Flexible automotive grade light source

Abstract

A flexible foil printed circuit board substrate is provided. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate includes lands and flexible foil areas between pairs of the lands. Each land can receive a placement of one or more surface mounting technology components. Each of the flexible foil areas can include bent sections. The bent sections can be joined at ends of inner and outer boarders. The bent sections can include curved shapes that in combination enable each of the flexible foil areas to mimic a winding river shape.

Description

FLEXIBLE AUTOMOTIVE GRADE LIGHT SOURCECROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 513,194, filed July 12, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND

[0002] Conventional technologies in the automotive industry have trended to slim, strip-like lighting solutions, both for interior and exterior lighting functions. And new styling solutions for car interior and exterior illumination (e.g., white light strips for position lighting, amber light strips for signaling, and red light strips for stop / tail functions) are continued to be sought after. In this regard, contour line, roof rail, and grill illumination have become popular. Yet, these applications require homogeneous line emitters, as well as light emitting surfaces (“coins"), that include inherent disadvantages.

[0003] For example, a disadvantage of conventional technologies is a cost structure due to a complex build-up of individual wires connecting interposer boards to form an electrical circuit. In this regard, the cost structure requires expensive components that are individually assembled by an expensive surface mounting technology (“SMT”) assembly process, with a multitude of solder joints in one homogeneous line emitter. In addition, because wires are mounted on a backside of an interposer board of the homogeneous line emitter and light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) are mounted on a frontside of the interposer board, a resulting carrier that embedded in silicone to shape the homogeneous line emitter is rather thick.

[0004] As another example, a disadvantage of conventional technologies is a lack of real three-dimensional (“3D”) flexibility and an inability to withstand harsh automotive use conditions due to larger dimensions found in conventional technologies with or without integration into silicone.

[0005] Thus, a solution is needed.SUMMARY

[0006] According to one or more embodiments, a flexible foil printed circuit board substrate is provided. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate includes two or more lands and flexible foil areas between pairs of the two or more lands. Each land can receive a placement of one or moresurface mounting technology components. Each of the flexible foil areas can include at least three bent sections. The at least three bent sections can be joined at ends of inner and outer boarders. The at least three bent sections can include curved shapes that in combination enable each of the flexible foil areas to mimic a winding river shape.

[0007] According to one or more embodiments, a method for making a flexible automotive grade light source is provided. The method includes performing a laser cutting on a panel to produce a flexible foil printed circuit board substrate. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate includes two or more lands and flexible foil areas between pairs ofthe two or more lands. Each land can receive a placement of one or more surface mounting technology components. Each of the flexible foil areas can include at least three bent sections. The at least three bent sections can be joined at ends of inner and outer boarders. The at least three bent sections can include curved shapes that in combination enable each of the flexible foil areas to mimic a winding river shape. The method includes inserting the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate into a silicone matrix to provide the flexible automotive grade light source.

[0008] According to one or more embodiments, a flexible automotive grade light source is provided. The flexible automotive grade light source includes a flexible foil printed circuit board substrate. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate includes two or more lands and flexible foil areas between pairs of the two or more lands. Each land can receive a placement of one or more surface mounting technology components. Each of the flexible foil areas can include at least three bent sections. The at least three bent sections can be joined at ends of inner and outer boarders. The at least three bent sections can include curved shapes that in combination enable each of the flexible foil areas to mimic a winding river shape. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate includes an electrical scheme.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] A more detailed understanding can be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a process flow according to one or more embodiment;

[0011] FIG. 2 shows schematics according to one or more embodiments;

[0012] FIG. 3 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 4 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 5 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 6 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0016] FIG. 7 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 8 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0018] FIG. 9 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0019] FIG. 10 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0020] FIG. 1 1 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0021] FIG. 12 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0022] FIG. 13 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0023] FIG. 14 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0024] FIG. 15 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0025] FIG. 16 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0026] FIG. 17 shows an electrical scheme according to one or more embodiments;

[0027] FIG. 18 is a diagram of an example vehicle headlamp system; and

[0028] FIG. 19 is a diagram of another example vehicle headlamp system.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] According to one or more embodiments, described herein is a flexible automotive grade light source. Generally, the flexible automotive grade light source overcomes the disadvantages of conventional technologies and while providing additional advantages of a 3D LED carrier in a silicone solution and a LED on thin flexible substrate solution. In this regard, the flexible automotive grade light source is a more cost-effective light source that can be small size, have a high flexibility, have a high light flux, have a high homogeneity, and include automotive grade robustness with inexpensive components.

[0030] By way of example, the flexible automotive grade light source can utilize a specially shaped flexible foil printed circuit board assembly (“PCBA”) build-up including a flexible 3D LED light source. Note that the flexible foil PCBA can be a thin film flexible foil PCBA. The specially shaped flexible foil PCBA replaces wires and interposers of conventional technologies. The specially shaped flexible foil PCBA includes electrical connection schemes where two or three electrical lines per metal layer that enable multiple copper line. In this regard, two metal layers with two electrical lines each enable four electrical lines that allow more flexibility to electrically connect the flexible 3D LED light source compared to the conventional technologies, where the number of electrical lines is limited to three due to space availability. Note that, while the flexible automotive grade light source can be designed to have more than three electrical lines per layer, the examples here in discuss two or three electrical lines per metal layer in view of automotive reliability requirements for automotive applications.

[0031] Examples of different light illumination systems and / or light emitting diode (“LED”) implementations will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. These examples are not mutually exclusive, and features found in one example may be combined with features found in one or more other examples to achieve additional implementations. Accordingly, it will be understood that the examples shown in the accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and they are not intended to limit the disclosure in any way. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Further, LEDs may have a relatively large light emitting region with outer walls surrounded on at least one side by very thing reflectors, such as dichroic mirrors, which may enable very close spacing of the LEDs, such as described above, while still maintaining a contrast between neighboring LEDs. In some embodiments, the reflectors may only be placed in locations where the side wall is adjacent a side wall of a neighboring LED. For such LEDs, standard pick and place techniques may be difficult for the reasons described above, particularly as the close spacing makes any movement of the LEDs problematic for their functionality.

