Layered structure with printed elements

• US 20060227523A1
• Filed: 08/22/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aveso, Inc. (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Aveso, Inc. (Thales SA)
• Inventors: McDougall, James P., Sime, David G., Quindlen, Stephen F., Pennaz, Thomas J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/783
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/40 Printed batteries , e.g. thin film batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/18 Printed circuits structurally associated with non-printed electric components H05K1/0201, H05K1/023, H05K1/0243, and H05K1/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/182 associated with components mounted in the printed circuit board, e.g. insert mounted components [IMC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10037 Printed or non-printed battery
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10128 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1311 Foil encapsulation, e.g. of mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/284 for encapsulating mounted components H05K1/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24917 including metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24926 including ceramic, glass, porcelain or quartz layer

Abstract

The present invention incorporates electronic components into an electronic core structure that may be readily hot laminated by existing processes. The structure may include multiple desired electronic components, such as a display, battery or other power source, integrated circuits, switches, magnetic stripe emulator, antenna, smart chips or other input devices. The structure includes laminated buffer layers to bridge layers and compensate for variation in electronic component dimensions. The structure may also incorporate battery packaging as part of the core layer structure and use printed electronic circuitry as part of the electronic core layers to impart the desired characteristics. A variety of components may be incorporated in the structure.

Claims

1. A thin, layered core structure for providing in a laminated unit a display and associated electronics for driving the display, comprising:

a base layer and a top layer of laminatible material;

a display cell having connection points for an integrated circuit component for driving at least one display component and having electrical traces for connection to a power source;

at least one pre-formed component connection layer having electrical traces printed on one or more of its surfaces, the at least one pre-formed component connection layer being operably electronically connected to the display cell and secured between the base layer and top layer; and

a buffer layer configured between the base layer and top layer, the buffer layer being made of a formable material that compensates for thickness differences among components between the base layer and top layer and permits a desired overall thickness for the layered core structure to be achieved.

2. The layered structure of claim 1 wherein the at least one display component is formed by printing a plurality of pixels that are operably electronically connected to the integrated circuit component.

3. The layered structure of claim 2 wherein the plurality of pixels are matingly connected to display-receiving connection points.

4. The layered structure of claim 1 wherein the base layer is suitable for lamination to an adjacent lower cover surface.

5. The layered structure of claim 1 wherein the top layer is suitable for lamination to an adjacent upper cover surface.

6. The layered structure of claim 1 wherein a chip contact plate is mounted at least in part in the core structure and electrical traces internal to the layered structure operably electronically connect the chip plate to the integrated circuit component, which is laterally displaced from the chip plate.

7. The layered structure of claim 6 wherein the chip contact plate is a contact plate for a smart card and the integrated circuit component is configured to perform smart card functions.

8. The layered structure of claim 1 wherein the component connection layer is pre-formed with apertures to receive components and to assist in compensating for thickness differences among components between the base layer and top layer.

9. The layered structure of claim 1 wherein the component connection layer is pre-formed with apertures to receive components and to assist in compensating for thickness differences among components between the base layer and top layer, and the buffer layer is formable to fill cavities associated with the apertures.

10. The layered structure of claim 1 wherein the component connection layer has electrical traces printed on its upper and lower surfaces.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a cover layer comprises providing a layer pre-formed with apertures to receive components and to assist in compensating for thickness differences among components between the base layer and the cover layer.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of providing a cover layer comprises providing a layer pre-formed with apertures to receive components and to assist in compensating for thickness differences among components between the base layer and the cover layer and the buffer layer is formable to fill cavities associated with the apertures.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the layer pre-formed with apertures has electrical traces printed on its upper and lower surfaces.

