Labeled circuit board and refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a labeled circuit board that prevents a decrease in mounting efficiency on a board surface due to the attachment of a label without reducing the ease of handling of the label attached to the circuit board, and a refrigerator equipped with the labeled circuit board.SOLUTION: A labeled circuit board includes a circuit board 10 having at least one opening 12 and a label 29 having an information display portion 21 on which information is printed. The label is connected to the circuit board such that rotation about a rotation axis normal to the surface of the circuit board is restricted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The following disclosure relates to a labeled circuit board and a refrigerator including the labeled circuit board. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a quality control system for printed circuit boards that performs total quality control and tracking (traceability) of quality information in the production process of printed circuit boards, and includes a means for generating control information including a control number that is a unique serial number for each printed circuit board, a means for imprinting the control information generated by the generation means at a predetermined location on the printed circuit board or attaching a recording medium on which the control information is recorded, during the initial manufacturing process of the printed circuit board, and a means for reading the control information during each process of manufacturing the printed circuit board and during the defect inspection process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-208187 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a labeled circuit board that can prevent a decrease in mounting efficiency on the board surface due to the attachment of a label without reducing the ease of handling of the label attached to the circuit board, and a refrigerator equipped with the labeled circuit board. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The labeled circuit board of the present disclosure comprises a circuit board having at least one opening and a label having an information display portion on which information is printed, and the label is connected to the circuit board so that rotation around the axis of rotation normal to the surface of the circuit board is restricted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a labeled circuit board that can prevent a decrease in the mounting efficiency of the board surface due to the attachment of a label without reducing the ease of handling of the label attached to the circuit board, and a refrigerator equipped with the labeled circuit board. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching a label to a circuit board in Comparative Example 1, and is a top view seen from the normal direction of the board surface on which mounted components are placed. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for attaching a label to a circuit board in Comparative Example 1, and is a side view seen from a direction parallel to the board surface on which mounted components are placed. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching a label to a circuit board in the first embodiment, and is a top view seen from the normal direction of the board surface on which mounted components are placed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for attaching a label to a circuit board in the first embodiment, and is a side view seen from a direction parallel to the board surface on which mounted components are placed. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the interior of a machine compartment at the bottom of a refrigerator in which the labeled circuit board of the first embodiment is installed. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for attaching a label to a circuit board in the second embodiment, and is a top view seen from the normal direction of the board surface on which mounted components are placed. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for attaching a label to a circuit board in a third embodiment, and is a top view seen from the normal direction of the board surface on which mounted components are placed. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a circuit board used in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a labeled circuit board according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0009] (Comparative form 1) Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams explaining a method of attaching a label to a circuit board in comparative form 1, where Figure 1 is a top view as viewed from the normal direction of the board surface on which the mounted components are placed, and Figure 2 is a side view as viewed from a direction parallel to the board surface.

[0010] As shown in the figure, circuit board 10 of comparative example 1 has mounted components 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f, and 11g mounted on its surface. When attaching label 20 to circuit board 10, a flat portion on the surface of the board where mounted components 11a to 11g are not arranged, or the top surface of mounted component 11g among mounted components 11a to 11g, which has a flat portion to which label 20 can be attached, can be used. However, there are cases where it is not possible to mount a mounted component having a flat portion large enough to attach label 20. Furthermore, in order to accommodate an increase in the number of components and miniaturization due to increased functionality such as the addition of communication functions, there is a demand for improved mounting efficiency (higher density) on the surface of circuit boards, and there are cases where it is not possible to provide a sufficiently large flat portion on the surface of the board.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating a method for attaching a label to a circuit board in embodiment 1. Fig. 3 is a top view as viewed from the normal direction of the board surface on which mounted components are placed, and Fig. 4 is a side view as viewed from a direction parallel to the board surface. As shown in the figures, the labeled circuit board of embodiment 1 has a label 20 attached to a circuit board 10.

[0012] Although the type of circuit board 10 is not particularly limited, in the embodiment, a rigid board is assumed in which electronic components such as ICs, resistors, and capacitors, as well as wiring, are formed on a base material made of an inflexible insulator. Examples of rigid boards include a glass-epoxy board made by impregnating overlapping glass fiber cloth with epoxy resin, a glass composite board made by impregnating a base material made of a mixture of glass cloth and glass nonwoven fabric with epoxy resin, a paper-phenol board made by impregnating a paper base material with phenol resin, a paper-epoxy board made by impregnating a paper base material with epoxy resin, and an FR-4 (Flame Retardant Type 4) board made by impregnating glass woven fabric made of glass fiber woven into a cloth with epoxy resin.

[0013] The type of label 20 is not particularly limited as long as it is an information printed material having an information display section 21 on which information is printed, but in this embodiment, since the end of the label 20 is folded into a ring shape, it is preferable to use one made of a flexible material.

