PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10098224-B1
Application Number: US-201815871585-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B1

Title: Reinforcement components for electrical connections with limited accessibility and systems and methods for making the same

Abstract:
Reinforcement components for electrical connections with limited accessibility Shield structures with reduced spacing between adjacent insulation components and systems and methods for making the same are provided. In some embodiments, a reinforcement component may be compressed between two portions of a first electronic component in order to deform the reinforcement component for filling in a void between the reinforcement component and a coupling formed between the first electronic component and a second electronic component. The first electronic component may be a flexible circuit component that may be folded over the reinforcement component prior to the reinforcement component being compressed. This may enable the reinforcement component to be effectively positioned with respect to the first electronic component prior to being deformed for reinforcing one or more couplings made between the first electronic component and the second electronic component.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for protecting at least one of a plurality of couplings, wherein the plurality of couplings comprises (1) a first coupling between a first flexible circuit contact of a first flexible circuit surface of a first flexible circuit portion and a first component contact of a first component surface of a component and (2) a second coupling between a second flexible circuit contact of a second flexible circuit surface of a second flexible circuit portion and a second component contact of a second component surface of the component, the method comprising:
 providing a reinforcement component on one of the first flexible circuit surface and the second flexible circuit surface; and 
 after the providing, compressing the reinforcement component between the first flexible circuit surface and the second flexible circuit surface, wherein the compressed reinforcement component reinforces at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the providing, bonding the first component contact and the first flexible circuit contact to create the first coupling. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising, prior to the providing, bonding the second component contact and the second flexible circuit contact to create the second coupling. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the bonding the first component contact and the bonding the second component contact are simultaneous. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, after the providing but prior to the compressing, bonding the first component contact and the first flexible circuit contact to create the first coupling. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, during the compressing, bonding the first component contact and the first flexible circuit contact to create the first coupling. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the compressed reinforcement component reinforces each one of the first coupling and the second coupling. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, no later than during the compressing, bonding the first component contact and the first flexible circuit contact to create the first coupling, wherein:
 the bonding the first component contact and the first flexible circuit contact comprises:
 flowing an adhesive material between the first component contact and the first flexible circuit contact; and 
 curing the flowing adhesive material; and 
 
 the compressed reinforcement component contacts the cured adhesive material. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising, no later than during the compressing, bonding the second component contact and the second flexible circuit contact to create the second coupling, wherein:
 the bonding the second component contact and the second flexible circuit contact comprises:
 flowing another adhesive material between the second component contact and the second flexible circuit contact; and 
 curing the flowing other adhesive material; and 
 
 the compressed reinforcement component contacts the cured other adhesive material. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first flexible circuit surface of the first flexible circuit portion and the second flexible circuit surface of the second flexible circuit portion are the same surface of a single flexible circuit. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing comprises laminating the reinforcement component to the one of the first flexible circuit surface and the second flexible circuit surface. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising heating the reinforcement component during the compressing. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the compressing moves a portion of the reinforcement component to contact the at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 prior to the compressing, the reinforcement component is distanced from a portion of the at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling by a gap; and 
 the compressing causes the compressed reinforcement component to span the gap and contact the portion of the at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling. 
 
     
     
       15. A method for forming a system with at least one reinforced coupling, the method comprising:
 providing, on a surface of a first component portion, a reinforcement component in an initial configuration of the reinforcement component; 
 creating a first coupling between one of (1) a contact of the first component portion at the surface of the first component portion and (2) a contact of a second component portion at a surface of the second component portion and a contact of a third component portion at a surface of the third component portion; 
 creating a second coupling between the other one of (1) the contact of the first component portion and (2) the contact of the second component portion and a contact of a fourth component portion at a surface of the fourth component portion; and 
 deforming, between the first component portion and the second component portion, the reinforcement component from the initial configuration of the reinforcement component into a deformed configuration of the reinforcement component for reinforcing at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the surface of the first component portion and the surface of the second component portion are the same surface of a first component; 
 the surface of the third component portion and the surface of the fourth component portion are different surfaces of a second component; and 
 before the creating the second coupling, folding the first component to align the other one of the contact of the first component portion and the contact of the second component portion with the contact of the fourth component portion. 
