JP2013131725A - Electronic device, detection module, and flexible printed circuit board - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience and productivity when an assembling worker handles a flexible printed circuit board by manual operations.SOLUTION: A printer 1 includes: a control board 170 for controlling an optical sensor 35; and a flexible printed circuit board 200 including an element arrangement section 201 for arranging the optical sensor 35, and a connection extension section 202 extendedly provided so as to connect the element arrangement section 201 and the control board 170. The element arrangement section 201 has a high-rigidity portion Z including a base layer 201c, a metal pattern layer 201b, an insulator layer 201a, and a reinforcing plate layer 201d, and has low-rigidity portions Y1 and Y2 which include missing regions t1 and t2 in which at least the reinforcing plate layer 201d is missing and have low rigidity. The low-rigidity portions Y1 and Y2 are provided on at least one portion between a tip portion 200A on the opposite side to the connection extension section 202 and the optical sensor 35.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device provided with a flexible printed circuit board, a detection module used in the electronic device, and a flexible printed circuit board.

  As a conventional technique related to a flexible printed circuit board configured by mounting components such as various chips on the surface of a flexible base layer (base material), a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. In this prior art, the metal pattern layer (conductive circuit) is formed on one side (front side) of the base layer to mount the component, and the component is mounted on the other side (back side) of the base layer. A reinforcing plate is provided in a region that is wider than the region.

JP 2004-356145 A

  Usually, the flexible printed circuit board as described above is manually assembled into the electronic device by an assembly operator when various electronic devices are manufactured. At this time, in the above-described conventional technology, the reinforcing plate is provided on the back side of the substrate so as to be wider than the component mounting region on the front side of the substrate. For this reason, the flexible printed circuit board has a strong rigidity in a relatively large area. As a result, when the assembly operator manually assembles the flexible printed circuit board at the time of manufacturing the electronic device, the flexible printed circuit board may be too rigid in some cases, which may cause inconvenience in manual handling. It was. In particular, when the assembly operator holds the tip of the flexible printed circuit board with one hand and performs positioning while holding the opposite side with the other hand, the flexible printed circuit board has a strong rigidity in a wide range. Even if it is desired to attach the flexible printed circuit board to a desired position, it is difficult to finely adjust the positioning location, and the productivity may be lowered.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of improving convenience and improving productivity when an assembly operator manually handles a flexible printed circuit board, a detection module used in the electronic device, and a flexible print It is to provide a circuit board.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention connects a control means for controlling a detection element, an element arrangement section for arranging at least one detection element, and the element arrangement section and the control board. A flexible printed circuit board having a connection extension portion extending so as to extend, the element arrangement portion including a base layer having flexibility, at least one metal pattern layer, at least A strong rigid portion including one insulator layer and a reinforcing plate layer, and at least the base layer, the at least one metal pattern layer, the at least one insulator layer, and the reinforcing plate layer. Including a missing region where the reinforcing plate layer is missing, and a weakly rigid portion having a weaker rigidity than the strong rigid portion, and the weakly rigid portion is the connection among the element arrangement portions. In at least one place between the tip and the detecting elements on the opposite side of the length portion, characterized in that it is provided.

  The electronic device of the present invention has at least one detection element. At this time, the detection element is controlled by the control means. Here, the detection element is provided in an element arrangement portion located on the tip side of the flexible printed circuit board. In the flexible printed circuit board, a connection extension is provided on the opposite side of the element arrangement part, and the connection extension extends so as to connect the element arrangement part and the control board. At the time of manufacturing an electronic device, such a flexible printed circuit board provided with a connection extension portion and an element arrangement portion is usually attached manually by an assembly operator. A flexible printed circuit board is usually formed with a metal pattern layer on a base layer made of a film or the like. However, in order to ensure rigidity, a laminated structure in which a reinforcing plate is attached to the base layer or the metal pattern layer may be used. is there.

