Special-shaped FPC structure and U-shaped FPC
By setting folding areas and bending circuits on a flexible substrate and using shaping protective components to fix the bending angle, the problem of low material utilization in the production of irregular-shaped FPCs is solved, achieving cost reduction and material saving.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423010404.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-06
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-02
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-06
AI Technical Summary
In PCB manufacturing, the production of irregularly shaped FPCs leads to low raw material utilization, significant waste, and high costs.
By setting folding areas and bending circuits on a flexible substrate and using shaping protective components to fix the bending angle, the flexibility of the flexible substrate is utilized for folding to form an irregular FPC.
It significantly improves the utilization rate of raw materials, reduces material loss and production costs, and lowers the production cost of irregular-shaped FPCs.
Smart Images
Figure CN223626057U_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of FPC production technology, and in particular to irregular FPC structure and a U-shaped FPC. Background Technology
[0002] In the production of printed circuit boards (PCBs), the substrate and protective film are generally cut according to the outline, shape, and size of the finished product. The size and specifications of the raw materials for the substrate and protective film are generally uniform. Therefore, when the finished PCB is not a flat structure, multiple flexible substrates or protective films are cut out from the raw materials in an alternating manner during production to maximize the utilization rate of the raw materials. However, some raw materials will still be cut off. The more complex the outline of the PCB, the more raw materials are cut off, the more serious the waste, and the higher the product's allocated cost and production cost.
[0003] FPC, or Flexible Printed Circuit Board, is made of a flexible substrate. It is characterized by its thinness, flexibility, and high toughness. After etching or printing copper foil circuits on it, a large number of precision components can be stacked to form a circuit board, which has a wide range of applications. Summary of the Invention
[0004] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this utility model provides an irregular FPC structure and a U-shaped FPC, which can utilize the flexibility of the flexible substrate itself for folding and be shaped and protected by a shaping and protective component, thereby achieving the purpose of producing irregular FPCs from a rectangular flexible substrate. This can significantly improve the utilization rate of raw materials and reduce the production cost of irregular FPCs.
[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:
[0006] An irregular FPC structure, wherein the FPC includes a flexible substrate, on which copper foil circuits are etched or printed, and several electronic components are fixed on the copper foil circuits;
[0007] The flexible substrate has a rectangular structure, and its upper and / or lower surfaces have one or more folding areas along the length of the flexible substrate. Each folding area has a bending circuit, and both ends of the bending circuit are electrically connected to the copper foil circuit. Several electronic components are disposed on the outside of each folding area. The flexible substrate can be bent upward or downward along the bending circuit under the action of external force.
[0008] The upper and / or lower surfaces of the flexible substrate are further affixed with one or more shaping protective components inside and / or outside each folding area, and each shaping protective component can adhere to the bent flexible substrate to fix its bending angle.
[0009] As a further explanation of the above technical solution:
[0010] In the above technical solution, the bending circuit and the copper foil circuit are integrally formed.
[0011] Another technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:
[0012] A U-shaped FPC includes the flexible substrate described in the above technical solution, wherein the flexible substrate has two folding regions.
[0013] As a further explanation of the above technical solution:
[0014] In the above technical solution, each of the folded areas is a square, and the bending circuits within it coincide with a diagonal of the folded area, and the bending directions of the two bending circuits are opposite.
[0015] In the above technical solution, each of the shaping protective components is disposed inside one of the folding areas and on one side of the bending circuit.
[0016] In the above technical solution, the distances between the two ends of the flexible substrate and the two folded regions are equal.
[0017] In the above technical solution, each of the shaped protective components is a vibration damping foam, and the upper and lower ends of each vibration damping foam are coated with adhesive.
[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: by setting a folding area, the flexibility of the flexible substrate itself can be used for folding and the folding position can be predetermined; by setting a bending circuit, the folding direction and angle of the flexible substrate can be guided; by setting a shaping and protective component, the two ends of the fold can be fixed and separated, realizing the folding and shaping of irregular FPC and avoiding the folding action from affecting the electronic components on the flexible substrate, thereby achieving the purpose of producing irregular FPCs from a rectangular flexible substrate, significantly improving the utilization rate of raw materials, reducing material loss and product cost allocation, and reducing the production cost of irregular FPCs. Attached Figure Description
[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cutting scheme for irregularly shaped flexible substrates in conventional production;
[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cutting scheme for the irregular flexible electrode sheet of this utility model;
[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible substrate structure in this embodiment;
[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible substrate after bending in this embodiment.
[0023] In the diagram: 10, flexible substrate; 20, copper foil circuit; 30, electronic components; 40, shaping protective parts; 50, flexible board material; 1, folding area; 2, bending circuit. Detailed Implementation
[0024] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0025] The embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application. In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "several" or "more than" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified. In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances. In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" a second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or it can include contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of a second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" of a second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.
[0026] For ease of understanding, Figure 1Taking a U-shaped FPC as an example, the production method commonly used for flexible substrate 10 is shown. That is, two flexible substrates are staggered on a whole flexible sheet 50 of suitable width. It can be seen that since the width of the flexible sheet 50 is fixed (currently generally 250mm), a lot of leftover material will remain after cutting the outer flexible substrate 10 and cannot be used, so the utilization rate of the flexible sheet 50 is not high. Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the cutting scheme for the flexible substrate 10 used in this invention. Specifically, the flexible substrate 10 of the irregularly shaped FPC is straightened to form a regular square structure, and its total length is calculated. This square structure is then cut from the flexible sheet 50 and further processed. Finally, the good flexibility of the flexible substrate 10 is utilized to bend and shape it. It can be seen that this process can significantly improve the utilization rate of the flexible sheet 50 and reduce waste, thereby achieving the goal of reducing waste-related costs and lowering the cost of irregularly shaped FPCs.
