Optical Pinless Alignment for Flexible PCB Lamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rigid-flex pin layup processes for manufacturing flexible laminated circuit boards are laborious, prone to alignment errors, and inefficient, requiring custom lamination fixtures, manual pin placement, and high quality control losses, which limits automation and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
An optical alignment system with pinless bonding technology that uses multi-axis orientation, imagery cameras, vacuum plates, and motion sensors for precise alignment and bonding of flexible circuit boards, eliminating the need for pins and enabling both manual and automated processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional pin-type registration systems are used for bonding flexible circuit boards, then alignment can be achieved, but alignment errors increase and manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical pin-type registration system with an optical measurement and positioning system. The optical system uses imagery cameras to capture target images on the flexible circuit board, and a computer control system calculates positioning corrections based on these images, eliminating the need for physical pins and their associated alignment errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical target images as an intermediary between the flexible circuit board and the bonding process. These targets serve as reference points for the optical measurement system, enabling precise positioning without direct mechanical contact that causes misalignment.
2Ease of manufacture
If manual pin placement and custom lamination fixtures are used, then bonding can be performed, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces custom mechanical lamination fixtures with a programmable optical positioning system. The computer control system stores positioning correction data for different flexible circuit board designs, eliminating the need to manufacture custom fixtures for each design and reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from fixed mechanical fixtures to variable optical parameters. The system adjusts positioning based on digital parameters stored in the computer, allowing different bonding configurations without physical fixture changes, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If pin-type layup procedures are used, then layer alignment can be achieved, but production time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary optical measurement and calculation of positioning corrections before the bonding process. The computer control system pre-calculates the necessary adjustments based on target images, so that during bonding, the flexible circuit board can be positioned accurately without time-consuming manual pin placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces time-consuming manual pin placement operations with automated optical measurement and computer-controlled positioning. The optical system rapidly captures images and calculates positions, significantly reducing the time required for layer alignment compared to manual pin procedures.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional heating techniques are used for lamination, then bonding can be achieved, but quality control losses increase and manufacturing reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional contact-based heating techniques with endothermic induction heating. The induction heating system uses electromagnetic fields to heat the bonding layers directly without physical contact, eliminating the quality control losses associated with conventional heating methods while maintaining lamination processability.
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 significantly reduces alignment errors, minimizes material waste, allows for efficient automation, and lowers production costs by eliminating the need for custom fixtures and manual pin placement, while maintaining high accuracy and quality control.
Implementation Method 1
a ferromagnetic core having an alternating current winding is positioned proximate the endothermic heating pile and induces an inductive field within the copper laminae to warm the heating pile
Implementation Method 2
induces an inductive field within the copper laminae to warm the heating pile (which includes resin sheets)
Implementation Method 3
a vacuum plate system for holding the FSB
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an improved system and method for manufacturing flexible circuit boards (FSBs) using optical alignment and various bonding systems. The invention provides an improved process to connect together the layers of rigid-flex, flexible, and printed circuit boards while maintaining alignment of the layers prior to and possibly after a lamination step. An optical alignment system is provided, a preferred arrangement is enabled as an automated pinless bonding system (PBS), for securely gripping, aligning, transferring, and clamping, bonding and moving a bonded FSB employing a multi-axis orientation. An alternative manual optical alignment and bonding system is provided.