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a process flow 100 according to one or more embodiments. Generally, the process flow 100 is a method for making a flexible automotive grade light source, such as a buildup of a three-dimensional (“3D”) LED product.

[0033] The process flow 100 begins, at block 105, where a panel is manufactured to include a plurality of modules, each of which will become flexible automotive grade light sources at the conclusion of the process flow 100. The panel can be a PCBA that can further be sub-divided into the plurality of modules or smaller PCBA assemblies. According to one or more embodiments, the PCBAand the smaller PC BAs can be flexible foil PCBAs (also referred to as specially shaped thin film flexible foil PCB substrate build-ups, film flexible foil PCB substrates, and thin film flexible foil PCBAs).

[0034] At block 1 10, a cutting or punching process is performed on the panel. For example, a laser cutting is performed on the panel. An example of the panel includes a front end panel 1 12. The front end panel 112 is laser cut to provide one or more front end strings 1 14. Each front end string 1 14 can include an interposer 116, a LED 1 17, and a s-wire 118. According to one or more embodiments, to be reliable for automotive applications, the PCBA includes the interposers 1 16 on which the LEDs 117 are soldered and connected therebetween by the s-wire 1 18 (e.g., custom made specially shaped) to form the electric circuit. According to one or more embodiments, the LED 117 is smaller than a width of the 3D LED product.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows schematics 201 and 202 according to one or more embodiments. The schematics 201 and 202 can be examples of build-ups of flexible foil printed circuit board (“PCB”) substrates that provide the s-wires 118 between the LEDs 117. According to one or more embodiments, using specially shaped flexible foil PCB substrate build-up, a flexible 3D LED light source can be created where the flexible foil PCB substrate is replacing the wires and interposers carrying LEDs of the conventional technologies.

[0036] According to one or more embodiments, and as shown in the schematics 201 , the flexible foil PCB substrate can be constructed such that an area 210 between lands 220 (pairs of the two or more lands) on which the LEDs are placed (“LED lands”) include any number of curved shapes to mimic a winding river, a serpentine or snake-like shape, and / or sinusoidal shapes. The LED lands 220 can be of any shape, for example, a rectangular, and can be configured to receive a placement of SMT components (e.g., the LEDs, microcontrollers, etc.).

[0037] By way of example, a ci rcul ar-si n usoid al ly shaped area 210 can include at least three sections 231 , 232, and 235. The two outermost sections 231 and 235 terminate into the LED lands 220 (e.g., an outer boarder characterizing lands). As shown, quarter circles or half sines are drawn into and integrated in the LED lands 220. According to one or more embodiments, the circular- sinusoidally shaped area 210 can include five sections 231 , 232, 233, 234, and 235, with the interior sections 232, 233, and 235 being half circular or half sinusoidal shapes. By way of example, each section 231 , 232, 233, 234, and 235 can be horizontally flipped relative to the previous or next section (e.g , a shifted mirror of an adjacent section). According to one or more embodiments, the five sections 231 , 232, 233, 234, and 235 can have a lower amplitude at a first dimension of the LED lands 220. For example, the first dimension of the LED lands 220 can be constructed with a width, height, and / orlength selected from a range of 0.01 cm to 1.1 cm (e.g., 8 mm). According to one or more embodiments, a height can be a thickness of the flexible foil PCB substrate, while the width of the LED lands 220 can be 2 mm smaller or larger than a width of the LEDs. The circular-sinusoidally shaped area can be of circular, elliptical, sinusoidal, or parabolic shape, or of an intermediate shape of the named mathematical descriptives.

[0038] According to one or more embodiments, the at least three sections 231 , 232, and 235 can be characterized by an outer boarder line (e g., an outer boarder of the bent segments), an inner boarder line (e.g., an inner boarder of the bent segments), and two straight lines connecting the ends of the two boarder lines in the shortest way. These straight lines are helping lines only where the at least three sections 231 , 232, and 235 are joined together. The inner border line of the outermost semi-circles / half-sines thereby continues to follow the half circular shape, with the consequence that the outermost “half sine” 231 and 235 consists of a “quarter sine” transitioning into a “quarter circle”. The inner border line at the end of the half circle then transfers into a spiral with opposite curvature as compared to the quarter circle within the LED land. In border cases, the spiral can become another semi-circle. By this the edge that would have formed on the land is cut away. The top border line of the semi-circle / half-sine is ending at the edge of the LED land, transitioning smoothly from the half circular / sinusoidal section to the straight LED land upper boarder. Altogether, the flexible foil PCB substrate shape minimizes a stress build-up during thermal cycling to a point that the PCBA can be reliably embedded into the silicone matrix to form the desired light source and meeting automotive reliability requirements.

[0039] According to one or more embodiments, and as shown in the schematics 202, the flexible foil PCB substrate can be constructed such that areas 250 between lands 260 on which LEDs 270 are placed (“LED lands”) include any number of curved shapes to mimic a winding river, a serpentine or snake-like shape, and / or sinusoidal shapes. According to one or more embodiments, an outermost bent second area segments are partially integrated into a first area lands. Further, an inner boarder line of the segment continues into the first area land to form of a semi-circle, followed by a spiral of opposite turning direction to connect the integrated segments inner boarder line with the outer side of the land Furthermore, an outer boarder line of the first half of the outermost segment in similar manner partly continues into the land and connects the segment boarder to the land boarder in a half circular or swinging curve.

[0040] Returning to the process flow 100, at block 120, a back end production is implemented on a rear side 122 of the front end panel 112. As shown in FIG. 1 , the rear side 122 can include the s-wire 118 and a dummy end 124.

