JP7616971B2 - Antenna device and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an antenna device and a method for manufacturing an antenna device.

In the field of IoT (Internet of Things), where market expansion is expected, it is known that the LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication method is used (Non-Patent Document 1). Radio waves such as LPWA, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), 5G, and 6G have high line-propagation properties and short communication distances, so it is desirable to install a large number of antennas.

In order to install a large number of antennas, it is desirable to attach antennas to existing structures, whether indoors or outdoors. When doing so, it is required that the aesthetic appearance of the structure is not marred by attaching the antenna to the structure. For this reason, glass antennas have been provided that have an inconspicuous appearance and can be retrofitted to structures (Non-Patent Document 2).

In addition, a technology has been developed that embeds an antenna in a specially made iron manhole cover, preventing the antenna from being damaged by external forces and attaching it to the road surface so as not to impede vehicles (Non-Patent Document 3).

NTT West Japan, "Commercialization of LoRaWAN (registered trademark) for IoT business expansion," NTT Technical Journal, October 2018, pp.44-47 AGC, "AGC's 'glass antenna that turns windows into base stations' 5G compatible development completed", [online], [searched on July 5, 2021], Internet <URL: https://www.agc.com/news/detail/1200821_2148.html> Meidensha, "Manhole antenna for real-time monitoring of pipes", [online], [searched on July 5, 2021], Internet <URL: https://www.meidensha.co.jp/catalog/bb/BB524-3291.pdf>

However, when an antenna made of a brittle material such as the above-mentioned glass antenna is attached to a structure made of metal or reinforced concrete, the antenna cannot withstand an external force equivalent to that which the structure can withstand. For this reason, the antenna may be susceptible to damage even in a situation where the structure is not damaged by the external force. Therefore, when an antenna is attached to a structure, the antenna is required to have the same toughness as the structure to which it is attached. In addition, in order for the antenna to have the same toughness as the structure, the above-mentioned method of incorporating an antenna into a structure requires a high workload and is expensive.

In light of these circumstances, the objective of the present invention is to provide an antenna device and a method for manufacturing an antenna device that can have the same toughness as a structure while minimizing the high workload and high costs.

The antenna device according to one embodiment includes a first antenna section made of a metal plate with slit holes formed therein, a support section that is attached to a structure and supports the first antenna section so that the first antenna section is fixed to the structure, and a connection section that includes a conductive member and is electrically connected to the first antenna section at one end.

A method for manufacturing an antenna device according to one embodiment includes the steps of: cutting out square regions from a rectangular plate surface formed of a metal material and having rectangular slit holes, the square regions being square regions with each corner of the plate surface as one corner; bending in the same direction the boundary lines between each of the fold regions, which are regions between two of the square regions arranged along the direction of the sides of the plate surface, and a central region, which is a region different from the square regions and the fold regions; bending in the opposite direction the boundary parallel lines, which are line segments parallel to the boundary lines in each of the fold regions; and connecting one end of a cable to the slit holes.

The present invention aims to provide an antenna device and a method for manufacturing an antenna device that can reduce the workload while having the same toughness as a structure.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an antenna device according to a first embodiment. 2 is a diagram for explaining a manhole, which is an example of a structure to which the antenna device shown in FIG. 1 is attached. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the antenna device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the antenna device shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a second modified example of the antenna device shown in FIG. FIG. 5B is a top view showing the antenna device shown in FIG. 5A. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of an antenna device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the antenna device shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the antenna device shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the antenna device shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a third modified example of the antenna device shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 10B is a side view showing the antenna device shown in FIG. 10A. FIG. 10B is a bottom view showing the antenna device shown in FIG. 10A. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of an antenna device according to a third embodiment. 12 is an example of a metal plate used to manufacture the antenna device shown in FIG. 11 . 12 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the antenna device shown in FIG. 11 .

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration of Antenna Device>
An example of the configuration of the antenna device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the antenna device 100 is attached to a structure ST.

