WO2006112558A2

WO2006112558A2 - Method for manufacturing conductive device for electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2006112558A2
Application number: PCT/KR2005/000790
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sung Suk Ju
Original assignee: Sung Suk Ju
Priority date: 2005-03-18
Filing date: 2005-03-18
Publication date: 2006-10-26
Also published as: CN1951163A; CN100531545C; WO2006112558A3

Abstract

A method for manufacturing grey fabric of conductive devices (10) for electronic equipment by quilting fabric material (11) with conductive yarn 812) penetrating the fabric material (11) and by attaching conductive sheets (16) to the upper and lower sides thereof is disclosed. The method includes the steps of quilting a fabric material (11 ) with a conductive yarn (12) to electrically connected the upper and lower surfaces thereof, coating conductive adhesive (13) to the upper and lower sides thereof to flatten the surfaces of the quilted fabric material (11 ), attaching conductive sheets (14) to upper and lower sides of the conductive adhesive (13) and passing the quilted fabric material (11 ) through pressure rollers to permeate the conductive adhesive (13) into the quilted fabric material (11), thereby manufacturing a grey fabric of the conductive device (10), and cutting the grey fabric of the conductive device (10) in respective conductive devices 810) such that the cut surfaces of the respective conductive devices are thermally finished.

Description

[DESCRIPTION] [Invention Title]

METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING CONDUCTIVE DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a conductive device for electronic equipment, and more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a grey fabric of conductive devices for electronic equipment, such as a gasket, a liquid crystal display cushion, and the like, by quilting a fabric material with conductive yarn penetrating the fabric material and by attaching conductive sheets to the upper and lower sides of the quilted fabric material, such that vertical conduction and surface conduction of the grey fabric are enhanced and burrs or dregs are prevented from being formed upon the fabric material and the conductive yarn when cutting the grey fabric of the conductive devices in respective conductive devices.

[Background Art]

As is well known, industrialized electronic equipment includes complex circuits such that high-end performance can be implemented in response to consumer demands for various functions, rapid responsiveness, and portability. In particular, portable electronic equipment such as mobile communication terminals is continuously being decreased in size.

However, since several circuits must be integrated in a small space of the high end and small-sized electronic equipment, due to noise, that is, influence of electromagnetic waves, mechanical malfunction may frequently occur and product quality may also be deteriorated. Moreover, it is well known that the electromagnetic waves emitted from electronic equipment have negative health effects. Therefore, the electromagnetic waves and static electricity, detrimental to health, are shielded by providing conductivity to gaskets that are disposed to shield electromagnetic waves and static electricity leaked through seams and door crevices for opening and closing the electronic equipment or by providing conductivity to liquid crystal display cushions for supporting liquid crystal displays of digital equipment. Basically, since general gaskets or general liquid crystal display cushions must have a predetermined thickness and satisfy buffering performance and formability, porous synthetic resins, rubber, silicon, or the like, such as general sponge, ethylene propylene diene monomer, polyurethane foam, or the like are used. In order to manufacture the conductive device by providing conductivity to the above materials, since the above materials are impregnated, coated, or plated with conductive metal, costs for providing conductivity are high and processing thereof is also complicated, resulting in decreased productivity. Since metal powder may be separated from the material provided with conductivity as described above in some materials when the materials are used in shielding electromagnetic waves and static electricity or conductive layers may be separated from the materials as time goes by, the conventional conductive materials have a limited range of applicability and formation of the conductive layers difficult.

Moreover, thick conductive devices are needed in some places where the conductive devices are applied. Since the conduction in the vertical direction is deteriorated in proportion to the thickness of the conductive devices, the thickness of the conductive devices is restricted. Since any conductive device performs only surface conduction and the conduction in the vertical direction, but cannot perform conduction in the lateral direction, the conventional conductive devices have a restriction of shielding harmful electromagnetic waves and static electricity. Thus, the applicant of this patent application has filed Korean Patent

Application No. 2003-39138. In this patent application, the applicant has proposed a grey fabric of conductive devices and a method for manufacturing the same. According to the patent application, the grey fabric, employed in electronic equipment to shield electromagnetic waves and static electricity generated from electronic equipment, is manufactured by the manufacturing method, such that the fabric material is quilted with the conductive yarn such that the fabric material is protruded from the upper and lower sides of the fabric material and the upper and lower sides of the conductive material are electrically connected through the conductive yarn. The grey fabric of the conductive devices manufactured by the manufacturing method has excellent vertical conduction regardless of the thickness of the conductive device.

