Flexible Printed Circuit Board Alignment Using Multi-Mark Precision

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional alignment techniques for connecting flexible printed circuit boards to display panels often result in defects, particularly in high-resolution displays, due to inaccuracies in aligning the boards with the panels, leading to potential disconnections and misalignment issues.

Innovation Solution

The use of a method involving alignment marks on both the flexible printed circuit boards and display panels, where pairs of first, second, and third alignment marks are strategically positioned to ensure precise alignment based on calculated distances and angles, minimizing errors and ensuring reliable attachment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional alignment techniques are used to connect flexible printed circuit boards to display panels, then the manufacturing process is simple, but alignment precision deteriorates leading to defects and disconnections

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidalignment process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining multiple alignment marks (first, second, and third alignment marks) on both the flexible printed circuit board and display panel before the actual connection process. These marks are strategically positioned to enable precise alignment calculations, allowing the system to achieve high alignment precision without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms during manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses alignment marks as intermediary elements that mediate between the flexible printed circuit board and the display panel. By introducing these visible reference marks and using their spatial relationships (distances and angles) as intermediaries, the system can calculate and achieve precise alignment without directly measuring the complex geometric relationships between the components themselves, thus simplifying the overall alignment process while maintaining high precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Area of stationary object

If alignment marks are positioned far apart to cover large display areas, then coverage is improved, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to accumulated errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoverage areaVSAvoiddistance measurement accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the alignment system into multiple segments: first alignment marks, second alignment marks, and third alignment marks, each serving specific functions. By segmenting the alignment process into multiple reference points rather than relying on a single long-distance measurement, the system can cover large display areas while maintaining measurement precision through multiple shorter, more accurate local measurements that can be mathematically combined.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements local quality by positioning different types of alignment marks (first, second, and third) at different locations with different functions. Each local region has optimized mark configurations suited to its specific requirements, allowing the system to achieve both wide coverage and high measurement precision in different areas simultaneously, rather than using a uniform approach that would compromise one or the other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12038639B2Display device and method of manufacturing the same
Publication Date: 2024.07.16 SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD
  • US12038639B2 patent drawing
  • US12038639B2 patent drawing
  • US12038639B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A display device includes: a display panel including a display area and a non-display area; a flexible printed circuit board overlapping and attached to the display panel; a pair of first alignment indicia disposed in the non-display area; a pair of second alignment indicia adjacent to the first alignment indicia; a pair of third alignment indicia disposed on the flexible printed circuit board.