Flexible circuit board

Abstract

To provide a flexible circuit board.SOLUTION: A flexible circuit board 100 of the present invention, is constructed so as to contain a flexible substrate 110; a first circuit 120; and a second circuit 130. The flexible substrate 100 includes an upper surface 111 formed by an upper edge end 111a, a lower edge end 111b, a first circuit setting area a1, and a second circuit setting area a2, and the first circuit 120 is installed to a first circuit setting area a1. The first circuit 120 includes a first input terminal i1 and a first output terminal o1. The first input terminal i1 is adjacent to a lower edge end 111b, and the first output terminal o1 is adjacent to the upper edge end 111a. The second circuit 130 is installed to the second circuit setting area a2, and the second circuit 130 includes a second input terminal i2 and a second output terminal o2. The second input terminal i2 is adjacent to the upper edge end 111a, and the second output terminal o2 is adjacent to the lower edge end 111b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flexible circuit board, and more particularly to a circuit arrangement on a flexible substrate of a flexible circuit board.

Background Art

[0002] A flexible circuit board has flexibility, enables the circuit board to be installed on the back of an electronic device, and connects to connection endpoints on the front of the electronic device through a curved portion, eliminating the need to reserve the position of the flexible circuit board on the front of the electronic device in advance, and improving its applicability to bezel-less panels.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, as the number of pixels of the panel increases, the number of output lines of the flexible circuit board also increases, and the difference in the number between the input lines and the output lines reaches 20 times. As a result, the width of the output terminals of the flexible circuit board has become wider, but the variation range of the width of the input terminals is small. Since the flexible circuit board is processed by a reel-to-reel process, when the width of the output terminals of one flexible circuit board increases, it is necessary to increase the reel width, which in turn causes the problem that two flexible circuit boards placed in parallel on one reel cannot be mounted. Also, when the variation range of the width of the input terminals is not large, as the width of the output terminals of the flexible circuit board increases, most of the space on the flexible substrate becomes surplus idle space and is wasted without purpose, significantly increasing the manufacturing cost.

[0004] Therefore, the inventor of the present invention considered that the above-mentioned drawbacks could be improved, and as a result of intensive studies, the present invention was proposed to effectively improve the above problems through a reasonable design.

[0005] This invention was made through diligent research by the inventors in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a flexible circuit board. Specifically, the output / input terminals of two parallel circuits on the flexible board are installed in opposite directions, making effective use of all the space on the flexible board and preventing the problem of increased manufacturing costs due to the width of the circuit's output terminals being too wide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the flexible circuit board of the present invention employs the following means. A flexible circuit board according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a flexible board, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The flexible board has a top surface consisting of an upper edge, a lower edge, a first circuit setting area, and a second circuit setting area, and the first circuit is installed in the first circuit setting area. The first circuit has a first input terminal and a first output terminal, the first input terminal is adjacent to the lower edge, and the first output terminal is adjacent to the upper edge, and the second circuit is installed in the second circuit setting area. The second circuit has a second input terminal and a second output terminal, the second input terminal is adjacent to the upper edge, and the second output terminal is adjacent to the lower edge. The first circuit has a plurality of first input lines and a plurality of first output lines, each first input line located at a first input terminal and arranged along the first input terminal, and each first output line located at a first output terminal and arranged along the first output terminal. The second circuit has multiple second input lines and multiple second output lines, each second input line located at and arranged along the second input terminal, and each second output line located at and arranged along the second output terminal. The first circuit comprises a first chip, a plurality of first transmission lines, and a plurality of second transmission lines. The first chip has a first input side and a first output side, the first input side is directed toward a first input terminal, the first output side is directed toward a first output terminal, one end of each first transmission line is connected to the first input side of the first chip, the other end of each first transmission line is connected to each of the first input lines, one end of each second transmission line is connected to the first output side of the first chip, and the other end of each second transmission line is connected to each of the first output lines. The second circuit comprises a second chip, a plurality of third transmission lines, and a plurality of fourth transmission lines. The second chip has a second input side and a second output side, the second input side is directed toward the second input terminal, and the second output side is directed toward the second output terminal. One end of each third transmission line is connected to the second input side of the second chip, and the other end of each third transmission line is connected to each of the second input lines. One end of each fourth transmission line is connected to the second output side of the second chip, and the other end of each fourth transmission line is connected to each of the second output lines.

