Flexible flat cable

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11322273-B2
Application number	US-202017026700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2020
Priority date	Sep 20, 2019
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A flexible flat cable capable of increasing space utilization in electronic devices by including a folding portion and by forming an independent conducting wire portion. The flexible flat cable includes a base film provided to extend in a first direction and configured to be foldable, a first conducting wire provided to extend in the first direction on the base film and including a first terminal provided at one end thereof and a first folding area terminal provided at the other end thereof, and a second conducting wire disposed next to the first conducting wire in the first direction, and including a second terminal provided at one end thereof and a second folding area terminal provided at the other end thereof, the second folding area terminal arranged spaced apart from the first folding area terminal of the first conducting wire in the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible flat cable having an extended state and, when in the extended state, being foldable to be in a folded state, the flexible flat cable comprising:
a base film that, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, longitudinally extends in a first direction and, when the flexible flat cable is folded to be in the folded state, folds along a folding line;
a first conducting wire including a first terminal and a first folding area terminal, and, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, the first conducting wire longitudinally extends in the first direction from the first terminal to the first folding area terminal, with the first folding area terminal being to a first side of the folding line; and
a second conducting wire including a second terminal and a second folding area terminal, and, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, the second conducting wire longitudinally extends in the first direction from the second folding area terminal to the second terminal, with the first folding area terminal and the second folding area terminal being between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the second folding area terminal being to a second side of the folding line, wherein
at least part of the first conducting wire that includes the first folding area terminal and at least part of the second conducting wire that includes the second folding area terminal fold toward each other when the base film folds along the folding line,
the flexible flat cable is configured to be connected to a connector that includes first and second connecting portions,
when the flexible flat cable is in the folded state with the base film folded along the folding line, the first folding area terminal and the second folding area terminal are connectable to the first and second connecting portions of the connector, respectively, and
when the flexible cable is connected to the connector with the first folding area terminal and the second folding area terminal connected to the first and second connecting portions of the connector, respectively, the first conducting wire and the second conducting wire are configured to process different signals or powers independently of each other.

2. The flexible flat cable of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cover film covering a portion of the first conducting wire and a portion of the second conducting wire, while exposing the first terminal and the first folding area terminal of the first conducting wire and the second terminal and the second folding area terminal of the second conducting wire to outside.

3. The flexible flat cable of claim 1 , wherein, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, the first terminal is in line with the second terminal in the first direction.

4. The flexible flat cable of claim 1 , wherein the folding line is not parallel to the first direction.

5. The flexible flat cable of claim 4 , wherein
when the flexible flat cable is in the folded state with the base film folded along the folding line, the first terminal and the second terminal are connectable to a plurality of connectors, respectively.

6. The flexible flat cable of claim 4 , further comprising:
a reinforcing film disposed on the second surface of the base film to support the folding of the base film.

7. The flexible flat cable of claim 4 , wherein the base film includes a plurality of folding perforations formed along the folding line.

8. The flexible flat cable of claim 4 , wherein the base film includes a groove along the folding line.

9. The flexible flat cable of claim 1 , wherein
a length of the first conducting wire in the first direction is different from a length of the second conducting wire in the first direction.

10. The flexible flat cable of claim 1 ; further comprising:
a plurality of the first conducting wires arranged in a width direction of the base film, and/or
a plurality of the second conducting wires arranged in the width direction of the base film.

11. A flexible flat cable having an extended state and, when in the extended state; being foldable to be in a folded state, and being connectable to a connector, the flexible flat cable comprising:
a base film that, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, longitudinally extends in a first direction and, when the flexible flat cable is folded to be in the folded state, folds;
a first conducting wire that, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, longitudinally extends above a first surface of the base film in the first direction from a first end of the first conducting wire that is formed above the first surface of the base film to a second end of the first conducting wire that is formed above the first surface of the base film; and
a second conducting wire that, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, longitudinally extends above the first surface of the base film in the first direction in line with, and spaced apart from, the first conducting wire in the first direction, from a first end of the second conducting wire that is formed above the first surface of the base film to a perforation in the base film, and then extends through the perforation in the base film to a second end of the second conducting wire that is formed above a second surface, opposite to the first surface, of the base film,
wherein at least part of the first conducting wire and at east part of the second conducting wire overlap when the base film is folded.

12. The flexible flat cable of claim 11 , wherein the base film is foldable along a folding line that is not parallel to the first direction and that is between the first conducting wire and the second conducting wire.

13. The flexible flat cable of claim 11 , further comprising:
a cover film covering a portion of the first conducting wire and a portion of the second conducting wire while exposing the first end and the second end of the first conducting wire and the first end and the second end of the second conducting wire to outside.

14. The flexible flat cable of claim 13 , wherein
the connector comprises first and second connecting portions, and,
the second end of the first conducting wire and the first end the second conducting wire that are adjacent to each other along the first direction when the base film longitudinally extends in the first direction, and become connectable to the first and second connecting portions of the connector, respectively, when the base film is folded.

15. The flexible flat cable of claim 11 , further comprising:
a plurality of the first conducting wires arranged in a width direction of the base film, and/or
a plurality of the second conducting wires arranged in the width direction of the base film.

16. A flexible flat cable having an extended state and, when in the extended state, being foldable to be in a folded state, and being connectable to a connector, the flexible flat cable comprising:
a base film that, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, longitudinally extends in a first direction, and, when the flexible flat cable is folded to be in the folded state, folds; and
a conducting wire including a first terminal on one end of the conducting wire and formed above a first surface of the base film, and a second terminal on another end of the conducting wire and formed above a second surface, opposite to the first surface, of the base film, wherein, when the flexible flat cable is in the extended state, the conducting wire longitudinally extends above the first surface of the base film in the first direction fr

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jumyeong
• Han Joonmok
• Seo Donghyun

Classifications

• H01B7/04 Primary

  Flexible cables, conductors, or cords, e.g. trailing cables · CPC title

• H01B7/17

  Protection against damage caused by external factors, e.g. sheaths or armouring · CPC title

• H01B7/0869

  comprising one or more armouring, tensile- or compression-resistant elements · CPC title

• H01R12/78

  connecting to other flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures · CPC title

• H01B7/0838 Primary

  Parallel wires, sandwiched between two insulating layers · CPC title