The antenna device 100 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the internal device 200. In this example, the antenna device 100 may transmit and receive electrical signals to and from the internal device 200 via wired communication.

The antenna device 100 also transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the external device 300 via wireless communication. In this example, the antenna device 100 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the external device 300 via a wide area network such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network).

The internal device 200 is a communication device (first communication device) that includes a transceiver unit that receives an electrical signal transmitted from the antenna device 100 and transmits an electrical signal to the antenna device 100, a control unit that controls the electrical signal, a power source, etc. The internal device 200 is disposed on the interior S1 side of the structure.

The external device 300 is, for example, a communication device (second communication device) such as a server that manages various information acquired by the internal device 200. The external device 300 is disposed on the outside S2 side of the structure.

The structure ST in this embodiment is a structure for defining a space in the ground A. The structure ST is, for example, a manhole 400 buried in the ground A, as shown in FIG. 2. The structure ST is made of metal, concrete, resin concrete, or the like.

The manhole 400 comprises a neck 41, a housing 42, and an iron cover 43. The neck 41 and the housing 42 are formed, for example, from reinforced concrete. The neck 41 may be substantially cylindrical in shape, and the space defined by the neck 41 is in communication with the outside S2 of the structure ST. The housing 42 may be substantially rectangular in shape. In addition, the space defined by the neck 41 and the space defined by the housing 42 are in communication with each other.

The iron cover 43 is a member that covers the boundary (the entrance/exit of the manhole 400) between the space on the interior S1 side defined by the manhole 400 and the space on the exterior S2 side. In the example of FIG. 2, the iron cover 43 is disposed on the exterior S2 side of the neck 41. The iron cover 43 also has a hole HL that passes through the iron cover 43.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the antenna device 100 includes an antenna section 11, a support section 12, and a connection section 13.

The antenna unit 11 is made of a metal plate with a slit hole SHL formed therein. When the current flowing around the slit hole SHL in the antenna unit 11 changes, the magnetic field around the antenna unit 11 changes, causing the antenna unit 11 to transmit radio waves. The antenna unit 11 can function as both an active antenna and a passive antenna.

As shown in FIG. 3, the slit hole SHL is rectangular when viewed from the normal direction (z-axis direction) of the surface of the metal plate that constitutes the antenna section 11. In this example, the antenna section 11 is rectangular, and the short side of the slit hole SHL is parallel to the short side of the antenna section 11, and the long side of the slit hole SHL is parallel to the long side of the antenna section 11.

The slit hole SHL can have a size according to the wavelength λ of the radio waves transmitted to and received from the external device 300. For example, the length x1 of the long side of the slit hole SHL can be 0.7λ or more and 0.8λ or less. The length y1 of the short side of the slit hole SHL can be 0.02λ or more and 0.05λ or less. The height z of the slit hole SHL can be 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, regardless of the wavelength λ.

The slit holes SHL may be formed by cutting a metal plate that is manufactured without the slit holes SHL. The slit holes SHL may be formed by molding the metal plate together with the slit holes SHL.

In addition, when the antenna unit 11 is placed outdoors, a resin plate may be provided on the surface of the antenna unit 11. This allows the antenna device 100 to prevent the antenna unit 11 from coming into direct contact with outdoor objects, people, etc., or being exposed to wind and rain, thereby reducing damage to the antenna unit 11.

The support portion 12 is attached to the structure ST and supports the antenna portion 11 so as to be fixed to the structure ST. The support portion 12 is provided at the end of the antenna portion 11 and protrudes in the direction in which the metal plate constituting the antenna portion 11 extends. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the support portion 12 is provided at approximately the center of each side of the rectangle formed by the metal plate and protrudes in a direction perpendicular to each side. The support portion 12 may be provided integrally with the antenna portion 11, or may be provided by being attached to the antenna portion 11.