  However, if the laminated structure is too rigid in a large area, it is often inconvenient for an assembly operator to handle the flexible printed circuit board manually. In particular, when the assembly operator positions the tip of the element placement portion with one hand and the detection element with the other hand and has strong rigidity, for example, the element placement portion is placed at a desired position. When attaching, it is difficult to make fine adjustments to the positioning location.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the element placement portion is provided with a strong rigidity portion and a weak rigidity portion. The highly rigid portion includes the above-described base layer, metal pattern layer, insulator layer, and reinforcing plate layer. On the other hand, the weakly rigid part includes a missing region where at least the reinforcing plate layer is missing among the above layers, and the rigidity is smaller than that of the highly rigid part. And such a weakly rigid part is provided in at least one place between a front-end | tip part and a detection element. As a result, the assembly operator can flexibly bend or bend the element arrangement portion at least between the detection element and the tip portion using the weakly rigid region. As a result, the convenience of the assembling operator when handling the flexible printed circuit board by hand can be improved, and the productivity can be improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the convenience at the time of an assembly operator handling a flexible printed circuit board by manual work can be improved.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the state which removed the top cover of the printer from the front side diagonally upward direction in the state which omitted the control board. It is sectional drawing by the FF cross section in FIG. 1, and sectional drawing by the GG cross section. It is the perspective view and top view which looked at the state which removed only the fixed part among the top covers of a housing | casing (however, a control board is abbreviated) seen from the front side diagonally upward direction. It is the perspective view (however, a control board is abbreviate | omitted) and the top view which looked at the state which removed the whole top cover of the housing | casing from the front side diagonally upward direction. It is the perspective view seen from the back side diagonal upper direction showing the state which removed the whole top cover of the housing | casing (however, a control board is abbreviated). FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printer. It is a figure showing the circuit structure of an optical sensor. It is a top view of a flexible printed circuit board. It is an enlarged plan view showing the element arrangement part of a flexible printed circuit board. In the structure shown in FIG. 10, the first metal pattern layer is seen through from above, the second metal pattern layer is seen through from below, and the back surface of the reinforcing plate layer. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 10, a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 10, and a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is an embodiment when the present invention is applied to a printer as an electronic apparatus.

<Schematic configuration of printer>
The overall configuration of the printer (electronic device) 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the lower right direction in FIG. 1 is defined as right, the upper left direction is left, the upper right direction is rearward, the lower left direction is front, the upper direction is upper, and the lower direction is lower (in each figure). (See arrow illustration).

  The printer 1 prints print data received from an external device 50 (see FIG. 7 described later) such as a PC terminal or a mobile phone on a roll paper S (print medium). The printer 1 can be driven by using a battery (not shown; details will be described later) as a power source.

  The printer 1 includes a substantially box-shaped casing 100 that is made of, for example, a resin material and that forms an outer shell of the apparatus. The housing 100 includes a top cover 101 that constitutes the upper part of the apparatus outer shell and an under cover 102 that constitutes the lower part of the apparatus outer shell. The top cover 101 includes a fixed portion 101A and an opening / closing lid 101B.

  The end portion of the under cover 102 is provided with a pair of left and right insertion portions 102a. For example, a strap or the like is inserted into the insertion portion 102a, and the operator can place the battery-powered printer 1 in various places (including outdoors) as described above by hanging it over the shoulder, neck, or waist belt. It can be easily carried and used.

  A USB connected directly to a communication interface 43 for connecting an external device 50 such as a PC terminal or a mobile phone to the side of the under cover 102 by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable 5 (see FIG. 7 described later). A connector 102b is provided (see FIGS. 2 and 4).

  A roll storage 161 is provided below the opening / closing lid 101B of the top cover 101 (inside the housing 100) (see FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). The roll storage unit 161 stores the roll paper S that is pivotally supported at both ends by the support member 162 so that the roll paper S can be continuously supplied from the roll storage unit 161. It has become. At this time, the opening / closing lid 101B is rotatably connected to the rear end portion of the under cover 102 via the hinge portion H, thereby opening the roll storage portion 161 to the outside, and the roll storage portion 161. It can be switched to the closed state to be accommodated inside. By opening the opening / closing lid 101B, the roll storage unit 161 can be exposed to the outside of the apparatus, and the roll paper S can be easily mounted or replaced.

