Flexible wired circuit board for temperature measurement

• US 7,500,780 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2003
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Inventors: Miki, Yosuke, Ohwaki, Yasuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): VERBITSKY, GAIL KAPLAN
• Application Number:
  US10/694,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20040086026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,959 Days
• Field of Search: 374/57, 374/185, 374/183, 374/208, 374/163, 374/142, 374/179, 374/144, 374/45, 338/22.R, 338210-211, 338/283
• US Class Current: 374/144
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/183 characterised by the use of the resistive element
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0201 Thermal arrangements, e.g. for cooling, heating or preventing overheating
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0393 Flexible materials H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/09 Use of materials for the conductive, e.g. metallic pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 Sensor

Abstract

A flexible wired circuit board for temperature measurement that can provide an accurate temperature measurement even when placed in a high-temperature atmosphere and can also be provided at a reduced cost. In the flexible wired circuit board for temperature measurement, a conductor layer formed from a metal foil, such as a stainless foil, having a proportional relation between temperature and specific electric resistance is formed on a base insulating layer. Also, a single thin sensor wiring in a sensor portion exposed from a cover insulating layer is formed into a certain pattern by folding back the sensor wiring in a continuous S-shaped form, such that adjacent parts of the wiring extending in parallel are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval in a widthwise direction of the conductor layer. The flexible wired circuit board for temperature measurement thus constructed can prevent occurrence of errors in measured temperature even when used in high-temperature atmosphere, thus achieving accurate measurement of temperature, different from the flexible wired circuit board having the conductor layer comprising a copper foil.

Claims

1. A flexible wired circuit board having a plurality of layers formed in a generally rectangular, flat, strip-shape, and having a central portion and end portions, for temperature measurement, said layers comprising:

a conductor layer having two sides; and

a base insulating layer having two sides, wherein one side of the conductor layer is formed on one side of said base insulating layer;

wherein the central portion of the base insulating layer is generally narrow;

wherein the end portions of the base insulating layer are relatively rectangular, flat and laterally widened;

wherein the conductor layer is formed from a metal foil having a proportional relation between temperature and specific electric resistance;

wherein said conductor layer is formed as a predetermined pattern in which a relatively widened main wiring portion, a sensor-wiring portion extending continuously from one lateral end of the main wiring portion, and a connector-wiring portion extending continuously from the other lateral end of the main wiring portion are formed in one piece;

the sensor-wiring portion includes a temperature detecting portion formed of sensor wiring in a relatively thin, S-shaped form; and

wherein the temperature detecting portion is formed on the base insulating layer at one of the generally rectangular, flat, widened end portions of the base insulating layer, and the connector-wiring portion is formed at the other of the generally rectangular, flat, widened end portions of the base insulating layer.

2. The flexible wired circuit board for temperature measurement according to claim 1, wherein the conductor layer is a stainless foil.

3. The flexible wired circuit board for temperature measurement according to claim 1, wherein the wiring in the temperature detecting portion has an entire length of 50 mm or more.

4. The flexible wired circuit board for temperature measurement according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent parts of the wiring in the temperature detecting portion are spaced apart from each other at a pitch of 100 μ

m or more.

5. A flexible wired circuit board having a plurality of layers formed in a generally rectangular, flat, strip-shape, and having a central portion and end portions, for temperature measurement, said layers comprising:

a conductor layer having two sides; and

a base insulating layer having two sides, wherein one side of the conductor layer is formed on one side of the base insulating layer;

wherein the central portion of the base insulating layer is generally narrow;

wherein the end portions of the base insulating layer are relatively rectangular, flat and laterally widened;

wherein the conductor layer is formed from a metal foil having a proportional relation between temperature and specific electric resistance;

wherein said conductor layer includes a temperature detecting portion formed when said conductor layer is formed as a wiring portion and arranged in a predetermined pattern on said base insulating layer; and

wherein the temperature detecting portion is formed on the base insulating layer at one of the generally rectangular, flat, widened end portions of the base insulating layer.