Bendable area design for flexible printed circuitboard

• US 8,058,560 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wintek Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wintek Corporation
• Inventors: Kao, Chia-Ning, Lo, Chin-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Hung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu; James
• Application Number:
  US12/141,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20090120670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 174/254, 174/250, 174/117.F, 174/117.FF, 361/749, 439/67, 439/77
• US Class Current: 174/254
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/055 Folded back on itself
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09236 Parallel layout layout of balanced signal pairs H05K1/0245; superposed layout H05K2201/09672
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0969 Apertured conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09727 Varying width along a single conductor; Conductors or pads having different widths

Abstract

A bendable area design for flexible printed circuitboard is disclosed. The flexible printed circuitboard (FPC) is comprised of: a flexible substrate; at least a circuit pattern; and a bendable area, being formed intersecting with the at least one circuit pattern and having at least a groove formed therein at a position corresponding to the intersection with the at least one circuit pattern; wherein the depth of the at least one groove is no larger than the thickness of the corresponding circuit pattern for preventing the circuit pattern from being cut off by the groove. By configuring the aforesaid bendable area in the FPC, stress generated by the bending of the FPC is restricted inside the bendable area effectively so that accurate control of the bending angle for bending FPC can be realized.

Claims

1. A flexible printed circuit board with bendable area, comprising:

a flexible substrate, further comprising;

at least a circuit pattern, each formed on the flexible substrate; and

a bendable area, configured in the flexible substrate while intersecting the at least one circuit pattern; and

at least a groove, formed in the bendable area at a position corresponding to the intersection with the at least one circuit pattern;

wherein the flexible substrate has two circuit patterns formed thereon, and one of the two circuit patterns is configured with a region that is wide enough to cover the whole bendable area therein and thus is provided for the formation of the at least one groove while the two ends of the wide region away from the bendable area are tapered into a width the same as that of another circuit pattern.

2. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 1, wherein the at least one groove is formed intersecting the circuit pattern by etching while enabling the depth of the at least one groove is no larger than the thickness of the corresponding circuit pattern.

3. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 2, wherein the formation of the at least one groove etches away completely the corresponding portion of the circuit pattern intersected thereby in a manner that a gap is formed on the circuit pattern accordingly.

4. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 3, wherein the gap is formed on the circuit pattern in a manner that the circuit pattern is not cut off by the gap.

5. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 4, wherein the gap comprises a plurality of recesses, and the corresponding circuit pattern is not cut off by the total length of the plural recess.

6. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 1, wherein the at least one groove is designed according to the following equation:

7. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 1, wherein any tapering region of the circuit pattern with the wide region is spaced from the bendable area by a specific distance.

8. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate is comprised of:

two circuit patterns;

and one bendable area, intersecting the two circuit patterns and having at least a groove formed therein at a position corresponding to the intersection with the at least one of the two circuit patterns.

9. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 8, wherein the widths of the two circuit pattern are different while enabling the at least one groove to be formed in the circuit pattern that is wider.

10. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 9, wherein the at least one groove formed in the wider circuit pattern at a position that is away from the narrower circuit pattern.

11. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 9, wherein the at least one groove formed in the wider circuit pattern at a position that is close to the narrower circuit pattern.

12. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 9, wherein the at least one groove formed in the wider circuit pattern at an about center position of the same while preventing the at least one groove from cutting off the wider circuit pattern.

13. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 9, wherein there are a plurality of grooves.

14. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 13, wherein each of the grooves is shaped as a shape selected from the group consisting a circular shape and other geometrical shapes.

15. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 8, wherein the widths of the two circuit patterns are about the same and each of the two circuit patterns has at least one groove formed thereon.

16. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 15, wherein the grooves respectively formed on the two circuit patterns are being formed at sides of the two circuit patterns that are away from each other.

17. The flexible printed circuit board with bendable area of claim 15, wherein the grooves respectively formed on the two circuit patterns are being formed at sides of the two circuit patterns that are neighboring to each other.