[0007] The main objective of this invention is to effectively utilize the space on a flexible circuit board and prevent an increase in the manufacturing cost of the flexible circuit board by reversing the installation directions of the first circuit and the second circuit, which are arranged in parallel on the flexible circuit board. This is achieved by arranging the narrow first input terminal of the first circuit and the wide second output terminal of the second circuit at the same edge, and the wide first output terminal of the first circuit and the narrow second input terminal of the second circuit at the same edge.

[0008] Other features of the present invention will be made clearer by description in this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a top view showing a flexible circuit board according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a top view showing a flexible circuit board according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a top view showing a flexible circuit board according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a top view showing a flexible circuit board according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Next, embodiments of the flexible circuit board of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the components, materials, etc. described below can be modified in various ways within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0011] (First embodiment) Figure 1 is a top view showing a flexible circuit board 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The flexible circuit board 100 comprises a flexible substrate 110, a first circuit 120, and a second circuit 130. The flexible substrate 110 has a top surface 111 consisting of an upper edge 111a, a lower edge 111b, a left edge 111c, a right edge 111d, a first circuit setting area a1, and a second circuit setting area a2. The upper edge 111a, lower edge 111b, left edge 111c, and right edge 111d are the top, bottom, left, and right edges of the top surface 111 in the drawing, respectively. Before the flexible circuit board 100 is punched out, various processes are performed using an open-reel (reel-to-reel, hereafter the same) method. Therefore, in all reels, the upper edge 111a of the top surface 111 is connected to the lower edge 111b of the top surface 111 of another flexible circuit board 100, and the lower edge 111b of the top surface 111 is connected to the upper edge 111a of the top surface 111 of another flexible circuit board 100. If the size of one flexible circuit board 100 is small, the right edge 111d of the top surface 111 is further connected to the left edge 111c of the top surface 111 of another flexible circuit board 100, thereby forming a reel with four circuits in parallel.

[0012] The first circuit setting area a1 on the top surface 111 is the area enclosed by the dashed line on the left side of the drawing, and the second circuit setting area a2 on the top surface 111 is the area enclosed by the dashed line on the right side of the drawing. The first circuit setting area a1 and the second circuit setting area a2 are parallel to each other, with the first circuit setting area a1 located between the left edge 111c and the second circuit setting area a2, and the second circuit setting area a2 located between the right edge 111d and the first circuit setting area a1. The first circuit setting area a1 and the second circuit setting area a2 are the areas of the actual circuit that will be formed after being punched out along the dashed lines in a subsequent process.

[0013] Preferably, the top surface 111 further has a plurality of first sprocket holes 111e and a plurality of second sprocket holes 111f, each first sprocket hole 111e adjacent to and arranged along the left edge 111c, and each second sprocket hole 111f adjacent to and arranged along the right edge 111d. Each first sprocket hole 111e is located between the left edge 111c and the first circuit setting area a1, and each second sprocket hole 111f is located between the right edge 111d and the second circuit setting area a2. Each first sprocket hole 111e and each second sprocket hole 111f are used in open reel equipment and move relative to each of the flexible circuit boards 100.

[0014] The first circuit 120 is installed in the first circuit setting area a1 and includes a first input terminal i1, a first output terminal о1, a plurality of first input lines 121, a plurality of first output lines 122, a first chip 123, a plurality of first transmission lines 124, and a plurality of second transmission lines 125. The first input terminal i1 of the first circuit 120 is adjacent to the lower edge 111b, and the first output terminal о1 of the first circuit 120 is adjacent to the upper edge 111a. The first input terminal i1 and the first output terminal о1 are the signal receiving terminal and signal transmitting terminal of the first circuit 120, respectively. Each first input line 121, each first output line 122, each first transmission line 124, and each second transmission line 125 are formed on the top surface 111 by electroplating copper and pattern etching, and the first chip 123 is installed on the top surface 111 by a flip-chip process and is electrically connected to each first transmission line 124 and each second transmission line 125.

[0015] Each first input line 121 is located at and arranged along the first input terminal i1, and each first output line 122 is located at and arranged along the first output terminal о1. The first chip 123 has a first input side 123a and a first output side 123b, with the first input side 123a directed toward the first input terminal i1 and the first output side 123b directed toward the first output terminal о1. One end of each first transmission line 124 is connected to the first input side 123a of the first chip 123, and the other end of each first transmission line 124 is connected to each first input line 121, and each of the interconnected first input lines 121 and each of the first transmission lines 124 are located on the same line at substantially different locations. Each first input line 121 is used to connect to other electronic components (e.g., an external drive circuit board), and each first transmission line 124 is used to electrically connect each first input line 121 to each first input side 123a of the first chip 123. One end of each second transmission line 125 is connected to the first output side 123b of the first chip 123, and the other end of each second transmission line 125 is connected to each first output line 122, with each interconnected first output line 122 and each second transmission line 125 located on the same line at substantially different locations. Each first output line 122 is used to connect to other electronic components (e.g., a panel), and each second transmission line 125 is used to electrically connect each first output line 122 to each first chip 123 and its first output side 123b.