[0041] At block 130, soldering is implemented on the rear side 122. As shown in image 132 of FIG. 1 , the soldering is implemented to install an electrical contact 134 on the rear side 122. The electrical contact 134 can be representative of at least one connecting structure on at least one of a backside of one of the two or more lands for electrically connecting the one or more surface mounting technology components to a power source. Note that the rear side 122 can be referred to as a backside or second side. The rear side 122, the backside, or the second side being a same side as a flexible foil printed circuit board. According to one or more embodiments, a connecting structure is present on a backside of an outermost land (of the two or more lands). According to one or more embodiments, a connecting structure is on a backside of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate in between a two outermost lands of the two or more lands. According to one or more embodiments, two or more connecting structures is on a backside of an outermost land of the two or more lands. According to one or more embodiments, at least one connecting structure includes a rigid printed circuit board mounted on a backside of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate and mounted on a backside of at least one of the two or more lands.

[0042] At block 140, each of the one or more front end strings 1 14 are inserted / embedded into a silicone matrix to provide the flexible automotive grade light sources. The silicone matrix can withstand automotive grade reliability requirements. According to one or more embodiments, the silicone matrix can include a white reflecting H-shaped outer optical mixing box, where a connecting horizontal bar of the H is asymmetrically drawn to a bottom of the H. Further, the flexible foil PCBA is placed into a first cavity of the H and rectangular holes that are punched into the connecting horizontal bar of the H receive the LEDs connected by the flexible foil PCBA to shine into a second cavity of the H. Note that the first cavity can be smaller than the second cavity. Note, also, that both cavities can be filled with clear silicone, where the clear silicone has a wavy surface structure on a top side that is filled and covered with diffusing silicone. The diffusing silicone can be characterized in that a maximum diffusor thickness of a wavy structure is placed above the LEDs while a minimum diffusor thickness spot is placed in between the LEDs. Additional round holes can be added in the connecting horizontal bar of the H to allow silicone diffusion through said bar during vacuum processing (e.g., which helps removing air bubbles in the flexible automotive grade light sources). Further, rectangular holes receiving the LEDs can be elongated towards the walls of an outer box to ease silicone diffusion through the connecting horizontal bar of the H during vacuum processing.

[0043] According to one or more embodiments, a light source (e.g., flexible automotive grade light sources) can include the flexible foil PCB substrate being embedded in the silicon matrix. According to one or more embodiments, at least corresponding light emitting areas of the one or more surface mounting technology components are embedded in a transparent silicone matrix. The silicon matrix can include a mixing box that homogenizes light emitted by the one or more surface mounting technology components. The transparent silicone matrix can include a reflecting silicone configured to reflect the light within the mixing box (e.g., reflect light in three directions, with a fourth direction being an exit). The mixing box can include a top layer of transparentsilicone configured to homogenize the light, as the light exits the mixing box. The light source include flexibility in at least two dimensions (e.g., a vertical and a lateral direction). A side flexibility of the light source can be stiff (e.g., can include a stiffness in combination with the flexible foil PCB substrate).

[0044] That is, the result of the process flow 100 is the flexible automotive grade light source that can reliably operate in automotive exterior lighting use conditions. The flexible automotive grade light source provides a high freedom of styling.

[0045] According to one or more embodiments, each flexible automotive grade light source includes the PCBA embedded in the silicone matrix, that provides a light source with homogeneous high flux light output. Further, each flexible automotive grade light source (e.g., each 3D LED product) mechanically flexible, bi-axially bendable, and capable to meet the high automotive reliability requirements. Further, each flexible automotive grade light source be integrated directly as a shapeable line or combined with a suitable optical element to create an elongated light surface. According to one or more embodiments, each flexible automotive grade light source can include animation by segmenting. Segmenting can include an ability to turn on and off individual segments independent of the others, as is required in signaling or animated welcome light functions.

[0046] According to one or more embodiments, the flexible automotive grade light source can be constructed with a first dimension selected from a range of 0.01 cm to 1.1 cm (e.g., 8 mm); a width selected from a range of 0.01 cm to 1 .1 cm (e.g., 6 mm, 8 mm, or 1.0 cm); a light emitting area width selected from a range of 0.01 cm to 1 1 cm (e.g., 6 mm, 8 mm, or 1 .0 cm); a total length selected from a range of 1 cm to 500 cm (e.g., 10 cm or 100 cm). By way of example, the flexible automotive grade light source can be a 8 x 8 mm2 elongated (up to 50 cm) light source with homogeneous high flux light output. The flexible automotive grade light source can provide a maximal allowable LED to LED pitch, and hence an oscillation of a wavy structure can be defined by a thickness of the thin light source. By way of example, a 22 mm LED to LED pitch can be used for 8 mm first dimension to stillpreserve a homogeneity of the light emitted while reducing the components required per total length to the minimum. By way of another example, larger distance pitches of the flexible automotive grade light source are easier to manufacture compared to a wired approach of conventional technologies. In this regard, a maximum pitch can be dependent on a size of a mixing box of the flexible automotive grade light source. For instance, the flexible automotive grade light source (e.g., a 3D LED size of 6 x 8 mm2) can estimate a maximum LED to LED pitch of 22 or 25 mm when a homogeneous light output shall be maintained.

[0047] According to one or more embodiments, the flexible automotive grade light source can include a light source with a light emitting area length comparable to the total length, a light source that is flexible in three dimensions, and a light source with the homogeneous light output from the light emitting surface. According to one or more embodiments, the flexible automotive grade light source can include a light source that can be illuminated at once (e.g., providing static illumination), a light source that can be illuminated in segments (e.g., providing dynamic illumination); and a light source that withstands automotive reliability requirements.

[0048] One or more technical effects, advantages, and benefits of the flexible foil PCB substrate (e.g., using a flex foil PCBs as carrier) include integrating a full electronic circuit while omitting custom made, special formed wires and rigid PCB interposers. Consequently, the bill of material cost is reduced, and the SMT mounting process is simplified (e.g., less components need to be joined).