  A discharge port 107 for discharging the printed roll paper S is provided at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the top cover 101 (in this example, a portion where the fixed portion 101A and the opening / closing lid 101B are attached). At this time, the discharge port 107 is provided so as to open toward one side along the vertical direction (in this example, upward).

  A platen roller 111 (conveying means) is rotatably supported at the front end of the opening / closing lid 101B. The platen roller 111 conveys the roll paper S by the rotation of a rotor (not shown) in the motor casing 21 being transmitted when the open / close lid 101B is in the closed state.

<Mechanical unit and surroundings>
On the other hand, a mechanical unit MU (print processing mechanism) including a main chassis member 150 is provided in the vicinity of the central portion in the front-rear direction inside the housing 100. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, in the mechanical unit MU, the head unit HU is disposed inside the main chassis member 150 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. The head unit HU is provided with an integrated thermal line head 112 (printing means) and a heat sink 114 for cooling the heat generated by the thermal line head 112. The heat sink 114 is urged toward the platen roller 111 (that is, the rear side) by a plurality of (two in this example) coil springs 115 whose front side ends are supported by the main chassis member 150. Thus, when the open / close lid 101B is in the closed state, the thermal line head 112 contacts the platen roller 111 with a predetermined pressure contact force.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the mechanical unit MU has a substantially cylindrical shape on the left side of the main chassis member 150 as an outline of a drive motor 32 (see FIG. 7) that generates a drive force for rotationally driving the platen roller 111. Motor casing 21 and a gear mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the driving motor 32 to the platen roller 111 by being operatively connected to the platen roller 111 in a closed state of the opening / closing lid 101B. It has been. The motor casing 21 is provided below the discharge port 107 inside the housing 100 (see FIG. 3B described above). The drive of the drive motor 32 is controlled by a control board 170 (see FIG. 3) arranged from the lower side of the mechanical unit MU to the rear of the housing 100. In this example, the control board 170 is extended in the horizontal direction in order to facilitate handling and assembling.

  Below the control board 170 in the housing 100, there is provided a battery housing portion 163 (see FIG. 3A) in which the battery is inserted from the lower surface side of the under cover 102. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted in the battery accommodating part 163, the said battery is accommodated horizontally from a viewpoint of stability or a gravity center arrangement | positioning. The control board 170 controls the thermal line head 112, the drive motor 32, and the like while using power supplied from the battery stored in the battery storage unit 163.

<Partition wall>
In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the interior of the housing 100 includes a first region P on one side in the front-rear direction (front side in this example) and the other side in the front-rear direction (in this example). And the second region Q on the rear side. A battery housing part 163 is provided in the lower part of the first region P, and a control board 170 is provided in the upper part of the first region P. That is, the battery housing part 163 (see FIG. 3A) and the control board 170, both of which have large horizontal dimensions, are arranged in the first region P vertically. In the second region Q, a roll storage unit 161 having a large vertical dimension is arranged. The mechanical unit MU is disposed in the vicinity of the boundary between the first region P in which the battery storage unit 163 and the control board 170 are disposed and the second region Q in which the roll storage unit 161 is disposed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a partition wall R for partitioning the internal structure of the housing 100 into the first region P and the second region Q at the boundary between the first region P and the second region Q. Is erected from the inner bottom of the undercover 102. A mechanical unit MU is provided so as to cover the upper part of the partition wall R. Thereby, between the 2nd area | region Q which can be opened outside as mentioned above, and the 1st area | region P with the control board 170 can be sealed by the partition wall R and the mechanical unit MU.