[0016] The second circuit 130 is installed in the second circuit setting area a2 and includes a second input terminal i2, a second output terminal о2, a plurality of second input lines 131, a plurality of second output lines 132, a second chip 133, a plurality of third transmission lines 134, and a plurality of fourth transmission lines 135. The second input terminal i2 of the second circuit 130 is adjacent to the upper edge 111a, and the second output terminal о2 of the second circuit 130 is adjacent to the lower edge 111b. The second input terminal i2 and the second output terminal о2 are the signal receiving terminal and signal transmitting terminal of the second circuit 130, respectively. Each second input line 131, each second output line 132, each third transmission line 134, and each fourth transmission line 135 are formed on the top surface 111 by electroplating copper and pattern etching, and the second chip 133 is installed on the top surface 111 by a flip-chip process and is electrically connected to each third transmission line 134 and each fourth transmission line 135.

[0017] Each second input line 131 is located at and aligned with the second input terminal i2, and each second output line 132 is located at and aligned with the second output terminal о2. The second chip 133 has a second input side 133a and a second output side 133b, with the second input side 133a facing the second input terminal i2 and the second output side 133b facing the second output terminal о2. One end of each third transmission line 134 is connected to the second input side 133a of the second chip 133, and the other end of each third transmission line 134 is connected to each second input line 131, so that each of the interconnected second input lines 131 and each of the third transmission lines 134 are located on the same line at practically different locations. Each second input line 131 is used to connect to other electronic components (e.g., an external drive circuit board), and each third transmission line 134 is used to electrically connect each second input line 131 to each second input side 133a of the second chip 133. One end of each fourth transmission line 135 is connected to the second output side 133b of the second chip 133, and the other end of each fourth transmission line 135 is connected to each second output line 132, with each interconnected second output line 132 and each fourth transmission line 135 located on the same line, but in practically different locations. Each second output line 132 is used to connect to other electronic components (e.g., a panel), and each fourth transmission line 135 is used to electrically connect each second output line 132 to each second chip 133 and its second output side 133b.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the number of the first output lines 122 of the first circuit 120 is greater than the number of the first input lines 121 of the first circuit 120. In addition, the first output terminal о1 of the first circuit 120 is directed towards the upper edge 111a of the upper surface 111, and the first input terminal i1 of the first circuit 120 is directed towards the lower edge 111b of the upper surface 111. By doing so, the first circuit 120 presents a contour that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The number of the second output lines 132 of the second circuit 130 is greater than the number of the second input lines 131 of the second circuit 130. In addition, the second output terminal о2 of the second circuit 130 is directed towards the lower edge 111b of the upper surface 111, and the second input terminal i2 of the second circuit 130 is directed towards the upper edge 111a of the upper surface 111. By doing so, the second circuit 130 presents a contour that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. Therefore, the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 130 are arranged in opposite directions to each other, effectively utilizing the space of the upper surface 111 and reducing the problem that the excessive surplus space of the flexible substrate 110 increases the manufacturing cost.

[0019] In this embodiment, the number of the first output lines 122 is in the range of 1.4 to 20 times the number of the first input lines 121, and the number of the second output lines 132 is in the range of 1.4 to 20 times the number of the second input lines 131. When the difference between the number of the first output lines 122 and the number of the first input lines 121 becomes large, in this embodiment, by installing the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 130 in opposite directions to each other, the space of the upper surface 111 can be further effectively utilized.

[0020] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the number of each first output line 122 of the first circuit 120 is less than the number of each first input line 121 of the first circuit 120, and the first circuit 120 presents a contour that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The number of each second output line 132 of the second circuit 130 is less than the number of each second input line 131 of the second circuit 130, and the second circuit 130 presents a contour that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Similarly, the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 13 are arranged in opposite directions to each other, effectively utilizing the space of the upper surface 111.