[0049] One or more technical effects, advantages, and benefits of the flexible foil PCB substrate include connecting all LEDs in one circuit, thereby reducing a number of solder joints. A higher yield can be accumulated when using the flexible foil PCB substrate in manufacturing, as less solder joints can potentially fail during stress testing / in the field and lower costs to produce and maintain the product (e.g., in conventional technologies, as every solder joint poses the risk of yield loss and improved robustness).

[0050] One or more technical effects, advantages, and benefits of the flexible foil PCB substrate include a thinner total build-up of the flexible foil PCB substrate as the flex foil itself is thin and the remaining components are placed mainly on one side. According to one or more embodiments, with respect to a bridge PCB, the flexible foil PCB substrate can be adapted to a thinner build-up to enable or achieve an optical mixing box that has an increment in volume (e.g., a height from the LED to a diffusor). In turn, the flexible automotive grade light source that includes the flexible foil PCB substrate provides an optical benefit to achieve high uniformity with a larger LED pitch, aswell as an improved heat management. The improved heat management of the flexible automotive grade light source enables the flexible automotive grade light source to pass all automotive reliability requirements and be used in many automotive applications, at considerably reduced cost compared to the wire based conventional technology solutions.

[0051] One or more technical effects, advantages, and benefits of the flexible foil PCB substrate being a carrier include integrating a full electronic circuit while omitting custom made, special formed wires and rigid PCB interposers. As a result, the bill of material cost is reduced. Further, the SMT mounting process is simplified, as less components need to be joined, reducing the total cost for the flexible foil PCB substrate.

[0052] One or more technical effects, advantages, and benefits of the flexible foil PCB substrate connecting all LEDs in one circuit include reducing a number of solder joints required. In this regard, reducing the number of solder joints cumulates in a higher yield, as every solder joint poses a risk of yield loss. Further, connecting all LEDs in one circuit improves robustness, as less solder joints can potentially fail during stress testing / in the field, and, in consequence, lower cost to produce and maintain the product.

[0053] One or more technical effects, advantages, and benefits of the flexible foil PCB substrate include a thinner total build-up as the flexible foil PCB substrate is thin and components are placed mainly on one side. Further, due to the thinner total build-up, the flexible foil PCB substrate improves heat management of the thin light source created.

[0054] One or more technical effects, advantages, and benefits of the flexible foil PCB substrate include controlling the LED-to-LED pitch distance and omitting the custom made, special formed wire based conventional technology solutions. That is, the custom made, special formed wire based conventional technology solutions are complex by design and to manufacture, which causes a required tolerance in front-end assembly hard to control. Placement accuracy strongly depends on total tolerances, and the flexible foil PCB substrate enables relative easier control.

[0055] Turning now to FIGS. 3-9, electrical connection schemes are discussed for the buildups of the flexible foil PCB substrate. The electrical connection schemes can include one or more metal layers, where a number of electrical lines per metal layer can include one, two, or three. Further, the flexible foil PCB substrate can include one or multiple connecting structures on an opposite side of the flex foil compared to the LEDs. Furthermore, the flexible foil PCB substrate can include at least one layer of conductive copper, with up to two electrical lines formed in said conductive layer(s) toform an electric circuit to operate the LEDs. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can be a single piece (i.e., made of one piece).

[0056] According to one or more embodiments, two metal layers can provide four electrical lines to enable more flexibility to electrically connect a thin film flexible PCBA light source compared to the interposers and wire based conventional technology solutions (where space limitations are a concern). According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil PCB substrate may not have more than three electrical lines per layer to meet automotive reliability requirements and automotive applications.

[0057] According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can include at least one metal layer. Further, any one of the at least one metal layers can be a copper layer. Further, each of the at least one metal layers can include one or more electrical lines. The one or more electrical lines can form an electrical circuit within the flexible foil PCB substrate. At least one electrical via can connect the one or more electrical lines of the metal layers. In an example, one copper layer can include three electrical lines. In another example, each of two copper layers can include one or two electrical lines connected by electrical vias.

[0058] FIG. 3 shows an electrical scheme 300 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 300 of one solution where one group of LEDs 310 is driven from two contact lines 320 and 330 and one contact. According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil PCB substrate can include one layer of conductive copper and two electrical lines 320 and 330 formed in the conductive layer. Structures in the metal layers on the lands connect all LEDs 330 in series to illuminate all LEDs 330 at the same time.

[0059] According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil PCB substrate can include two or more connecting structures that partition the surface mounting technology components into one or more groups. Each of the one or more groups can be independently controlled into on and off states by controllers. By way of example, the surface mounting technology components can comprise a single static group. By way of further example, the surface mounting technology components can include at least two groups that dynamically operate. For instance, groups of LEDs can be connected in a top metal layer. The top metal layer can be interrupted at a place where the LEDs are placed over a gap formed. The groups of LEDs can be separated from each other in the gaps of the top metal layer. The gaps can be smaller in comparison to a distance between the lands (e.g., such that a mechanical stiffness between lands where metal layers are powered is comparable, the same, or close to the same as those not powered.

[0060] FIG. 4 shows an electrical scheme 400 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 400 of one solution where one group of LEDS 410 is driven from two contact lines 420 and 430 and one contact. According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil PCB substrate can include two layers of conductive Copper, two electrical lines 420 and 430 formed in the first conductive layer and at least one conductive line formed in the second conductive layer. The flexible foil PCB substrate can include vias as required to connect the electrical lines 420 and 430 to one side of the flexible foil PCB substrate in the area of the lands. Groups 440 of the LEDs 410 can be connected in parallel, while the LEDs 410 in the groups 440 are connected in series. At least one balancing resistor per group 440 of LEDs can illuminate all LEDs 410 in series at the same time.

