Title of Invention

HOLDER FOR FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD AND FLEXIBLE PRINTED

CIRCUIT BOARD

Technical Field

[0001]

The present invention relates to a holder for a flexible printed circuit board, and a flexible printed circuit board.

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019- 061500, filed in Japan on March 27, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002]

Patent Document 1 discloses a flexible printed circuit board for long-distance wiring and an installation structure thereof. The flexible printed circuit board has a flexible insulating film, a conductive pattern portion formed on the insulating film, and a cover insulating layer which insulates and covers the conductive pattern portion. A plurality of board mounting through-holes, which pass through the insulating film and the cover insulating layer, are formed at a part which does not include the conductive pattern portion at predetermined intervals. In the installation structure of the flexible printed circuit board, a wire harness is alternately passed through the plurality of board mounting through-holes from the insulating film side and the cover insulating layer side, and the flexible printed circuit board is installed on the wire harness in a skewed state. Citation List

Patent Literature

[0003]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First

Publication No. 2006-93562

Summary of Invention

Technical Problem

[0004]

Incidentally, it is preferable that the flexible printed circuit board for long distance wiring is manufactured in a straight long strip shape of about several meters, for example. However, it is difficult for a current flexible printed circuit board

manufacturing apparatus to manufacture a flexible printed circuit board having a certain length or more for convenience of manufacture. Therefore, the present inventors have considered that a rectangular flexible printed circuit board having a certain area is manufactured and the flexible printed circuit board is punched with a mold to manufacture a meandering flexible printed circuit board in which a linear portion and a horizontal reversing portion are alternately repeated.

[0005]

In order to straightly extend the flexible printed circuit board having the linear portion and the horizontal reversing portion in any direction, for example, the linear portion of the flexible printed circuit board may bend and fold in a direction

perpendicular to the surface of the flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as a perpendicular direction) before the horizontal reversing portion. However, when the curvature of the folded portion is large and the flexible printed circuit board is sharply folded, for example, there is a possibility that the copper foil portion where electricity is conducted is plastically deformed or the strength is reduced. In addition, when the flexible printed circuit board is mounted on, for example, a vehicle and is subjected to vibration or the like during traveling, a repeated bending load is applied to the folded portion, which may cause fatigue failure.

[0006]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a flexible printed circuit board, and a flexible printed circuit board, capable of extending the flexible printed circuit board in any direction while reducing the load on the flexible printed circuit board having a linear portion and a horizontal reversing portion.

Solution to Problem

[0007]

(1) A holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to one aspect of the present invention is a holder for holding a flexible printed circuit board having a first linear portion, a second linear portion extending in parallel with the first linear portion, and a horizontal reversing portion connecting the first linear portion and the second linear portion, the holder including: a horizontal reversing passage that accommodates the horizontal reversing portion; a first passage that communicates with the horizontal reversing passage and leads the first linear portion therein; and a second passage that communicates with the horizontal reversing passage and leads the second linear portion therein, wherein the first passage and the second passage extend from the horizontal reversing passage toward different directions with each other, the first passage and the horizontal reversing passage are connected with a first passage connection, and the horizontal reversing passage and the second passage are connected with a second passage connection, and a perpendicular reversing passage for bending and reversing the flexible printed circuit board in a perpendicular direction is provided in at least one of the first passage connection or the second passage connection.

[0008]

(2) The holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to (1), wherein the first passage and the second passage may extend from the horizontal reversing passage toward opposite directions with each other.

(3) The holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to (2), wherein the horizontal reversing passage may be provided at a different height from the first passage and the second passage in the perpendicular direction, the first passage connection may be provided with the perpendicular reversing passage, and the second passage connection may be provided with an inclined passage that inclines the flexible printed circuit board between the second passage and the horizontal reversing passage.

(4) The holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to (1), wherein the first passage and the second passage may extend from the horizontal reversing passage toward different directions with each other to form a plane angle.

(5) The holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to (4), wherein each of the first passage connection and the second passage connection may be provided with the perpendicular reversing passage.

(6) The holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to (5), wherein the horizontal reversing passage may be provided at a different height from the first passage and the second passage in the perpendicular direction, and each perpendicular reversing passage may be configured to bend and reverse the first liner portion and the second liner portion of the flexible printed circuit board in the same perpendicular direction between the first passage and the horizontal reversing passage, and between the second passage and the horizontal reversing passage respectively.

(7) In the holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to any one of (1) to (6), the horizontal reversing passage may be provided with a positioning protrusion for positioning the horizontal reversing portion.

(8) The holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to (7), wherein the positioning protrusion may be inserted into a cutout of the flexible printed circuit board formed by the first linear portion, the second linear portion, and the horizontal reversing portion.

(9) The holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein a slit may be formed along an internal passage of the holder including the first passage, the horizontal reversing passage, the second passage, and the perpendicular reversing passage.

