Patent Publication Number: US-2012026699-A1

Title: Circuit board of portable electronic device

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to circuit boards for portable electronic devices, and particularly to a circuit board capable of having different shapes. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), and laptop computers, are widely used. Portable electronic devices include housings and circuit boards received in the housings. The circuit boards are usually processed to be shaped similar to the shape of its housing so they can be received in the housing. Portable electronic devices can have housings in many different shapes, but may need to use similar circuits. Thus, the circuit boards of the portable electronic devices need to be mechanically processed to fit the different shapes of the different shaped housings but still be able to receive the circuits for general use in many portable electronic devices. Processing many different shaped circuit boards, which will receive similar circuits, is very inefficient and labor consuming. 
     Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present circuit board can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the various drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present circuit board. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a circuit board according to an exemplary embodiment, wherein the circuit board is in a first state. 
         FIG. 2  is a cutaway view along the line II-II shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2 , with a first connecting member attached for electronic connection. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of the circuit board shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein the circuit board is in a second state, with a second connecting member attached thereto for electronic connection. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the circuit board shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein the circuit board is in a third state. 
         FIG. 6  is a side schematic view of a third connecting member attached to the circuit board shown in  FIG. 5  for electronic connection. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a circuit board  100 , according to an exemplary embodiment, in a first state. The circuit board  100  can be used in a portable electronic device, such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or MP3/MP4 players. The circuit board  100  includes a main body  10 , which is a panel including circuits of the portable electronic device. In the first state, the circuit board  100  maintains an original shape and is received in a housing of a portable electronic device (not shown), a size similar to the original size of the main body  10 . 
     Also referring to  FIG. 2 , the main body  10  has a first surface  11  and a second surface  13 , and the first surface  11  and the second surface  13  are opposite and parallel to each other. The main body  10  defines a first separating groove  111  in the first surface  11  and a second separating groove  131  in the second surface  13 , and thus is divided into a first segment  15  and a second segment  17  by the first separating groove  111  and the second separating groove  131 . The first separating groove  111  and the second separating groove  131  are aligned with each other, such that the thickness of a part of the main body  10  between the first separating groove  111  and the second separating groove  131  is less than the thicknesses of other parts of the main body  10 . When a force is applied to the main body  10 , the main body  10  is most likely to be broken along the first separating groove  111  and the second separating groove  131 . Either one of the first separating groove  111  or the second separating groove  131  can also be omitted. 
     The first segment  15  includes a first electronic connection unit  150  formed thereon, and the second segment  17  includes a second electronic connection unit  170  formed thereon. The first connection unit  150  includes a number of first connectors  151  and a first interface  153 . The second connection unit  170  includes a number of second connectors  171  corresponding to the first connectors  151  and a second interface  173  corresponding to the first interface  153 . 
     The circuit board  100  further includes a connecting member mounted on the main body  10  for electronic connection between the first segment  15  and the second segment  17 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , in the first state, the connecting member is a number of chip resistors  20 . Each chip resistor  20  is electronically connected to a first connector  151  and a second connector  171  corresponding to the first connector  151 , thereby electronically connecting the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  to each other. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , when the circuit board  100  is used in a housing of a portable electronic device (not shown) in a size larger than the original size of the main body  10 , the circuit board  100  is changed to a second state. In the second state, the main body  10  is broken along the first separating groove  111  and the second separating groove  131 , and the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  are separated from each other. The first segment  15  and the second segment  17  are then moved away from each other for a predetermined distance and are respectively fixed in the housing. 
     In the second state, the connecting member is changed to a flexible printed circuit (FPC)  30 . The FPC  30  is electrically connected to both the first interface  153  and the second interface  173 , thereby electronically connecting the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  to each other. Thus, the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  can still cooperatively function, similar to the original main body  10 . Since the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  are separated from each other, the outside size of the circuit board  100  is enlarged, and thus the circuit board  100  can be suitably received in the housing. By adjusting the distance between the first segment  15  and the second segment  17 , the outside size of the circuit board  100  can be adjusted, such that the circuit board  100  can be suitably received in housings of different sizes. Additionally, the FPC  30  can facilitate the adjustment of the distance between the first segment  15  and the second segment  17 , due to its flexibility. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , when the circuit board  100  is used in a housing of a portable electronic device (not shown) in a size less than the original size of the main body  10 , the circuit board  100  is changed to a third state. In the third state, the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  are separated from each other. Thus, the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  are positioned to partly superpose each other. The connecting member is changed to a connecting subassembly  40  including a plug  41  and a jack  42 . The plug  41  is mounted on the first segment  15 , and the jack  42  mounted on the second segment  17 . The plug  41  and the jack  42  are assembled together to electronically connect the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  to each other. In other embodiments, the plug  41  and the jack  42  can also be exchanged. Finally, the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  are respectively fixed in the housing. Since the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  partly superpose each other, the outside size of the circuit board  100  is reduced, and thus the circuit board  100  can be suitably received in the housing. 
     The present circuit board  100  can be used in portable electronic devices having housings in different sizes. In the first state, the circuit board  100  maintains its original shape and can be received in a housing in which the size is similar to the original size of the circuit board  100 . In the second and third states, the main body  10  of the circuit board  100  is broken to separate the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  from each other, and the positions of the first segment  15  and the second segment  17  are adjusted to further change the size of the circuit board  100 . In this way, the circuit board  100  can be received in housings of different sizes, and does not need any additional mechanical processing operations to changing its shape. Compared with conventional circuit boards, the circuit board  100  can be easier to use in portable electronic devices having different size housings. 
     In the present disclosure, the chip resistor  20 , the FPC  30 , and the subassembly  40  can be all mounted to the main body  10 . In the first and third states, the FPC  30  can also be used to electrically connect the first interface  153  to the second interface  173  to electrically connect the first segment  15  to the second segment  17 . Furthermore, the main body  10  can further include more connecting members  20 / 30 / 40  and define more separating grooves dividing it into more segments, wherein each segment includes an electronic connection unit similar to the electronic connection units  150 / 170 . In use, the main body  10  can be broken to separate the segments from each other, and thus the segments can be positioned to change the circuit board  100  to desired shape and size. The segments can be electronically connected to each other to fully function with their electronic connection units and more connecting members  20 / 30 / 40 . 
     It is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of structures and functions of various embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.