 
     
     
       17. An assembly comprising:
 a first electronic component comprising:
 a first contact on a top surface of the first electronic component; and 
 a second contact on a bottom surface of the first electronic component; 
 
 a second electronic component comprising:
 a third contact on a first portion of a surface of the second electronic component; and 
 a fourth contact on a second portion of the surface of the second electronic component; and 
 
 a reinforcement component held between the first portion of the surface of the second electronic component and the second portion of the surface of the second electronic component, wherein:
 the first contact is coupled to the third contact at a first coupling; 
 the second contact is coupled to the fourth contact at a second coupling; and 
 a maximum height gap between the first portion of the surface of the second electronic component and the second portion of the surface of the second electronic component is defined by a height between the first coupling and the second coupling. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The assembly of  claim 17 , wherein a flowable temperature range of a coupling component that couples the first contact to the third contact at the first coupling is offset from a flowable temperature range of the reinforcement component by less than 15° Celsius. 
     
     
       19. The assembly of  claim 17 , wherein a curing temperature range of a coupling component that couples the first contact to the third contact at the first coupling is offset from a curing temperature range of the reinforcement component by less than 15° Celsius. 
     
     
       20. The assembly of  claim 19 , wherein a flowable temperature range of the coupling component that couples the first contact to the third contact at the first coupling is offset from a flowable temperature range of the reinforcement component by less than 15° Celsius.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of prior filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/565,575, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to reinforcement components and, more particularly, to reinforcement components for electrical connections with limited accessibility and systems and methods for making the same. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     A conventional reinforcement component may be formed by injecting a liquid material into a target location adjacent an electrical connection that has already been made between two electronic components, and then by curing the injected liquid material to provide a strong mechanical support for the electrical connection at the target location. However, the accessibility to such a target location is often too small to enable the introduction of a reinforcement component at the target location. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Reinforcement components for electrical connections with limited accessibility and systems and methods for making the same are provided. 
     As an example, a method for protecting at least one of a plurality of couplings is provided, wherein the plurality of couplings includes a first coupling between a first flexible circuit contact of a first flexible circuit surface of a first flexible circuit portion and a first component contact of a first component surface of a component and a second coupling between a second flexible circuit contact of a second flexible circuit surface of a second flexible circuit portion and a second component contact of a second component surface of the component, wherein the method may include providing a reinforcement component on one of the first flexible circuit surface and the second flexible circuit surface and, after the providing, compressing the reinforcement component between the first flexible circuit surface and the second flexible circuit surface, wherein the compressed reinforcement component reinforces at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling. 
     As another example, a method for forming a system with at least one reinforced coupling includes providing, on a surface of a first component portion, a reinforcement component in an initial configuration of the reinforcement component, creating a first coupling between one of a contact of the first component portion at the surface of the first component portion and a contact of a second component portion at a surface of the second component portion and a contact of a third component portion at a surface of the third component portion, creating a second coupling between the other one of the contact of the first component portion and the contact of the second component portion and a contact of a fourth component portion at a surface of the fourth component portion, and deforming, between the first component portion and the second component portion, the reinforcement component from the initial configuration of the reinforcement component into a deformed configuration of the reinforcement component for reinforcing at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling. 
     As yet another example, an assembly may include a first electronic component including a first contact on a top surface of the first electronic component and a second contact on a bottom surface of the first electronic component, a second electronic component including a third contact on a first portion of a surface of the second electronic component and a fourth contact on a second portion of the surface of the second electronic component, and a reinforcement component held between the first portion of the surface of the second electronic component and the second portion of the surface of the second electronic component, wherein the first contact is coupled to the third contact at a first coupling, wherein the second contact is coupled to the fourth contact at a second coupling, and wherein a maximum height gap between the first portion of the surface of the second electronic component and the second portion of the surface of the second electronic component is defined by a height between the first coupling and the second coupling. 
     This Summary is provided only to present some example embodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the features described in this Summary are only examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Unless otherwise stated, features described in the context of one example may be combined or used with features described in the context of one or more other examples. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The discussion below makes reference to the following drawings, in which like reference characters may refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative system that includes a reinforcement component for an electrical connection; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view, similar to  FIG. 1 , of a first stage of assembly of the system of  FIG. 1 , taken from line II-II of  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 2A  is a top view of the first stage of assembly of  FIG. 2  of the system of  FIG. 1 , taken from line IIA-IIA of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view, similar to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , of a second stage of assembly of the system of  FIG. 1 , taken from line of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 3A  is a top view, similar to  FIG. 2A , of the second stage of assembly of  FIG. 3  of the system of  FIG. 1 , taken from line IIIA-IIIA of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view, similar to  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 , of a third stage of assembly of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view, similar to  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4 , of a fourth stage of assembly of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view, similar to  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 , of a fifth stage of assembly of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view, similar to  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 6 , of a sixth stage of assembly of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7A  is a top view, similar to  FIGS. 2A and 3A , of the sixth stage of assembly of  FIG. 7  of the system of  FIG. 1 , taken from line VIIA-VIIA of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 7B  is another cross-sectional view, similar to  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 , of the sixth stage of assembly of  FIGS. 7 and 7A  of the system of  FIG. 1 , taken from line VIIB-VIIB of  FIG. 7A ; and 
         FIGS. 8 and 9  are flowcharts of illustrative processes for reinforcing an electrical coupling. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Reinforcement components for electrical connections and systems and methods for making the same are provided and described with reference to  FIGS. 1-9 . 
