Flexible printed circuit sensor assembly for detecting optical pulses

• US 5,390,670 A
• Filed: 10/20/1993
• Issued: 02/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gould Electronics Incorporated (Eternal Materials Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Gould Electronics Incorporated (Eternal Materials Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Centa, John A., Halasz, Laszlo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sykes, Angela D.
• Application Number:
  US08/139,564
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 128/633, 128/632, 128/664-666, 356/39-41
• US Class Current: 600/310
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02433 for infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/167 comprising optoelectronic devices, e.g. LED, photodiodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/118 specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions
• 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 2201/042 Stacked spaced PCBs; Planar parts of folded flexible circuits having mounted components in between or spaced from each other
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/053 Tails
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 Sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10636 Leadless chip, e.g. chip capacitor or resistor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

A flexible sensor assembly for detecting optical pulses in which said sensor assembly comprises a flexible printed circuit having mounted thereon at least one light emitting diode and at least one photoelectric detector connected to different circuit patterns with an insulative tape secured over the circuit and components and wherein the flexible sensor is adapted to be folded so that the photoelectric detector can be spaced from and disposed over the light emitting diode.

Claims

1. A flexible sensor assembly for detecting optical pulses comprising a flexible sheet containing conductive circuitry secured thereon, said conductive circuitry comprising a first pair of conductive strips insulated from each other and extending at one end to provide a first set of terminals and at the other end to provide a second set of terminals, and a second pair of conductive strips insulated from each other and from the first pair of conductive strips and extended at one end to provide a first set of terminals and at the other end to provide a second set of terminals with said second set of terminals spaced apart from the second set of terminals of the first pair of conductive strips;

at least one photodetector mounted across and physically and electrically secured by a conductive clip to said first set of terminals of the first pair of conductive strips, at least one light emitting diode mounted across said first set of terminals of the second pair of conductive strips;

an insulative tape secured over the photodetector, the light emitting diode and circuitry at least up to the second set of terminals of said first and second pair of conductive strips; and

wherein said flexible sensor assembly is capable of being folded so that the photodetector can be spaced from and disposed over the light emitting diode.

2. The flexible sensor of claim 1 wherein only one photodetector is mounted across said first set of terminals of the first pair of conductive strips.

3. The flexible sensor of claim 1 wherein two light emitting diodes are mounted across said first set of terminals of the second pair of conductive strips and said light emitting diodes are mounted in parallel.

4. The flexible sensor of claim 3 wherein one light emitting diode is a red light emitting diode and the other diode is an infra-red light emitting diode.

5. The flexible sensor of claim 1 wherein said flexible sheet is selected from the group consisting of a polyester and a polyamide sheet.

6. The flexible sensor of claim 5 wherein said polyester sheet is from 0.0015 inch to 0.010 inch thick.

7. The flexible sensor of claim 1 wherein said insulative tape is polytetrafluoroethylene tape.

8. The flexible sensor of claim 7 wherein said polytetrafluoroethylene tape is from 0.0005 inch to 0.003 inch thick.

9. The flexible sensor of claim 1 wherein the conductive circuitry is copper.

10. The flexible sensor of claim 1 secured within a finger pouch having a first wall spaced apart from a second wall to define an opening to accommodate a finger, said photodetector secured to the first wall;

said light emitting diode secured to the second wall and wherein said photodetector is spaced apart and aligned over the light emitting diode.