Flexible Printed Circuit With Optical Waveguide Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for high-speed data transmission in portable devices with miniaturization leads to complex architectures and higher manufacturing costs, making it challenging to integrate devices with a reduced number of pins.
Innovation Solution
An image transmission system utilizing a flexible printed circuit with an optical waveguide layer and serializing/deserializing circuits to convert data into optical signals, reducing the number of pins and transmission lines, thereby enhancing data transmission speed and reducing interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the number of pins and ports is increased to meet high-speed data transmission demand, then data transmission speed is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional electrical signal transmission through conductive layers with optical signal transmission through waveguide layers. This substitution enables high-speed data transmission without requiring increased pin counts, as optical signals can carry more data through fewer channels, thereby improving transmission speed while avoiding increased device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible printed circuit board is designed to serve dual functions: it provides both structural support and optical signal transmission pathways. The waveguide layers are integrated directly into the FPC structure, allowing the same component to fulfill multiple roles and reducing the need for additional dedicated transmission components, thus improving speed without increasing overall device complexity
2Productivity
If the number of pins is increased to support more transmission lines, then data transmission capacity is improved, but the number of transmission lines and interference increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes electrical signal transmission with optical signal transmission through waveguide layers. Optical signals do not suffer from electromagnetic interference that plagues electrical transmission lines, allowing high data transmission capacity to be achieved without proportionally increasing the number of transmission lines or experiencing increased interference
Solution Approach 2:
The waveguide layers act as intermediary structures that guide optical signals between components. These waveguides provide isolated transmission pathways that prevent signal interference, enabling multiple data channels to operate simultaneously at high capacity without the interference problems associated with traditional electrical transmission lines
3Volume of moving object
If device size is miniaturized, then portability is improved, but integration difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the waveguide layers directly into the flexible printed circuit board structure, combining what would traditionally be separate components (FPC and optical waveguides) into a single integrated structure. This merging enables miniaturization while simplifying manufacturing, as the integrated structure can be produced as one unit rather than requiring complex assembly of multiple separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The use of flexible printed circuit boards with integrated waveguide layers allows the system to be miniaturized while maintaining ease of manufacture. The flexible nature of the FPC enables it to be conformally mounted in compact device spaces, and the thin-film waveguide structure can be fabricated using standard FPC manufacturing processes, thus achieving miniaturization without significantly increasing integration difficulty
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves high-speed image transmission by using optical signals through the flexible printed circuit, improving data processing speed and user response, while minimizing the number of pins and transmission lines, thus providing an efficient solution for portable devices.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one optical waveguide layer is configured to transmit the optical signal
Implementation Method 2
The at least one conversion device is configured to perform a conversion between the at least one data and an optical signal
Data Source
AI summary
An image transmission system is disclosed. The image transmission system includes at least one image capturing device, at least one conversion device, at least one image processor, and at least one flexible printed circuit (FPC). The at least one FPC includes at least one conductive layer and at least one optical waveguide layer. The at least one image capturing device is configured to capture at least one data. The at least one conversion device is configured to perform a conversion between the at least one data and an optical signal. The at least one image processor is configured to obtain the at least one data according to the optical signal, and processes the data. The at least one optical waveguide layer is configured to transmit the optical signal.