Abstract:
An exemplary rigid printed circuit board (PCB) includes a main portion, a supporting portion and a connecting portion. The supporting portion is for supporting electrical elements. The connecting portion includes two end portions and a main body therebetween. The main body is spaced from the main portion and the supporting portion. The two end portions are respectively connected to the main portion and the supporting portion. A PCB assembly and a PCB module using the same are also provided.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure generally relates to printed circuit boards, particularly, to a rigid printed circuit board. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Nowadays, rigid printed circuit boards are usually assembled into receiving bases for electrical application. However, many receiving bases usually have uneven bottoms due to special electrical requirements. Although flexible printed circuit boards adapt suitably to uneven surfaces, the flexible printed circuit boards have poor lifespan and thermal resistance compared to rigid printed circuit boards. However, the flat configuration of rigid printed circuit boards does not adapt well to uneven surfaces. 
         [0005]    Therefore, what is needed is a rigid printed circuit board that overcomes the described limitations. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Many aspects of the disclosed rigid printed circuit board can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present rigid printed circuit board. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a rigid printed circuit board, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of the rigid printed circuit board in the exemplary embodiment when the connecting portion there of is elastically stretched. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of the rigid printed circuit board in the exemplary embodiment and a receiving base fit for receiving the rigid printed circuit board. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view the rigid printed circuit board in the exemplary embodiment when assembled into the receiving base of  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe the embodiments of the print circuit board, in detail. 
         [0012]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a print circuit board  10 , according to a first embodiment, includes a main portion  11 , a supporting portion  12 , and a connecting portion  13 . 
         [0013]    The main portion  11  is rectangular. The main portion  11  has a plurality of electrical contacts  110  along edges thereof. 
         [0014]    The supporting portion  12  is generally round. The supporting portion  12  is configured for supporting electrical elements, for example light emitting diodes. The supporting portion  12  has two electrical contacts  120  thereon. The electrical contacts  120  are for providing electrical connection to the electrical elements. 
         [0015]    The connecting portion  13  includes a first end portions  130 , a second end portions  132 , and a main body  134  connected between the first and second end portions  130  and  132 . The first end portion  130  is connected to the main portion  11 . The second end portion  132  is connected to the supporting portion  12 . The main body  134  is located between the main portion  11  and the supporting portion  12 , and spaced from the main portion  11  and the supporting portion  12 . The connecting portion  13  has an annular shape, the connecting portion  13  surrounds the supporting portion  12 , and the main portion  11  surrounds the connecting portion  13 . In a still further exemplary embodiment, the main body  134  keeps a predetermined distance apart from the main portion  11  and/or the supporting portion  12 . As such, the main body  134  can be more elastic. 
         [0016]    The main portion  11 , the supporting portion  12 , and the connecting portion  13  each has a circuit layer formed in a respective interior thereof. The circuit layers in the main portion  11 , the supporting portion  12  and the connecting portion  13  are electrically communicated to each other. The electrical contacts  110  are electrically connected to the circuit layer of the main portion  11 . The electrical contacts  120  are electrically connected to the circuit layer of the supporting portion  12 . As such, the electrical contacts  120  of the supporting portion  12  are capable of drawing electrical power from the exterior via the electrical contacts  110  of the main portion  11 . 
         [0017]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , upon a condition that no external force is applied to the supporting portion  12 , the supporting portion  12 , the main body  134 , and the main portion  11  are located in a common plane. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , upon a condition that an external force is applied to the supporting portion  12  along a direction (z-direction) perpendicular to the plane, the main body  134  is elastically stretched in a direction perpendicular to the plane, and the supporting portion  12  and the main portion  11  are located in different planes. 
         [0018]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a receiving base  20  fit for receiving the printed circuit board  10  is provided. The receiving base  20  includes a receiving space  200 , a protrusion  202 , and a plurality of electrical contacts  204 . The protrusion  202  and the plurality of electrical contacts  204  are arranged at a bottom of the receiving space  200 . In an exemplary embodiment, the protrusion  202  has a top surface similar in shape as the bottom surface of the supporting portion  12 . 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the rigid printed circuit board  10  is assembled into the receiving base  20 . The main portion  11  is received in the receiving space  200  and located at the bottom thereof. The supporting portion  12  is propped up by the protrusion  202 . The connecting portion  13  is elastically stretchable to a position where the connecting portion  13  connects the supporting portion  12  and the main portion  11 . In this condition, the electrical contacts  204  are in contact with the electrical contacts  110 . As such, the electrical contacts  120  of the supporting portion  12  are capable of drawing electrical power from the exterior via the electrical contacts  204  of the receiving base  20 . 
         [0020]    In an exemplary embodiment, the supporting portion  12  and the connecting portion  13  is formed by cutting the main portion  11  providing an integral configuration along a spiral line winding around a center of the main portion  11  at a continuously increasing distance from the center. The supporting portion  12  is connected to the main portion  11  only via the connecting portion  13 . The main body  134  is capable of being elastically stretched along the z-direction (illustrated in  FIG. 2 ). Therefore, the supporting portion  12  and the main portion  11  can be located in different planes due to the elastic deformation of the main body  134 . Accordingly, the rigid printed circuit board  10  can be assembled into a receiving base, for example receiving base  20 , having an uneven supporting surface. 
         [0021]    It is to be said that, the supporting portion  12  and the connecting portion  13  are not limited to be formed by cutting the integral main portion  11 . The main portion  11 , the supporting portion  12 , and the connecting portion  13  can be originally separate portions, which are then assembled together. 
         [0022]    The receiving base  20  can further include at least one socket  206  capable of being coupled to a corresponding connector  30 . As such, the receiving base  20  can be connected to another receiving base  20  by the engagement of the sockets  206  and the connectors  30  (as illustrated in  FIG. 3 ). Thereby, a printed circuit board module can be obtained by assembling a plurality of receiving bases  20  under the coupling cooperation of the sockets  206  and the connectors  30 . 
         [0023]    It is to be said that, the main portion  11  and the supporting portion  12  can also be round, elliptical, triangular or polygonal; the connecting portion  13  can also be circular, elliptical, triangular, or polygonal. 
         [0024]    Finally, it is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate rather than limit the disclosure. Variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the disclosure as claimed. The above-described embodiment illustrates the scope of the disclosure but do not restrict the scope of the disclosure.