[0061] FIG. 5 shows an electrical scheme 500 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 500 of one solution where two clusters 502 and 504 of groups of LEDS 510 are driven from three contact lines 520, 525, and 530 and one contact. The flexible foil PCB can include two layers of conductive copper, two electrical lines formed in each of the conductive metal layers, vias as required to connect the four lines to one side of the flexible foil PCB substrate in the area of the lands, and two clusters 502 and 504 of groups of LEDS 510 connected in parallel (while the LEDs 510 in the groups are connected in series). The electrical scheme 500 can include at least one balancing resistor per group of LEDS, where the two clusters of LEDs and a common anode / cathode are connected with three electrical contact pins in a connecting structure.

[0062] FIG. 6 shows an electrical scheme 600 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 600 of one solution where all LEDS 610 are driven from two electrical lines 620 and 630 and one contact. The flexible foil PCB substrate can include two layers of conductive copper, two electrical lines formed in each of the conductive metal layers, vias as required to connect the four lines to one side of the flexible foil PCB substrate in the area of the lands, two clusters 642 and 644 of groups of LEDs 610 connected in parallel while the LEDs 610 in the groups 650 are connected in series, at least one balancing resistor per group 650 of LEDS 610 and at least one balancing resistor 665 per cluster 642 and 644 of groups 650 of LEDS 610 that illuminate all LEDS 610 together from two power lines connected to the contact.

[0063] FIG. 7 shows an electrical scheme 700 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 700 of one solution where all LEDS 710 are driven from to electrical lines 722, 724, 726, and 728 and one contact. The flexible foil PCB substrate can include at least two layers of conductive copper, one or two electrical lines formed in the conductive metal layers, vias as required to connect all electrical lines 722, 724, 726, and 728 to one side of the flexible foil PCB substrate inthe area of the lands, groups 740 of LEDs 710 connected in series, and a common anode or cathode connecting the groups 740 of LEDs 710 enable illumination of the groups 740 of LEDs 710 mutually independent of each other. According to one or more embodiments, a number of groups 740 can corresponds to a number of copper lines reduced by the common anode.

[0064] FIG. 8 shows an electrical scheme 800 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 800 of one solution where multiple groups 805 of LEDs 810 can be turned on mutually independently from n+1 electrical lines 822, 824, and 826 and one contact. The flexible foil PCB substrate can include two layers of conductive copper, two electrical lines formed in the conductive metal layers, and vias as required to connect all four lines to one side of the flexible foil PCB substrate in the area of the lands. The flexible foil PCB substrate can include one LED 810 or a group 855 of multiple LEDs 810 connected by three conductive lines 840 in parallel, while the LEDs 810 in the group are connected in series, while the remaining conductive line is used as signal line to actuate a switching logic formed from SMT components that are placed on the front or the back of the lands and allow to turn on single or groups of LEDs 810 in dependence of the signal given to the switching logic. According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil PCB substrate can include LEDs 810 that are red, green, and blue (RGB) LEDs controlled by the switching logic.

[0065] FIG. 9 shows an electrical scheme 900 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 900 of one solution where all LED 910 (and segment thereof) can be independently turned on and off (such as by micro-controllers) from three electrical lines 922, 924, and 926 and one contact. The flexible foil PCB substrate can include multiple RGB LEDs in series, which are individually addressed using additional electrical lines 950 as provided by additional metal layers in the flexible foil PCB substrate. According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil PCB substrate can include electrical lines distributed over two connectors, reducing the number of required metal layers accordingly. According to one or more embodiments, the electrical scheme 900 of the flexible foil PCB substrate can be split into two independent parts, where one part is served by a common anode or cathode connected via a first connecting part and another part is served by a second common anode or cathode connected via a second connecting part.

[0066] Turning now to FIGS. 10-17, the flexible foil PCB substrate is further described according to one or more embodiments. For instance, FIGS. 10-17 depict electrical lines distributed over two connectors, with the electrical scheme 400 (though any electrical scheme 300, 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 herein can be used) in place of the LEDs. Accordingly, the flexible foil PCB substrate can enable longer light sources with more LEDs while maintaining the voltage in thecommon used low voltage limits (e.g., less than 48 Volts, according low voltage directive). According to one or more embodiments, three electrical lines per metal layer can be implemented for nonautomotive applications.

[0067] FIG. 10 shows an electrical scheme 1000 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 1000 can include two contact solutions with voltage limit, allowing dynamic switching of four (4) segments (across electrical lines 0, 1 , and 2).

[0068] FIG. 11 shows an electrical scheme 1100 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 1100 can include two contact solutions with voltage limit allowing dynamic switching of five (5) segments (across electrical lines 0, 1 , 2, 3, 4, and 5).

[0069] FIG. 12 shows an electrical scheme 1200 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 1200 can include two contact solutions with voltage limit allowing dynamic switching of seven (7) segments (across electrical lines 0, 1 , 2, 3, 4, and 5).

[0070] FIG. 13 shows an electrical scheme 1300 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 1300 can include two contact solutions with voltage limit allowing dynamic switching of m segments (across electrical lines 0, 1 , 2, ... , n+1 , where n is an integer, and n+1 , n+2, .... m, where m is an integer).

[0071] FIG. 14 shows an electrical scheme 1400 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 1400 can include LEDS with opposing LED polarity, such that different colors are driven by two contact areas allowing four (4) independent dynamic segments (across electrical lines 0, 1 , and 2). having two colors each

[0072] FIG. 15 shows an electrical scheme 1500 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 1500 can include LEDS with opposing LED polarity, such that different colors are driven by two contact areas allowing five (5) independent dynamic segments (across electrical lines 0, 1 , 2, 3, 4, and 5) having two colors each.

[0073] FIG. 16 shows an electrical scheme 1600 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 1600 where LEDS with opposing LED polarity and different colors are driven two contact areas allowing seven (7) independent dynamic segments (across electrical lines 0, 1 , 2, 3, 4, and 5) having two colors each. The electrical scheme 1600 can be utilized for maximum metal layer usage according to one or more embodiments.