(10) The holder for a flexible printed circuit board according to (9), wherein the holder may include a protrusion that partially narrows a slit width of the slit.

[0009]

(11) A flexible printed circuit board may include: the holder according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the holder is attached to the flexible printed circuit board.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0010]

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to extend the flexible printed circuit board in any direction while reducing the load on the flexible printed circuit board having the linear portion and the horizontal reversing portion. Brief Description of Drawings

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a flexible printed circuit board 1 to which a holder 2 according to an embodiment is attached.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flexible printed circuit board 1 before attaching the holder 2 according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a holder 2A according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holder 2A according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a horizontal reversing passage 23 of the holder 2A according to the embodiment as viewed from the side.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A-A shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line B-B shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line C-C shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a holder 2B according to an embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the holder 2B according to the embodiment, as viewed from a different angle from FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the holder 2B according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a horizontal reversing passage 23 of the holder 2B according to the embodiment as viewed from the side.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line D-D shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line E-E shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line F-F shown in FIG. 12. Description of Embodiments [0012]

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a flexible printed circuit board 1 to which a holder 2 according to an embodiment is attached. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flexible printed circuit board 1 before attaching the holder 2 according to an embodiment.

The flexible printed circuit board 1 to which the holder 2 is attached as shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, attached to a vehicle and supplies electric power or transmits signals, to various electronic devices (sensors, cameras, or the like) mounted on the vehicle. Such a flexible printed circuit board 1 has a plurality of circuits formed on a single board, so that it is lighter, requires less space, and has lower cost than a vehicle- mounted wire harness (a bundle of wires) in the related art.

[0014]

As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible printed circuit board 1 includes a first linear portion 11, a second linear portion 12 extending in parallel with the first linear portion 11 , and a horizontal reversing portion 13 connecting the first linear portion 11 and the second linear portion 12. A cutout 14 (slit) is formed among the first linear portion 11 , the second linear portion 12, and the horizontal reversing portion 13. The flexible printed circuit board 1 has a insulating film, a conductive pattern, and a cover insulating layer. The insulating film is made of, for example, polyester, polyimide, or liquid crystal polymer, and has flexibility. The conductive pattern is formed of copper foil or the like formed on the insulating film by a printing technique. The cover insulating layer is made of a PET film or the like which insulates and covers the conductive pattern, and has flexibility. [0015]

The manufacturing process of the flexible printed circuit board 1 simply includes (1) plating for forming a copper foil or the like on an insulating film, (2) exposing light to form a conductive pattern on the plating, (3) bonding of a cover insulating layer which insulates and covers the conductive pattern, (4) punching of the flexible printed circuit board 1 on which the cover insulating layer is bonded, and (5) inspecting the flexible printed circuit board 1. Theoretically, long circuits may be formed using long film rolls through the plating, the exposure, and the bonding. But, since a mold is used in the punching from the viewpoint of productivity, the outer size of the flexible printed circuit board 1 is limited by the size of the mold.

[0016]

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, after a flexible printed circuit board 1 having a rectangular outer shape 10 is manufactured, a punched portion is punched out with a mold with a constant width. In that way, a meandering (also referred to as multiple-bent shape or zigzag shape) flexible printed circuit board 1 is manufactured. The flexible printed circuit board 1 includes linear portions (the first linear portion 11 and the second linear portion 12) and the horizontal reversing portion 13 that are alternately formed. The holder 2 shown in FIG. 1 is used for wiring the meandering flexible printed circuit board 1 in any direction.

[0017]

As shown in FIG. 1, the holder 2 includes an inlet passage (first passage) 21, a horizontal reversing passage 23, and an outlet passage (second passage) 22. The inlet passage 21 introduces a first linear portion 11 therein. The horizontal reversing passage 23 communicates with the inlet passage 21 and accommodates the horizontal reversing portion 13. The outlet passage 22 communicates with the horizontal reversing passage 23 and introduces a second linear portion 12 therein.

In other words, the horizontal reversing passage 23 accommodates the horizontal reversing portion 13. The inlet passage 21 communicates with the horizontal reversing passage 23, and leads the first linear portion 11 therein. The outlet passage 22 communicates with the horizontal reversing passage 23, and leads a second linear portion 12 therein. Here, passages that accommodate the liner portions 11, 12 are referred to as liner passages 20a. The liner passages 20a include the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22.

[0018]

The inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 extend from the horizontal reversing passage 23 toward different directions with each other. In other words, an opening of the inlet passage 21 and an opening of the outlet passage 22 open toward different directions with each other.

[0019]

Passage connections 20b connect between the liner passages 20a and the horizontal reversing passage 23. The passage connections 20b include a first passage connection and a second passage connection. The first passage connection connects between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23. The second passage connection connects between the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22.