     A reinforcement component may be compressed between two portions of a first electronic component in order to deform the reinforcement component for filling in a void between the reinforcement component and a coupling formed between the first electronic component and a second electronic component. The first electronic component may be a flexible circuit component that may be folded over the reinforcement component prior to the reinforcement component being compressed. This may enable the reinforcement component to be effectively positioned with respect to the first electronic component prior to being deformed for reinforcing one or more couplings made between the first electronic component and the second electronic component. 
     A reinforcement component may be provided for reinforcing one or more electrical connections of any suitable system. For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a system  100  may include a first electronic component  200  and a second electronic component  300  that may be electrically coupled to one another via a first electrical coupling component  400 . System  100  may also include a reinforcement component  600  that may be operative to protect or otherwise reinforce the electrical connection between electronic components  200  and  300  via electrical coupling component  400 . Additionally, in some embodiments, as shown, reinforcement component  600  may also be operative to protect or otherwise reinforce at least one other electrical connection, such as another electrical connection between electronic components  200  and  300  via a second electrical coupling component  500 . First electrical coupling component  400  may be at least partially positioned between, and electrically couple, a first electrical contact  202  of first electronic component  200  to a first electrical contact  302  of second electronic component  300 , where electrical contact  202  may be provided on or at a bottom surface  201  of first electronic component  200 , and where electrical contact  302  may be provided on or at a first portion of first surface  301  of second electronic component  300 . Second electrical coupling component  500  may be at least partially positioned between, and electrically couple, a second electrical contact  208  of first electronic component  200  to a second electrical contact  308  of second electronic component  300 , where electrical contact  208  may be provided on or at a top surface  209  of first electronic component  200 , and where electrical contact  308  may be provided on or at a second portion of first surface  301  of second electronic component  300 . As shown, surfaces  201  and  209  may be on opposite sides of first electronic component  200 , where a side surface  205  of first electronic component  200  may extend between surfaces  201  and  209 . In such embodiments, second electronic component  300  may include at least one flexible portion, such as a flexible portion  305  (e.g., between the portion of component  300  with contact  302  and the portion of component  300  with contact  308 ), that may be operative to enable a portion of electronic component  300  to bend (e.g., about a Y-axis) such that the portion of surface  301  with contact  308  may face the portion of surface  301  with contact  302  in order to enable contacts  302  and  308  to be electrically coupled to contacts  202  and  208  on opposite surfaces  201  and  209  of component  200 . 
     Electronic component  200  may be any suitable component or collection of components, such as any suitable sensor subassembly or circuit board or the like, that may include one or more electrical contacts, such as contacts  202  and  208 , each of which may be electrically coupled to an electrical contact of another electronic component, such as contacts  302  and  308  of electronic component  300 . Similarly, electronic component  300  may be any suitable component or collection of components, such as any suitable interconnect component or flexible circuit or sensor subassembly or circuit board or the like, that may include one or more electrical contacts, such as contacts  302  and  308 , each of which may be electrically coupled to an electrical contact of another electronic component, such as contacts  202  and  208  of electronic component  200 . In some particular embodiments, component  200  may be a sensor subassembly, such as a panel touch sensor or force sensor (e.g., a plastic (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”)) panel and/or film), while component  300  may be any suitable flexible circuit that may include at least one electrical contact that may be electrically coupled to an electrical contact on one side of component  200 , if not at least two contacts, each of which may be electrically coupled to different electrical contacts on different sides of component  200  (e.g., as shown in  FIGS. 1-7B ). Electrical coupling component  400  may be any suitable component that may be operative to couple contact  202  of component  200  electrically and/or physically to contact  302  of component  300 , such as any suitable adhesive (e.g., pressure sensitive adhesive (“PSA”)), anisotropic conductive film (“ACF”), a thermalplastic, a thermalset (e.g., epoxy), solder, screw, clamp, fastener, and/or the like. Electrical coupling component  500  may be any suitable component that may be operative to couple contact  208  of component  200  electrically and/or physically to contact  308  of component  300 , such as any suitable adhesive, ACF, solder, screw, clamp, fastener, and/or the like. In some embodiments, an electrical coupling component may not be needed in order for an electrical coupling to be formed and/or maintained between a contact of component  200  and a contact of component  300 , but instead the coupling may be created due to relative geometries and/or any other suitable characteristics of components  200  and  300 . 