  Then, among the partition walls R, the attachment portion 180 that stands up in a slanting surface at the lower end side of the main chassis member 150 of the mechanical unit MU disposed in contact with the partition wall R so as to face the roll storage portion 161 side. Is provided. At the time of manufacturing the printer 1, an element placement portion 201 of a flexible printed circuit board 200 (described later) connected to the control board 170 is attached to the attachment portion 180 manually by an assembly operator. As will be described later, an optical sensor 35 (described later) for detecting the roll paper S supplied from the roll storage unit 161 is disposed in the element arrangement unit 201.

<Overview of printer operation>
In the above configuration, at the time of printing, print data is transmitted from an external device such as a PC terminal or a mobile phone to the printer 1 via wireless communication (or wired communication or infrared communication). Further, the roll paper S is fed out from the roll storage portion 161 by the rotation of the platen roller 111 based on the driving force of the driving motor. The fed roll paper S is guided to a pressure contact portion between the platen roller 111 and the thermal line head 112 by a guide member 120 provided below the discharge port 107. The thermal line head 112 performs printing in a desired mode on the roll paper S inserted between the thermal line head 112 and the platen roller 111 based on the print data. The printed roll paper S is discharged from the discharge port 107 to the outside of the housing 100. At this time, fixed teeth 160 are attached to the main chassis member 150 along the discharge port 107 inside the discharge port 107. The operator can manually cut the end portion of the roll paper S that has been printed as described above and discharged from the discharge port 107 using the fixed teeth 160.

  When a paper jam or the like occurs, the platen roller 111 is released from the thermal line head 112 by opening the opening / closing lid 101B of the top cover 101, and the roll paper S can be easily pulled out. .

<Functional configuration of printer>
Next, the functional configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 7, the control circuit 40 is disposed on the control board 170 of the printer 1. The control circuit 40 is provided with a CPU 44 (control means), and an input / output interface 41, a ROM 46, an EEPROM 47, a RAM 48, and a communication interface 43 are connected to the CPU 44 via a data bus 42.

  The ROM 46 stores various programs necessary for control, such as a print drive control program. The print drive control program is a program for reading data in a print buffer 48B described later and driving the drive motor 32 of the thermal line head 112 and the platen roller 111. The CPU 44 performs various calculations and processes based on various programs stored in the ROM 46.

  The RAM 48 temporarily stores various calculation results calculated by the CPU 44. The RAM 48 is provided with a text memory 48A, a print buffer 48B, a work memory 48C, and the like. The text memory 48A stores print data. The print buffer 48B stores dot pattern data. The work memory 48C stores various calculation data and the like.

  The communication interface 43 is configured by, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like, and performs information communication (for example, serial communication) with the external device 50 via the USB cable 5 connected to the USB connector 102b. I do.

  The input / output interface 41 is connected to the drive circuit 31, the drive circuit 33, and the optical sensor 35.

  The drive circuit 31 drives the thermal line head 112.

  The drive circuit 33 drives the above-described platen roller 111 by driving the drive motor 32 and conveys the roll paper S.

  Also, thermal printing that can continuously produce a desired printed matter (not shown) using the roll paper S by the drive circuit 31, thermal line head 112, drive circuit 33, drive motor 32, platen roller 111, and the like. A mechanism 6 is configured.

  In the control system having the control circuit 40 shown in FIG. 7 as a core, when print data is input from the operation terminal 50 via the USB cable 5, the print data is stored in the text memory 48A. The stored print data is read again and subjected to predetermined conversion by the conversion function of the CPU 44, whereby dot pattern data is generated and stored in the print buffer 48B. Then, the thermal line head 112 is driven via the drive circuit 31, and each of the heating elements is selectively driven to generate heat corresponding to the printing dots for one line, and the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer 48B is printed. I do. In synchronism with this, the drive motor 32 controls the conveyance of the roll paper S via the drive circuit 33, and finally produces the printed matter.