Although the grey fabric of the conductive devices for electronic equipment disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2003-39138 is valuable in view of structure, the manufacturing process entails certain inevitable problems. Since the fabric material is sunken during quilting the fabric material with the conductive yarn, surfaces of the grey fabric of the conductive devices become uneven, resulting in damage to the appearance thereof. Moreover, the sunken portions may damage workers and the vertical conduction is deteriorated due to separation between the upper and lower sides in the sunken portions generated when attaching conductive sheets to the upper and lower sides of the grey fabric of the conductive devices. Moreover, the conductive yarn may be extracted by a cutting knife, thereby generating a large number of burrs upon the surface of the yarn, and dregs are also generated from the fabric material when the conductive material is fabricated into respective gaskets or liquid crystal display cushions. When the gasket or the liquid crystal display cushion is employed in electronic equipment, the gasket or the liquid crystal display cushion contaminates the inside of the electronic equipment. When the extracted portions of the conductive yarn or the burrs contact electronic devices in the electronic equipment, the electronic devices may be damaged. In order to solve the problem, there is a need to post-process for finishing process such as welding. Even after the post-processing, since the dregs and the burrs are generated from the fabric material and the conductive yarn, again, as time goes by, the conventional conductive device has a limit in performance as a conductive device.

[Disclosure] [Technical Problem]

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing grey fabric of a conductive device by quilting a fabric material with a conductive yarn and coating the quilted fabric material with conductive adhesive, and attaching conductive sheets to the upper and lower sides of the conductive adhesive, wherein the sunken portions generated when quilting the fabric material with the conductive yarn are filled with the conductive adhesive, the surface conduction of the conductive device is implemented through the conductive sheets, the conductive yarn, the conductive adhesive, and the conductive sheets are electrically connected, resulting in excellent vertical conductivity, the grey fabric of the conductive devices is cut in respective conductive devices by a knife mold having a heated cutting knife so that the cut surfaces of the conductive devices are completely and thermally finished by the cutting knife when the conductive yarn is held in the conductive adhesive and the grey fabric is cut.

[Technical Solution]

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a method for manufacturing a conductive device for electronic equipment including the steps of quilting a fabric material with a conductive yarn such that the upper and lower surfaces of the fabric material are electrically connected to each other through the conductive yarn, coating conductive adhesive to the upper and lower sides of the quilted fabric material with the conductive yarn in heat transfer fashion such that the conductive adhesive fills sunken portions of the quilted fabric material generated by the conductive yarn and flattens the surfaces of the quilted fabric material, attaching conductive sheets to the upper and lower sides of the conductive adhesive and passing the quilted fabric material through pressure rollers such that the conductive sheets are closely attached to the conductive adhesive and the conductive adhesive permeates the quilted fabric material, resulting in manufacturing a grey fabric of the conductive device, and cutting the grey fabric of the conductive device in respective conductive devices by a knife mold having a cutting knife connected to a heater such that the cut surfaces of the respective conductive devices are thermally finished. [Advantageous Effects]

As described above, according to the method for manufacturing conductive devices of the present invention, since fabric materials such as elastic textiles, synthetic resin foams, films, rubber, and the like are quilted with a conductive yarn and the upper and lower sides thereof are coated with conductive adhesive, the sunken portions, generated when quilting with the conductive yarn, are filled with the conductive adhesive, enhancing the vertical conductivity thereof and providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Since the conductive adhesive permeates the fabric material and bonds the fabric material with the conductive yarn to stabilize them, preventing burrs or dregs from being generated when the fabric material is cut in respective conductive devices. The conductive sheets are attached to the upper and lower sides of the conductive adhesive such that a grey fabric of conductive device with excellent vertical conductivity and surface conductivity is manufactured. Since the grey fabric of the conductive devices is cut in respective conductive devices such as gaskets and liquid crystal display cushions by the knife mold having the exothermic cutting knife, the cut surfaces of the conductive devices are thermally finished when the conductive devices are cut from the grey fabric and there is no need to post-process for finishing the cut surfaces. Moreover, burrs and dregs are prevented from generating as time goes by, the electromagnetic wave and static electricity shielding performance are maintained.

[Description of Drawings] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a process for manufacturing a conductive device for electronic equipment according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which:

Fig. Ia is a view illustrating a fabric material quilted with a conductive yarn;

Fig. Ib is a view illustrating a coating process for coating the upper and lower sides of the fabric material with conductive adhesive in heat transfer fashion; Fig. Ic is a view illustrating the fabric material having the upper and lower sides coated with the conductive adhesive;

Fig. Id is a view illustrating a process for attaching conductive sheets to the upper and lower sides of the conductive adhesive and applying pressure rollers thereto; Fig. Ie is a view illustrating a completed grey fabric having the conductive sheets attached to the upper and lower sides of the adhesive;

Fig. If is a view illustrating a process for cutting the completed grey fabric in respective conductive devices via a knife mold; and

Fig. Ig is a view illustrating a completed conductive device.

[Best Mode]

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a conductive device for electronic equipment according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a process for manufacturing a conductive device for electronic equipment according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the conductive device is manufactured by the technology disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2003- 39138, such that a fabric material 11, such as an elastic textile, synthetic resin foam, rubber, film, or the like, is quilted with a conductive yarn 12 to penetrate the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 so that the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 are electrically connected to each other through the conductive yarn 12. In this case, however, although the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 are electrically connected via the conductive yarn 12, the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 may be sunken when quilting the fabric material 11 with the conductive yarn 12. Since the conductive yarn 12 is separated from the conductive sheets

13 at the sunken portions 11a of the fabric material 11 when conductive sheets 13 are attached to the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 in the above state, the vertical conduction can be performed and surfaces of the conductive sheets 13 become uneven, damaging the appearance thereof.

