Flexible printed wiring board, electro-optical device, and electronic equipment

• US 6,507,384 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2000
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Aruga, Yasuhito, Oishi, Eiji, Endo, Kogo
• Primary Examiner(s): Parker, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUNG, DAVID Y
• Application Number:
  US09/534,936
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: G02/F.11345, 349/149, 349/151, 349/152, 257/59
• US Class Current: 349/149
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/118 specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/052 Branched
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10136 Liquid Crystal display [LCD]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/361 Assembling flexible printed circuits with other printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/363 by soldering

Abstract

Connection terminals connected to a scanning driver IC chip 32 are arranged on a short side of a wiring connection area 25A of a second substrate 25 in a liquid crystal display panel 21, and the connection terminals and connection terminals arranged on a long side of a wiring connection area 24A of a first substrate 24 are connected from the same direction with a single flexible printed wiring board 22. For this reason, convenience of the flexible printed wiring board 22 can be improved. In addition, it is possible to reduce the projection size of the wiring connection area of the first substrate 24, and the ratio of the display area in the whole liquid crystal panel 21 can be increased.

Claims

1. An electro-optical device having an electro-optical panel and a wiring board, the electro-optical device comprising:

the electro-optical panel including;

a first substrate;

a second substrate overlapping the first substrate along an overlapping area;

a first wiring connection area included in the first substrate and extending from the overlapping area;

a second wiring connection area included in the second substrate, and extending from the overlapping area;

a set of first connection terminals arranged in the first wiring connection area; and

a set of second connection terminals arranged in the second wiring connection area;

the first set and the second set of connection terminals being arranged in the second wiring connection area;

the first and the second sets of connection terminals being arranged in substantially the same direction;

the wiring board including;

a board main body;

a first output terminal area included in the main body;

a plurality of wires formed on the first output terminal area, each of the wires being connected to the respective first connection terminal;

a branch wiring section branched from the board main body;

a second output terminal area included in the branch wiring section;

a second plurality of wires formed on the second output terminal area, each of the second wires being connected to the respective second connection terminal; and

the first and the second output terminal areas being arranged respectively on opposite sides of the wiring board;

a signal electrode formed on at least one of the first and the second substrates;

a scanning electrode formed on at least another of the first and the second substrates, the scanning electrode intersecting with the signal electrode;

a first IC chip arranged on the first wiring connection area and connected to the signal electrode;

a second IC chip arranged on the second wiring connection area, the second IC chip having a first and a second edge opposite each other, the first edge being proximate to the overlapping area;

wherein a second IC chip terminal proximate to the first edge is connected to the scanning electrode;

wherein the first connection terminals are connected to the first IC chip; and

wherein the second connection terminals are connected to a plurality of second IC chip terminals proximate to the second edge of the second IC chip.

2. An electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a semiconductor device is mounted in at least one of the first wiring connection area and the second wiring connection area.

3. An electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the wires and the second wires include signal wires and scanning wires, wherein at least a part of the signal wires are provided in the first output terminal area, wherein at least a part of the scanning wires are provided in the second output terminal area.

4. An electro-optical device according to claim 1 further comprising:

an input terminal area in the wiring board;

wherein the wires in the first output terminal area and the wires in the second output terminal area extend to the input terminal area; and

wherein the wires in the input terminal area and in the first output terminal area are arranged on a same side of the wiring board.

5. An electro-optical device according to claim 1 further comprising:

an input terminal area formed in the wiring board; and

a printed board connected to the input terminal area.

6. An electro-optical device according to claims 1, wherein a plurality of parallel scanning electrodes are formed on one of two opposing surfaces of the first substrate and the second substrate, and wherein a plurality of signal electrodes are formed on a second one of the two opposing surfaces in a crossing direction to the scanning electrodes.

7. An electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the electro-optical panel includes an electro-optical material layer, the electro-optical material layer includes a liquid crystal layer.

8. An electro-optical device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising electronic equipment.

12. An electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein:

a first area of the first output terminal area containing the plurality of wires overlaps the first wiring connection area; and

a second area of the second output terminal area containing the second plurality of wires overlaps the second wiring connection area.

9. An electro-optical device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate overlapping the first substrate;

a first wiring connection area included in the first substrate and extending from the overlapping area in a first direction;

a second wiring connection area included in the second substrate and extending from the overlapping area in a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction;

an IC chip mounted in the second wiring connection area and having first and second edges facing opposite each other;

an electrode formed on the second substrate extending from the overlapping area to the second wiring connection area, the electrode connected to an IC chip terminal proximate to the first edge of the IC chip;

a connection terminal formed between the second edge of the IC chip and a peripheral edge of the second wiring connection area, the peripheral edge extending parallel to the second direction; and

wherein at least a part of the connection terminal goes through an area between the IC chip and the second wiring connection area.

10. An electro-optical device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a discrete connection terminal formed in the second wiring connection area, the discrete connection terminal connected to an IC chip terminal proximate to the second side of the IC chip and extending toward one of the peripheral edges of the second wiring connection area so that the discrete connection terminal avoids going through an area under the IC chip.

11. An electro-optical device according to claim 9, wherein the connection terminal includes a material having a conductivity lower than that of Indium Tin Oxide.