[0074] FIG. 17 shows an electrical scheme 1700 according to one or more embodiments. The electrical scheme 1700 where LEDS with opposing LED polarity and different colors are driven two contact areas allowing m independent dynamic segments (across electrical lines 0, 1 , 2, ... , n+1 , where n is an integer, and n+1 , n+2, ... , m, where m is an integer) having two colors each. The electrical scheme 1700 can be utilized for maximum metal layer usage according to one or more embodiments.

[0075] According to one or more embodiments and in view of the contents herein, a flexible foil printed circuit board substrate is provided. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate includes two or more lands and flexible foil areas between pairs of the two or more lands. Each land is configured to receive a placement of one or more surface mounting technology components. Each flexible foil area between a pair of the two or more lands includes at least three bent sections. The at least three bent sections are joined at ends of inner and outer boarders. The at least three bent sections include curved shapes that in combination enable each of the flexible foil areas to mimic a winding river shape. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate is configured for use in automotive lighting applications. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can be a single piece.

[0076] Further, the one or more surface mounting technology components can include one or more light emitting diodes, for example, light emitting areas of the one or more light emitting diodes are in direct contact with a silicone matrix. By way of example, the flexible foil printed circuit board can be embedded in a silicone based slim elongated flexible automotive grade light source.

[0077] According to one or more embodiments, each of the flexible foil areas of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can include five bent sections. The five bent sections can include first and second outer sections and three inner sections. Note that adjacent segments of the at least three bent sections can be horizontally flipped relative to a previous or next section.

[0078] According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can include at least one metal layer. Each metal layer of the at least one metal layer can include one or more electrical lines to form an electrical circuit within the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate. The one or more surface mounting technology components can be wired in series, each bridging gaps in an electrical contact line of the one or more electrical lines formed in the at least one metal layer. The one or more surface mounting technology components in series can be grouped by one or more gaps in the electrical contact line According to one or more embodiments, a first component of a group of the one or more groups of the one or more surface mounting technology components can be connected near a first gap to a second electrical contact line, a last component of the group of theone or more groups can be electrically connected near another gap to a third electrical contact line, and the second and third electrical contact lines forming an anode and a cathode to actuate the group. According to one or more embodiments, each of the one or more groups can include at least one resistor connected in series with components of that corresponding group and / or at least two of the one or more groups of LEDs with the resistor in series are connected in parallel and turn on together.

[0079] According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can include at least one electrical via to connect one or more electrical lines of each of the at least one metal layer. The at least one metal layer can include at least one copper layer. Also, each of the at least one metal layers can include three electrical lines of the one or more electrical lines. The at least one metal layer can include at least two copper layers, where each of the at least two copper layers includes one or two electrical lines of the one or more electrical lines connected by one or more electrical vias.

[0080] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more surface mounting technology components can be placed on a first side of the two or more lands, where the first side is a same side as a flexible foil printed circuit board. A shape of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can be defined by a cutting or punching process.

[0081] According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can include at least one connecting structure on at least one of a backside of one of the two or more lands for electrically connecting the one or more surface mounting technology components to a power source. A backside controller can be on the backside of the one or the two or more lands, can be connected to one electrical communication line, and can operate the one or more surface mounting technology components. The at least one connecting structure can be on a backside of an outermost land of the two or more lands and / or on a backside of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate in between two outermost lands of the two or more lands. In the case of two or more connecting structures, one of these structures can be on a backside of an outermost land of the two or more lands. The outermost land can include two surface mounting technology components, and the connecting structure can be placed between the two surface mounting technology components on the backside of the outermost land. According to one or more embodiments, the two or more connecting structures can partition the one or more surface mounting technology components into one or more groups, each of the one or more groups being independently controlled into on and off states. The one or more groups can be a single static group. The one or more groups can be at least two groups dynamically operating. The at least one connecting structure can include a rigid printed circuit boardmounted on a backside of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate and mounted on a backside of at least one of the two or more lands.

[0082] According to one or more embodiments, the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can be embedded in a silicone matrix. A light source can include the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate that is embedded in the silicone matrix. The silicone matrix can include a mixing box to homogenize light emitted by the one or more surface mounting technology components. According to one or more embodiments, at least corresponding light emitting areas of the one or more surface mounting technology components can be embedded in a transparent silicone matrix. The transparent silicone matrix can include a reflecting silicone that reflects (is configured to reflect) the light within the mixing box. The mixing box can include a top layer of transparent silicone configured to homogenize the light, as the light exits the mixing box.

[0083] The light source can include flexibility in at least two dimensions. A side flexibility of the light source can include a stiffness in combination with the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate. The at least three bent sections comprise half-sine or semi-circle shapes. The at least three bent sections can have an amplitude that is at or lower than a first dimension of the two or more lands. The one or more surface mounting technology components can include microcontrollers and / or can be wired in series.

[0084] According to one or more embodiments and in view of the contents herein, a method is provided. The method is for making a flexible automotive grade light source. The method includes performing a laser cutting on a panel to produce a flexible foil printed circuit board substrate as described herein and embedding the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate into a silicone matrix to provide the flexible automotive grade light source. The method also includes receiving the panel comprising a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules being laser cut to produce a corresponding flexible foil printed circuit board substrate. The method also includes implementing a backend production on the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate. The method can include soldering an electrical contact on a rear side of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate or soldering an electrical contact on a rear side of a rigid printed circuit board mounted on a backside of at least one of the two or more lands. The electrical contact can electrically connect the one or more surface mounting technology components to a power source. According to one or more embodiments, any aspects and features of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can be incorporated into the method of making the flexible automotive grade light source herein.