The support portion 12 is attached to the structure ST by using screws, adhesive application, etc. As shown in FIG. 2, in an example in which the structure ST is a manhole 400, the support portion 12 may be attached to the iron cover 43, for example, so that the antenna portion 11 covers the hole HL in the iron cover 43. Also, in a configuration in which the support portion 12 is formed from a type of metal different from the metal forming the structure ST, a corrosion protection layer formed from an insulating material such as resin may be provided between the support portion 12 and the structure ST. This makes it possible to suppress corrosion due to the junction of dissimilar metals in the support portion 12 and the structure ST.

The connection part 13 includes a conductive member, and is electrically connected to the antenna part 11 at one end. The connection part 13 is also electrically connected to the internal device 200 at the other end. In this way, the connection part 13 electrically connects the antenna part 11 and the internal device 200.

The connection section 13 may include a coaxial cable 131 and a connector 132. In this configuration, one end of the coaxial cable 131 is connected to the side of the slit hole SHL in the antenna section 11. Specifically, one end of each of the inner conductor and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable 131 is connected to the side of the slit hole SHL in the antenna section 11.

In addition, the connector 132 connects the coaxial cable 131 to the cable CB. The cable CB is connected to the cable 201, which is connected to the internal device 200, by the connector 202.

The antenna section 11 may have multiple slit holes SHL, and the connection section 13 may be connected to each side of the multiple slit holes SHL. This allows more radio waves to be transmitted per unit time than when only one slit hole SHL is formed, improving communication speed. Furthermore, by appropriately designing the positions and directions of the multiple slit holes SHL, the antenna device 100 can better control the directionality of the radio waves based on the electrical signal transmitted from the iron cover 43. As a result, radio wave attenuation, which occurs significantly especially when relaying without power supply, can be suppressed.

As described above, the antenna device 100 according to the first embodiment includes an antenna section 11 made of a metal plate with a slit hole SHL, a support section 12 that is attached to a structure ST and supports the antenna section 11 so as to be fixed to the structure ST, and a connection section 13 that includes a conductive member and is electrically connected to the first antenna section 11 at one end. This allows the antenna device 100 to have the same toughness as the structure while reducing the workload and costs.

<First Modification>
In the first embodiment described above, the connection unit 13 of the antenna device 100 is connected to the internal device 200 via the cable CB connector 202 and the cable 201, but is not limited to this. As shown in Fig. 4, the connection unit 13 of the antenna device 100 may be connected to the antenna 203 via the cable CB and the connector 202. As a result, the antenna device 100 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the antenna 203 through wired communication, and the antenna 203 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the internal device 200 through wireless communication.

The antenna 203 is preferably a directional antenna and may include an internal substrate made of a dielectric material and a directional conductive pattern provided on the internal substrate. The internal substrate is preferably rectangular. The directional antenna may be, for example, a patch antenna.

<Second Modification>
In the first embodiment described above, the slit hole SHL is rectangular, but is not limited thereto. As shown in Figs. 5A and 5B, the slit hole SHL may not be rectangular. For example, the slit hole SHL may include a wide portion SHL1 and a narrow portion SHL2 disposed adjacent to the wide portion SHL1. The length of the narrow portion SHL2 in the short side direction is shorter than the length of the wide portion SHL1 in the short side direction. The length of the narrow portion SHL2 in the short side direction (y-axis direction) is shorter than the length of the wide portion SHL1 in the short side direction (y-axis direction). This allows impedance matching.

In the example shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the slit hole SHL includes two wide portions SHL1 and one narrow portion SHL2. One of the two wide portions SHL1 is disposed adjacent to one end of the narrow portion SHL2 in the x-axis direction. The other wide portion SHL1 is disposed adjacent to the other end of the narrow portion SHL2 in the x-axis direction. Here, the two wide portions SHL1 and the narrow portion SHL2 are disposed such that one of the sides extending in the x-axis direction is on a straight line.

Furthermore, half the length x2 of the narrow portion SHL2 in the x-axis direction can be set to 1/8 or less of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted by the first antenna section 11. This weakens the electric field near the power feed point and strengthens the electric field at the end of the slit hole SHL located away from the power feed point, thereby improving the radiation efficiency of the antenna device 100.