[0021] In this embodiment, the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 130 are the same circuit, and only the installation directions on the flexible substrate 110 are different. Therefore, the number of the first input lines 121 is equal to the number of the second input lines 131, the number of the first output lines 122 is equal to the number of the second output lines 132, and the outer contours of the first circuit setting area a1 and the second circuit setting area a2 are the same (see FIG. 1).

[0022] Referring to FIG. 1, the first circuit setting area a1 has a right bend edge rb, the second circuit setting area a2 has a left bend edge lb, the right bend edge rb of the first circuit setting area a1 and the left bend edge lb of the second circuit setting area a2 are parallel to each other and adjacent to the central axis CL of the upper surface 111, and the area at the center of the upper surface 111 can be effectively utilized. Preferably, the right bend edge rb of the first circuit setting area a1 is parallel to the left bend edge lb of the second circuit setting area a2, so that the upper surface 111 of the flexible substrate 110 can be used to the maximum extent. Further, the first circuit setting area a1 further has a left straight edge end ls, the left straight edge end ls of the first circuit setting area a1 is adjacent to the left edge end 111c of the upper surface 111, and each first sprocket hole 111e is located between the left straight edge end ls and the left edge end 111c. The second circuit setting area a2 further has a right straight edge end rs, the right straight edge end rs of the second circuit setting area a2 is adjacent to the right edge end 111d of the upper surface 111, and each second sprocket hole 111f is located between the right straight edge end rs and the right edge end 111d. In this way, by aligning the left straight edge end ls of the first circuit setting area a1 with each first sprocket hole 111e and aligning the right straight edge end rs of the second circuit setting area a2 with each second sprocket hole 111f, the areas adjacent to the left edge end 111c and the right edge end 111d of the upper surface 111 can be effectively utilized.

[0023] (Second Embodiment) Figure 2 is a top view showing a flexible circuit board 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the first circuit 120 further has a plurality of fifth transmission lines 126, one end of each fifth transmission line 126 is electrically connected to each of the first input lines 121, and the other end of each fifth transmission line 126 is electrically connected to each of the first output lines 122; the second circuit 130 further has a plurality of sixth transmission lines 136, one end of each sixth transmission line 136 is electrically connected to each of the second input lines 131, and the other end of each sixth transmission line 136 is electrically connected to each of the second output lines 132. Each of the fifth transmission lines 126 is used to directly transmit signals to each of the first input lines 121 and each of the first output lines 122 connected thereto, without going through the first chip 123. Each of the sixth transmission lines 136 is used to directly transmit signals to each of the second input lines 131 and each of the second output lines 132 connected thereto, without going through the second chip 133.

[0024] (Third embodiment) Figure 3 is a top view showing a flexible circuit board 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the left side of the first circuit setting area a1 is curved rather than straight, and the right side of the second circuit setting area a2 is curved rather than straight. However, this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the top surface 111 of the flexible circuit board 110 can be effectively utilized by installing the input / output terminals of the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 130 in opposite directions.

[0025] (Fourth embodiment) Figure 4 is a top view showing a flexible circuit board 100 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 130 are not the same circuit. Therefore, in this embodiment, the quantity of the first input line 121 is different from the quantity of the second input line 131, and the quantity of the first output line 122 is different from the quantity of the second output line 132. Although the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 130 are different circuits, this embodiment makes effective use of the top surface 111 of the flexible board 110 by having the input / output terminals of the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 130 installed in opposite directions. Furthermore, by installing different circuits on the same flexible board 110, it has further flexibility in the use of reel tape. For example, by combining a large-area circuit and a small-area circuit, the flexible board 110 can be used even more effectively.

[0026] The present invention aims to effectively utilize the space on the flexible substrate 110 while suppressing an increase in the manufacturing cost of the flexible circuit board 100 by reversing the installation directions of the first circuit 120 and the second circuit 130 which are arranged in parallel on the flexible substrate 110. This is achieved by arranging the narrow first input terminal i1 of the first circuit 120 and the wide second output terminal о2 of the second circuit 130 at the same edge, and arranging the wide first output terminal о1 of the first circuit 120 and the narrow second input terminal i2 of the second circuit 130 at the same edge.