Thus, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, prior to attachment of the conductive sheets 13 to the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 , conductive adhesive is coated to the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11. The conductive adhesive 14 has high conductivity due to the presence of highly electrically conductive metals therein, adhesiveness sufficient to attach the conductive sheets 13 to the fabric material 11, and fills the sunken portions 11a of the fabric material 11 because of excellent liquidity.

The conductive adhesive 14 may be manually coated to the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11. Moreover, the conductive adhesive is also coated to the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 such that the conductive adhesive 14 is coated to release paper 1 and the release papers coated with the conductive adhesive 14 are placed on the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 and pass through a heat transfer device 2 to coat the fabric material 11 with the conductive adhesive 14 via heat transfer. As such, the conductive adhesive 14 fills the sunken portions 11a of the fabric material 11 such that the surfaces of the fabric material 11 are flattened and permeate into the fabric material 11.

After coating the conductive adhesive 14, the conductive sheets 13 are attached to the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 to implement the surface conduction. By doing so, since the conductive sheets 13 and the conductive yarn 12 are electrically connected though the conductive adhesive 14, the surface conduction and the vertical conduction of the fabric material 11 become excellent. After these processes, respective conductive sheets 13 are firmly attached and more conductive adhesive 14 permeates into the fabric material 11 such that the vertical conduction and the surface conduction are fully implemented and the conductive adhesive 14 permeated into the fabric material 11 primarily stabilizes the electrical connection between the fabric material 11 and the conductive yarn 12 by holding the fabric material 11 and the conductive yarn 12. In addition, the conductive sheets 13 are attached to the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 coated with the conductive adhesive 14 in the fashion as described above, and then a grey fabric 10 of the conductive devices 10' is completed.

Since the grey fabric 10 of the conductive devices 10' has the sheet-like shape, the completed grey fabric 10 must be cut and fabricated in respective conductive devices 10' such as gaskets or liquid crystal display cushions. The cutting and fabrication of the conductive devices 10' is performed by a knife mold 2 arranged in the form of a desired shape.

Since the burrs are generated at the cut surfaces of the fabricated fabric material 11 and dregs are continuously slipped therefrom when the grey fabric 10 of the conductive devices 10' is fabricated only by the knife mold 4, the fabric material 11 must undergo post-processing, such as thermal finishing, as the fabric material 11 cannot be directly applied to electronic equipment. However, since the leakage of burr and dreg is not completely blocked, the inside of the electronic equipment is polluted by the burrs and the dregs, lowering the performance of respective conductive devices 10'. In the present invention, the conductive adhesive 14 basically permeates the fabric material 11 when being coated to the upper and lower sides of the fabric material 11 and permeates deeper into the fabric material 11 during the pressing by pressure rollers 3 after attaching the conductive sheets 13 such that the fabric material 11 and the conductive yarn 12 are adhered to each other by the conductive adhesive 14 and the fabricated fabric material 11 is primarily stabilized. Since the cutting knife 5 of the knife mold 4 for cutting and fabricating the grey fabric 10 of the conductive device 10' is connected to a heater (not shown), the grey fabric 10 is cut in respective conductive devices 10' and the cut surfaces of the conductive devices 10' are thermally finished when the grey fabric 10 of the conductive devices 10' is cut by the cutting knife 5 of the knife mold 4. Therefore post-processing, e.g. thermal finishing is not necessary. Since the conductive device 10' is secondarily finished by the heat generated from the cutting knife 5 in the state that the fabric material 11 and the conductive yarn 12 are primarily held by the conductive adhesive 14, the cut surfaces of the conductive devices 10' can be perfectly finished. Therefore, the conductive device 10' employed in the electronic equipment dose not generate burrs or dregs even as time goes by and the conductive device 10 maintains its ability to shield against electromagnetic waves and static electricity.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, it is understood that technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above description and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

[CLAIMS]

[Claim 1 ] A method for manufacturing a conductive device for electronic equipment comprising the steps of: quilting a fabric material with a conductive yarn such that the upper and lower surfaces of the fabric material are electrically connected to each other through the conductive yarn; coating conductive adhesive to the upper and lower sides of the quilted fabric material with the conductive yarn in heat transfer fashion such that the conductive adhesive fills sunken portions of the quilted fabric material generated by the conductive yarn and flattens the surfaces of the quilted fabric material; attaching conductive sheets to the upper and lower sides of the conductive adhesive and passing the quilted fabric material through pressure rollers such that the conductive sheets are closely attached to the conductive adhesive and the conductive adhesive permeates the quilted fabric material, resulting in manufacturing a grey fabric of the conductive device; and cutting the grey fabric of the conductive device in respective conductive devices by a knife mold having a cutting knife connected to a heater such that the cut surfaces of the respective conductive devices are thermally finished.