<Third Modification>
In the first embodiment described above, the connection unit 13 includes the connector 132, but is not limited to this. The connection unit 13 does not need to include the connector 132, and in such a configuration, the other end of the coaxial cable 131 may be directly connected to the internal device 200 or the antenna 203.

<<Second embodiment>>
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration of Antenna Device>
An example of the configuration of an antenna device 100-1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the antenna device 100-1 includes an antenna section 11, a support section 12-1, a connection section 13, and a housing section 14.

The housing 14 forms a closed space together with the antenna 11 and an imaginary surface that covers the slit hole SHL. The housing 14 includes a side surface 141 and a bottom surface 142.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the side portion 141 is provided adjacent to the antenna portion 11 and extends in the normal direction of the metal plate that constitutes the antenna portion 11. In other words, the side portion 141 defines the side of the closed space described above. In this example, the side portion 141 is formed by four faces whose normal direction is a direction perpendicular to the normal direction of the metal plate that forms the antenna portion 11. Furthermore, each of the four faces that form the side portion 141 is rectangular, and one side of the rectangle is provided so as to be adjacent to the metal plate that forms the antenna portion 11. The side portion 141 may be formed from a metal material.

The bottom surface portion 142 is provided adjacent to the side surface portion 143, and has a surface parallel to the metal plate constituting the antenna portion 11. In other words, the bottom surface portion 142 defines the bottom surface of the closed space described above. In the above example, the surface forming the bottom surface portion 142 is rectangular, and each side of the rectangle is provided so as to be adjacent to the side of each of the four surfaces forming the side surface portion 141 opposite the antenna portion 11. The bottom surface portion 142 may be formed from a metal material.

The support section 12-1 supports the antenna section 11 relative to the structure ST, similar to the support section 12 in the first embodiment. Unlike the support section 12 in the first embodiment, the support section 12-1 is provided on each of the four side sections 141 of the housing section 14 and protrudes in the normal direction of the surface. The support section 12-1 may be provided integrally with the side section 141, or may be provided by being attached to the side section 141.

The surface of the metal plate constituting the antenna unit 11 may be slightly smaller than the cross section of the hole HL formed in the structure ST. For example, the length of the first antenna unit 11 in the x-axis direction is about 1 mm smaller than the length of the hole HL in the x-axis direction, and the length of the antenna unit 11 in the y-axis direction is about 1 mm smaller than the length of the hole HL in the y-axis direction. This allows the antenna unit 11 to be smoothly fitted into the hole HL, and the antenna device 100-1 to be easily attached to the structure ST.

As described above, the antenna device 100-1 according to the second embodiment further includes a side portion 141 that is connected to the antenna section 11 and extends in the normal direction of the metal plate, and the support section 12-1 is attached to the side portion 141. This allows the support section 12-1 to be attached to the surface on the interior S1 side of the structure ST. Also, unlike the antenna device 100 of the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce unnecessary protrusions on the exterior S2 side, thereby improving the safety of users.

In addition, in the antenna device 100-1 according to the second embodiment, the side portion 141 may be formed from a metal material. This causes the connection portion 13 disposed on the inside of the side portion 141 to be covered with metal. Therefore, disturbances acting on the connection portion 13 can be suppressed.

In addition, in the antenna device 100-1 according to the second embodiment, the bottom surface portion 142 may be formed from a metal material. This allows the connection portion 13 disposed between the bottom surface portion 142 and the antenna portion 11 to be covered with metal. Therefore, disturbances acting on the connection portion 13 can be suppressed.

<First Modification>
In the second embodiment described above, the connection unit 13 of the antenna device 100-1 is connected to the internal device 200 via the cable CB and the connector 202, but is not limited to this. As shown in Fig. 8, the connection unit 13 of the antenna device 100-1 may be connected to the antenna 203 via the cable CB and the connector 202. As a result, the antenna device 100-1 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the antenna 203 through wired communication, and the antenna 203 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the internal device 200 through wireless communication.