At least one of the first passage connection or the second passage connection includes a perpendicular reversing passage 24 for bending and reversing the flexible printed circuit board in a perpendicular direction. That is, when inside the holder 2, the first passage connection connecting the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23 is temporarily assumed to be A, and the second passage connection connecting the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22 is temporarily assumed to be B, the perpendicular reversing passage 24 may constitute A or B, or both A and B.

[0020]

The holder 2A is used for extending the flexible printed circuit board 1 linearly

(180°) in the plane view. The inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 of the holder 2A face opposite directions to each other. The holder 2A is provided with the above- described perpendicular reversing passage 24 at the second passage connection (the above-described B) between the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22. That is, the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22 are connected via the perpendicular reversing passage 24. Note that the perpendicular reversing passage 24 may be provided in the first passage connection (the above-described A) that connects between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23.

The holder 2B is used for bending the flexible printed circuit board 1 at a right angle (90°) in the plane view. Hereinafter, an angle formed by two intersecting paths in a plane horizontal to the flexible printed circuit board 1 is referred to as a plane angle.

The inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 of the holder 2B extend from the horizontal reversing passage 23 toward different directions with each other so as to form a right angle in the plane angle. The holder 2B is provided with the above-described perpendicular reversing passage 24 at both passage connections 20b (the above-described A and B) between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23, and the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22. That is, the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23 are connected via the perpendicular reversing passage 24, and the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22 are also connected via the perpendicular reversing passage 24. [0021]

First, the configuration of the holder 2A that extends the flexible printed circuit board 1 in a straight line in the plane view will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to

8.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the holder 2A according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holder 2A according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a side view of the horizontal reversing passage 23 of the holder 2A according to the

embodiment as viewed from the side. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A-A shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line B-B shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line C-C shown in FIG. 5.

[0022]

<Direction Defmition>

In the following description, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship between members may be described with reference to the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. The X-axis direction is an extending direction in which the first linear portion 11 introduced into the inlet passage 21 extends, the Y-axis direction is a width direction of the first linear portion 11 perpendicular to the extending direction of the first linear portion 11, and the Z-axis direction is a perpendicular direction (the perpendicular direction of the flexible printed circuit board 1)

perpendicular to the extending direction and the width direction of the first linear portion 11. Viewing from the Z-axis direction is referred to as a plane view.

[0023]

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 of the holder 2A are arranged so as to be shifted in the Y-axis direction, and extend in parallel to the X-axis direction. The inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 extend in the opposite direction in the X-axis direction. Thus, an opening of the inlet passage 21 and an opening of the outlet passage 22 open toward the opposite directions with each other. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 of the holder 2A are provided at the same height in the Z-axis direction (the perpendicular direction). On the other hand, the horizontal reversing passage 23 of the holder 2A is provided at a different height from the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 in the Z-axis direction (perpendicular direction). In the present embodiment, the horizontal reversing passage 23 is provided at a position one step higher than the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 in the Z-axis direction.

[0024]

As shown in FIG. 3, the holder 2A has a base 30 forming the bottom of the holder 2A, a reversing stage 31 provided above the base 30, and a cover 32 that covers the base 30 and the reversing stage 31 with a predetermined gap therebetween. Gaps are formed between the base 30, the reversing stage 31, and the cover 32, respectively, and these gaps form the internal passages of the holder 2A described above (the inlet passage 21, the outlet passage 22, the horizontal reversing passage 23, the perpendicular reversing passage 24, and an inclined passage 25 (described later)). As shown in the drawing, the base 30, the reversing stage 31, and the cover 32 may be integrally formed as one part, or may be formed as separate parts by molding and the separate parts may be assembled.

[0025]

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the holder 2A includes a slit 27 formed along the above-described internal passage of the holder 2A. That is, one side surface in the Y- axis direction of the internal passage of the holder 2A of the present embodiment is opened to the outside by the slit 27. The slit 27 allows the flexible printed circuit board 1 to be inserted into the internal passage of the holder 2A from the Y-axis direction.

[0026]

Further, the holder 2A includes a protrusion 28 that partially narrows the slit width (width in the Z-axis direction) of the slit 27. The protrusion 28 prevents the flexible printed circuit board 1 from falling off from the slit 27. The plurality of protrusions 28 are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the slit 27.

As viewed from the Y-axis direction, the protrusions 28 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the slit 27 are disposed alternately on one side of the opening edge of the slit 27 in the Z-axis direction (for example, the upper side in the

perpendicular direction) and on the other side of the opening edge of the slit 27 in the Z- axis direction (for example, the lower side in the perpendicular direction). Each of the protrusions 28 extend from the opening edge of the slit 27 toward the inside of the slit 27 in the Z-axis direction. The protrusions 28 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the slits 27 may have a length that overlaps in the Z-axis direction, that is, a length in which positions in the Z-axis direction partially overlap. Accordingly, the protrusions 28 efficiently prevent the flexible printed circuit board 1 from falling off from the slit 27.