[0014] The label 20 may be made of a single layer or multiple layers. In this embodiment, the label 20 is folded to form a ring and the edges are fixed, so the label 20 is preferably a laminate of a substrate on which information is printed and an adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is disposed on the back surface of the label 20 (the surface that forms the inside of the ring).

[0015] The material of the substrate is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include resin sheets such as polyimide and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and nonwoven fabrics. The material of the adhesive layer is not particularly limited as long as it exhibits adhesive properties, but a hot-melt adhesive is preferably used. When a hot-melt adhesive is used, the end of the label 20 after insertion into the opening 12 can be fixed in a ring shape by thermocompression bonding.

[0016] The shape of label 20 is not particularly limited, but a rectangular sheet such as a square or rectangle is preferably used. Regarding the size of label 20, for example, the width, which is the length of the end portion attached to circuit board 10, is preferably 10 mm or more, the length in the direction perpendicular to the attached end portion is preferably 25 mm or more, and the thickness is preferably 1 mm or less.

[0017] The format of the information printed on the label 20 is not particularly limited, but graphic text information is preferred, and machine-readable information such as a QR code (registered trademark) or a barcode may also be used. The type of information printed on the label 20 is not particularly limited, and examples include information identifying the circuit board 10 and information identifying the product on which the circuit board 10 is installed. In particular, information identifying the circuit board 10 is preferred. For example, in the manufacturing process of electrical equipment, if multiple types of circuit boards 10 of the same size are used due to component standardization or other reasons, even if it is difficult to identify the type of circuit board 10 by appearance, the type can be identified by reading the information on the label 20. Furthermore, during after-sales service for the electrical equipment, the corresponding circuit board 10 can be immediately identified by reading the information on the label 20. Examples of information identifying the circuit board 10 or product include the model name, lot number (serial number), and manufacturing date of the circuit board 10 or product.

[0018] In this embodiment, when the label 20 is attached to the circuit board 10, the information display units 21 may be arranged on both sides of the label 20. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the labeled circuit board and the label 20, and to reduce the space required to install the labeled circuit board in an electrical device. It also makes it possible to increase the amount of information per volume contained in the label 20. When the information display units 21 are arranged on both sides of the label 20 when the label 20 is attached to the circuit board 10, the information display units 21 may be formed on both sides of the label 20, or multiple information display units 21 may be formed at separate locations on the surface of the label 20 (the surface that is outside the ring).

[0019] The circuit board 10 of the first embodiment has mounted components 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f, and 11g mounted on its surface, and further has an opening 12 on its surface. In this embodiment, the opening 12 is a longitudinal slit (hereinafter also referred to as a "first opening") along one side of the circuit board 10. The label 20 is connected to the circuit board 10 using the opening 12. That is, an end of the label 20 is inserted through the opening 12 and bent to form a ring and fixed. In this case, the space on the board surface used for attaching the label 20 is the space around the opening 12 and the space from the opening 12 to the edge of the circuit board 10, and therefore can be made smaller than that of the first comparative embodiment. Therefore, this embodiment can prevent a decrease in the mounting efficiency on the board surface due to the attachment of the label 20. Furthermore, because the label 20 is not attached to the circuit board 10 or the mounted components 11g, peeling of the label 20 due to heat generated by the circuit board 10 or the mounted components 11g can be prevented.

[0020] Furthermore, since opening 12 is a slit having a longitudinal shape along one side of circuit board 10 and the width of label 20 (the length along the longitudinal direction of opening 12) is greater than the width of opening 12 (the length along the lateral direction of opening 12), rotation of label 20 around the axis of rotation that is the normal direction to the board surface of circuit board 10 (rotation in the direction indicated by the double arrow in FIG. 3 ) is restricted. This prevents label 20 from being turned over and hiding information display section 21 when reading information printed on information display section 21, and prevents deterioration in handleability of label 20 attached to circuit board 10. In this embodiment, label 20 is also restricted from rotating around the axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the side of circuit board 10 to which label 20 is attached.

[0021] The shape of the opening 12 is not particularly limited as long as it has a longitudinal shape (slit shape) along one side of the circuit board 10, but it is preferable that the edges are chamfered (the corners are rounded). By chamfering the edges, damage to the label 20 due to contact with the edges of the opening 12 can be prevented.

[0022] The distance from one side of the circuit board 10 to the opening 12 is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 3.2 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

[0023] The size of the opening 12 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is preferable that the length of the longest part is 12 mm or more, the width is 1 mm or more, and the aspect ratio (length / width) is preferably 2 times or more, more preferably 3 times or more, and even more preferably 5 times or more.

[0024] The method for forming the openings 12 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include drilling, punching, and laser processing.