11. A method of making a thin, layered core structure with a display, comprising:

providing a base layer suitable for lamination;

providing a display cell with an attached integrated circuit component for driving at least one display component formed by printing at least one pixel with a corresponding layer of electrochromic ink and traces electrically operably connecting the at least one pixel and the integrated circuit component;

providing a power source component for electrically operably connection to the integrated circuit component;

providing at least one cover layer interposed adjacent to the display cell and having at least one of its surfaces with printed electrical components that are operably connected to one or more of the integrated circuit component, the power source component and the display cell; and

combining the base layer, display cell, power source component and cover layer into a laminated unit, by interposing at least one buffer layer between the preceding elements, the buffer layer being formable and differentially applied so as to compensate for dimensional variations in the thickness of the components between the base layer and cover layer and providing a range of thickness in its own vertical dimension sufficient to achieve a desired total vertical dimension for the laminated unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of printing at least one pixel comprises printing a plurality of pixels that are operably electronically connected to the integrated circuit component.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of printing at least one pixel comprises printing a plurality of pixels that are operably electronically connected to the integrated circuit component, whereby the plurality of pixels are matingly connected to display-receiving connection points.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing a chip contact plate mounted at least in part in the core structure and electrical traces internal to the layered structure operably electronically connecting the chip plate to the integrated circuit component at a location laterally displaced from the chip plate.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the chip contact plate is a contact plate for a smart card and further comprising configuring the integrated circuit component to perform smart card functions.

19. A method of making a thin, layered core structure with a display, comprising:

providing a base layer suitable for lamination;

providing a display cell with an attached integrated circuit component for driving the display by printing a plurality of pixels with a corresponding layer of electrochromic ink and traces electrically operably connecting the pixels and the integrated circuit component;

providing a power source component electrically operably connected to deliver power to the integrated circuit;

providing at least one cover layer interposed adjacent to the display cell by printing on one more external or internal surfaces of the cover layer electrical components that are operably electrically connected to one or more of the integrated circuit component, the power source component and the display cell; and

combining the base layer, display cell, power source component and cover layer into a laminated unit, by interposing at least one buffer layer between the preceding elements, the buffer layer being formable and laminated so as to compensate for dimensional variations in the thickness of the display cell and other components interposed between the base layer and an outer surface of the cover layer and to provide a range of thickness in its own vertical dimension sufficient to achieve a desired total vertical dimension for the laminated unit.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one buffer layer is applied by a printing technique.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the buffer layer becomes flowable in lamination to fill cavities and to permit leveling of the structure to a uniform thickness as the thickness of the buffer layer compensates for the dimensional variations.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein multiple buffer layers are printed and flowed.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein nip rollers are used after application of the buffer layer material to achieve desired dimensioning.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the printing of electrical components on two or more external or internal surfaces includes printing of conductive traces, or resistive or dielectric materials, which may be joined with other printed layers to form the desired components, including antennas, resistors and capacitors.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising forming a battery component by using printing techniques to apply layers that comprise the anodes, cathodes, current collectors and an electrolyte volume.

26. A thin, layered core structure for providing in a laminated unit one or more electronic components for information processing, comprising:

a base layer and a top layer of laminatible material;

at least one electronic component having connection points and having electrical traces for connection to a power source component;

at least one pre-formed component connection layer having electrical traces printed on one or more of its surfaces, the at least one pre-formed component connection layer being operably electronically connected to the at least one electronic component and secured between the base layer and top layer; and

a buffer layer configured between the base layer and top layer, the buffer layer being made of a formable material that compensates for thickness differences among components between the base layer and top layer and permits a desired overall thickness for the layered core structure to be achieved.

27. The layered structure of claim 26 wherein the at least one electronic component is an integrated circuit component.

28. The layered structure of claim 26 wherein the at least one electronic component is a magnetic stripe emulator.

29. The layered structure of claim 26 wherein the at least one electronic component is a biometric sensor.

30. The layered structure of claim 26 wherein a chip contact plate is mounted at least in part in the core structure and electrical traces internal to the layered structure operably electronically connect the chip plate to an integrated circuit component, which is laterally displaced from the chip plate.

31. The layered structure of claim 30 wherein the chip contact plate is a contact plate for a smart card and the integrated circuit component is configured to perform smart card functions.