[0027]

As shown in FIG. 4, the base 30 is formed in a rectangular plate shape extending along the XY plane (horizontal plane). Two diagonal comers in the four comers of the base 30 are provided with fixing pins 33 for fixing the holder 2 A to an object to be fixed (such as a vehicle). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the fixing pin 33 of the present embodiment is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the Z-direction. The fixing pin 33 is a cylindrical stopper pin which has a thick tip end portion and is vertically split at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction. The fixing pin 33 extends downward from the lower surface 30b of the base 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the fixing pin 33 of the present embodiment is disposed at a position not overlapping the internal passage of the holder 2A in the Z-axis direction, but may be disposed at a position overlapping the internal passage of the holder 2A.

[0028]

As shown in FIG. 5, between the base 30 and the cover 32, an inlet passage 21 for introducing the first linear portion 11 into the inside of the holder 2A is formed. The inlet passage 21 is formed by an upper surface 30a of the base 30, a side wall 32b of the cover 32 rising from a side end of the base 30 toward the Z-axis direction, and a top wall 32a of the cover 32 covering the upper surface 30a of the base 30. The side wall 32b closes a first side surface of the inlet passage 21 in the Y-axis direction, and a second side surface of the inlet passage 21 facing the side wall 32b in the Y-axis direction is opened to the outside by the slit 27 described above.

[0029]

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the reversing stage 31 is supported by a support column 34 with a predetermined gap from the upper surface 30a of the base 30.

Between the upper surface 3 la of the reversing stage 31 and the cover 32, a horizontal reversing passage 23 for accommodating the horizontal reversing portion 13 is formed. The horizontal reversing passage 23 is formed by an upper surface 31a of the reversing stage 31, a side wall 32b of the cover 32 extending above the upper surface 3 la of the reversing stage 31, and a top wall 32a of the cover 32 covering the upper surface 3 la of the reversing stage 31.

[0030]

As shown in FIG. 7, a side wall 32b of the cover 32 forming the horizontal reversing passage 23 is provided with a linear portion 32b 1 and a curved portion 32b2. The linear portion 32b 1 extends linearly along the X-axis direction. The curved portion 32b2 is provided continuously with the linear portion 32b 1 and largely curves on the XY plane. The linear portion 32b 1 closes a first side surface of the horizontal reversing passage 23 in the Y-axis direction, and a second side surface of the horizontal reversing passage 23 facing the linear portion 32b 1 in the Y-axis direction is opened to the outside by the slit 27 described above.

[0031]

The horizontal reversing passage 23 is provided with a positioning protrusion 26 for positioning the horizontal reversing portion 13. The positioning protrusion 26 is inserted into the cutout 14 of the flexible printed circuit board 1 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A window 32al that opens directly above the positioning protrusion 26 is formed on the top wall 32a of the cover 32. The positioning protrusion 26 is visible from the window 32al . This makes it possible to easily check whether or not the positioning protrusion 26 has been properly inserted into the cutout 14.

[0032]

The positioning protrusion 26 is formed in a columnar shape and stands upright on the upper surface 31 a of the reversing stage 31. As shown in FIG. 6, the tip end portion of the positioning protrusion 26 may extend through the window 32al to near the upper surface of the top wall 32a of the cover 32. It is preferable that the positioning protrusion 26 can be inserted into and removed from the upper surface 31 a of the reversing stage 31 , for example. When the positioning protrusion 26 is pulled out, the horizontal reversing portion 13 can be inserted. When the positioning protrusion 26 is inserted, the positioning of the horizontal reversing portion 13 can be easily performed.

[0033]

As shown in FIG. 6, the reversing stage 31 has an upper surface 31 a that forms the horizontal reversing passage 23, a lower surface 3 lb parallel to the upper surface 31a, and a curved surface 31c that smoothly connects the upper surface 31a and the lower surface 31b. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, in the reversing stage 31 , a first lower surface (a half of the lower surface 3 lb in the Y-axis direction) is supported by the support column 34. A second lower surface (the other half of the lower surface 3 lb of the reversing stage 31 in the Y-axis direction that is not supported by the support column 34) and the base 30 form an outlet passage 22 for leading out the second linear portion 12 from the inside of the holder 2 A, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0034]

The outlet passage 22 is formed by the upper surface 30a of the base 30, the side surface of the support column 34, and the lower surface 3 lb of the reversing stage 31 that is not supported (floating) by the support column 34. Note that the support column 34 closes a first side surface the outlet passage 22 in the Y-axis direction, and a second side surface of the outlet passage 22 facing the support column 34 in the Y-axis direction is opened to the outside by the slit 27 described above.

[0035]

As shown in FIG. 6, between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23, an inclined passage 25 for inclining the flexible printed circuit board 1 is formed. The inclined passage 25 is formed with the curved surface 31c (edge) on one side in the Y-axis direction of the reversing stage 31, which is supported by the support column 34, and the cover 32. The inclined passage 25 guides the first linear portion 11 from the inlet passage 21 to the horizontal reversing passage 23 that is one step higher than the inlet passage 21.

