Printed circuit board having a pattern of traces formed by screen-printing

• US 6,479,762 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kusaka, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, CATHY FONG FONG
• Application Number:
  US09/993,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20020061388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 174/117.F, 174/117.FF, 174/254, 174/261
• US Class Current: 174/261
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/095 for polymer thick films, i.e. having a permanent organic polymeric binder
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09727 Varying width along a single conductor; Conductors or pads having different widths
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1476 Same or similar kind of process performed in phases, e.g. coarse patterning followed by fine patterning
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/1216 by screen printing or stencil printing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

A reliable printed circuit board is provided, which has breaks reduced at a bent portion of the trace patterns. The printed circuit board is provided with the trace patterns with the bent portion that is wider in pattern width than the trace portions located near both ends of the bent portion. This allows a more area to remain on the bent portion than on the prior-art bent portion and thereby provides a highly reliable trace pattern without causing a break thereon even when a patchy portion or the like is produced by printing at the bent portion.

Claims

1. A printed circuit board comprising:

an insulating substrate; and

a trace pattern formed by means of screen-printing on the insulating substrate and provided with a bent portion and trace portions connected to the bent portion, wherein

the pattern width of said bent portion is wider than the pattern width of said trace portion located near both sides of said bent portion, and wherein

said trace pattern is formed by means of screen-printing in a direction so as to firstly form said trace portions connected to said bent portion and thereafter form said bent portion by printing.

2. The printed circuit board according to claim 1, wherein

said insulating substrate comprises a curved portion and cable portions connected to both ends of the curved portion, and is provided with a plurality of said trace patterns with the width of said curved portion made wider than the width of said cable portion and said bent portion located at said curved portion as well as said trace portion located at said cable portion.

3. The printed circuit board according to claim 2, wherein

a connecting portion having a shape of a straight pattern is provided at one end of said trace portion connected to said bent portion, and said trace pattern is formed by means of screen-printing along a longitudinal direction of the straight pattern.