Molded Circuit Board with Non-Coplanar Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flat and rigid circuit boards are unsuitable for smaller electronic devices, as they restrict design flexibility and space usage, making it difficult to manipulate the contours of electronic devices and narrow the space for deploying other components on motherboards.
Innovation Solution
A molded circuit board is created using mold-pressing, injection-molding, and transfer-printing techniques, resulting in a three-dimensional structure with non-coplanar sections, allowing for flexible design and reduced material costs, enabling the circuit board to serve as a housing for electronic products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional flat and rigid circuit boards are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but design flexibility and space efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional two-dimensional flat circuit boards to three-dimensional molded circuit boards with non-coplanar circuit sections. The circuit board includes a plastic substrate with circuits formed in different planes, allowing components to be positioned in three-dimensional space rather than restricted to a flat surface. This dimensional change enables enhanced design flexibility and space efficiency while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through injection molding and mold-pressing processes.
2Volume of moving object
If conventional flat circuit boards are used, then manufacturing process simplicity is maintained, but space efficiency and component placement flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the circuit board substrate and housing into a single integrated molded circuit board structure. The plastic substrate serves dual functions as both the circuit carrier and the device housing, eliminating the need for separate housing components. This integration achieves space efficiency by allowing the circuit board to serve as the structural enclosure while reducing the total number of parts and assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit sections are formed in non-coplanar positions within the three-dimensional plastic substrate, enabling components to be mounted on multiple levels and surfaces. This three-dimensional circuit arrangement maximizes space utilization within the housing volume while maintaining ease of manufacture through injection molding processes that can create complex internal geometries.
3Shape
If conventional flat circuit boards are used, then material usage simplicity is maintained, but exterior appearance and design freedom deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the circuit board substrate and device housing into a single molded structure made from plastic material. This integration eliminates the need for separate housing materials and reduces total material consumption while enabling enhanced exterior appearance through the molding process. The plastic substrate can be designed with aesthetic features, textures, and integrated components, providing design freedom without additional material costs.
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
This solution enhances the exterior appearance and space efficiency of electronic products, particularly in smaller sizes, by allowing for flexible component placement and reducing material costs.
Implementation Method 1
curing the plastic material to form a plastic substrate with the circuit therein
Data Source
AI summary
A method for forming a molded circuit board is provided. The method includes the steps of forming a circuit having a first section and a second section on a conductive substrate, the first section and the second section being coplanar; then deforming the conductive substrate by mold-pressing, so that the first section and the second section become non-coplanar; providing a plastic material to cover the circuit and the conductive substrate; curing the plastic material by injection-molding; and removing the conductive substrate to expose the circuit. The molded circuit board made by this method is also provided.