<Second Modification>
As shown in FIG. 9, the antenna device 100-1 may further include a second antenna unit 15 which is an antenna separate from the antenna unit (first antenna unit) 11. The second antenna unit 15 is attached to the surface of the bottom surface unit 142 opposite to the side facing the antenna unit 11. In such a configuration, the connection unit 13 of the antenna device 100-1 may or may not include a connector 132. In a configuration in which the connection unit 13 does not include the connector 132, one end of the coaxial cable 131 is connected to the antenna unit 11, and the other end of the coaxial cable 131 is connected to the second antenna unit 15. In a configuration in which the connection unit 13 includes the connector 132, the antenna unit 11 may be connected to the second antenna unit 15 via the connector 132. In a configuration in which the bottom surface unit 142 is formed of a metal material, the other end of the coaxial cable 131 may be connected to the bottom surface unit 142, and may be connected to the second antenna unit 15 via the bottom surface unit 142. As a result, when the second antenna unit 15 receives radio waves from the internal device 200 via wireless communication, the first antenna unit 11 receives an electrical signal based on the radio waves via the coaxial cable 131, and transmits radio waves based on the electrical signal to the external device 300. Similarly, when the first antenna unit 11 receives radio waves from the external device 300 via wireless communication, the second antenna unit 15 receives an electrical signal based on the radio waves via the coaxial cable 131, and transmits radio waves based on the electrical signal to the internal device 200. Therefore, the antenna device 100-1 can function as a non-powered relay antenna.

The second antenna section 15 can be a patch antenna with a conductive pattern provided on a dielectric. In such a configuration, by grounding the bottom surface section 142, there is no need to provide a separate member for grounding, and the antenna device 100-1 can be made smaller.

The bottom surface portion 142 may be provided so that the distance from the first antenna portion 11 to the second antenna portion 15 is at least 1/2 the length x1 of the long side of the slit hole SHL. This reduces interference between the first antenna portion 11 and the second antenna portion 15. However, by providing a further configuration for reducing interference, or if the interference is at a level that does not cause problems when using the antenna, the distance from the first antenna portion 11 to the second antenna portion 15 may be provided so that it is less than 1/2 the length x1.

<Third Modification>
As shown in FIG. 10A, the slit hole SHL formed in the antenna portion 11 may include a wide portion SHL1 and a narrow portion SHL2, similar to the third modified example of the first embodiment.

In the example shown in FIG. 10A, the length of the support portion 12-1 is approximately the same as the length of the side portion 141 connected to the support portion 12-1. In FIG. 10A, the support portion 12-1 that protrudes in the y-axis direction relative to the antenna portion 11 is represented as "support portion 121," and the support portion 12-1 that protrudes in the x-axis direction relative to the antenna portion 11 is represented as "support portion 122."

The length x3 of the support 121 in the x-axis direction is the same as the length of the antenna unit 11 in the x-axis direction, which is 119 mm in this example. The length y3 of the support 122 in the y-axis direction is the same as the length of the antenna unit 11 in the y-axis direction, which is 49 mm in this example. This allows the support 12-1 to be attached more firmly to the structure ST than in a configuration in which the length of the support 12-1 in the direction parallel to the side of the antenna unit 11 is shorter than the length of that side. Therefore, the support 12-1 can support the antenna unit 11 more firmly with respect to the structure ST.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the length y4 of the support 121 in the y-axis direction and the length x4 of the support 121 in the x-axis direction are 14 mm. In this example, as shown in FIG. 10B, the length z2 of the side portion 141 in the z-axis direction is 55 mm, and the length z3 of the second antenna portion 15 in the z-axis direction is 5.5 mm. The length z4 in the z-axis direction from the end portion on the first antenna portion 11 side to the support 12-1 is 8 mm. Furthermore, in this example, as shown in FIG. 10C, the length x5 of the second antenna portion 15 in the x-axis direction is 44 mm, and the length y5 in the y-axis direction is 46 mm.

The third variant of the first embodiment may also be applied to the second embodiment.