<Optical sensor>
The optical sensor 35 is a sensor using an optical technique such as a known reflection type sensor, for example, and detects the roll paper S based on the reflection behavior of the reflected light. A so-called transmissive sensor may be used instead of the reflective sensor.

  The circuit configuration of the optical sensor 35 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the optical sensor 35 includes a projector 35A (light projecting element) and a light receiver 35B (light receiving element). The projector 35A projects light toward the roll paper S. The light receiver 35B receives the reflected light Lr emitted from the light projector 35A and reflected from the roll paper S, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the received light amount. The CPU 44 detects the roll paper S based on the voltage value (detected voltage value) V output from the light receiver 35B corresponding to the reflected light Lr received.

  The optical sensor 35 has a switch SW and a bias resistor R in addition to the projector 35A and the light receiver 35B described above. The light projector 35A in this example is formed of a light emitting diode, and its anode terminal 71 is connected to a power supply (power supply voltage Vcc) via a resistor R, and the cathode terminal 72 is grounded via a switch SW. The light receiver 35B of this example is formed of a phototransistor, the collector terminal 73 of which is connected to the power supply, the emitter terminal 74 functions as an output terminal for outputting the detected voltage value V, and the bias resistor R Is grounded. In this example, since the phototransistor constituting the light receiver 35B is biased on the emitter side, a higher detection voltage value V is output as the amount of received light increases.

<Features of this embodiment>
In the above configuration, the present embodiment is characterized by the structure of the element placement portion 201 located on the distal end side of the flexible printed circuit board 200. Hereinafter, the details will be described in order with reference to FIGS.

<Schematic structure of flexible printed circuit board>
In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the element placement portion 201 of the flexible printed circuit board 200 connected to the control board 170 is arranged on the attachment portion 180 (see FIG. 6) located at the upper end of the partition wall R. Established. As shown in FIG. 9, the flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 200 includes an element placement portion 201 located on the tip side bent in a substantially L shape, and a continuous step shape provided on the opposite side of the element placement portion 201. And a connection extension 202 having a bent shape. The connection extension 202 is extended so as to connect between the element placement unit 201 and the control board 170. As shown in FIG. 10, the element placement unit 201 is provided with the optical sensor 35 (first detection element) and an appropriate lamp 36 (second detection element) such as a white lamp.

  At the time of manufacturing the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the flexible printed circuit board 200 provided with the connection extension portion 202 and the element arrangement portion 201 is usually attached by an assembly operator's manual work. Here, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, in the flexible printed circuit board 200, a metal pattern layer 201b is formed on a base layer 201c made of a film or the like, and a reinforcing plate layer is provided to ensure rigidity. 201d is provided.

  However, if the laminated structure including the reinforcing plate layer 201d is too rigid in a wide area of the flexible printed circuit board 200, it is inconvenient when the assembly operator manually handles the flexible printed circuit board 200 as described above. There are many cases. In particular, the assembly operator holds the optical sensor 35 and the lamp 36 with one hand while holding the tip part 200A of the flexible printed circuit board 200 (in other words, the tip part of the element arrangement part 201) with one hand. At this time, when the rigidity is strong, for example, when the element placement portion 201 is attached to a desired position of the attachment portion 180, it is difficult to finely adjust the positioning portion.

<Strong and weak rigidity parts>
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12A to 12C, the element placement portion 201 includes the strong rigidity portion Z and at least one weak location (two locations in this example). Parts Y1 and Y2 are provided.

<Strong rigidity part>
The rigid portion Z includes the above-described base layer 201c, a metal pattern layer 201b made of, for example, a copper foil pattern, an insulator layer 201a made of, for example, a coverlay film, and a reinforcing plate layer 201d (FIG. 12). (See (a)).