[0025] The use of the labeled circuit board of embodiment 1 is not particularly limited, but it can be used, for example, as a circuit board for electrical equipment such as home appliances, industrial machinery, and office automation equipment, and is particularly suitable for use when it is placed in a narrow space such as inside an electrical equipment. For example, the labeled circuit board of embodiment 1 may be a control board installed in a refrigerator.

[0026] 5 is a view from the rear side of the interior of a machine compartment at the bottom of the refrigerator in which the labeled circuit board of Embodiment 1 is installed. As shown in the figure, a compressor 80 is installed in the machine compartment surrounded by side housing 71 that forms the side of the refrigerator and bottom housing 72 that forms the bottom of the refrigerator. The labeled circuit board is installed in the machine compartment of the refrigerator and attached to board holder 50, which is fixed to side housing 71 with screws 60. The installation mode of the labeled circuit board shown in FIG. 5 is one example, and the installation location of the labeled circuit board in the refrigerator is not particularly limited.

[0027] In a refrigerator in which the labeled circuit board of embodiment 1 is installed, the label 20 of the labeled circuit board does not rotate and the orientation of the label 20 is fixed, so that the information on the label 20 can be read stably.

[0028] (Embodiment 2) FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method for attaching a label to a circuit board in the second embodiment, and is a top view seen from the normal direction of the board surface on which mounted components are placed. Except for the means for attaching the label to the circuit board, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, and therefore a description of the points in common with the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0029] The circuit board 10 of the second embodiment has second openings 14, 15 on its board surface. The second openings 14, 15 are circular openings arranged along one side of the circuit board 10. The label 20 is connected to the circuit board 10 using the second openings 14, 15. The label 20 has protruding ends 24, 25 that correspond to the second openings 14, 15. In this embodiment, the protruding ends 24, 25 are inserted into the second openings 14, 15, respectively, and are bent and fixed to form rings.

[0030] In the labeled circuit board of embodiment 2, the space on the board surface used for attaching the label 20 is the space of the second openings 14, 15 and the space from the second openings 14, 15 to the edge of the circuit board 10, and can therefore be made smaller than in comparative embodiment 1. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the mounting efficiency on the board surface due to the attachment of the label 20. Furthermore, because the label 20 is not attached to the circuit board 10 or the mounted component 11g, it is also possible to prevent the label 20 from peeling off due to heat generated by the circuit board 10 or the mounted component 11g.

[0031] In this embodiment, the label 20 is coupled at multiple locations by multiple openings arranged along one side of the circuit board 10 and multiple protruding ends provided on the label 20, so that the label 20 is restricted from rotating around a rotation axis that is normal to the board surface of the circuit board 10. This prevents the label 20 from being turned over and hiding the information display unit 21 when reading the information printed on the information display unit 21, and prevents a decrease in the ease of handling of the label 20 attached to the circuit board 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the label 20 is coupled at multiple locations, so that the label 20 is also restricted from rotating around a rotation axis that is parallel to the board surface of the circuit board 10. This more effectively prevents a decrease in the ease of handling of the label 20. In a refrigerator in which the labeled circuit board of embodiment 2 is installed, the label 20 of the labeled circuit board does not rotate and the orientation of the label 20 is fixed, so that the information on the label 20 can be read stably.

[0032] (Embodiment 3) FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching a label to a circuit board in the third embodiment, and is a top view seen from the normal direction of the board surface on which mounted components are placed. Except for the means for attaching the label to the circuit board, the third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, and therefore a description of the points in common with the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0033] The circuit board 10 of the third embodiment has second openings 14 and 15 formed on its board surface. The second openings 14 and 15 are circular openings arranged along one side of the circuit board 10. The label 20 is connected to the circuit board 10 using the second openings 14 and 15. The label 20 has holes 26 and 27 corresponding to the second openings 14 and 15. In this embodiment, the circuit board 10 and the label 20 are fixed together by a fixing member 31 that passes through the second opening 14 in the circuit board 10 and the hole 26 in the label 20, and a fixing member 32 that passes through the second opening 15 in the circuit board 10 and the hole 27 in the label 20. The fixing members 31 and 32 are not particularly limited, but for example, resin rivets are preferably used.

[0034] In the labeled circuit board of embodiment 3, the space on the board surface used for attaching the label 20 is the space of the second openings 14, 15 and the space from the second openings 14, 15 to the edge of the circuit board 10, and can therefore be made smaller than in comparative embodiment 1. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the mounting efficiency on the board surface due to the attachment of the label 20. Furthermore, because the label 20 is not attached to the circuit board 10 or the mounted component 11g, it is also possible to prevent the label 20 from peeling off due to heat generated by the circuit board 10 or the mounted component 11g. Furthermore, peeling of the label 20 due to a decrease in the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer included in the label 20 does not occur.