[0027] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It will be clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0028] 100 Flexible Circuit Boards 110 Flexible circuit board 111 Top surface CL center axis 111a Upper edge 111b Lower edge 111c left edge 111d Right edge 111e First sprocket hole 111f Second Sprocket Hole a1 First circuit setting area rb Right Bend Edge ls left straight edge a2 Second circuit setting area lb left bend edge rs right straight edge 120 1st circuit i1 First input terminal o1 First output terminal 121 First input line 122 First Output Line 123 First chip 123a First Input Side 123b First Output Side 124 First transmission line 125 Second transmission line 130 2nd circuit i2 Second input terminal o2 Second output terminal 131 Second input line 132 Second output line 133 Second chip 133a Second Input Side 133b 2nd output side 134 Third transmission line 135 Fourth transmission line 126 Fifth transmission line 136 Transmission Line No. 6

Claims

1. A flexible substrate having an upper surface consisting of an upper edge, a lower edge, a first circuit setting area, and a second circuit setting area, A first circuit is installed in the first circuit setting area and has a first input terminal and a first output terminal, wherein the first input terminal is adjacent to the lower edge and the first output terminal is adjacent to the upper edge, The second circuit is installed in the second circuit setting area and has a second input terminal and a second output terminal, the second input terminal being adjacent to the upper edge and the second output terminal being adjacent to the lower edge, The first circuit has a plurality of first input lines and a plurality of first output lines, each of which is located at the first input terminal and arranged along the first input terminal, and each of which is located at the first output terminal and arranged along the first output terminal, The second circuit has a plurality of second input lines and a plurality of second output lines, each of which is located at the second input terminal and arranged along the second input terminal, and each of which is located at the second output terminal and arranged along the second output terminal, The first circuit comprises a first chip, a plurality of first transmission lines, and a plurality of second transmission lines, wherein the first chip has a first input side and a first output side, the first input side is directed toward the first input terminal, the first output side is directed toward the first output terminal, one end of each first transmission line is connected to the first input side of the first chip, the other end of each first transmission line is connected to each of the first input lines, one end of each second transmission line is connected to the first output side of the first chip, and the other end of each second transmission line is connected to each of the first output lines. The second circuit comprises a second chip, a plurality of third transmission lines, and a plurality of fourth transmission lines, wherein the second chip has a second input side and a second output side, the second input side is directed toward the second input terminal, the second output side is directed toward the second output terminal, one end of each of the third transmission lines is connected to the second input side of the second chip, the other end of each of the third transmission lines is connected to each of the second input lines, one end of each of the fourth transmission lines is connected to the second output side of the second chip, and the other end of each of the fourth transmission lines is connected to each of the second output lines.

2. The flexible circuit board according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of first input lines is equal to the number of second input lines, and the number of first output lines is equal to the number of second output lines.

3. The flexible circuit board according to claim 2, characterized in that the number of first output lines is greater than the number of first input lines, the number of second output lines is greater than the number of second input lines, the number of first output lines is in the range of 1.4 to 20 times the number of first input lines, and the number of second output lines is in the range of 1.4 to 20 times the number of second input lines.

4. The first circuit has a plurality of fifth transmission lines, each of which one end is electrically connected to each of the first input lines, and each of which the other end is electrically connected to each of the first output lines. The flexible circuit board according to claim 1, characterized in that the second circuit has a plurality of sixth transmission lines, one end of each of the sixth transmission lines is electrically connected to each of the second input lines, and the other end of each of the sixth transmission lines is electrically connected to each of the second output lines.

5. The flexible circuit board according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of first input lines differs from the number of second input lines, and the number of first output lines differs from the number of second output lines.

6. The upper surface has a left edge, a right edge, a plurality of first sprocket holes, and a plurality of second sprocket holes, wherein each of the first sprocket holes is adjacent to and arranged along the left edge, and each of the second sprocket holes is adjacent to and arranged along the right edge. The flexible circuit board according to claim 1, characterized in that the first circuit setting area is located between the left edge and the second circuit setting area, the second circuit setting area is located between the right edge and the first circuit setting area, each first sprocket hole is located between the left edge and the first circuit setting area, and each second sprocket hole is located between the right edge and the second circuit setting area.

7. The flexible circuit board according to claim 6, characterized in that the first circuit setting area has a right bend edge, the second circuit setting area has a left bend edge, and the right bend edge of the first circuit setting area is parallel to the left bend edge of the second circuit setting area and is adjacent to the central axis of the upper surface.

8. The flexible circuit board according to claim 7, characterized in that the first circuit setting area has a left straight edge, the second circuit setting area has a right straight edge, the left straight edge of the first circuit setting area is adjacent to the left edge of the upper surface, and each of the first sprocket holes is located between the left straight edge and the left edge, the right straight edge of the second circuit setting area is adjacent to the right edge of the upper surface, and each of the second sprocket holes is located between the right straight edge and the right edge.

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