<<Third embodiment>>
Hereinafter, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration of Antenna Device>
An example of the configuration of an antenna device 100-2 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first or second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the antenna device 100-2 includes an antenna section 11, a support section 12-2, a connection section 13, and a housing section 14-2.

The housing unit 14-2 includes a side surface portion 141, similar to the housing unit 14 of the second embodiment. Unlike the housing unit 14 of the second embodiment, the housing unit 14-2 does not include a bottom surface portion 142.

Unlike the support section 12 of the first embodiment and the support section 12-1 of the second embodiment, the support section 12-2 is connected to the end of the side section 141 opposite the side connected to the first antenna section 11. Specifically, the support section 12-2 has a rectangular shape with one side being the side of the side section 141 opposite the first antenna section 11, and protrudes outward in the normal direction of the plane formed by the side section 141. The support section 12-2 may be provided integrally with the side section 141, or may be provided by being attached to the side section 141.

<Method of manufacturing antenna device>
Here, a process for manufacturing the antenna device 100-2 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for manufacturing the antenna device 100-2 according to the third embodiment. The process for manufacturing the antenna device 100-2 described with reference to Fig. 12 corresponds to an example of a method for manufacturing the antenna device 100-2 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, in step S1, a square region MP1 is cut out from the four corners of a rectangular metal plate MP (see FIG. 12) in which a rectangular slit hole SHL is formed. The metal plate MP has slit holes SHL extending in the longitudinal direction of the plate surface. The square region MP1 is a square region with each corner of the metal plate MP as one corner. The length Lsq of the side of the square is shorter than 1/2 the length (y6-y1) obtained by subtracting the length y1 of the short side of the slit hole SHL from the length y6 of the short side of the plate surface. The length Lsq of the side of the square may be determined appropriately based on the size of the antenna section 11 in the antenna device 100-2 manufactured by this method.

Before performing step S1, the slit holes SHL may be formed by cutting the metal plate MP in which the slit holes SHL are not formed.

By executing step S1, a metal plate is formed that is composed of a folding margin region MP2 and a central region MP3. The folding margin region MP2 is a region between two square regions MP1 arranged along the direction of the sides of the metal plate MP. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the folding margin region MP2 includes a folding margin region MP21 that is a region between the square regions MP11 and MP12, a folding margin region MP23 that is a region between the square regions MP13 and MP14, a folding margin region MP24 that is a region between the square regions MP11 and MP14, and a folding margin region MP22 that is a region between the square regions MP12 and MP13. The central region MP3 is a region of the metal plate MP that is different from the square regions MP1 and MP2.

In step S2, the boundary lines LN1 between each of the fold margin regions MP2 and the central region MP3 are folded in the same direction. For example, the boundary lines LN1 may be folded 90 degrees in the same direction.

In step S3, the boundary parallel line LN2 of each fold margin area MP2 is folded in the opposite direction to the direction in step S2. At this time, the boundary parallel line LN2 may be folded 90 degrees. The boundary parallel line LN2 is a line segment that is parallel to the boundary line LN1 in each fold margin area MP2 and divides the fold margin area MP2 in half.

In step S4, the connection part 13 is connected to the slit hole SHL. Specifically, one end of the cable is connected to the side of the slit hole SHL. Furthermore, the other end of the cable may be connected to the connector 132.

Note that the connection unit 13 of the antenna device 100-2 in the third embodiment does not need to include the connector 132, and in such a configuration, the process of connecting the other end of the cable to the connector 132 is not executed in step S4. Note that in a configuration in which the connection unit 13 includes the connector 132, the antenna device 100-2 can be easily connected to the internal device 200. In a configuration in which the connection unit 13 does not include the connector 132, the other end of the coaxial cable 131 may be directly connected to the internal device 200 by soldering or the like.

As described above, in the antenna device 100-2 according to the third embodiment, the support portion 12-2 is provided at the end portion of the side portion 141 opposite the side where it is connected to the first antenna portion 11. This allows the antenna device 100-2 to be easily manufactured using the metal plate MP, and allows it to have the same toughness as the structure while reducing the workload involved in attaching it to the structure.