  Specifically, the metal pattern layer 201b1 is located on one side in the thickness direction of the base layer 201c (upper side in FIG. 12), and includes a first signal line pattern w1 and a first ground pattern layer u1. 201b1, and a second metal pattern layer 201b2 that is located on the other side in the thickness direction of the base layer 201c (the lower side in FIG. 12) and includes the second signal line pattern w2 and the second ground pattern layer u2. . Further, the insulator layer 201a includes, in detail, a first insulator layer 201a1 located on one side (upper side in FIG. 12) in the thickness direction of the first metal pattern layer 201b1, and a second metal pattern layer 201b2. And a second insulator layer 201a2 located on the other side in the thickness direction (the lower side in FIG. 12). At this time, the reinforcing plate 201d is located on the other side in the thickness direction of the second insulator layer 201a2 (the lower side in FIG. 12).

<Weakly rigid part>
The weakly rigid portions Y1 and Y2 are provided at at least one position between the tip portion 200A and the optical sensor 35 or between the tip portion 200A and the lamp 36.

  The weakly rigid portion Y1 (first weakly rigid portion) is provided at least at one place (one place in this example) between the optical sensor 35 and the lamp 36 (approximately at the position of the CC cross section in FIG. 10). (Refer to the rectangular dotted line portion C in FIG. 11). A lack region t1 is formed in the weakly rigid portion Y1. In this missing region t1, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 (c), the first metal pattern layer 201b1, the second metal pattern layer 201b2, and the reinforcing plate 201d are missing as compared with the above-described strong rigid portion Z. ing. In this case, in the weakly rigid portion Y1, the reinforcing plate 201d has an opening shape only at a location corresponding to the missing region t1 (that is, only a partial region in the width direction). In addition, you may make it make the thickness direction dimension of the said part of the reinforcement board layer 201d thinner than another site | part instead of making it open. In the first metal pattern layer 201b1, most of the first ground pattern layer u1 is omitted while leaving the first signal line w1. Further, the second metal pattern layer 201b2 is omitted from the second ground pattern layer u2 while leaving the second signal line w2.

  The weakly rigid portion Y2 (second weakly rigid portion) is provided in at least one location (one location in this example) between the tip portion 200A and the lamp 36 (at the position of the BB cross section in FIG. 10). (Refer to the rectangular dotted line portion B in FIG. 11 which corresponds substantially). A lack region t2 is formed in the weakly rigid portion Y2. In the missing region t2, as in the missing region t1, the first metal pattern layer 201b1 and the second metal pattern layer 201b2 are compared to the strong rigid portion Z as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12B. And the reinforcing plate 201d are missing. In this case, in the weakly rigid portion Y2, the reinforcing plate 201d has an opening shape only at a location corresponding to the missing region t1 (that is, only a partial region in the width direction). In addition, you may make it make the thickness direction dimension of the said part of the reinforcement board layer 201d thinner than another site | part instead of making it open. Further, the first metal pattern layer 201b1 has an opening shape only in a portion corresponding to the missing region t1 (that is, only a partial region in the width direction) in the first ground pattern layer u1. Further, all of the second metal pattern layer 201b2 is omitted.

  As a result of the above layer structure, the weakly rigid portions Y1, Y2 are less rigid than the highly rigid portion Z. That is, the rigid structure Z includes a first insulator layer 201a, a first metal pattern layer 201b, a base layer 201c, a second metal pattern layer 201b, a second insulator layer 201a, and a reinforcing plate 201d. It is. On the other hand, at least the three layers of the first metal pattern layer 201b, the second metal pattern layer 201b, and the reinforcing plate 201d are eliminated in the lack regions t1 and t2 of the weakly rigid portions Y1 and Y2 (FIG. 12B and FIG. 12 (c)), the rigidity is reliably reduced. Thereby, the assembly operator can flexibly bend or bend the element placement portion 201 at least between the optical sensor 35 and the tip portion 200A by using the weakly rigid regions Y1 and Y2. Become.