[0036]

The inclined passage 25 is formed among the curved surface 31c on one side in the Y-axis direction of the reversing stage 31, a side wall 32b of the cover 32, and an inclined portions that connect the horizontal portion that covers the upper part of the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal portion that covers the upper part of the horizontal reversing passage 23, of the top wall 32a of the cover 32.

The side wall 32b of the cover 32 closes a first side surface of the inclined passage 25 in the Y-axis direction, but it is not present on a second side surface of the inclined passage 25 in the Y-axis direction, and is in communication with the following perpendicular reversing passage 24.

[0037]

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the perpendicular reversing passage 24 is formed between the curved surface 31c which is not supported by the support column 34 in the reversing stage in the Y-axis direction 31, and the inclined portion of the top wall 32a of the cover 32 that is inclined downward from the reversing stage 31 to the base 30. A first side surface in the Y-axis direction of the perpendicular reversing passage 24 communicates with the inclined passage 25 as described above, and a second side surface is opened to the outside by the slit 27 described above. The curved surface 31c which is not supported by the support column 34 is disposed on the side closer to the second side surface of the perpendicular reversing passage 24 in the Y-axis direction.

[0038]

The perpendicular reversing passage 24 bends and reverses the flexible printed circuit board 1 between the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22 in the perpendicular direction (Z-axis direction). The perpendicular reversing passage 24 forms a curve that bends the flexible printed circuit board 1 without folding. In the present embodiment, the flexible printed circuit board 1 in contact with the top wall 32a of the cover 32 in the horizontal reversing passage 23 is largely reversed (curved) so as to be in contact with the upper surface 30a of the base 30 while being guided by the inclined top wall 32a of the cover 32. In order to form such a curve that bends the flexible printed circuit board 1 without folding, for example, the radius of curvature of the flexible printed circuit board 1 may be 0.1 [mm] or more, and the total thickness of the flexible printed circuit board 1 may be 30 [mm] or less.

[0039]

According to the holder 2A having the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, after the flexible printed circuit board 1 introduced into the inside from the inlet passage 21 is horizontally reversed in the horizontal reversing passage 23, and vertically reversed in the perpendicular reversing passage 24, it can be turned 180° from the inlet passage 21 and led out of the outlet passage 22. Here, since the flexible printed circuit board 1 is bent (curved) without being folded in the perpendicular reversing passage 24, the flexible printed circuit board 1 does not have to be folded tight unlike the conventional case, and plastic deformation of the conductive pattern can be prevented, the load can be suppressed even when vibration is applied, and the accumulation of fatigue can be suppressed. Therefore, according to the above configuration, while reducing the load on the zigzag shape flexible printed circuit board 1 having alternately the linear portions (the first linear portion 11 and the second linear portion 12) and the horizontal reversing portions 13, the flexible printed circuit board 1 can be extended in any direction (can by linearly extended).

[0040]

In addition, in the holder 2A, the horizontal reversing passage 23 is provided at a height different from the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 in the perpendicular direction, a perpendicular reversing passage 24 is provided in a passage connection 20b (second passage connection) between the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22, and an inclined passage 25 for inclining the flexible printed circuit board 1 is provided between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23 in a passage connection 20b (first passage connection) between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23. According to this configuration, by raising the horizontal reversing passage 23 one step higher, the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 can be disposed at the same height while securing a large passage of the curve of the perpendicular reversing passage 24. Thus, the first linear portion 11 and the second linear portion 12 of the flexible printed circuit board 1 can be extended on the same plane, so that wiring along the surface of the fixed object is facilitated.

Contrary to the above-described configuration, the perpendicular reversing passage 24 may be provided at a passage connection 20b between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23, and the inclined passage 25 may be provided at a passage connection 20b between the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22. Even with this configuration, the same operation and effect can be obtained. Note that, in this case, the horizontal reversing passage 23 is disposed in the opposite side in the X-axis direction.

[0041]

Next, the configuration of the holder 2B that is used for bending the flexible printed circuit board 1 at a right angle in the plane view will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 15. In the following description, the same or equivalent components as those of the above-described holder 2A will be described with the same or equivalent reference numerals.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a holder 2B according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the holder 2B according to the embodiment as viewed from a different angle from FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a plan view of a holder 2B according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a side view of the horizontal reversing passage 23 of the holder 2B according to the embodiment when viewed from the side. FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line D-D shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line F-F shown in FIG. 12.