[0085] According to one or more embodiments, an electrical contact can be on a backside of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate in between two outermost lands of the two or more lands. According to one or more embodiments, two or more connecting structures can be on a backside of an outermost land of the two or more lands. According to one or more embodiments, the at least three bent sections can include half-sine or semi-circle shapes. The one or more surface mounting technology components can include microcontrollers.

[0086] According to one or more embodiments and in view of the contents herein, a flexible automotive grade light source is provided. The flexible automotive grade light source can include a flexible foil printed circuit board substrate that includes two or more lands and flexible foil areas between pairs of the two or more lands. Each land is configured to receive a placement of one or more surface mounting technology components. Each of the flexible foil areas includes at least three bent sections that are joined at ends of inner and outer boarders. The at least three bent sections also include curved shapes that in combination enable each of the flexible foil areas to mimic a winding river shape. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate can include an electrical scheme as described herein. The electrical scheme can include at least one group of light emitting diodes driven from two contact lines and one contact, where the light emitting diodes are connected in series. The electrical scheme can include two electrical lines formed in a first conductive layer and at least one conductive line formed in a second conductive layer. The electrical scheme can include two clusters of groups of light emitting diodes driven from three contact lines and one contact. The electrical scheme can include two layers of conductive copper, two electrical lines formed in each of the conductive copper layers, and at least one electrical via connecting the electrical lines through the two layers of conductive copper. The electrical scheme can include a common anode or cathode connecting groups of light emitting diodes to enable illumination of the groups mutually independent of each other. The electrical scheme can include groups of light emitting diodes connected by three conductive lines in parallel. The electrical scheme can include one or more red, green, and blue light emitting diodes controlled by a switching logic.

[0087] FIG. 18 is a diagram of an example vehicle headlamp system 1800 that may incorporate one or more of the embodiments and examples described herein. The example vehicle headlamp system 1800 illustrated in FIG. 18 includes power lines 1802, a data bus 1804, an input filter and protection module 1806, a bus transceiver 1808, a sensor module 1810, an LED direct current to direct current (DC / DC) module 1812, a logic low-dropout (LDO) module 1814, a microcontroller 1816, and an active head lamp 1818.

[0088] The power lines 1802 may have inputs that receive power from a vehicle, and the data bus 1804 may have inputs / outputs over which data may be exchanged between the vehicle and the vehicle headlamp system 1800. For example, the vehicle headlamp system 1800 may receive instructions from other locations in the vehicle, such as instructions to turn on turn signaling or turn on headlamps, and may send feedback to other locations in the vehicle if desired. The sensor module 1810 may be communicatively coupled to the data bus 1804 and may provide additional data to the vehicle headlamp system 1800 or other locations in the vehicle related to, for example, environmental conditions (e.g , time of day, rain, fog, or ambient light levels), vehicle state (e.g . , parked, in-motion, speed of motion, or direction of motion), and presence / position of other objects (e.g., vehicles or pedestrians). A headlamp controller that is separate from any vehicle controller communicatively coupled to the vehicle data bus may also be included in the vehicle headlamp system 1800. In FIG. 18, the headlamp controller may be a micro-controller, such as micro-controller ( c) 1816. The microcontroller 1816 may be communicatively coupled to the data bus 1804.

[0089] The input filter and protection module 1806 may be electrically coupled to the power lines 1802 and may, for example, support various filters to reduce conducted emissions and provide power immunity. Additionally, the input filter and protection module 1806 may provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, load-dump protection, alternator field decay protection, and / or reverse polarity protection.

[0090] The LED DC / DC module 1812 may be coupled between the input filter and protection module 106 and the active headlamp 1818 to receive filtered power and provide a drive current to power LEDs in the LED array in the active headlamp 1818. The LED DC / DC module 1812 may have an input voltage between 18 and 18 volts with a nominal voltage of approximately 13.2 volts and an output voltage that may be slightly higher (e.g., 0.3 volts) than a maximum voltage for the LED array (e.g , as determined by factor or local calibration and operating condition adjustments due to load, temperature or other factors).

[0091] The logic LDO module 1814 may be coupled to the input filter and protection module 1806 to receive the filtered power. The logic LDO module 1814 may also be coupled to the microcontroller 1816 and the active headlamp 1818 to provide power to the micro-controller 1816 and / or electronics in the active headlamp 1818, such as CMOS logic.

[0092] The bus transceiver 1808 may have, for example, a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) or serial peripheral interface (SPI) interface and may be coupled to the microcontroller 1816. The micro-controller 1816 may translate vehicle input based on, or including, datafrom the sensor module 1810. The translated vehicle input may include a video signal that is transferrable to an image buffer in the active headlamp 1818. In addition, the micro-controller 1816 may load default image frames and test for open / short pixels during startup. In embodiments, an SPI interface may load an image buffer in CMOS. Image frames may be full frame, differential or partial frames. Other features of micro-controller 1816 may include control interface monitoring of CMOS status, including die temperature, as well as logic LDO output. In embodiments, LED DC / DC output may be dynamically controlled to minimize headroom. In addition to providing image frame data, other headlamp functions, such as complementary use in conjunction with side marker or turn signal lights, and / or activation of daytime running lights, may also be controlled.

[0093] FIG. 19 is a diagram of another example vehicle headlamp system 1900. The example vehicle headlamp system 1900 illustrated in FIG. 19 includes an application platform 1902, two LED lighting systems 1906 and 1908, and secondary optics 1910 and 1912.

[0094] The LED lighting system 1908 may emit light beams 1914 (shown between arrows 1914a and 1914b in FIG. 19). The LED lighting system 1906 may emit light beams 1916 (shown between arrows 1916a and 1916b in FIG 19). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, a secondary optic 1910 is adjacent the LED lighting system 1908, and the light emitted from the LED lighting system 1908 passes through the secondary optic 1910. Similarly, a secondary optic 1912 is adjacent the LED lighting system 1906, and the light emitted from the LED lighting system 1906 passes through the secondary optic 1912. In alternative embodiments, no secondary optics 1910 / 812 are provided in the vehicle headlamp system.

