Hybrid integrated circuit component and printed circuit board mounting said component

A mother printed circuit board on which hybrid integrated circuit components are mounted, each of said hybrid integrated circuit components comprising:

• a flexible circuit board composed of a flexible insulated substrate, a circuit conductor formed on one surface of said flexible insulated substrate, and a pair of conductor layers formed along two opposite sides of said flexible insulated substrate to serve as a pair of external connection terminals;
• circuit elements mounted on said flexible insulated substrate and electrically connected to said circuit conductor;
• and a pair of hard supporting plates cemented on the other surface and at said two opposite sides of said flexible insulated substrate, said flexible circuit board being folded and having a spring characteristic at a center bending portion of said flexible insulated substrate, and mounted on said mother printed circuit board so that said pair of hard supporting plates face to each other and so that said pair of external connection terminals are arranged close to each other and so that said pair of external connection terminals which are doubled via said pair of hard supporting plates are inserted into a slit provided on said mother printed circuit board so as to ensure contact between said slit of said mother printed circuit board and each of said pair of external connection terminals of said flexible circuit board at said center bending portion;
• and so that said pair of external connection terminals are directly connected to a circuit conductor of said mother printed circuit board at said slit by means of soldering;
• said spring characteristic being sufficient to spring said substrate outward toward a flat condition with a sufficient force to ensure contact between said slit of said mother printed board and each of said pair of external connection terminals.

A method of mounting a hybrid integrated circuit component on a mother printed circuit board, wherein said method comprises:

• (a) providing a hybrid integrated circuit component comprising:
• a flexible circuit board composed of a flexible insulated substrate, a circuit conductor formed on one surface of said flexible insulated substrate, and a pair of conductor layers formed along two opposite sides of said flexible insulated substrate to serve as a pair of external connection terminals;
• circuit elements mounted on said flexible insulated substrate and electrically connected with said circuit conductor;
• and a pair of hard supporting plates cemented on the other surface and at said two opposite sides of said flexible insulated substrate so that said flexible circuit board can be folded at a center bending portion of said flexible insulated substrate;
• (b) folding said flexible circuit board so that said pair of hard supporting plates face each other and so that said pair of external connection terminals are arranged close to each other;
• (c) vertically inserting said pair of external connection terminals into a slit provided in said mother printed circuit board, said flexible circuit board being held in said slit of said mother printed circuit board with sufficient contact between said slit and each of said pair of external connection terminals thereof due to a spring characteristic of said flexible circuit board at said center bending portion;
• said spring characteristic being sufficient to spring said substrate outward toward a flat condition with a sufficient force to ensure contact between said slit of said mother printed board and each of said pair of external connection terminals;
• and
• (d) directly connecting said pair of external connection terminals to a circuit conductor of said mother printed circuit board at said slit by means of soldering.