[0042]

<Direction Defmition>

In the following description, as in the case of the holder 2A, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship between members may be described with reference to the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. That is, the X-axis direction is an extending direction in which the first linear portion 11 introduced into the inlet passage 21 extends, the Y-axis direction is a width direction of the first linear portion 11 perpendicular to the extending direction of the first linear portion 11 , and the Z-axis direction is a perpendicular direction (the perpendicular direction of the flexible printed circuit board 1) perpendicular to the extending direction and the width direction of the first linear portion 11. Viewing from the Z-axis direction is referred to as a plane view.

[0043]

As shown in FIG. 11, the inlet passage 21 of the holder 2B extends in the X-axis direction, and the outlet passage 22 of the holder 2B extends in the Y-axis direction.

That is, the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 of the holder 2B extend from the horizontal reversing passage toward different directions with each other to form a right angle (90°) in a plane angle. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 of the holder 2B are provided at the same height in the Z-axis direction (the perpendicular direction). On the other hand, the horizontal reversing passage 23 of the holder 2B is provided at a different height from the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 in the Z-axis direction (perpendicular direction). In the present embodiment, the horizontal reversing passage 23 is provided at a position one step higher than the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 in the Z-axis direction.

[0044]

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, the holder 2B has a base 30 forming the bottom of the holder 2B, a reversing stage 31 provided above the base 30, covers 32 (32A, 32B) that cover the base 30 with a predetermined gap, and a cover 32 (32C) that covers the reversing stage 31 with a predetermined gap. That is, in the holder 2B, unlike the holder 2A, the cover 32 includes three covers 32A, 32B, and 32C.

[0045]

Gaps are formed between the base 30, the reversing stage 31, and the cover 32, respectively, and these gaps form the internal passages of the holder 2B described above (the inlet passage 21, the outlet passage 22, the horizontal reversing passage 23, and two perpendicular reversing passages 24). As shown in the drawing, the base 30, the reversing stage 31 , and the cover 32 may be integrally formed as one part, or may be formed as separate parts by molding and the separate parts may be assembled.

[0046]

As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 12, the holder 2B includes a slit 27 formed along the above-described internal passage of the holder 2B. That is, at least one side surface of the internal passage of the holder 2B of the present embodiment is opened to the outside by the slit 27. The slit 27 allows the flexible printed circuit board 1 to be inserted from the side into the internal passage of the holder 2B.

[0047]

Further, the holder 2B includes a protrusion 28 that partially narrows the slit width (width in the Z-axis direction) of the slit 27. The protrusion 28 prevents the flexible printed circuit board 1 from falling off from the slit 27. The plurality of protrusions 28 are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the slit 27.

As viewed from the side direction (X-axis direction or Y-axis direction), the protrusions 28 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the slit 27 are disposed alternately on one side of the opening edge of the slit 27 in the Z-axis direction (for example, the upper side in the perpendicular direction) and on the other side of the opening edge of the slit 27 in the Z-axis direction (for example, the lower side in the perpendicular direction). Each of the protrusions 28 extend from the opening edge of the slit 27 toward the inside of the slit 27 as viewed from the side direction. The protrusions 28 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the slits 27 may have a length that overlaps in the Z-axis direction, that is, a length in which positions in the Z- axis direction partially overlap. Accordingly, the protrusions 28 efficiently prevent the flexible printed circuit board 1 from falling off from the slit 27.

[0048]

As shown in FIG. 11, the base 30 is formed in a hexagonal plate shape extending along the XY plane (horizontal plane). Of the six comers of the base 30, two comers on a diagonal line connecting the inlet passage 21 side and the outlet passage 22 side are provided with fixing pins 33 for fixing the holder 2B to an object to be fixed. As shown in FIG. 11, the fixing pin 33 of the present embodiment is disposed at a position overlapping the internal passage of the holder 2B in the Z-axis direction, but may be disposed at a position not overlapping the internal passage of the holder 2B.

[0049]

As shown in FIG. 10, between the base 30 and the cover 32A, an inlet passage 21 for introducing the first linear portion 11 into the inside of the holder 2B is formed. The inlet passage 21 is formed by an upper surface 30a of the base 30, a side wall 32b of the cover 32A rising from the upper surface 30a of the base 30 toward the Z-axis direction, and a top wall 32a of the cover 32A covering the upper surface 30a of the base 30. The side wall 32b closes a first side surface of the inlet passage 21 in the Y-axis direction, and a second side surface of the inlet passage 21 facing the side wall 32b is opened to the outside by the slit 27 described above.

[0050]

As shown in FIG. 10, an outlet passage 22 for leading out the second linear portion 12 from the inside of the holder 2B is formed between the base 30 and the cover 32B. The outlet passage 22 is formed by an upper surface 30a of the base 30, a side wall 32b of the cover 32B rising from the upper surface 30a of the base 30 toward the Z- axis direction, and a top wall 32a of the cover 32B covering the upper surface 30a of the base 30. The side wall 32b closes a first side surface of the outlet passage 22 in the X- axis direction, and a second side surface of the outlet passage 22 facing the side wall 32b is opened to the outside by the slit 27 described above.