<Soldering land>
A connection terminal (not shown) of at least one of the optical sensor 35 and the lamp 36 (only the optical sensor 35 in this example) and the second signal line w2 of the second metal pattern layer 201b are connected to a soldering land La (see FIG. 11 (b)) is attached to the element arrangement portion 201. The weakly rigid portion Y1 is provided adjacent to the soldering land La.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, in the flexible printed circuit board 200 provided in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the assembly operator uses the weakly rigid portions Y1 and Y2 to at least form the optical sensor 35 and the tip portion 200A. In the meantime, the element placement portion 201 can be flexibly bent or bent. As a result, the convenience of the assembling worker when handling the flexible printed circuit board 200 by hand can be improved, so that the productivity can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, particularly, on the tip portion 200A side, the element placement portion 201 can be flexibly bent or bent between the optical sensor 35 and the tip portion 200A using the weakly rigid portion Y2. At the same time, on the connection extension portion 202 side, the element placement portion 201 can be flexibly bent or bent between the optical sensor 35 and the lamp 36 using the weakly rigid portion Y1. As a result, even when the element placement unit 201 includes two detection elements (in this example, the optical sensor 35 and the lamp 36), the convenience of the assembling operator when handling the flexible printed circuit board 200 manually. Can be improved reliably.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the connection terminal of the optical sensor 35 and the second signal line w2 are joined by the soldering land La and attached to the element placement portion 201. In the case of such an optical sensor 35 mounting structure, since the optical sensor 35 is mounted in a protruding state, the optical sensor 35 functions as a reinforcing plate layer 201d in the mounting area of the optical sensor 35. Will be fulfilled. As a result, during manual handling by the assembly operator as described above, bending or bending occurs intensively in the vicinity of the soldering land La in the mounting region of the optical sensor 35, and the soldering land La is formed on the base material. May be peeled off. Therefore, by providing the weakly rigid portion Y1 adjacent to the soldering land La, it is possible to prevent concentration of bending and bending of the joint portion in the vicinity of the soldering land La, and to ensure the durability of the element placement portion 201. Can be improved.

  In the above-described configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the detection module (the highly rigid portion Z and the weakly rigid portion having the above configuration) including the flexible printed circuit board 200 in which the optical sensor 35 and the lamp 36 are integrally integrated in advance. Y1 and Y2) may be prepared and the integrated detection module may be attached to the attachment portion 180. In this case, the same effect is obtained.

  Further, in the above, the optical sensor 35 detects from the lower side of the transport path of the roll paper S by providing the mounting portion 180 with the element placement portion 201 of the flexible printed circuit board 200 connected to the control board 170. However, it is not limited to this. In other words, the optical sensor 35 may perform detection from the upper side of the transport path of the roll paper S by providing the element placement unit 201 on the opening / closing lid 101B, for example.

  In the above description, the optical sensor 35 that is an optical element is provided as the detection element, and the optical sensor performs optical detection on the detection target (the roll paper S in this example). Not limited to. That is, a detection element that performs another detection method on a detection target, such as a lever-type detection switch that performs detection by mechanical contact or a Hall IC that performs magnetic detection, may be used. In these cases, the same effect as described above can be obtained by applying the flexible printed circuit board of the present invention in the connection configuration up to the detection element.

  In the above, the case where the present invention is applied to the printer 1 which is a kind of printing apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, as an example of a printing apparatus, for example, a printer that forms an image or prints characters on a normal printing paper of A4, A3, B4, B5 size, etc., or prints a desired label on a printing tape. You may apply this invention with respect to the printing label production apparatus produced. Further, the present invention is not limited to the printing apparatus, and the present invention can be applied to other apparatuses as long as the electronic apparatus includes a flexible printed circuit board that connects the control unit and the detection element. In these cases, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  In addition to those already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

  In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

1 Printer (electronic device)
35 Optical sensor (first detection element, detection element)
36 lamp (second detection element, detection element)
111 Platen roller (conveying means)
112 Thermal line head (printing means)
170 Control Board 200 Flexible Printed Circuit Board 200A Tip 201 Element Placement 201a Insulator Layer 201b Metal Pattern Layer 201c Base Layer 201d Reinforcement Plate 202 Connection Extension La Soldering Land S Roll Paper (Printed Medium)
t1, t2 Missing region Y1, Y2 Weak rigid part Z Strong rigid part