     Reinforcement component  600  may be any suitable component that may be positioned adjacent component  200  (e.g., a side surface  605  of reinforcement component  600  may be positioned adjacent side surface  205  of component  200 ) in order to reinforce at least a portion of at least one electrical coupling of system  100  (e.g., at least a portion of the electrical connection between contacts  202  and  302  of electronic components  200  and  300  via electrical coupling component  400  and/or at least a portion of the electrical connection between contacts  208  and  308  of electronic components  200  and  300  via electrical coupling component  500 ). In some embodiments, a needle or any other suitable injection mechanism may be positioned at a target location for reinforcing one or more electrical couplings (e.g., between opposing portions of component  300  and adjacent surface  205  of component  200 ) after the establishment of each one of the connection of contacts  202  and  302  and the connection of contacts  208  and  308  in order to dispense in that target location a material (e.g., a liquid resin) that may then be cured into a final structure for providing reinforcement component  600 . However, accessibility to such a target location may be limited or non-existent, such as due to a limited height HF between opposing portions of surface  301  of component  300  that may prevent an injection mechanism from accessing the target location or that may prevent an injection mechanism from accessing the target location without negatively affecting system  100  (e.g., without bending apart opposing portions of component  300  and damaging the electrical couplings). Therefore, other approaches may be more reliable for providing reinforcement component  600  for reinforcing one or more electrical couplings, such as one or more couplings with limited accessibility (e.g., between two opposing component surfaces). As just one example, height HF may be on the order of or less than 180 micrometers (e.g., where component  200  may have a Z-height of equal to or less than 150 micrometers and each one of coupling components  400  and  500  may have a Z-height equal to or less than 15 micrometers). It is to be noted that, although height HF is shown in  FIG. 1  to be defined between different portions of surface  301  of a single component  300  that may be electrically coupled to top and bottom surfaces of component  200 , this is just exemplary, and such a limiting geometry and/or accessibility for reinforcement component  600  may be defined by any suitable surfaces of any suitable system, such as by opposing surfaces of two different components, where none, one, or both surfaces may provide a contact of an electrical coupling to be reinforced by reinforcement component  600 . 
     Reinforcement component  600  may be any suitable component that may be operative to deform after being positioned on component  300  in order to protect or otherwise reinforce at least a portion of at least one electrical coupling of system  100  (e.g., at least a portion of the electrical connection between electronic components  200  and  300  via electrical coupling component  400  and/or at least a portion of the electrical connection between electronic components  200  and  300  via electrical coupling component  500 ). For example, reinforcement component  600  may be a deposit of any suitable material that may be coupled to or otherwise positioned in an initial configuration on a portion of component  300  prior to the establishment of at least one of the connection of contacts  202  and  302  and the connection of contacts  208  and  308  (e.g., prior to an event that may limit the accessibility to a target location) such that at least a portion of reinforcement component  600  may be located in between a first portion of surface  301  (e.g., between contact  302  and flexible portion  305 ) and a second portion of surface  301  (e.g., between flexible portion  305  and contact  308 ) after the establishment of each one of the connection of contacts  202  and  302  and the connection of contacts  208  and  308  (e.g., after an event that may limit the accessibility to a target location). Reinforcement component  600  may be deformed from its initial configuration to a deformed configuration in order to fill in a void that may exist between the initial reconfiguration of reinforcement component  600  and at least a portion of one or more electrical couplings of system  100  in order to reinforce the electrical coupling(s). For example, reinforcement component  600  may be a dry-film (e.g., a dry-film based gap fill material), such as a thermoplastic adhesive, a special resin base, a thermoplastic (e.g., polyimide), a thermoplastic (e.g., polyester), a thermalplastic (e.g., a thermal bonding film (“TSF”)), a thermalset (e.g., a heat activated film (“HAF”)), or combination thereof, any B-stage material, a thermoset (e.g., epoxy, acrylic, B-stage thermoset, etc.), or the like, that may be provided in a first configuration on component  300  and then compressed or otherwise deformed (e.g., heated and then cured) into a deformed configuration that may reinforce one or more electrical couplings of system  100 . A barrier component  700  may be provided along with reinforcement component  600  in order to at least partially limit or define the manner or direction in which component  600  may be deformed (e.g., to guide a compressed portion of component  600  towards an electrical coupling to be reinforced). Barrier component  700  may be operative to deform (e.g., at least in one direction (e.g., along the Z-axis)) along with reinforcement component  700 . For example, barrier component  700  may be made of any suitable materials, such as a foam material  705  that may be surrounded on its top and bottom by pressure sensitive adhesive (“PSA”) or the like. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2-7B , for example, components  200 ,  300 ,  400 ,  500 , and/or  700  may be used in conjunction with reinforcement component  600  to form at least a portion of a reinforcement structure for reinforcing at least one electrical connection of system  100 . Although  FIGS. 2-7B  may be described with respect to a process for forming a reinforcement structure for reinforcing one or more electrical couplings between two electronic components, it is to be understood that such  FIGS. 2-7B  and such a process may be with respect to the formation of any suitable reinforcement structure for reinforcing at least one coupling of any suitable type between any two suitable components. 
