Flexible Circuit Board Tear Protection via Stress-Diverting Slit Segments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flexible circuit boards face challenges in preventing tears along slit lines due to reduced spacing between signal transmission lines, as large tear protection holes interfere with complex wire layouts, necessitating a solution that can provide protection in limited spaces without affecting wiring layout.
Innovation Solution
A stress-diverting cut segment extending from the terminal end of a slit line on the flexible circuit board, formed at an angle to the extension direction, serves as a tear protection structure, which can be linear, curved, or S-shaped, and may include a tear protection hole at the termination end, allowing for folding and wrapping without interfering with the wiring layout.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large circular tear protection hole is formed to prevent tearing along the slit line, then tear protection is improved, but the wire layout is interfered with due to reduced spacing between lines
Solution Approach 1:
The tear protection structure is segmented into multiple small cut segments distributed along the slit line, replacing the single large circular hole. Each cut segment is a small notch oriented perpendicular to the slit line, collectively providing tear protection while minimizing space occupation and avoiding interference with complex wire layouts.
Solution Approach 2:
The tear protection mechanism transitions from a two-dimensional large circular hole to a series of one-dimensional linear cut segments aligned perpendicular to the slit line. This dimensional change allows the protection structure to adapt to narrow spaces between signal lines while maintaining effectiveness against tearing forces.
2Productivity
If the spacing between signal transmission lines is reduced to increase wire density, then productivity is improved, but tear protection becomes difficult to implement without interfering with wiring layout
Solution Approach 1:
The cut segments are strategically positioned at specific locations along the slit line where tear propagation is most likely to occur, rather than uniformly distributing protection throughout the entire board. This localized approach provides enhanced tear protection at critical points while minimizing the overall space occupied by the protection structure, allowing for higher wire density.
3Reliability
If a large circular tear protection hole is used, then tear protection is enhanced, but the available space for wiring layout is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple small cut segments are merged along the slit line to form a distributed tear protection system. Collectively, these segments provide protection equivalent to or greater than a single large hole, while the total area they occupy is significantly less, preserving maximum wiring layout space.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a tear protection structure for a flexible circuit board. In an extension section of a flexible circuit board, at least a slit line is formed. The slit line has at least a terminal end from which a stress-diverting cut segment extends. The stress-diverting cut segment is formed by cutting in a cutting direction that defines an angle with respect to an extension direction of the extension section to serve as the tear protection structure of the flexible circuit board. The extension section of the flexible circuit board is foldable along the slit line. The stress-diverting cut segment may further include a tear protection hole formed in a termination end thereof.