The manufacturing method of the antenna device 100-2 according to the third embodiment includes the steps of cutting out a square region MP1, which is a square region with each corner of the metal plate MP as one corner, from a rectangular metal plate MP formed from a metal material, folding each of the fold margin regions MP2, which are regions between two squares arranged along the direction of the sides of the metal plate MP, and folding the boundary line LN1 between the central region MP3, which is a region different from the square region MP1 and the fold margin region MP2, in the same direction, and folding each of the fold margin regions MP2, which is a line segment parallel to the boundary line LN1 and divides the fold margin region MP2 in half, in the direction opposite to the direction in which the boundary line LN1 is folded. This makes it possible to easily manufacture the antenna device 100-2, which can have the same toughness as the structure while reducing the workload in attaching it to the structure.

Note that the first to third modified examples of the first embodiment and the first and third modified examples of the second embodiment may be applied to the third embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications. For example, the various processes described above may not only be executed in chronological order as described, but may also be executed in parallel or individually depending on the processing capacity of the device executing the processes or as necessary. Other modifications may be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The above-described embodiments have been described as representative examples, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and substitutions are possible within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

11 Antenna section (first antenna section)
12, 12-1, 12-2 Support section 13 Connection section 14, 14-2 Housing section 15 Second antenna section 41 Neck section 42 Housing 43 Iron cover 100, 100-1, 100-2 Antenna device 121, 122 Support section 131 Coaxial cable 132 Connector 141 Side section 142 Bottom section 200 Internal device 201 Coaxial cable 202 Connector 203 Antenna 300 External device 400 Manhole

Claims (7)

a first antenna portion configured by a metal plate having a slit hole;
a support portion attached to a structure and supporting the first antenna portion such that the first antenna portion is fixed to the structure;
a connection portion including a conductive member and electrically connected to the first antenna portion at one end;
a side portion provided adjacent to the first antenna portion and extending in a normal direction of the metal plate;
a bottom surface portion provided adjacent to the side surface portion and having a surface parallel to the metal plate;
a second antenna unit attached to the bottom surface portion on a side opposite to the side facing the first antenna unit;
Equipped with
The support portion is attached to the side portion of the antenna device. The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion is made of a metal material. a first antenna portion configured by a metal plate having a slit hole;
a support portion attached to a structure and supporting the first antenna portion such that the first antenna portion is fixed to the structure;
a connection portion including a conductive member and electrically connected to the first antenna portion at one end;
a side portion provided adjacent to the first antenna portion and extending in a normal direction of the metal plate;
Equipped with
The support portion is attached to the side portion and is connected to an end of the side portion opposite the side connected to the first antenna portion and protrudes outward . The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein the side portion is made of a metal material. a first antenna portion configured by a metal plate having a slit hole;
a support portion attached to a structure and supporting the first antenna portion such that the first antenna portion is fixed to the structure;
a connection portion including a conductive member and electrically connected to the first antenna portion at one end;
a side portion provided adjacent to the first antenna portion and extending in a normal direction of the metal plate;
Equipped with
The support portion is attached to the side portion,
The side portion of the antenna device is made of a metal material . The slit hole includes a wide portion and a narrow portion disposed adjacent to the wide portion,
The antenna device according to claim 1 , wherein a length in a short side direction of the narrow width portion is shorter than a length in a short side direction of the wide width portion. A step of cutting out square areas, which are square areas at four corners, from a rectangular plate surface formed of a metal material and having rectangular slit holes formed therein;
A step of folding each of the fold margin regions, which are regions between the two square regions arranged along the direction of the sides of the plate surface, and a boundary line between a central region, which is a region different from the square regions and the fold margin regions, in the same direction;
A step of folding a boundary parallel line, which is a line segment parallel to the boundary line in each of the folding margin areas and divides the folding margin area in two, in a direction opposite to the direction;
connecting one end of a cable to a side surface of the slit;
A method for manufacturing an antenna device, comprising:

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