[0027] To ensure that the FPC formed by assembling electronic components 30 on the flexible substrate 10 with a straight structure and bending it has roughly the same stable and reliable performance as the FPC formed by direct cutting and processing, the structure of the irregularly shaped FPC in this utility model is set as follows:
[0028] like Figure 3 As shown, the irregular FPC structure includes a flexible substrate 10, on which copper foil circuits 20 are etched or printed, and several electronic components 30 are fixed on the copper foil circuits 20.
[0029] The flexible substrate 10 has a rectangular structure, and its upper and / or lower end surfaces have one or more folded regions 1 along the length of the flexible substrate 10. Each folded region 1 has a bending circuit 2, and both ends of the bending circuit 2 are electrically connected to the copper foil circuit 20. Several electronic components 30 are disposed on the outside of each folded region 1. The flexible substrate 10 can be bent upward or downward along the bending circuit 2 under the action of external force.
[0030] One or more shaping protective elements 40 are also attached to the upper and / or lower end surfaces of the flexible substrate 10 inside and / or outside each folding area 1. Each shaping protective element 40 can stick to the bent flexible substrate 10 to fix its bending angle.
[0031] This invention, by setting a folding area 1, allows the flexible substrate 10 to be folded using its own flexibility, and the folding position can be pre-defined; by setting a bending circuit 2, the folding direction and angle of the flexible substrate 10 can be guided; by setting a shaping protective component 40, the two ends of the fold can be fixed and separated, realizing the folding and shaping of irregular FPC and avoiding the folding action from affecting the electronic components 30 on the flexible substrate 10. In this way, the purpose of producing irregular FPCs through a rectangular flexible substrate 10 can be achieved, significantly improving the utilization rate of raw materials, reducing material loss and product cost allocation, and reducing the production cost of irregular FPCs.
[0032] It is understood that no electronic components 30 are provided in each folding area 1 in this utility model, which can avoid the folding action from affecting the connection between the solder pins on the electronic components 30 and the copper foil circuit 20, thereby ensuring that the irregular FPC maintains the stability of the circuit function during the folding process and after forming.
[0033] In this embodiment, the bending circuit 2 and the copper foil circuit 20 are integrally formed and are both fixed on the flexible substrate 10 by etching or printing processes.
[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, in some specific application embodiments of the above embodiments, a U-shaped FPC is involved, including the flexible substrate 10 in the above embodiments, and the flexible substrate 10 is provided with two folding regions 1.
[0035] In one application embodiment, each folding area 1 is a square, and the bending circuits 2 within it coincide with one diagonal of the folding area 1. The bending directions of the two bending circuits 2 are opposite, and each shaping protective component 40 is disposed inside a folding area 1 and on one side of a bending circuit 2.
[0036] In another application embodiment, the two ends of the flexible substrate 10 are equidistant from the two folded regions 1.
[0037] like Figure 4As shown, in the above embodiment, each shaped protective component 40 is a vibration-damping foam, and the upper and lower ends of each vibration-damping foam are coated with adhesive. During production, after all electronic components 30 are correctly assembled and connected to the copper foil circuit 20, according to the specific bending shape of the irregular FPC, the vibration-damping foam with adhesive coated at both ends is pasted inside or outside each folding area 1. Then, along the bending circuit 2, the flexible substrate 10 is folded, and the folded portion is pasted to the other end of the vibration-damping foam, thus completing the folding and shaping of the flexible substrate 10. Simultaneously, the folding of the vibration-damping foam prevents the copper foil circuit 20 and electronic components 30 near the folding area 1 from interfering with each other. Repeating the above actions, folding the flexible substrate 10 at each folding area 1 according to the direction of the bending circuit 2 and shaping it with vibration-damping foam completes the molding of the irregular FPC.
[0038] The above does not limit the technical scope of this utility model. Any modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this utility model shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of this utility model.
Claims
1. An irregularly shaped FPC structure, wherein the FPC includes a flexible substrate, on which copper foil circuitry is etched or printed, and a plurality of electronic components are fixed on the copper foil circuitry; characterized in that: The flexible substrate has a rectangular structure, and its upper and / or lower surfaces have one or more folding areas along the length of the flexible substrate. Each folding area has a bending circuit, and both ends of the bending circuit are electrically connected to the copper foil circuit. Several electronic components are disposed on the outside of each folding area. The flexible substrate can be bent upward or downward along the bending circuit under the action of external force. The upper and / or lower surfaces of the flexible substrate are further affixed with one or more shaping protective components inside and / or outside each folding area, and each shaping protective component can adhere to the bent flexible substrate to fix its bending angle.
2. The irregular FPC structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bent circuit and the copper foil circuit are integrally formed.
3. A U-shaped FPC, characterized in that, The flexible substrate includes the flexible substrate as described in any one of claims 1-2, wherein the flexible substrate has two folding regions.
4. A U-shaped FPC according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each of the folded regions is a square, and the bending circuits within it coincide with one diagonal of the folded region, with the bending directions of the two bending circuits being opposite.
5. A U-shaped FPC according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned shaped protective components is located inside one of the folding areas and on one side of one of the bending circuits.
6. A U-shaped FPC according to claim 3, characterized in that, The two ends of the flexible substrate are equidistant from the two folded regions.
7. A U-shaped FPC according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned shaped protective components is a vibration-damping foam, and the upper and lower ends of each of the vibration-damping foams are coated with adhesive.