KR-20260066595-A - FOLDABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

KR20260066595AKR 20260066595 AKR20260066595 AKR 20260066595AKR-20260066595-A

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a foldable electronic device may be provided. The foldable electronic device may include a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) and may include: a first housing including a first component; a second housing including a second component; a hinge assembly rotatably connecting the first housing and the second housing; a flexible display disposed from the first housing to the second housing across a folding region in which the hinge assembly is disposed; and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) that electrically connects the first component and the second component and includes a plurality of layers, a flex portion corresponding to the folding region, and a rigid portion at one end and the other end of the flex portion. In addition, a signal line for transmitting a signal and/or power included in the plurality of layers of the flexible printed circuit board comprises a metallic material and includes a first region, a second region, and a third region distinguished according to the degree of curvature in the folding region of the flexible printed circuit board, and at least one of the plurality of layers may be formed such that the metallic material has different thicknesses in the first region, the second region, and the third region on the same layer. Various other embodiments are also applicable.

Inventors

이영선
김태식
송용재
장현수
조치현

Assignees

삼성전자주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250124
Priority Date: 20241104

Claims (20)

In a foldable electronic device (101; 301) including a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), A first housing (210; 311) including a first component; A second housing (220; 312) including a second part; A hinge assembly (270; 330) that rotatably connects the first housing and the second housing; A flexible display (160; 230) disposed from the first housing across the area where the hinge assembly is disposed to the second housing; and It includes a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) (280; 340; 500) that electrically connects the first component and the second component and includes a plurality of layers, and A signal line for transmitting a signal and/or power included in the plurality of layers of the flexible printed circuit board comprises a metal material, and the folding region of the flexible printed circuit board corresponding to the folding region of the foldable electronic device comprises a first region, a second region, and a third region distinguished according to the degree of curvature, and at least one of the plurality of layers is formed such that the metal material in the first region, the second region, and the third region on the same layer has different thicknesses. .
In Article 1, The first region corresponds to a flex portion where the signal line is bent in the flexible printed circuit board, and the metallic material of the first region is formed to have the thinnest thickness among the first region, the second region, and the third region, A foldable electronic device in which the third region corresponds to a rigid portion in which the signal line is flatly arranged on the flexible printed circuit board, and the metal material of the third region is formed to have the thickest thickness among the first region, the second region, and the third region.
In Article 2, The above signal line comprises copper (Cu), and is formed such that the thickness of the copper is thinnest in the first region and the thickness of the copper is thickest in the third region, and A foldable electronic device in which the thickness of the copper in the third region is the sum of the thickness of the copper included in the conductive line and the thickness of the copper added in the copper plating process for via formation.
In Paragraph 3, The above third region is a foldable electronic device formed on two layers formed at the outermost edge of the flexible printed circuit board among the plurality of layers.
In Paragraph 3, A foldable electronic device in which a layer disposed inside the two outermost layers of the flexible printed circuit board among the plurality of layers is formed such that the metal material included in the signal line has different thicknesses in two different regions.
In any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, It includes a hinge cover (260; 332) that covers the above hinge assembly, and The flexible printed circuit board comprises a first inner bend (342-1) and a second inner bend (342-2) that are bent in correspondence with the cover ends (3321, 3322) of the hinge cover, and a central portion (344) disposed between the first inner bend and the second inner bend. In the first inner bend and the second inner bend, the metal material included in the signal line is formed thinly, and A foldable electronic device in which the metal material included in the signal line at the central portion is formed to be relatively thicker than the metal material included in the signal line at the first inner bend portion and the second inner bend portion.
In Article 6, In the region between the first inner bend and the central portion, the thickness of the metal material included in the signal line is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the metal material included in the signal line at the first inner bend and thinner than the thickness of the metal material included in the signal line at the central portion, A foldable electronic device in which the thickness of the metal material included in the signal line in the region between the second inner curve and the central portion is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the metal material included in the signal line in the second inner curve and thinner than the thickness of the metal material included in the signal line in the central portion.
In Article 6 or Article 7, The flexible printed circuit board includes a first fixing part (341-1) and a second fixing part (341-2) that are seated on a support member (321, 322) of the foldable electronic device, and It includes a first outer curved portion (343-1) extending from the first fixed portion in a direction opposite to the folding axis of the foldable electronic device, and a second outer curved portion (343-2) extending from the second fixed portion in a direction opposite to the folding axis, A foldable electronic device in which the thickness of the metal material included in the signal line in the first outer bend and the second outer bend is thicker than the thickness of the metal material included in the signal line in the first inner bend and the second inner bend.
A foldable electronic device according to claims 1 to 8, wherein an air gap is formed between adjacent layers among the plurality of layers of the flexible printed circuit board.
A foldable electronic device according to claims 1 to 9, wherein at least two layers among the plurality of layers of the flexible printed circuit board, including a substrate layer, a conductive layer, and an insulating layer, are formed to have substantially the same thickness for each layer.
A foldable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is manufactured according to one of an additive process, a subtractive process, a subtractive process after an additive process, or an additive process after a subtractive process.
In any one of paragraphs 1 to 11, The first region is a region formed to have the thinnest thickness compared to the second region or the third region, and is formed by an additive method or a subtractive method, and The above third region is a foldable electronic device formed by a copper plating method.
In a foldable electronic device (101; 301) including a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), A first housing (210; 311) including a first component; A second housing (220; 312) including a second part; A hinge assembly (270; 330) that rotatably connects the first housing and the second housing; A flexible display (160; 230) disposed from the first housing to the second housing across a folding area where the hinge assembly is disposed; and A flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) (280; 340; 500) is included, which electrically connects the first component and the second component and includes a plurality of layers, a flex portion corresponding to the folding area, and a rigid portion at one end and the other end of the flex portion. The signal lines for signal and/or power transmission included in the plurality of layers of the flexible printed circuit board include a metallic material and include a first region, a second region, and a third region distinguished according to the degree of curvature in the folding region of the flexible printed circuit board. The first region corresponds to a flex portion where the signal line is bent in the flexible printed circuit board, and the metal material of the first region is formed to have the thinnest thickness among the first region, the second region, and the third region. The third region corresponds to a rigid portion in the flexible printed circuit board where the signal line is flatly arranged, and the metallic material of the third region is formed to have the thickest thickness among the first region, the second region, and the third region. A foldable electronic device in which the metal material of the second region is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the metal material of the first region and thinner than the thickness of the metal material of the third region.
In Article 13, The above signal line comprises copper (Cu), and is formed such that the thickness of the copper is thinnest in the first region and the thickness of the copper is thickest in the third region, and A foldable electronic device in which the thickness of the copper in the third region is the sum of the thickness of the copper included in the conductive line and the thickness of the copper added in the copper plating process for via formation.
In Article 14, A foldable electronic device in which the third region is formed to have a thicker thickness than the first region and the second region in the outermost layer of the flexible printed circuit board among the plurality of layers.
In Article 15, A foldable electronic device in which a layer disposed inside the two outermost layers of the flexible printed circuit board among the plurality of layers is formed such that the metal material included in the signal line has different thicknesses in two different regions.
In any one of paragraphs 13 through 16, It includes a hinge cover (260; 332) that covers the above hinge assembly, and The flexible printed circuit board comprises a first inner bend (342-1) and a second inner bend (342-2) that are bent in correspondence with the cover ends (3321, 3322) of the hinge cover, and a central portion (344) disposed between the first inner bend and the second inner bend. In the first inner bend and the second inner bend, the metal material included in the signal line is formed thinly, and A foldable electronic device in which the metal material included in the signal line at the central portion is formed to be relatively thicker than the metal material included in the signal line at the first inner bend portion and the second inner bend portion.
In any one of paragraphs 13 through 17, The first region is a region formed to have the thinnest thickness compared to the second region or the third region, and is formed by an additive method or a subtractive method, and The above third region is a foldable electronic device formed by a copper plating method.
In a foldable electronic device (101; 301) including a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), A first housing (210; 311) including a first component; A second housing (220; 312) including a second part; A hinge assembly (270; 330) that rotatably connects the first housing and the second housing; A flexible display (160; 230) disposed from the first housing to the second housing across a folding area where the hinge assembly is disposed; and A flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) (280; 340; 500) is included, which electrically connects the first component and the second component and includes a plurality of layers, a flex portion corresponding to the folding area, and a rigid portion at one end and the other end of the flex portion. The signal lines for signal and/or power transmission included in the plurality of layers of the flexible printed circuit board include a metallic material and include a first region, a second region, and a third region distinguished according to the degree of curvature in the folding region of the flexible printed circuit board. The third region is formed to have a thicker thickness than the first and second regions in the outermost layer of the flexible printed circuit board among the plurality of layers, and A foldable electronic device in which a layer disposed inside the two layers formed at the outermost edge of the flexible printed circuit board among the plurality of layers is formed such that the metal material included in the signal line in the first region and the second region has different thicknesses.
In claim 19, the first region is a region formed to have the thinnest thickness compared to the second region or the third region, and is formed by an additive method or a subtractive method, and The above third region is a foldable electronic device formed by a copper plating method.

