Stacked circuit board architecture in an electronic device

• US 10,455,738 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pakula, David A., Jarvis, Daniel W., Stephens, Gregory N., Spraggs, Ian A., Vo, Vu Thanh, Salehi, Amir, Pyper, Dennis R., Crumlin, Alex J., Provencher, Corey S., Walters, Derek J., Yeh, Michael V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Hung S.
• Application Number:
  US15/712,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20180084636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 361814
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/302 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/20 Displays, e.g. liquid crystal displays, plasma displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/183 Sealing members
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0216 Reduction of cross-talk, noise or electromagnetic interference grounding H05K1/0215
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/148 Arrangements of two or more hingeably connected rigid printed circuit boards, i.e. connected by flexible means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/042 Stacked spaced PCBs; Planar parts of folded flexible circuits having mounted components in between or spaced from each other
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10242 Metallic cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10257 Hollow pieces of metal, e.g. used in connection between component and PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20481 characterised by the material composition exhibiting specific thermal properties
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20963 Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure H05K7/20972 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0033 disposed on both PCB faces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A circuit board assembly in an electronic is disclosed. To conserve space in the electronic device, the circuit board assembly includes stacked circuit boards in electrical communication with each other, such as a first circuit board stacked over a second circuit board. Each circuit board may include multiple surfaces that carry operational components. Moreover, the first circuit board may include a first surface and the second circuit board may include a second surface facing the first surface. The first and second surfaces may include operational components in corresponding locations. Also, the operational components may include corresponding shapes such that one component is positioned in another component. The components may electrically connect to each other. Also, the circuit board assembly may include EMI shields around an outer perimeter in order to shield the operational components form EMI and to components in the electronic device from EMI emanating from the operational components.

Claims

1. A circuit board assembly for an electronic device, the circuit board assembly comprising:

a first circuit board having a first mounting surface and a second surface opposite the first surface;

a first operational component located on the second mounting surface of the first circuit board, the first operational component comprising an integrated circuit and having a recess;

a second circuit board electrically coupled to the first circuit board, the second circuit board having a first mounting surface and a second mounting surface opposite the first mounting surface;

a second operational component located on the first mounting surface of the second circuit board, the second operational component comprising an integrated circuit and having a protrusion, wherein the first circuit board is positioned with respect to the second circuit board such that the protrusion at least partially extends into the recess;

a first interposer positioned between and electrically coupled with the first circuit board and the second circuit board;

a second interposer positioned between and electrically coupled with the first circuit board and the second circuit board; and

a solder mask between the first interposer and the second interposer, the solder mask preventing an electrical coupling between the first interposer and the second interposer.

2. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a first connector located in the recess; and

a second connector located on the protrusion, wherein the first connector is electrically and mechanically coupled to the second connector to electrically couple the first circuit board to the second circuit board.

3. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the second mounting surface of the first circuit board faces the first mounting surface of the second circuit board to define a stacked circuit board assembly.

4. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, further comprising a third operational component located on the second mounting surface of the first circuit board, the third operational component electrically coupled with at least one of the first operational component and the second operational component.

5. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, further comprising shielding elements that provide an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield, the shielding elements comprising:

a first shielding element that covers the first mounting surface of the first circuit board;

a second shielding element extending around a gap between the first circuit board and the second circuit board; and

a third shielding element that covers the second mounting surface of the second circuit board.

6. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, further comprising a potting material disposed between the first circuit board and the second circuit board, the potting material covering the first operational component and the second operational component.

7. An electronic device, comprising:

an enclosure that defines an internal volume; and

a stacked circuit board assembly disposed in the internal volume, the stacked circuit board assembly comprising;

a first circuit board that carries a first operational component on a first mounting surface, the first circuit board further carrying a second operational component on a second mounting surface that is opposite the first mounting surface, wherein the second operational component comprises a recess, and

a second circuit board that is overlaid by the first circuit board, the second circuit board carrying a third operational component on a third mounting surface that faces the second mounting surface, wherein the third operational component comprises a protrusion that at least partially extends into the recess,

wherein the second operational component and the third operational component each comprise an integrated circuit; and

a battery assembly disposed in the internal volume, the battery assembly including an L-shaped configuration such that the battery assembly accommodates the stacked circuit board assembly in the internal volume.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the stacked circuit board assembly comprises an L-shaped configuration.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the stacked circuit board assembly further comprises:

a first shielding element that covers the first circuit board and provides a first electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield for the first operational component, and

a second shielding element positioned between the first circuit board and the second circuit board, the second shielding element providing a second EMI shield for the second component.

10. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a flexible circuit that forms a loop and electrically couples to the first circuit board and the second circuit board.

11. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a potting material disposed between the first circuit board and the second circuit board.

12. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the first circuit board is secured with the second circuit board by a standoff and a rivet coupled with the standoff.

13. A method for forming a circuit board assembly, the method comprising:

providing a first circuit board that includes a first operational component, the first operational component comprising an integrated circuit and having a recess formed therein; and

securing a second circuit board to the first circuit board in a stacked configuration such that the first circuit overlays the second circuit board, the second circuit board including a second operational component comprising an integrated circuit and having a protrusion formed thereon, wherein the protrusion is at least partially positioned in the recess in the stacked configuration;

positioning an interposer between the first circuit board and the second circuit board;

electrically coupling the interposer with the first circuit board and the second circuit board;

positioning a second interposer between the first circuit board and the second circuit board, the second interposer electrically coupled to the first circuit board and the second circuit board; and

positioning a solder mask between the interposer and the second interposer, the solder mask preventing an electrical coupling between the interposer and the second interposer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

securing a standoff between the first circuit board and the second circuit board; and

positioning a shielding element around a gap between the first circuit board and the second circuit board, the gap having a dimension at least partially defined by the standoff.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein securing the second circuit board to the first circuit board comprises electrically coupling the first component to the second component.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising disposing a potting material between the first circuit board and the second circuit board, the potting material providing the first operational component and the second operational component with a shield against a liquid.