[0095] Where included, the secondary optics 1910 / 812 may be or include one or more light guides. The one or more light guides may be edge lit or may have an interior opening that defines an interior edge of the light guide. LED lighting systems 1908 and 1906 may be inserted in the interior openings of the one or more light guides such that they inject light into the interior edge (interior opening light guide) or exterior edge (edge lit light guide) of the one or more light guides. In embodiments, the one or more light guides may shape the light emitted by the LED lighting systems 1908 and 1906 in a desired manner, such as, for example, with a gradient, a chamfered distribution, a narrow distribution, a wide distribution, or an angular distribution.

[0096] The application platform 1902 may provide power and / or data to the LED lighting systems 1906 and / or 1908 via lines 1904, which may include one or more or a portion of the power lines 1802 and the data bus 1804 of FIG. 18. One or more sensors (which may be the sensors in the vehicle headlamp system 1900 or other additional sensors) may be internal or external to the housingof the application platform 1902. Alternatively, or in addition, as shown in the example vehicle headlamp system 1800 of FIG. 18, each LED lighting system 1908 and 1906 may include its own sensor module, connectivity and control module, power module, and / or LED array.

[0097] In embodiments, the vehicle headlamp system 1900 may represent an automobile with steerable light beams where LEDs may be selectively activated to provide steerable light. For example, an array of LEDs or emitters may be used to define or project a shape or pattern or illuminate only selected sections of a roadway. In an example embodiment, infrared cameras or detector pixels within LED lighting systems 1906 and 1908 may be sensors (e.g., similar to sensors in the sensor module 1810 of FIG. 18) that identify portions of a scene (e.g., roadway or pedestrian crossing) that require illumination.

[0098] As would be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art, based on the description herein, embodiments of the present invention can be designed in software using a hardware description language (HDL) such as, for example, Verilog or VHDL. The HDL-design can model the behavior of an electronic system, where the design can be synthesized and ultimately fabricated into a hardware device. In addition, the HDL-design can be stored in a computer product and loaded into a computer system prior to hardware manufacture.

[0099] Having described the embodiments in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, given the present description, modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit of the inv concept. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated and described.

[0100] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element and a second element may be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term "and / or" may include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0101] It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, region, or substrate is referred to as being "on" or extending "onto" another element, it may be directly on or extend directly onto the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or extending "directly onto" another element, there may be no intervening elements present. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being"connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element and / or connected or coupled to the other element via one or more intervening elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present between the element and the other element. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the element in addition to any orientation depicted in the figures.

[0102] Relative terms such as "below," "above," "upper, ", "lower," "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer, or region to another element, layer, or region as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:1 . A flexible foil printed circuit board substrate comprising: two or more lands, each land configured to receive a placement of one or more surface mounting technology components; and flexible foil areas between pairs of the two or more lands, each of the flexible foil areas comprising at least three bent sections, the at least three bent sections being joined at ends of inner and outer boarders, and the at least three bent sections comprise curved shapes that in combination enable each of the flexible foil areas to mimic a winding river shape.

2. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate is embedded in a silicone based slim elongated flexible automotive grade light source.

3. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein each of the flexible foil areas comprise five bent sections comprising first and second outer sections and three inner sections.

4. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein adjacent segments of the at least three bent sections are horizontally flipped relative to a previous or next section.

5. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein the at least three bent sections comprise half-sine or semi-circle shapes.

6. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein the at least three bent sections have an amplitude that is at or lower than a first dimension of the two or more lands.

7. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate comprises at least one metal layer, each metal layer of the at least one metal layer comprising one or more electrical lines to form an electrical circuit within the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate.

8. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 7, wherein the one or more surface mounting technology components are wired in series, each bridging gaps in an electrical contact line of the one or more electrical lines formed in the at least one metal layer.

9. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 7, wherein the at least one metal layer comprises at least one copper layer, each of the at least one copper layer comprising three electrical lines of the one or more electrical lines.

10. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 7, wherein the at least one metal layer comprises at least two copper layers, each of the at least two copper layers comprising one or two electrical lines of the one or more electrical lines connected by one or more electrical vias.1 1 . The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate comprises at least one connecting structure on at least one of a backside of one of the two or more lands for electrically connecting the one or more surface mounting technology components to a power source.

12. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 1 , wherein the at least one connecting structure partitions the one or more surface mounting technology components into one or more groups, each of the one or more groups being independently controlled into on and off states.

13. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 12, wherein the one or more groups comprise at least two groups dynamically operating.

14. The flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein at least one connecting structure comprises a rigid printed circuit board mounted on a backside of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate and mounted on a backside of at least one of the two or more lands.

15. A flexible automotive grade light source comprising the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate of claim 1 , wherein flexible foil printed circuit board substrate comprising an electrical scheme.

16. A method for making a flexible automotive grade light source, the method comprising: performing a laser cutting on a panel to produce a flexible foil printed circuit board substrate comprising:two or more lands, each land configured to receive a placement of one or more surface mounting technology components; and flexible foil areas between pairs of the two or more lands, each of the flexible foil areas comprising at least three bent sections, the at least three bent sections being joined at ends of inner and outer boarders, and the at least three bent sections comprising curved shapes that in combination enable each of the flexible foil areas to mimic a winding river shape; and embedding the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate into a silicone matrix to provide the flexible automotive grade light source.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving the panel comprising a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules being laser cut to produce a corresponding flexible foil printed circuit board substrate.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: implementing a backend production on the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: soldering an electrical contact on a rear side of the flexible foil printed circuit board substrate, and wherein the electrical contact is configured to electrically connect the one or more surface mounting technology components to a power source.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: soldering an electrical contact on a rear side of a rigid printed circuit board mounted on a backside of at least one of the two or more lands, wherein the electrical contact is configured to electrically connect the one or more surface mounting technology components to a power source.

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