       FIGS. 2 and 2A  show assembly  100  in a first stage of assembly (i.e., in a stage  100 - 1 ). Assembly  100  may include at least first component  200  and second component  300  that may eventually be coupled together with at least one coupling. As shown, component  200  may include contact  202  at or on surface  201  and contacts  204 ,  206 , and  208  at or on surface  209 . Similarly, component  300  may include contact  302  at or on a first portion of surface  301  and contacts  304 ,  306 , and  308  at or on a second portion of surface  301 . Component  300  may also include flexible portion  305  (e.g., between the portion of component  300  with contact  302  and the portion of component  300  with contact  308 ) that may be operative to enable a portion of electronic component  300  to bend (e.g., about a Y-axis) from a first configuration (e.g., a flat configuration  300 - 1  of stage  100 - 1  of  FIGS. 2 and 2A ) to a second configuration (e.g., a folded configuration  300 - 2  of a final assembly stage  100 - 6  of  FIG. 1 ) such that the portion of surface  301  with contact  308  may face the portion of surface  301  with contact  302  in order to enable contacts  302  and  308  to be electrically coupled to contacts  202  and  208  on opposite surfaces  201  and  209  of component  200 . As shown, contact  302  may extend along a majority of a width of surface  301  (e.g., along the Y-axis) adjacent a first side of component  300  and contact  202  may extend along a similar width of surface  201  of component  200 , while contacts  304 ,  306 , and  308  may extend along different portions of a width of surface  301  adjacent a second side of component  300  and contacts  204 ,  206 , and  208  may extend along similar widths of surface  209  of component  200 . 
     Once first component  200  and second component  300  have been made available in first assembly stage  100 - 1  of assembly  100 , at least one reinforcement component may be provided in an initial configuration of the reinforcement component on at least one surface of second component  300  in the first configuration of second component  300 .  FIGS. 3 and 3A  show assembly  100  in a second stage of assembly (i.e., in a stage  100 - 2 ), which may be the same as stage  100 - 1  of assembly  100  but after reinforcement component  600  in an initial configuration of reinforcement component  600  (e.g., configuration  600 - 1 ) has been positioned on surface  301  of second component  300  in the first configuration of second component  300 . As shown, reinforcement component  600  may extend between side surfaces  604  and  606  (e.g., along the Y-axis), between side surfaces  605  and  607  (e.g., along the X-axis), and between bottom surface  601  and top surface  609  (e.g., along the Z-axis), where bottom surface  601  may be positioned on surface  301  of component  300 , such as at a portion of surface  301  between contact  302  and flex portion  305 . The position at which component  600  may be provided on surface  301  of component  300  may be any suitable position, such as a position as close as possible to or otherwise adjacent to a location along surface  301  that will be at a connection between component  300  and component  200  to be reinforced by component  600  (e.g., a connection between contact  302  and contact  202 ). Initial configuration  600 - 1  of component  600  may be coupled to surface  301  of component  300  in any suitable manner, such as by any suitable adhesion or lamination process (e.g., a low temperature and/or a low pressure lamination process). Alternatively, initial configuration  600 - 1  of component  600  may be positioned on (e.g., rested upon) surface  301  of component  300  but not physically connected to component  300  at stage  100 - 2 . Moreover, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 3A , stage  100 - 2  of assembly  100  may also include an initial configuration of barrier component  700  (e.g., configuration  700 - 1 ) extending between a top surface  709  and a bottom surface  701  positioned on surface  301  of second component  300  in the first configuration of second component  300 , such as in a position on surface  301  such that a side surface of component  700  may extend adjacent to and/or along surface  607  of component  600 . Moreover, as also shown in  FIGS. 3 and 3A , stage  100 - 2  of assembly  100  may also include electrical coupling component  400  being positioned at contact  202  or at contact  302  (not shown), and/or electrical coupling component  500  being positioned at contact  208  or at contact  308  (not shown) to prepare device  200  for being electrically coupled to component  300  (e.g., using any suitable positioning and/or adhering and/or pre-tacking process or the like). 