[0051]

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the reversing stage 31 is supported by a support column 34B with a predetermined gap from the upper surface 30a of the base 30.

Between the upper surface 3 la of the reversing stage 31 and the cover 32C, a horizontal reversing passage 23 for accommodating the horizontal reversing portion 13 is formed. The horizontal reversing passage 23 is formed by an upper surface 31a of the reversing stage 31, a side wall 32b of the cover 32C extending above the upper surface 31a of the reversing stage 31, and a top wall 32a of the cover 32C covering the upper surface 31a of the reversing stage 31.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 14, a side wall 32b of the cover 32C forming the horizontal reversing passage 23 is provided with a linear portion 32b 1 and a curved portion 32b2. The linear portion 32b 1 is disposed on the outlet passage 22 side, and extends linearly in a 45° direction with respect to the outlet passage 22. The curved portion 32b2 is provided continuously with the linear portion 32b 1 and largely curves on the XY plane from the outlet passage 22 side toward the inlet passage 21 side. The linear portion 32b 1 closes a first side surface of the horizontal reversing passage 23 (the outlet passage

22 side) extending linearly in the 45° direction of the horizontal reversing passage 23, and a second side surface (the inlet passage 21 side) of the horizontal reversing passage

23 facing the linear portion 32b 1 is opened to the outside by the slit 27 described above.

[0053]

The horizontal reversing passage 23 is provided with a positioning protrusion 26B for positioning the horizontal reversing portion 13. The positioning protrusion 26B is inserted into the cutout 14 of the flexible printed circuit board 1 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11. A window 32a 1 that opens directly above the positioning protrusion 26B is formed on the top wall 32a of the cover 32C. The positioning protrusion 26B is visible from the window 32al . This makes it possible to easily check whether or not the positioning protrusion 26B has been properly inserted into the cutout 14.

[0054]

As shown in FIG. 13, the positioning protrusion 26B is formed in a trapezoidal plate shape and stands upright on the upper surface 31 a of the reversing stage 31. The positioning protrusion 26B has a slope on the side of the perpendicular reversing passage 24, and a vertical surface (right angle surface) on the side opposite to the perpendicular reversing passage 24. The tip end portion of the positioning protrusion 26B extends to a position short of the window 32al . That is, the tip end portion of the positioning protrusion 26B extends to near the lower surface of the top wall 32a of the cover 32C.

The positioning protrusion 26B is formed integrally with the reversing stage 31. Note that the positioning protrusion 26B may be configured so as to be inserted into and removed from the upper surface 31a of the reversing stage 31, similarly to the positioning protrusion 26 of the holder 2A shown in FIG. 6.

[0055]

The reversing stage 31 has an upper surface 31a that forms the horizontal reversing passage 23, a lower surface 31b parallel to the upper surface 31a, and two curved surfaces 31c (see FIG. 14) that smoothly connect the upper surface 31a and the lower surface 31b. The two curved surfaces 31c form a V-shaped groove in plain view. The curved surface 31c disposed on the inlet passage 21 side extends in a -22.5° direction with respect to the Y-axis direction (the clockwise direction of the Z-axis is + and the counterclockwise direction of the Z-axis is -). The curved surface 31c disposed on the outlet passage 22 side extends in a +22.5° direction with respect to the X-axis direction (the clockwise direction of the Z-axis is + and the counterclockwise direction of the Z- axis is -).

[0056]

As shown in FIGS. 13, 14 and 15, in the lower surface 31b, the two curved surfaces 31c are formed on the side closer to a first side surface, and a second side surface faces the first side surface in a +45° direction with respect to the Y-axis direction. In the side closer to the second side surface, the reversing stage 31 is supported by the support column 34B. As shown in the drawings, the support column 34B is formed with a relief part 34B1 to avoid sink marks during resin molding. That is, the inside of the support column 34B is a hollow portion, and this hollow portion is opened to the lower surface 30b of the base 30. [0057]

As shown in FIG. 11 , the perpendicular reversing passage 24 is provided at both a first passage connection between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23 and a second passage connection between the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22. The two perpendicular reversing passages 24 are formed among the two curved surfaces 31c of the reversing stage 31, the first guide portion 32C1 which is provided continuously with the top wall 32a of the cover 32C and faces the upper surface side of the two curved surfaces 31c, and a second guide portion 30al rising from the upper surface 30a of the base 30 and facing the lower surface sides of the two curved surfaces 31c.

[0058]

As shown in FIG. 9, the first guide portion 32C1 is an arc-shaped guide wall that hangs down from the top wall 32a of the cover 32C toward the base 30. The second guide portion 30al is a Y-shaped guide wall in plain view similar to the two curved surfaces 31c, and two opposing surfaces facing the two curved surfaces 31c are curved surfaces. A slit 27 is formed between the lower end of the first guide portion 32C1 and the upper end of the second guide portion 30al, and a part of each of the two

perpendicular reversing passages 24 is opened to the outside.

