Flexible circuit routing

• US 8,711,570 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steven Porter, Wurzel, Joshua G., Martisauskas, Steven J., Miller, Thayne M., Sung, Kuo-Hua
• Primary Examiner(s): Norris, Jeremy
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILAKOVICH, NATHAN J
• Application Number:
  US13/165,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20120326990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 361/749, 361/760, 174/254, 174/260
• US Class Current: 361/749
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens

Abstract

Flexible circuits for routing signals of a device, such as a touch sensor panel of a touch sensitive device, are provided. The flexible circuit can include a first set of traces for routing a first set of lines and a second set of traces for routing a second set of lines. The first set of traces can couple together the ends of at least a portion of the first set of lines. Additionally, the first set of traces can be non-intersecting or non-overlapping with the second set of traces. The flexible circuit can have a T-shape configuration and can be incorporated within a touch sensitive device, display device, printed circuit board, or the like. The flexible circuit can be placed over another flexible circuit, and can extend onto the device.

Claims

1. A flex circuit comprising:

a first line contact portion operable to couple to a first end of a first set of lines;

a second line contact portion operable to couple to a second end of the first set of lines;

a third line contact portion operable to couple to a second set of lines;

a first output portion;

a first set of traces coupling together the first line contact portion, the second line contact portion, and the output portion; and

a second set of traces coupling together the third line contact portion and the output portion, wherein the first set of traces and second set of traces are non-overlapping with each other.

2. The flex circuit of claim 1, wherein the first set of lines comprises a set of drive lines of a touch sensitive display, and wherein the second set of lines comprises a set of sense lines of the touch sensitive display.

3. The flex circuit of claim 1, wherein the first set of traces is operable to couple the first end of at least a portion of the first set of lines to the second end of each corresponding line.

4. The flex circuit of claim 1, wherein the first set of traces create an open circuit between the first end of at least one line of the first set of lines and the second end of the at least one line.

5. The flex circuit of claim 1, wherein the flex circuit comprises a first layer and a second layer.

6. The flex circuit of claim 5, wherein the second set of traces is routed through the first layer, and wherein the first set of traces is routed through the first layer and the second layer.

7. The flex circuit of claim 1 incorporated into at least one of a mobile telephone, a digital media player, an LCD, an OLED display, or a personal computer.

8. A device including the flex circuit of claim 1, wherein the flex circuit is a second flex circuit attached to a distal end of a substrate, the device further comprising:

a first flex circuit attached to the distal end of the substrate,

wherein the second flex circuit overlaps the first flex circuit.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first flex circuit is coupled to an integrated circuit at the distal end of the substrate.

10. The device of claim 8, further comprising a grounded silver film disposed between the first flex circuit and the second flex circuit.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the second flex circuit comprises at least one pre-bend section operable to reduce a distance between the second flex circuit and the first flex circuit.

12. The device of claim 8, further comprising a stiffener disposed on the second flex circuit, the stiffener operable to limit a distance between the second flex circuit and the first flex circuit, wherein the stiffener comprises a grounded metal plate or polyimide film.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the second flex circuit is in a T-shape configuration.