# US 2021/0243881 A1 · Original form body of flexible printed-wiring board, method of manufacturing flexible printed-wiring board, concentrated photovoltaic power generation module, and light emitting module

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- Number: US 2021/0243881 A1
- Document ID: US20210243881A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/972,277
- Filed: 2019-06-18
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2018-06-27
- Assignees: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
- Applicants: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
- Inventors: Kenji SAITO; Yukio KOIKE; Youichi NAGAI; Kazumasa TOYA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210243881A1

## CPC

- H05K 1/028: {Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits (H05K1/0283 takes precedence)}
- H05K 1/0287: {having an universal lay-out, e.g. pad or land grid patterns or mesh patterns}
- H05K 1/142: {Arrangements of planar printed circuit boards in the same plane, e.g. auxiliary printed circuit insert mounted in a main printed circuit}
- H05K 1/189: characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits
- H05K 3/0052: {Depaneling, i.e. dividing a panel into circuit boards; Working of the edges of circuit boards}
- H10F 19/00: Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one photovoltaic cell covered by group H10F10/00, e.g. photovoltaic modules
- H10F 19/80: Encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells
- H10F 19/904: {characterised by the shapes of the structures}
- H10F 77/935: {for photovoltaic devices or modules}
- H10W 90/00: Package configurations
- H02S 40/22: Light-reflecting or light-concentrating means (directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H10F77/42)
- H05K 2201/09027: Non-rectangular flat PCB, e.g. circular
- H05K 2201/0999: Circuit printed on or in housing, e.g. housing as PCB; Circuit printed on the case of a component; PCB affixed to housing
- H05K 2201/10106: Light emitting diode [LED]
- H05K 2201/10143: Solar cell
- H10F 77/484: {Refractive light-concentrating means, e.g. lenses}
- Y02E 10/52: PV systems with concentrators
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A precursor body, of a flexible printed circuit, which is developed and provided on a bottom surface of a housing of a concentrator photovoltaic module for concentrating sunlight and generating power, includes: a plurality of strip-shaped flexible substrates extending in an X direction when one direction is defined as the X direction; a printed circuit unit including a plurality of cells mounted on the flexible substrates at equal intervals in the X direction and an electric circuit related to the cells; and a plurality of connection bands connecting the plurality of flexible substrates to each other in a state where the plurality of flexible substrates are aligned so as to be close to each other in a Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, the plurality of connection bands extending in the Y direction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A precursor body, of a flexible printed circuit, which is developed and provided on a bottom surface of a housing of a concentrator photovoltaic module for concentrating sunlight and generating power, the precursor body comprising:
a plurality of strip-shaped flexible substrates extending in an X direction when one direction is defined as the X direction;
a printed circuit unit including a plurality of cells mounted on the flexible substrates at equal intervals in the X direction and an electric circuit related to the cells; and
a plurality of connection bands connecting the plurality of flexible substrates to each other in a state where the plurality of flexible substrates are aligned so as to be close to each other in a Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, the plurality of connection bands extending in both sides with respect to the Y direction, wherein
each of the plurality of connection bands after separating it at an intermediate position in the Y direction serves as a remnant of connection band to be adhered to the bottom surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The precursor body of the flexible printed circuit according to claim 1, wherein a copper pattern having a shape that makes it easy to cut the copper pattern at the intermediate position in the Y direction and that makes it difficult to cut the copper pattern at a position other than the intermediate position is provided on one face of each connection band.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The precursor body of the flexible printed circuit according to claim 1, wherein a perforation is formed at the intermediate position in the Y direction of each connection band.

### Claim 4

A manufacturing method for a flexible printed circuit, comprising:
mounting a printed circuit unit including an electric circuit, on a plurality of strip-shaped flexible substrates extending in an X direction when one direction is defined as the X direction;
preparing a precursor body of the flexible printed circuit by, in a state where the plurality of flexible substrates are aligned so as to be close to each other in a Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, making the plurality of flexible substrates connected to each other by a plurality of connection bands extending in the Y direction;
cutting each of the connection bands at an intermediate position between two adjacent flexible substrates such that the flexible substrates are separated from each other in the Y direction, when mounting to an installation target; and
developing the plurality of flexible substrates separated in parallel from each other, into a desired shape to form the flexible printed circuit, each of the plurality of flexible substrates having remnants of the connection bands at both sides in the Y direction to be adhered to the installation target.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The manufacturing method for the flexible printed circuit according to claim 4, wherein the connection band is cut such that a recess or a projection is left at a cut portion in the Y direction of the connection band at the adjacent flexible substrates.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The manufacturing method for the flexible printed circuit according to claim 4, wherein a mark with which the connection band after separation is aligned is formed on an installation surface of the installation target.

### Claim 7

A concentrator photovoltaic module for concentrating sunlight and generating power, the concentrator photovoltaic module comprising:
a housing;
a concentrating portion mounted so as to face a bottom surface of the housing; and
a flexible printed circuit provided on the bottom surface of the housing so as to form a plurality of rows, wherein
the flexible printed circuit in each row includes
a strip-shaped flexible substrate extending in an X direction when one direction is defined as the X direction,
a printed circuit unit including a plurality of cells which are mounted on the flexible substrate at equal intervals in the X direction and are for performing photoelectric conversion by sunlight concentrated by the concentrating portion and an electric circuit related to the cells, and
a remnant of a connection band remaining at the flexible substrate and extending in both sides with respect to a Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, the remnant being to be adhered to the bottom surface.

### Claim 8

A light emitting module for emitting light upon receiving power supplied from outside, the light emitting module comprising:
a housing;
a light-transmissive plate mounted so as to face a bottom surface of the housing; and
a flexible printed circuit provided on the bottom surface of the housing so as to form a plurality of rows, wherein
the flexible printed circuit in each row includes
a strip-shaped flexible substrate extending in an X direction when one direction is defined as the X direction,
a printed circuit unit including light emitting elements mounted on the flexible substrate at equal intervals in the X direction and an electric circuit related to the light emitting elements, and
a remnant of a connection band remaining at the flexible substrate and extending in both sides with respect to a Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, the remnant being to be adhered to the bottom surface.