EMI SHIELDED FLAT FLEXIBLE CABLE
Field of the invention.
The present invention relates to a flat flexible cable comprising 5 electrical conductors and electrically insulating material insulating the conductors. The cable further comprises an EMI shielding layer.
Background of the invention.
Flat flexible cables are known in the art and are becoming 10 increasingly important. An example is the automotive industry where, for example, the length, the requirements and the complexity of electrical conductors increases with each new version of a car. This increasing length, the increasing number of conductors, the increasing number of appliances connected to the flat flexible cables 15 and the use of higher voltages (e.g. the switch from 12 V to 42 V) substantially increases the risk for EMI (electro-magnetic interference), both interference induced by the flat flexible cable to electronic components in the periphery of the flat flexible cable, and interference induced by the electronic components in the periphery of 20 the flat flexible cable, to the conductors of the flat flexible cable.
The prior art has already provided various solutions for the EMI shielding.
EP-A-0 231 256 discloses a conductive ink as solution for EMI 25 shielding.
Other prior art documents teach an electrically conductive coating in the form of a metallic layer on the flat flexible cable.
EP-A-1229555 teaches the use of an conductive layer as a shielding layer for flat flexible cables. 30 Most prior art solutions, however, suffer from either a lack of adhesion between the shielding layer and the rest of the flat flexible cable or from a lack of EMI shielding efficiency.
35 Summary of the invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a flat flexible cable which shows an improved adhesion between a shielding layer and
other components of the flat flexible cable. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a flat flexible cable having an improved integrity under dynamic repetitive load. It is an other object of the present invention to provide a flat flexible cable having improved 5 EMI- shielding properties. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a flat flexible cable providing a solution to the problems of flat flexible cables as presently known in the prior art.
A flat flexible cable as subject of the invention comprises electrical 10 conductors and electrically insulating material insulating these conductors. The flat flexible cable further comprises an EMI shielding layer surrounding one or more of the insulated conductors, wherein the shielding layer comprises a plastic and electrically conductive fibers, present in the plastic. 15
Possibly, the shielding layer is provided in such a way that it surrounds each insulated conductor or a group of insulated conductors individually. Alternatively, the shielding layer surrounds all the insulated conductors globally, this is all insulated conductors as a 20 totally.
By adding electrically conductive fibers to the plastic of the shielding layer in stead of electrically conductive particles, e.g. carbon black, the amount of electrically conductive material necessary to achieve
25 sufficient EMI- shielding may be reduced. The adhesion and mechanical properties of the shielding layer do not differ too much from the properties of a plastic layer without electrically conductive fibers, as significantly less non-polymer material is added to the shielding layer. Therefor, the adhesion between shielding layer and
30 other components of the flat flexible cable, e.g. the insulated conductors, is improved. As the adhesion is improved, and as the electrically conductive fibers also contribute to some extent to the integrity of the flat flexible cable under dynamic repetitive load, this integrity may be improved as compared to presently known shielding
35 layers, e.g. the flat flexible cable as disclosed in EP-A-0 231 256.
The amount of electrically conductive fibers in the shielding layer of a flat flexible cable as subject of the invention may range from 0.1 to 30 % by weight, preferably chosen in the range of 0.1 to 20 % by 5 weight, such as in the range of 2.5 to 11 % by weight or in the range of 2.5 to 9% by weight.
The electrically conductive fibers may be any type of conductive fibers, but stainless steel fibers, Cu-fibers, Ni-fibers, or Ni-coated
10 carbon fibers are to be preferred. Different alloys of stainless steel may be used to provide the electrically conductive fibers, e.g. alloys out of austenitic or ferritic steel, as an example the AISI 300- and AISI 400-series, e.g. AISI 302 and AISI 304 and AISI 316 and AISI 316L, or fibers having a composition as described in WO03/010353,
15 hereby incorporated by reference.
To obtain best EMI-shielding results, the equivalent diameter of the electrically conductive fibers may be chosen in the range of 1 to 50μm, preferably in the range of 2μm to 16μm, e.g. 2μm, 2.5μm,
20 6.5μm, 8μm and 12μm, or any other equivalent diameter in the range between 2μm to 16μm. The term "equivalent diameter" of an electrically conductive fiber is to be understood as the diameter of an imaginary fiber having a circular radial cross section, of which the surface of the radial cross section is equal to the surface of a radial
25 cross section of the electrically conductive fiber.
The electrically conductive fibers used to provide a flat flexible cable as subject of the invention may have a length ranging from 0.5mm to 10mm, e.g. 5mm or any other length in the range between 0.5mm to 30 10mm.
The aspect ratio "length/equivalent diameter" of the electrically conductive fibers used to provide a flat flexible cable as subject of the invention, preferably ranges from 125 to 2000, e.g. 500 or 600 or
any other aspect ratio "length/equivalent diameter" in the range between 125 and 2000.
The electrically conductive fibers may be provided to the flat flexible 5 cable in many different ways. The electrically conductive fibers may be present in the shielding layer randomly. This may be achieved, as an example, by extruding a shielding layer comprising electrically conductive fibers and plastic to the insulated conductors. Alternatively, the electrically conductive fibers may be present in the
10 shielding layer as a web of fibers or an other fabric-like form comprising the electrically conductive fibers. After the fabric-like form is provided around the insulated conductors, the fabric-like form is impregnated with plastic in order to provide the shielding layer around the insulated conductors.
15
As plastic, being present in the shielding layer of the flat flexible cable, any polymer material may be used. Preferably the plastic is selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride, thermoplastic polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethersulfon, polyamide,
20 polyurethane, polycarbonate, polyimide, polytetrafluorethylene, and epoxy resin, or any combination thereof.
