An antenna refers to a part formed using a conductor that transmits electric waves to another location or receives electric waves from the location to perform radio communication and may be applied to a variety of products, for example, a wireless telegraph, a wireless phone, a radio, a television, and the like. An antenna module includes a substrate and one or more antennas installed on the substrate. In general, the antenna is manufactured in a specific form suitable for the purpose and shape of a product.
Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0794788 discloses a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna as an example of an antenna module. The antenna module relates to the MIMO antenna and is designed to operate in a multi-frequency band and to have a miniaturized size.
The recent demand for a high quality multimedia service using wireless mobile communication technology has accelerated the need for next-generation wireless transmission technology for transmitting a larger amount of data faster with a lower error probability. Accordingly, the MIMO antenna is proposed. The MIMO antenna performs a MIMO operation by arranging a plurality of antenna devices in a specific structure. The MIMO antenna is configured to form the entire radiation pattern in a sharp shape and to transmit electromagnetic waves to a further location by merging the radiation power and the radiation pattern of a plurality of antenna devices.
Accordingly, it is possible to enhance a data transmission rate within a specific range and to increase a system range with respect to a specific data transmission rate. The MIMO antenna is next generation mobile communication technology widely available for a mobile communication terminal, a repeater, and the like, and has been gaining interest as next generation technology beyond a transmission amount limit of mobile communication close to a critical situation due to a data communication expansion, etc.
Meanwhile, various types of wireless communication services, for example, a global positioning system (GPS), wireless fidelity (WiFi), a wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless Broadband Internet (WiBro), Bluetooth, etc., available at a wireless terminal, have been currently developed. A reconfigurable antenna module is required to use each wireless communication service using a single wireless terminal.
In the case of a general MIMO antenna, one or more pairs of antennas in a complex and symmetrical shape need to be symmetrically disposed into consideration of optimization of a radiation pattern and prevention of interference, for example, isolation between each other. Accordingly, different two or more molds are used to manufacture the one or more pairs of antennas.