Method of mounting flexible circuit boards, and display device

• US 7,349,054 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advanced Display Technologies
• Inventors: Kohtaka, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, MINH TOAN T
• Application Number:
  US10/292,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20030095227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 349/149, 349150-152, 174257-258
• US Class Current: 349/150
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13452 Conductors connecting driver circuitry and terminals of panels
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention is a method of mounting flexible circuit boards including: electrode groups formed on an insulating substrate; terminal groups formed in the vicinity of at least one side of the insulating substrate in such a manner as to be connected to outside at the electrode ends of the electrode groups; and terminals to be connected to the terminal groups; and a plurality of flexible circuit boards equipped with driver circuits inputting signals to the electrode groups via the terminals, wherein the method includes the step of mounting the flexible circuit boards on the insulating substrate in a manner that the flexible circuit boards share overlap regions with adjacent flexible circuit boards.

Claims

1. Method of mounting flexible circuit boards including:

electrode groups formed on an insulating substrate;

terminal groups formed in the vicinity of at least one side of the insulating substrate in such a manner as to be connected to outside at the electrode ends of the electrode groups; and

terminals to be connected to the terminal groups; and

a plurality of flexible circuit boards equipped with driver circuits inputting signals to the electrode groups via the terminals, wherein said method includes the step of

mounting the flexible circuit boards on the insulating substrate in such a manner that the flexible circuit boards share overlap regions and have physical contacts in said overlap regions with adjacent flexible circuit boards, wherein said step includes either the step of

first mounting odd-numbered flexible circuit boards when counted from one end of the aligned flexible circuit boards, and then mounting even-numbered flexible circuit boards or the step of first mounting even-numbered flexible circuit boards when counted from one end of the aligned flexible circuit boards, and then mounting odd-numbered flexible circuit boards.

2. Method of mounting flexible circuit boards including:

electrode groups formed on an insulating substrate;

terminal groups formed in the vicinity of at least one side of the insulating substrate in such a manner as to be connected to outside at the electrode ends of the electrode groups; and

terminals to be connected to the terminal groups; and

a plurality of flexible circuit boards equipped with driver circuits inputting signals to the electrode groups via the terminals, wherein said method includes the step of

mounting the flexible circuit boards on the insulating substrate in such a manner that the flexible circuit boards share overlap regions and have physical contacts in said overlap regions with adjacent flexible circuit boards, wherein said flexible circuit boards further include driver signal lines which are outputted from the driver circuits and are connected to the electrode groups on the insulating substrate, and common signal lines which are connected between the flexible circuit boards, wherein said method further includes the step of connecting the common signal lines between adjacent flexible circuit boards through conductive patterns on the flexible circuit boards.

3. Method of mounting flexible circuit boards including:

electrode groups formed on an insulating substrate;

terminal groups formed in the vicinity of at least one side of the insulating substrate in such a manner as to be connected to outside at the electrode ends of the electrode groups; and

terminals to be connected to the terminal groups; and

a plurality of flexible circuit boards equipped with driver circuits inputting signals to the electrode groups via the terminals, wherein said method includes the step of

mounting the flexible circuit boards on the insulating substrate in such a manner that the flexible circuit boards share overlap regions and have physical contacts in said overlap regions with adjacent flexible circuit boards, wherein said step further includes the step of connecting the common signal lines in regions where adjacent flexible circuit boards overlap each other and which also overlap with the surface of the insulating substrate that has the electrode groups thereon.

4. A display device comprising:

electrode groups formed on an insulating substrate,

terminal groups formed in the vicinity of at least one side of the insulating substrate in such a manner as to be connected to outside at the electrode ends of the electrode groups,

driver circuits for inputting the signals to the electrode groups via terminals to be connected to the terminal groups and the terminals, and

a plurality of flexible circuit boards mounted on the insulating substrate,

wherein said flexible circuit boards share overlap regions and have physical contacts in said overlap regions with adjacent flexible circuit boards, wherein said overlap regions of adjacent flexible circuit boards are formed by mounting the flexible circuit boards either in such a manner that even-numbered flexible circuit boards when counted from one end of the aligned flexible circuit boards are partly overlaid on odd-numbered flexible circuit boards, or in such a manner that odd-numbered flexible circuit boards when counted from one end of the aligned flexible circuit boards are partly overlaid on even-numbered flexible circuit boards.

5. A display device comprising:

electrode groups formed on an insulating substrate,

terminal groups formed in the vicinity of at least one side of the insulating substrate in such a manner as to be connected to outside at the electrode ends of the electrode groups,

driver circuits for inputting the signals to the electrode groups via terminals to be connected to the terminal groups and the terminals, and

a plurality of flexible circuit boards mounted on the insulating substrate,

wherein said flexible circuit boards share overlap regions and have physical contacts in said overlap regions with adjacent flexible circuit boards, wherein said flexible circuit boards further include driver signal lines which are coupled to outputs from the driver circuits and are connected to the electrode groups on the insulating substrate and common signal lines which are connected between the flexible circuit boards, and that the common signal lines are connected between adjacent flexible circuit boards through conductive patterns on the flexible circuit boards.

6. A display device comprising:

electrode groups formed on an insulating substrate,

terminal groups formed in the vicinity of at least one side of the insulating substrate in such a manner as to be connected to outside at the electrode ends of the electrode groups,

driver circuits for inputting the signals to the electrode groups via terminals to be connected to the terminal groups and the terminals, and

a plurality of flexible circuit boards mounted on the insulating substrate,

wherein said flexible circuit boards share overlap regions and have physical contacts in said overlap regions with adjacent flexible circuit boards, wherein said common signal lines, which are connected between adjacent flexible circuit boards by the conductive patterns on the flexible circuit boards, are connected in regions which are the overlap regions shared by adjacent flexible circuit boards and which also overlap with the surface of the insulating substrate that has the electrode groups thereon.