Claims (6)

Control means for controlling the detection element;
A flexible printed circuit board comprising: an element arrangement part for arranging at least one of the detection elements; and a connection extension extending to connect the element arrangement part and the control board;
An electronic device comprising:
The element arrangement part is:
A rigid portion comprising a flexible base layer, at least one metal pattern layer, at least one insulator layer, and a reinforcing plate layer;
Among the base layer, the at least one metal pattern layer, the at least one insulator layer, and the reinforcing plate layer, includes a missing region where at least the reinforcing plate layer is missing, and has a rigidity that is weaker than the strong rigidity portion. A weakly rigid part with
And having
The weakly rigid portion is
An electronic device, wherein the electronic device is provided at least at one location between a tip portion opposite to the connection extension portion and each detection element in the element arrangement portion. The electronic device according to claim 1.
In the rigid part,
The at least one metal pattern layer comprises:
A first metal pattern layer including a first signal line pattern and a first ground pattern layer located on one side in the thickness direction of the base layer;
A second metal pattern layer including a second signal line pattern and a second ground pattern layer located on the other side in the thickness direction of the base layer;
Including
The at least one insulator layer comprises:
A first insulator layer located on one side in the thickness direction of the first metal pattern layer;
A second insulator layer located on the other side in the thickness direction of the second metal pattern layer;
Including
The reinforcing plate is
It is located on the other side in the thickness direction of the second insulator layer,
In the weakly rigid part,
The missing area is
At least the first metal pattern layer and the second metal pattern among the first metal pattern layer, the first insulator layer, the second metal pattern layer, the second insulator layer, and the reinforcing plate layer. An electronic device, wherein a layer and the reinforcing plate layer are missing. The electronic device according to claim 2.
The detection element is
The first sensing element;
A second detection element located closer to the tip than the first detection element;
Including
The weakly rigid portion is
A first weakly rigid portion located between the first sensing element and the second sensing element;
A second weakly rigid portion located between the second detection element and the tip portion;
An electronic device comprising: The electronic device according to claim 3.
The connection terminal of the detection element and the metal pattern are
It is attached to the element placement part by a soldering land,
The weakly rigid portion is
An electronic device is provided adjacent to the soldering land. At least one detection element for performing a predetermined detection operation;
A flexible printed circuit board comprising: an element arrangement part in which the at least one detection element is arranged; and a connection extension part extending from the element arrangement part;
A detection module comprising:
The element placement portion of the flexible printed circuit board is:
A rigid portion comprising a flexible base layer, at least one metal pattern layer, at least one insulator layer, and a reinforcing plate layer;
Among the base layer, the at least one metal pattern layer, the at least one insulator layer, and the reinforcing plate layer, includes a missing region where at least the reinforcing plate layer is missing, and has a rigidity that is weaker than the strong rigidity portion. A weakly rigid part with
And having
The weakly rigid portion is
The detection module according to claim 1, wherein the detection module is provided at least at one position between a tip portion opposite to the connection extension portion and each detection element in the element arrangement portion. An element placement portion for placing at least one detection element connected to a soldering land;
A connection extension extending from the element placement portion;
A flexible printed circuit board comprising:
The element arrangement part is:
A rigid portion comprising a flexible base layer, at least one metal pattern layer, at least one insulator layer, and a reinforcing plate layer;
Among the base layer, the at least one metal pattern layer, the at least one insulator layer, and the reinforcing plate layer, includes a missing region where at least the reinforcing plate layer is missing, and has a rigidity that is weaker than the strong rigidity portion. A weakly rigid part with
And having
The weakly rigid portion is
A flexible printed circuit board, which is provided in at least one place between the tip portion on the opposite side of the connection extension portion and the soldering land in the element arrangement portion.

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