[0059]

The perpendicular reversing passage 24 on the inlet passage 21 side bends the flexible printed circuit board 1 in a direction of 45° on the XY plane, while bending and reversing the flexible printed circuit board 1 between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23 in the perpendicular direction (Z-axis direction).

Further, the perpendicular reversing passage 24 on the outlet passage 22 side bends the flexible printed circuit board 1 in a direction of 45° on the XY plane, while bending and reversing the flexible printed circuit board 1 between the horizontal reversing passage 23 and the outlet passage 22 in the perpendicular direction (Z-axis direction).

That is, the flexible printed circuit board 1 is bent in plane in the direction of 45° in each of the two perpendicular reversing passages 24, and is bent in plane in total by 90°. In the present embodiment, the flexible printed circuit board 1 is bent in a plane in each of the perpendicular reversing passages 24. The flexible printed circuit board 1 is bent in a plane at 22.5° on the lower surface 3 lb side of the reversing stage 31 and at 22.5° on the upper surface side of the reversing stage 31 in each of the perpendicular reversing passages 24, so that the load is reduced as compared with the case where the flexible printed circuit board 1 is bent in a plane at 90° at a time.

[0060]

These two perpendicular reversing passages 24 form curves that bend the flexible printed circuit board 1 without folding. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the flexible printed circuit board 1 in contact with the top wall 32a of the cover 32C in the horizontal reversing passage 23 is largely reversed (curved) so as to be in contact with the upper surface 30a of the base 30 while being guided by the first guide portion 30C1 and the second guide portion 30al . In order to form such a curve that bends the flexible printed circuit board 1 without folding, for example, the radius of curvature of the flexible printed circuit board 1 may be 0.1 [mm] or more, and the total thickness of the flexible printed circuit board 1 may be 30 [mm] or less.

[0061]

According to the holder 2B having the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, after the flexible printed circuit board 1 introduced into the inside from the inlet passage 21 is vertically reversed in the perpendicular reversing passage 24, horizontally reversed in the horizontal reversing passage 23, and vertically reversed in another perpendicular reversing passage 24, it can be turned 90° in the plane view from the inlet passage 21 and led out of the outlet passage 22.

Here, since the flexible printed circuit board 1 is bent (curved) without being folded in the perpendicular reversing passage 24, the flexible printed circuit board 1 does not have to be folded tight unlike the conventional case, and plastic deformation of the conductive pattern can be prevented, the load can be suppressed even when vibration is applied, and the accumulation of fatigue can be suppressed. Therefore, according to the above configuration, while reducing the load on the zigzag shape flexible printed circuit board 1 having alternately the linear portions (the first linear portion 11 and the second linear portion 12) and the horizontal reversing portions 13, the flexible printed circuit board 1 can be extended in any direction (90° direction).

The plane angle formed by the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 is not limited to 90° (right angle), and may be, for example, an acute angle or an obtuse angle.

[0062]

Further, in the holder 2B, the horizontal reversing passage 23 is provided at a height different from the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 in the perpendicular direction, and each perpendicular reversing passage 24 curves and reverses the first liner portion 11 or the second liner portion 12 of the flexible printed circuit board 1 in the same perpendicular direction, between the inlet passage 21 and the horizontal reversing passage 23, or between the outlet passage 22 and the horizontal reversing passage 23, respectively. According to this configuration, by raising the horizontal reversing passage 23 one step higher, the inlet passage 21 and the outlet passage 22 can be disposed at the same height while securing a large passage of the curve of the two perpendicular reversing passages 24. Thus, the first linear portion 11 and the second linear portion 12 of the flexible printed circuit board 1 can be extended on the same plane, so that wiring along the surface of the fixed object is facilitated.

[0063]

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated above, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the invention and are not to be considered as limiting. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be considered as being limited by the foregoing description, and is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

[0064]

In addition, some or all of the above-described embodiments may be described as in the following supplementary notes, but are not limited thereto.

[0065]

(Note)

A holder including:

an inlet passage and an outlet passage facing different directions from each other;

a horizontal reversing passage interposed between the inlet passage and the outlet passage; and

a perpendicular reversing passage that reverses while being curved in a perpendicular direction is provided at least one of the passage connections between the inlet passage and the horizontal reversing passage and between the horizontal reversing passage and the outlet passage.

Reference Signs List

[0066] 1 Flexible printed circuit board

2 (2A, 2B) Holder

11 First linear portion

12 Second linear portion

13 Horizontal reversing portion

14 Cutout

20a liner passage

20b passage connection

21 Inlet passage (first passage)

22 Outlet passage (second passage)

23 Horizontal reversing passage

24 Perpendicular reversing passage (passage connection)

25 Inclined passage (passage connection)

26 Positioning protrusion

26B Positioning protrusion

27 Slit

28 Protrusion