US 2011/0085771 A1 · ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, CELLULAR PHONE, FLEXIBLE CABLE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE FORMING BODY

Abstract

According to the electronic apparatus and cellular phone of the present invention, in an optical waveguide forming body of a flexible cable, an air layer is provided in a deforming section which experiences bending deformation as a result of the movement of a second body relative to a first body (either a pivoting or sliding movement), and the position of this air layer becomes located on the outer circumferential side of a core when the deforming section undergoes bending deformation. As a result of this, it is possible to ensure sufficient flexibility and to also achieve a sufficient improvement in the folding endurance of the core portion for this optical waveguide forming body to be utilized in practical applications. Moreover, it is possible to suppress light loss and achieve high-speed, large-capacity transmissions even when the optical waveguide forming body of a flexible cable experiences bending deformation due to the relative movement of the second body relative to the first body.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An electronic apparatus comprising:

a first body on which electronic components are mounted;
a second body that is able to move relatively to the first body;
and
a flexible cable that is used to transmit signals between the first body and the second body, wherein
the flexible cable has:
an optical waveguide forming body that is made of resin and is flexible and is formed in a belt shape or a linear shape;
and
a deforming section that undergoes bending deformation in conjunction with the relative movement of the second body relative to the first body, and
the optical waveguide forming body has:
a core portion that extends in the longitudinal direction of the optical waveguide forming body;
cladding portions whose refractive index is lower than that of the core portion;
and
an internal air cladding portion that is in contact with the core portion at a position thereof that corresponds to the deforming section of the flexible cable and that incorporates internal air layers which extend in the longitudinal direction of the core portion, and wherein
the cladding portions are internally provided with either one or a plurality of core portions that are placed beside each other in parallel rows, and the air layers are provided in the internal air cladding portion so as to be on the outer circumferential side of the core portion when bending deformation is applied to the deforming section.

11 more elements

A flexible cable that is provided in an electronic apparatus that includes a first body on which electronic components are mounted, and a second body that pivots or slides relatively to the first body so as to serve as a signal wire that connects together the first body and the second body, comprising:

an optical waveguide forming body that is made of resin and is flexible and is formed in a belt shape or a linear shape, and
the optical waveguide forming body has:
a core layer where either one or a plurality of the core portions of this optical waveguide forming body that are placed beside each other in parallel rows are formed between a pair of cladding layers;
a cladding portion where portions of the core layer other than where the core portions are located and also the cladding layers have a refractive index which is lower than that of the core portions;
and
an internal air cladding portion that is located in a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the optical waveguide forming body, and where air layers that are in contact with the core portions are secured by trenches that are formed extending in the longitudinal direction of the core portions in locations facing the core portions of the cladding layers.

3 more elements

A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide forming body that is made of resin and is flexible and is formed in a belt shape or a linear shape, and that has:

a core layer having either one or a plurality of core portions between a pair of cladding layers;
a cladding portion where the refractive index of portions of the core layer other than the core portions and of the cladding layers is lower than that of the core portions;
and an internal air cladding portion that is located in a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the optical waveguide forming body, and where air layers that are in contact with the core portions are secured by trenches that are formed in locations facing the core portions of the pair of cladding layers, the method comprising:
a core layer formation step where, after ultraviolet light has been irradiated onto portions of a core layer formation film material that contains a first photo-acid generating agent that is activated by the irradiation thereon of ultraviolet light and generates an acid in a polymer having a main chain and a leaving group that branches off this main chain, the core layer formation film material is heated so as to create a refractive index difference between irradiated areas of the core layer formation material where ultraviolet light was irradiated and non-irradiated areas thereof where ultraviolet light was not irradiated, and so as to also cure the core layer formation material and thereby enable the core layer of the optical waveguide forming body to be obtained;
a thermocompression bonding step where a cladding layer formation film material that has the trenches are formed on one surface thereof and that is formed in a film shape from a material that contains a second photo-acid generating agent that has a different absorption maximum wavelength from that of the first photo-acid generating agent and that is activated by the irradiation thereon of ultraviolet light and generates an acid in a polymer having a polymeric group, is thermocompression bonded onto both sides of the core layer, so that a material laminated body made up of the core layer and the cladding layer formation film material is obtained;
and
a cladding formation step where, after ultraviolet light having a wavelength that includes the absorption maximum wavelength of the second photo-acid generating agent but does not include the absorption maximum wavelength of the first photo-acid generating agent has been irradiated onto the material laminated body, the material laminated body is heated so that the cladding layer formation film material is cured and the cladding layers are obtained.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electronic apparatus, cellular phone, flexible cable and method for manufacturing optical waveguide forming body

Life of this patent

Electronic apparatus, cellular phone, flexible cable and method for manufacturing optical waveguide forming body

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23