Flex-Rigid Wiring Board Nested Flexible Substrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing processes for flex-rigid wiring boards result in material wastage and increased costs due to the need for excessive rigid substrate material, especially when flexible substrates are long, leading to a decrease in the number of products that can be produced per unit of material.
Innovation Solution
A flex-rigid wiring board structure comprising multiple non-flexible substrates connected by a flexible substrate with bending portions, where the flexible substrate is accommodated in a space between the rigid substrates, reducing the need for material removal and enhancing connection reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If excessive rigid substrate material is used to accommodate long flexible substrates, then the flexible substrate can be properly housed, but material waste increases and production cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible substrate is nested within the rigid substrate structure by forming an accommodation space inside the rigid substrate that houses the flexible substrate. This nesting approach eliminates the need for excessive rigid substrate material while ensuring proper accommodation and connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a planar arrangement to a three-dimensional structure by forming an accommodation space within the rigid substrate. This dimensional change allows the flexible substrate to be housed vertically within the rigid substrate, reducing material waste while maintaining connection reliability.
2Loss of substance
If excessive rigid substrate material is removed to accommodate flexible substrate, then material usage improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The accommodation space is formed in advance within the rigid substrate before the flexible substrate is installed. This preliminary action simplifies the manufacturing process by preparing the housing space beforehand, eliminating the need for complex post-processing or material removal operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible substrate is made longer to connect rigid substrates, then connection flexibility improves, but the number of products per unit material decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible substrate is nested within the rigid substrate's accommodation space, allowing it to be housed efficiently. This nesting enables the use of shorter flexible substrates while maintaining connection flexibility, thereby increasing the number of products that can be produced per unit of material.
Data Source
AI summary
A flex-rigid wiring board includes a first rigid substrate, a second rigid substrate arranged at a distance from the first rigid substrate to provide a space between the first and second rigid substrates and a flexible substrate. The flexible substrate includes a first tip portion connected to the first rigid substrate, and a second tip portion connected to the second rigid substrate such that the first and second rigid substrates are connected to each other by way of the flexible substrate. At least one bending portion is formed between the first and second tip portions of the flexible substrate, each of the at least one bending portions is provided in the space between the first and second rigid substrates.