[0035] In this embodiment, the label 20 is connected at multiple locations by fixing members that penetrate multiple openings arranged along one side of the circuit board 10 and multiple holes provided in the label 20, so that the label 20 is restricted from rotating around a rotation axis that is normal to the board surface of the circuit board 10. This prevents the label 20 from being turned over and hiding the information display unit 21 when reading the information printed on the information display unit 21, and prevents deterioration in the ease of handling of the label 20 attached to the circuit board 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the label 20 is connected at multiple locations, so that the label 20 is also restricted from rotating around a rotation axis that is parallel to the board surface of the circuit board 10. This more effectively prevents deterioration in the ease of handling of the label 20. In a refrigerator in which the labeled circuit board of embodiment 3 is installed, label 20 of the labeled circuit board does not rotate and the orientation of label 20 is fixed, so that information on label 20 can be read stably.

[0036] (Embodiment 4) FIG. 8 is a top view showing a circuit board used in the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the part surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. Except for the configuration of the circuit board used, the fourth embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, and therefore a description of the points in common with the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0037] The circuit board 110 used in the fourth embodiment includes a first conductive pattern 116 formed along one side of the board surface, and a second conductive pattern 117 arranged toward the center of the board surface of the first conductive pattern 116 and insulated from the first conductive pattern 116, with an opening (first opening) 112 provided between the first conductive pattern 116 and the second conductive pattern 117. The fact that the first conductive pattern 116 and the second conductive pattern 117 are insulated means that the potentials of the first conductive pattern 116 and the second conductive pattern 117 can be adjusted to different potentials. The first conductive pattern 116 and the second conductive pattern 117 are not particularly limited as long as they are patterns formed of a conductive material, and examples thereof include wiring, metal parts, and the like.

[0038] The opening 112 in the fourth embodiment can be used for attaching the label 20, similar to the opening 12 in the first embodiment. Furthermore, since the opening 112 is disposed between the first conductive pattern 116 and the second conductive pattern 117, the opening 112 can also be used for insulating (electrically separating) the first conductive pattern 116 and the second conductive pattern 117. By providing the opening 112, the creepage distance between the first conductive pattern 116 and the second conductive pattern 117 can be increased when determining the creepage distance in safety standards such as IEC 62368-1. When the labeled circuit board of the fourth embodiment is a control board installed in the machine compartment of a refrigerator, it is possible to prevent a short circuit between the first conductive pattern 116 and the second conductive pattern 117 due to droplets, dust, or the like.

[0039] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the contents described in the above embodiments, and appropriate design changes can be made within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components disclosed in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate. For example, some of the components shown in one embodiment may be added to the components of another embodiment, or some of the components shown in one embodiment may be deleted from the embodiment.

[0040] Furthermore, the drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the configurations of each component shown in the above embodiment are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10, 110: Circuit board 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f, 11g: Mounted parts 12, 112: Opening (first opening) 14, 15: Second opening 20: Label 21: Information display section 24, 25: protruding ends 26, 27: Hole 31, 32: Fixing member 50: PCB holder 60: Bis 71: Side housing 72: Bottom housing 80: Compressor 116: First conductive pattern 117: Second conductive pattern

Claims

1. a circuit board having at least one opening; a label having an information display portion on which information is printed, The label is connected to the circuit board so that rotation about a rotation axis in a normal direction to the board surface of the circuit board is restricted. Labeled circuit board.

2. The labeled circuit board according to claim 1 , wherein the information is graphic character string information.

3. The labeled circuit board of claim 1 , wherein the at least one opening includes an opening with a chamfered edge.

4. the at least one opening includes a first opening having an elongated shape along one side of the circuit board; 2. The labeled circuit board according to claim 1, wherein an end of the label is inserted into the first opening and is bent and fixed to form a ring.

5. The circuit board includes a first conductive pattern formed along one side of a board surface; a second conductive pattern disposed on the substrate surface center side of the first conductive pattern and insulated from the first conductive pattern; The labeled circuit board according to claim 1 , wherein the first opening is disposed between the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern.

6. the at least one opening includes a plurality of second openings arranged along one side of the circuit board; the label has a plurality of protruding ends corresponding to the plurality of second openings; 2. The labeled circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protruding ends are inserted into the plurality of second openings, respectively, and are bent and fixed to form rings.

7. the at least one opening includes a plurality of second openings arranged along one side of the circuit board; the label has a plurality of holes corresponding to the plurality of second openings; the labeled circuit board further includes a fixing member passing through the second opening and the hole; The labeled circuit board according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit board and the label are fixed together by the fixing member.

8. A refrigerator comprising the labeled circuit board according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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