extends, and two upper end pins 360 A 2 . The middle portion of connection part 360 A 1 is connected to the end portion of middle portion 360 B that is opposite lower end portion 360 C. Upper end pins 360 A 2 are each formed to extend upward from the two ends of connection part 360 Al.

In other words, upper end portion 360 A splits into two upper end pins 360 A 2 , and a Y shape is formed by this upper end portion 360 A, middle portion 360 B, and lower end portion 360 C.

Connection pin 370 shown in FIG. 23C is formed from a plate member and is constructed to have elasticity in the direction of thickness of the plate member.

Connection pin 370 is made up of upper end portion 370 A, middle portion 370 B, and lower end portion 370 C. Lower end portion 370 C is configured to protrude downward from the lower surface of lower portion 300 B of connector 302 . Middle portion 370 B is bent in the direction of thickness of the plate member that makes up connection pins 370 and connects lower end portion 370 C to upper end portion 370 A. Upper end portion 370 A is made up of connection part 370 A 1 that extends in a direction that is orthogonal to the direction in which lower end portion 370 C extends and two upper end pins 370 A 2 . The middle portion of connection part 370 A 1 is connected to the end portion of middle portion 370 B that is opposite lower end portion 370 C. Upper end pins 370 A 2 are each formed to extend upward from the two ends of connection part 370 A 1 . Finally, connection part 370 A 1 and upper end pins 370 A 2 together form a downward bending curve that is open on the upper side.

In other words, upper end portion 370 A splits into two upper end pins 370 A 2 , and a Y shape is formed by this upper end portion 370 A, middle portion 370 B, and lower end portion 370 C.

A connector that is provided with the abovedescribed Y-shaped connection pins may also be configured as described hereinbelow.

FIG. 24 is a side view of another example of a connector that can be applied in this invention, and FIG. 25 is a plan view of the same example. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, in this connector 304 Y-shaped grooves 304 D corresponding to the shape of connection pins 80 are formed for each of connection pins 80 on the outer surface of lower portion 304 B of ring 304 A. These grooves 304 D continue onto the lower surface of lower portion 304 B of ring 304 A and reach the bases of lower end portions 80 A of each of connection pins 80 .

The major portion in the middle of each of connection pins 80 is suitably bent so as to be accommodated without gaps within a corresponding groove 304 D. Lower end portions 80 A of connection pins 80 protrude downward from the lower surface of lower portion 304 B of ring 304 A. Upper end portions 80 B of connection pins 80 protrude upward from lower portion 304 B of ring 304 A.

Rather than burying a portion of connection pins 80 , which constitute a part of connector 304 , inside ring 304 A as in the above-described embodiment, a method may be adopted in which connection pins 80 are secured to ring 304 A by accommodating them inside grooves 304 D formed on the outer surface of ring 304 A, as in this case. The same effect as the previously described embodiment can of course be obtained when such a method is adopted.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing yet another example of a connector that can be applied in this invention, and FIG. 27 is a sectional side view of the same example. The shape of connection pins 314 of connector 306 that is shown in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27 differs from that of connector 300 that was used in the first embodiment. In this connector 306 , each of connection pins 314 includes upper end pin 314 B that forms the upper end portion and lower end pin 314 A that forms the lower end portion. Upper end pins 314 B and lower end pins 314 A are formed as a solid unit with ring 306 A, both using the same material as ring 306 A, with upper end pins 314 B protruding from the upper surface of lower portion 306 B of ring 306 A and lower end pins 314 A protruding from the lower surface of lower portion 306 B of ring 306 A.

The surfaces of upper end pins 314 B and lower end pins 314 A as well as the band area on the outer surface of lower portion 306 B of ring 306 A that joins upper end pins 314 and lower end pins 314 A is given continuous plating 314 C. As a result, upper end pins 314 B and lower end pins 314 A are electrically connected by plating 314 C and function electrically as connection pins 314 .

Connector 306 that includes this type of connection pins 314 therefore can secure and connect the element and feeder circuit in the same way as connector 300 of the first embodiment, and the same effect can be obtained as in the case of helical antenna 20 of the first embodiment.

The above-described plating 314 C can be formed by, for example, ordinary MID (Molded interconnect Device) methods.

In the above-described first and second embodiments, a method of winding a flexible print circuit board 120 , on which copper foil patterns are formed, around the circumference of dielectric pipe 110 was described as a fabrication method for forming a plurality of copper foil patterns that extend at mutual spacing in a helical form on the outer surface of dielectric pipe 110 .

However, this invention allows the adoption of a method for forming a plurality of copper foil patterns at mutual intervals that extend in helical form by ordinary MID methods directly on the outer surface of dielectric pipe 110 (hereinbelow referred to as the “second method”), without using a flexible print circuit board on which copper foil patterns have been formed.

If this second method is adopted, the configuration described in the above-described second embodiment can offer the following operation and effects.

In the above-described second embodiment, the upper ends of the connection pins split into two upper end pins, each upper end pin connecting to a respective first or second copper foil pattern having a different length. In contrast to the first embodiment, therefore, there is no need to connect at bases of the first and second copper foil patterns, i.e., there is no need to provide bases to the first and second copper foil patterns.

Accordingly, first and second copper foil patterns can be achieved with simple shapes that extend substantially parallel to each other instead of employing complicated shapes that are connected at their bases.

In other words, first and second copper foil patterns formed on the outer surface of dielectric pipe 110 exhibit a shape having rotational symmetry with the axis of dielectric pipe 110 as the center. In fabricating element 100 , a dielectric pipe is fabricated that is long in the axial direction, and first and second copper foil patterns are then formed in a helical shape by MID techniques on the outer surface of the dielectric pipe.

Element 100 can then be easily manufactured by cutting the dielectric pipe at the required length in the axial direction. This method is possible because the first and second copper foil patterns that are formed on the outer surface of dielectric pipe 110 exhibit rotational symmetry. The use of connection pins that split into two at the upper ends in this way and the simplification of the shape of the copper foil patterns allows element 100 to be manufactured by a simple process and enables a reduction of manufacturing costs.

The third embodiment of the present invention is next explained with reference to FIGS. 28-30. In the figures, constituent elements that are identical to elements of FIG. 1 bear the same reference numerals and redundant explanation of these components is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 28, in which is shown helical antenna 70 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, this helical antenna 70 differs from the helical antenna shown in the first embodiment with regard to the method of securing flexible print circuit board 124 . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 29, through-holes 125 and through-holes 126 are formed at the four corners of flexible print circuit board 124 that is used in helical antenna 70 of this embodiment.

When flexible print circuit board 124 is wound onto dielectric pipe 110 , through-holes 125 and 126 , which form two pairs, are positioned at substantially the same points. In addition, two through-holes 140 that correspond to these through-holes 125 and 126 are formed in dielectric pipe 110 . Then, if through-holes 126 on one side of flexible print circuit board 124 are aligned with through-holes 140 on dielectric pipe 110 , and flexible print circuit board 124 is wound onto dielectric pipe 110 in this state, the positions of through-holes 140 of dielectric pipe 110 and the pairs of through-holes 125 and 126 on flexible print circuit board 124 all coincide, as shown in FIG. 30 . Flexible print circuit board 124 is then secured to dielectric pipe 110 by inserting securing pin 140 A through through-holes 125 , 126 and 140 in this aligned state. In addition, turned-back portion 140 B is formed on the tip of securing pin 140 A to prevent dislodging of securing pin 140 A.

According to this embodiment, the use of securing pin 140 A to secure flexible print circuit board 124 to dielectric pipe 110 fixes flexible print circuit board 124 to dielectric pipe 110 with more reliability.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.