Single axis conductive flexible printed circuit board stiffener
There is disclosed a flexible printed circuit board stiffener which includes a body having a top and a bottom, the body comprised of a non-conductive material interspersed with a plurality of conductive elements that traverse the body from the top to the bottom along a vertical axis. The non-conductive material arranged such that electrical current does not move through the body other than in a direction parallel to the vertical axis along the conductive elements with the plurality of conductive elements arranged such that electrical components arranged above the stiffener in contact with the plurality of conductive elements are conductively in connected through the body from the top to the bottom along a plurality of paths parallel to the vertical axis.
1 . A flexible printed circuit board comprising:
a top and a bottom, opposite one another along a vertical axis;
the top including at least one electronic component, joined to conductive material along the top of the flexible printed circuit board;
the bottom including a plurality of conductive elements, a subset of which are electrically connected to the at least one electronic component through the flexible printed circuit board along the vertical axis to the conductive material along the top; and
a flexible printed circuit board stiffener, affixed to the bottom in conductive contact with the plurality of conductive elements, the stiffener including a plurality of transverse conductors parallel to the vertical axis suitable to conduct current from the at least one electronic component through the flexible printed circuit board and through the stiffener using the plurality of transverse electrical conductors to at least one substrate conductive element on an opposite side of the stiffener from the flexible printed circuit board.
2 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 1 wherein the stiffener is affixed to the bottom using an anisotropic conductive material that conducts current only parallel to the vertical axis.
3 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 2 wherein the stiffener is affixed to the at least one substrate conductive element on the opposite side of the stiffener from the flexible printed circuit board by an anisotropic conductive material that conducts current only along the vertical axis.
4 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 1 arranged in a circular or semi-circular shape.
5 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 4 encased within a wearable device in the form of a circular ring and wherein the top is adjacent to an exterior of the circular ring and the bottom is adjacent to the interior of the circular ring.
6 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 1 wherein the at least one substrate conductive element is two, separate substrate conductive elements, each conductively joined to one pole of a battery by a subset of the plurality of transverse conductors passing through the stiffener.
7 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 6 wherein the two substrate conductive elements are conductively joined to an exterior of a metal forming the circular ring, and the metal is divided by an insulating material into a first half and a second half, such that contact by a first charging probe from the battery charging system with the first half and simultaneous contact by a second charging probe from the battery charging system with the second half causes a battery within the circular ring to begin charging.
8 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 7 wherein the two substrate conductive elements are joined conductively within the wearable device with a battery charge controller and battery.
9 . A flexible printed circuit board comprising:
a top and a bottom, opposite one another along a vertical axis;
the top including a plurality of electronic components, joined to conductive material along the top of the flexible printed circuit board;
the bottom including a plurality of conductive elements, a subset of which are electrically connected to the plurality of electronic components through the flexible printed circuit board along the vertical axis to the conductive material along the top; and
a flexible printed circuit board stiffener, substantially flat such that the electronic components can be conductively joined to the conductive material along the top, the stiffener affixed to the bottom in conductive contact with the plurality of conductive elements and including a plurality of transverse conductors parallel to the vertical axis suitable to conduct current from the plurality of electronic components through the flexible printed circuit board and through the stiffener using the plurality of transverse electrical conductors to at least one substrate conductive element on an opposite side of the stiffener from the flexible printed circuit board.
10 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 9 wherein the stiffener is affixed to the bottom using an anisotropic conductive material that conducts current only parallel to the vertical axis.
11 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 10 wherein the flexible printed circuit board stiffener is affixed to the at last one substrate conductive element on the opposite side of the stiffener from the flexible printed circuit board by an anisotropic conductive materials that conducts current only along the vertical axis.
12 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 9 arranged in a circular or semi-circular shape.
13 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 12 encased within wearable device in the form of a circular ring and wherein the top is adjacent to an exterior of the circular ring and the bottom is adjacent to the interior of the circular ring.
14 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 13 wherein the at least one substrate conductive element is two, separate substrate conductive elements, each conductively joined to one pole of a battery charging system by a subset of the plurality of transverse conductors passing through the stiffener.
15 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 14 wherein the two substrate conductive elements are conductively connected to an exterior of a metal forming the circular ring, and the metal is divided by an insulating material into a first half and a second half, such that contact by a first charging probe from the battery charging system with the first half and simultaneous contact by a second charging probe from the battery charging system with the second half causes a battery within the circular ring to begin charging.
16 . A flexible printed circuit board stiffener comprising:
a body having a top and a bottom, the body comprised of a non-conductive material interspersed with a plurality of conductive elements that traverse the body from the top to the bottom along a vertical axis;
the non-conductive material arranged such that electrical current does not move through the body other than in a direction parallel to the vertical axis along the plurality of conductive elements; and
the plurality of conductive elements arranged such that electrical components arranged above the stiffener in contact with the plurality of conductive elements are conductively in connection through the body from the top to the bottom along a plurality of paths parallel to the vertical axis.
17 . The flexible printed circuit board stiffener of claim 16 further comprising a flexible printed circuit board below which the flexible printed circuit board stiffener is conductively affixed with the top of the body joined to the flexible printed circuit board along its base.
18 . The flexible printed circuit board stiffener of claim 17 further comprising at least one electrical component affixed to a face of the flexible printed circuit board, with conductive material joining the face to the base to thereby contact the top of the flexible printed circuit board stiffener.
19 . The flexible printed circuit board stiffener of claim 18 further comprising at least two electrically conductive probes electrically connected to at least two of the plurality of conductive elements passing through the body and joined at the bottom.
20 . The flexible printed circuit board stiffener of claim 16 incorporated into a circular or semi-circular flexible printed circuit board within a wearable device in the form of a ring.
21 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 4 wherein the top forms an exterior of the circular or semi-circular shape and the bottom forms an interior of the circular or semi-circular shape.
22 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 9 wherein the top forms an exterior of the circular or semi-circular shape and the bottom forms an interior of the circular or semi-circular shape.
23 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 9 wherein the at least one substrate conductive element is two, separate substrate conductive elements, each conductively joined to one pole of a battery by a subset of the plurality of transverse conductors passing through the stiffener.
24 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 16 wherein the top forms an exterior of the circular or semi-circular shape and the bottom forms an interior of the circular or semi-circular shape.
25 . The flexible printed circuit board of claim 16 wherein the at least one substrate conductive element is two, separate substrate conductive elements, each conductively joined to one pole of a battery by a subset of the plurality of transverse conductors passing through the stiffener.