Description

Foldable electronic device including FPCB {FOLDABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD} Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to electronic devices, for example, electronic devices including an FPCB. Driven by remarkable advancements in information and communication technology and semiconductor technology, the distribution and use of various electronic devices are increasing rapidly. Recent electronic devices are being developed to enable portable communication. The term "electronic device" may refer to a device that performs specific functions according to an installed program, ranging from home appliances to electronic notebooks, portable multimedia players, mobile communication terminals, tablet PCs, video/audio devices, desktop/laptop computers, and vehicle navigation systems. For example, these electronic devices can output stored information as sound or video. With the increasing integration density of electronic devices and the widespread adoption of high-speed, high-capacity wireless communication, various functions can now be integrated into a single electronic device, such as a mobile communication terminal. For example, not only communication functions but also entertainment functions like games, multimedia functions like music and video playback, communication and security functions like mobile banking, and functions such as schedule management and electronic wallets are being integrated into a single electronic device. These electronic devices are being miniaturized so that users can carry them conveniently. The information described above may be provided as related art for the purpose of aiding understanding of the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the foregoing may be applied as prior art in relation to the present disclosure. The aspects, configurations, and/or advantages described above regarding one embodiment of the present disclosure may become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a front view, a side view, and a rear view of an unfolded state of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a front view, a side view, and a rear view of a folded state of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an electronic device in an unfolded state according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a front view of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 shows an X-ray photograph of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional view of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a flexible printed circuit board according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a drawing showing a manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 is a drawing showing a manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 19 is a drawing showing a manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 20 is a drawing showing a manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Throughout the attached drawings, similar parts, configurations, and/or structures may be assigned similar reference numbers. A foldable electronic device includes a plurality of electronic components, and the plurality of electronic components may be spaced apart from each other within the foldable housing of the foldable electronic device. For the transmission of signals and/or power between the spaced-apart electronic components, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) including signal lines may be used. For example, th