     Once initial configuration  600 - 1  of reinforcement component  600  has been positioned on a surface of first configuration  300 - 1  of component  300  at stage  100 - 2 , one contact of component  300  may be positioned proximate a contact of component  200  for coupling the proximate contacts.  FIG. 4  shows assembly  100  in a third stage of assembly (i.e., in a stage  100 - 3 ), which may be the same as stage  100 - 2  of assembly  100  but after contact  302  of component  300  has been positioned proximate contact  202  of component  200  for enabling a coupling therebetween (e.g., via component  400 ). As shown, a bonding head  40  or any other suitable assembly mechanism may be positioned proximate contacts  202  and  302  (e.g., against surface  309  of component  300  below contact  302 ) in order to create the coupling between contacts  302  and  202  (e.g., by thermo-bonding contact  302  to contact  202  by flowing and then curing electrical coupling component  400  (e.g., an ACF) between contacts  302  and  202  (e.g., by applying pressure in the direction of arrow P 1 )). Although stage  100 - 2  shows reinforcement component  600  positioned on component  300  and then stage  100 - 3  shows a contact of component  300  positioned adjacent to and potentially coupled to a contact of component  200 , it is to be understood that component  600  may be positioned on component  300  after a contact of component  300  is positioned adjacent to and potentially coupled to a contact of component  200 . 
     Once initial configuration  600 - 1  of reinforcement component  600  has been positioned on a surface of first configuration  300 - 1  of component  300  and a first contact of component  300  has been positioned proximate and/or coupled to a contact of component  200  at stage  100 - 3 , component  300  may be reconfigured into a second configuration such that another contact of component  300  may be positioned proximate another contact of component  200  for coupling those proximate contacts.  FIG. 5  shows assembly  100  in a fourth stage of assembly (i.e., in a stage  100 - 4 ), which may be the same as stage  100 - 3  of assembly  100  but after component  300  has been reconfigured from its first configuration  300 - 1  to its second configuration  300 - 2  (e.g., by bending component  300  in the direction of arrow FL of  FIG. 4  (e.g., about a Y-axis), such as by using flexible portion  305 ) such that contact  308  of component  300  may be positioned proximate to contact  208  of component  200  for enabling a coupling therebetween (e.g., via component  400 ). As shown, a bonding head  50  or any other suitable assembly mechanism may be positioned proximate contacts  208  and  308  (e.g., against surface  309  of component  300  above contact  308 ) in order to create the coupling between contacts  308  and  208  (e.g., by thermo-bonding contact  308  to contact  208  by flowing and then curing electrical coupling component  500  (e.g., an ACF) between contacts  308  and  208  (e.g., by applying pressure in the direction of arrow P 2 )). 