Depending on the thickness of the shielding layer and the amount of electrically conductive fibers comprised in the shielding layer, a 25 shielding effect (SE) of more than 20 dB or even more than 30dB or even more than 40dB can be obtained. The thickness of the shielding layer may preferably be in the range of 0.8 to 3mm, or even more preferred less than 2mm or less than 1mm. The shielding effect (SE) is expressed as
30
SE = log (Pt/Pi)
Wherein Pi being the power of incoming field and Pt being the power of transmitted field.
35
A person skilled in the art understands that the shape, number or dimensions of the conductors, and the properties of the electrically insulating material may be chosen in order to meet the requirements of the flat flexible cable. 5 As an example, the electrically insulating material may be plastic selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride, thermoplastic polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethersulfon, polyamide, polyurethane, polycarbonate, polyimide, polytetrafluorethylene, and epoxy resin, or any combination thereof. 10 As an example, the conductors may be essentially circular or rectangular. The cross section of the conductors may vary according to the current to be carried, and the voltages used. As an example, the conductors may be provided using copper or aluminum metal.
15 It is understood that around the shielding layer, additional polymer layers may be provided for other purposes, e.g. for providing color codes for identification purposes.
A flat flexible cable as subject of the invention can be made in 20 different ways. A method to provide a flat flexible cable comprises in general the steps of
- Providing the electrical conductors;
- Insulating the conductors using an electrically insulating material; 25 - Providing a shielding layer surrounding the insulated electrical conductors.
The electrical conductors, having a cross section with a circular, rectangular or profiled shape, may be provided using different 30 processes. As an example, the electrical conductors may be provided by
- Circular or profiled drawing of conductive wires;
- rolling electrically conductive wires such as copper wires;
- cutting or slitting electrically conductive sheets or plates such as 35 copper or aluminum sheets or plates, in fine strips;
- vacuum depositing an electrically conductive material, e.g. copper or tin, on a plastic substrate and thickening this conductive material by either a hot dip operation or by an electrolytic deposition.
5
The electrically insulating material may be provided around the electrical conductors by extrusion or by lamination or any other technique known in the art.
10 The EMI shielding layer with the electrically conductive fibers may be added to the flat flexible cable by providing a fabric-like form comprising the electrically conductive fibers, e.g. a metal fiber web, to the insulated conductors. The plastic is then provided to the fabriclike form, e.g. by extrusion of the plastic compound around the
15 fabric-like form.
Alternatively, a chopped fiber form with a polymeric binder, as described in US 5397608, is added to the plastic compound, providing a master batch comprising electrically conductive fibers. This master batch is then extruded around the insulated conductors, providing a
20 flat flexible cable as subject of the invention.
The flat flexible cable as subject of the invention may be used for signal transportation or current supply, e.g. in vehicles, trains, aircraft, boats, computers or between several electrical components 25 of machinery.
Brief description of the drawings.
The invention will now be described into more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein 30 - FIGURE 1 shows schematically a cross section of a flat flexible cable having a shielding layer surrounding the insulated conductors globally.
- FIGURE 2 shows schematically a cross section of a flat flexible cable having a shielding layer surrounding the insulated
35 conductors individually.
- FIGURE 3 shows schematically a cross section of a flat flexible cable having a shielding layer surrounding some groups of insulated conductors individually.
Description of the preferred embodiments of the invention.
FIGURE 1 shows a flat flexible cable 11, comprising three conductors 12, which are insulated from each other by means of an electrically
10 insulating material 13. This electrically insulating material, e.g. polyvinylchloride can be provided by laminating the conductors 12 between two sheets of electrically insulating material 13. Alternatively, the electrically insulating material may be thermoplastic polyurethane. This group of insulated conductors, being Cu-flat rolled
15 wire of thickness 0.2mm and varying widths, is surrounded by a shielding layer 14, which is e.g. extruded around the group of insulated conductors. The shielding layer comprises a plastic, e.g. polyvinylchloride, which comprises 9% by weight stainless steel fibers, out of alloy AISI 302, having an equivalent diameter of 8μm
20 and a ratio length over equivalent diameter of 625. Alternatively, the plastic may be thermoplastic polyurethane. As an example, three equal conductors 12 were shown. A person skilled in the art understands that the shape and the dimensions of the conductor can vary over a wide range.
25
In order to obtain a sufficient EMI-shielding effect, the thickness 15 of the shielding layer is chosen larger than 0.8mm, e.g. 1mm.
Alternatively, the shielding layer may be provided by providing a 30 fabric like electrically conductive fiber layer around the group of insulated conductors, which is than impregnated by the plastic. A electrically conductive fibers web comprising stainless steel AISI 302 fibers having a diameter of 8μm and an average length of more than 6mm. 35
A flat flexible cable 21 having a shielding layer surrounding the insulated conductors individually is shown in FIGURE 2. A set of conductors 22 are each individually insulated using an electrically insulating material 23 surrounding the conductor. A shielding layer 5 24, which may be extruded around the insulated conductors, surrounds the insulated conductors. An identical extruded electrically conductive fibers and plastic compound as for shielding layer 14 of FIGURE 1 may be used.
10 A flat flexible cable 301 having a shielding layer surrounding some groups of insulated conductors individually is shown in FIGURE 3. As an example, shielding layer 320 surrounds three groups 310, 311, and 312 of insulated conductors. Each group of insulated conductors comprises several conductors 330 and an electrically insulating
15 material 331. The groups of insulated conductors may be individually surrounded by the shielding layer 320, as e.g. group 310. Alternatively, the shielding layer 320 may surround some groups of insulated conductors together, as group 311 and 312 in FIGURE 3. An identical extruded electrically conductive fibers and plastic
20 compound as for shielding layer 14 of FIGURE 1 may be used.