     Once initial configuration  600 - 1  of reinforcement component  600  has been positioned on a surface of first configuration  300 - 1  of component  300  and a first contact of component  300  has been positioned proximate and/or coupled to a contact of component  200  at stage  100 - 3  and component  300  has been reconfigured from its first configuration  300 - 1  to its second configuration  300 - 2  such that a second contact of component  300  has been positioned proximate and/or coupled to a second contact of component  200  at stage  100 - 4 , one or more mechanisms may be introduced to deform reinforcement component  600  from its initial configuration  600 - 1  to a deformed configuration.  FIG. 6  shows assembly  100  in a fifth stage of assembly (i.e., in a stage  100 - 5 ), which may be the same as stage  100 - 4  of assembly  100  but after assembly mechanisms  60  and  70  have been introduced to reconfigure reinforcement component  600  from its initial configuration  600 - 1  to a deformed configuration, while  FIGS. 7-7B  as well as  FIG. 1  show assembly  100  in a sixth stage of assembly (i.e., in a stage  100 - 6 ), which may be the same as stage  100 - 5  of assembly  100  but after assembly mechanisms  60  and  70  have been used to reconfigure reinforcement component  600  from its initial configuration  600 - 1  to a deformed configuration  600 - 2 . For example, mechanism  60  may be a bonding head or any other suitable assembly mechanism that may be positioned against surface  309  of component  300  above reinforcement configuration  600  while mechanism  70  may be another bonding head or a support stage or any other suitable assembly mechanism that may be positioned against surface  309  of component  300  below reinforcement configuration  600 , such that mechanisms  60  and  70  may be utilized to compress or otherwise deform reinforcement component  600  between different portions of component  300  from initial configuration  600 - 1  to deformed configuration  600 - 2  (e.g., by thermal bonding reinforcement component  600  to component  300  (e.g., by applying pressure in the direction of arrow P 1  and/or in the direction of arrow P 2 )). Such a reconfiguration by mechanisms  60  and/or  70  may be operative to apply heat in order to activate (e.g., to flow the material of) component  600  and may be operative to apply pressure in order to compress the activated (e.g., flowable) material of component  600  to fill any void(s) that may exist between reinforcement component  600  and one or more couplings between components  200  and  300  to be reinforced by reinforcement component  600  (e.g., a gap of an initial distance GI between surface  605  of component  600  in its initial configuration  600 - 1  and the coupling between contacts  202  and  302 ) and may be operative to enable component  600  to cure in its deformed configuration  600 - 2 . 
     Reconfiguration of reinforcement component  600  from its initial configuration  600 - 1  to its deformed configuration  600 - 2  may alter the geometry of component  600 , such as from an initial width RWI to a deformed width RWD and from an initial height RHI to a deformed height RHD. As just one example, RWI may be about 1,000 micrometers, while RWD may be about 2,000 micrometers, and RHI may be about 205 micrometers, while RHD (and height HF) may be about 180 micrometers. Barrier component  700  may be operative to deform along its height in the same manner as and along with reinforcement component  600  (e.g., from RHI to RHD), while barrier component  700  may also be operative to prevent or at least partially block the flow of deformed reinforcement component  600  beyond component  700  (e.g., in the +X direction), which may encourage or only allow flow of deformed reinforcement component in the −X direction along the X-axis towards the one or more couplings to be reinforced (e.g., to fill the gap of initial distance GI between surface  605  of component  600  in its initial configuration  600 - 1  and the coupling between contacts  202  and  302  (e.g., to reduce the gap to a distance GD that may be minimized and/or of no magnitude at all)). Any suitable material or combination of materials may be used to provide reinforcement component  600 , although, in some embodiments, it may be preferable to have good flowability during bonding to enable suitable gap filling and/or a modulus and hardness that may be similar to component  200  and/or to component  300  to interface with and/or mechanically reinforce any couplings between component  200  and component  300  in an effective manner and/or a good water vapor transmission rate (“WVTR”) for effectively environmentally protecting any couplings between component  200  and component  300  (e.g., from any environmental fluids and/or debris). 
     Although stage  100 - 3  may include mechanism  40  operative to bond a first coupling between contacts  202  and  302  via coupling component  400  prior to stage  100 - 4  that may include mechanism  50  operative to bond a second coupling between contacts  208  and  308  via coupling component  500 , and although each of stages  100 - 3  and  100 - 4  may occur before stage  100 - 5  that may include mechanisms  60  and  70  for reconfiguring reinforcement component  600  for reinforcing the first and second couplings, it is to be understood that one or both of the couplings may be bonded at the same time as reinforcement component  600  may be reconfigured from its initial configuration  600 - 1  to its deformed configuration  600 - 2 . For example, at least coupling component  500  may be bonded between contacts  208  and  308  by mechanism  50  and/or by mechanisms  60  and  70  while reinforcement component is deformed by mechanisms  60  and  70 , if not also while coupling component  400  may be bonded between contacts  202  and  302  by mechanism  40  and/or by mechanisms  60  and  70 . If the bonding of one or both of the contact couplings is done prior to the reconfiguration of reinforcement component  600 , the material(s) of reinforcement component  600  may be configured to withstand the bonding temperature of the prior contact coupling(s) (e.g., the temperature operative to deform reinforcement component  600  may be higher than the temperature operative to flow coupling component  400  and/or coupling component  500 ), such that the contact coupling bonding does not prematurely flow a portion of component  600 , which might cause a portion of the material of deforming component  600  to flow into an area to be used for bonding the contacts of components  200  and  300 , thereby negatively affecting the effectiveness of the bonding. Alternatively, if the bonding of one or both of the contact couplings is done simultaneously with the reconfiguration of reinforcement component  600 , the material(s) of reinforcement component  600  may be configured to flow at a similar but potentially slightly higher temperature than the bonding temperature of the contact coupling(s) (e.g., the temperature operative to deform reinforcement component  600  may be the same or slightly higher than the temperature operative to flow coupling component  400  and/or coupling component  500 ), such that the contact coupling bonding does not prematurely flow a portion of component  600 , which may cause a portion of the material of deforming component  600  to flow into an area to be used for bonding the contacts of components  200  and  300 . For example, in certain embodiments, the bonding material(s) of coupling component  400  and/or of coupling component  500  may be configured to be flowable within a limited flowable temperature range (e.g., when heated between 140° Celsius and 145° Celsius) and to be curable very rapidly thereafter within a limited curing temperature range (e.g., when heated between 145° Celsius and 150° Celsius), while the deformable material(s) of reinforcement component  600  may be configured to be flowable within a limited flowable temperature range just beyond the curing temperature range of the coupling component(s) (e.g., when heated between 150° Celsius and 160° Celsius) and to be curable soon thereafter within a limited curing temperature range (e.g., when heated between 160° Celsius and 170° Celsius). By shifting the flowable temperature range of reinforcement component  600  just beyond the active temperature range of coupling component  400  and/or of coupling component  500  (e.g., to align with the end of the curing temperature range of coupling component  400  and/or coupling component  500 ), a simultaneous heating process for components  400 ,  500 , and  600  may effectively avoid any reinforcement component  600  from flowing into a coupling location of a coupling component between component contacts while at the same time may effectively enable simultaneous bonding of one or more couplings and deforming of reinforcement component within a limited temperature range, which may avoid applying a temperature that is too far beyond the curing temperature of any component, thereby avoiding any over-curing or baking of any components (e.g., components  400  and/or  500 ). Material(s) for components  400 ,  500 , and  600  may be chosen such that component  600  may not prematurely cure while a nearby component  400  and/or a nearby component  500  is bonding. Additionally or alternatively, material(s) for components  400 ,  500 , and  600  may be chosen such that component  400  and/or component  500  may not overture while a nearby component  600  is bonded sequentially after the bonding of component  400  and/or component  500 . Additionally or alternatively, material(s) for components  400 ,  500 , and  600  may be chosen such that component  600  and at least one of component  400  and component  500  may be bonded simultaneously without negatively affecting any of such bonds. Such a simultaneous heating process for component  600  and at least one of components  400  and  500  may significantly shorten the process for assembling assembly  100  and/or may reduce the assembly mechanisms needed (e.g., mechanisms  60  and  70  may be used for all heating and flowing and curing processes). 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-7B , a single reinforcement component  600  may be reconfigured not only to reinforce a single coupling (e.g., coupling of contacts  202  and  302 ) of assembly but also two different couplings that may be aligned with one another on opposite surfaces of component  200  (e.g., a first coupling of contacts  202  and  302  and a second coupling of contacts  208  and  308 ). Additionally, in some embodiments, as shown, a single reinforcement component  600  may be reconfigured to reinforce two or more different couplings that may be offset from one another along a single surface of component  200  (e.g., a first coupling of contacts  208  and  308  and a second coupling of contacts  206  and  306  and/or a third coupling of contacts  204  and  304 ). Moreover, in some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 7B , for example, a single reinforcement component  600  may be reconfigured to reinforce a coupling on one surface of component  200  but not on an aligned opposite surface of component  200  (e.g., a portion of a coupling of contacts  202  and  302  on surface  201  but not another coupling of contacts directly thereabove on surface  209 ). In such an embodiment, any suitable mechanism, such as mechanism  80  of  FIG. 7B  may be provided along a portion of surface  209  (e.g., adjacent surface  205 ) to prevent a portion of compressed reinforcement component  600  from flowing and curing on surface  209  during the reconfiguration of component  600 . Mechanism  80  may be removed from assembly  100  after component  600  has cured or may remain within assembly  100 . 
     Reinforcement component  600  may be configured to be in a solid state at room temperature in its initial configuration  600 - 1  prior to being deformed into configuration  600 - 2  (e.g., prior to being heated for flowing and curing), such that component  600  can be positioned on component  300  prior to one or more additional processes, such as prior to coupling contact  302  of component  300  to contact  202  of component  200  and/or prior to folding component  300  from configuration  300 - 1  to configuration  300 - 2  and/or prior to coupling contact  308  of component  300  to contact  208  of component  200 . An initial geometry of component  600  of initial configuration  600 - 1  may be designed such that it may later be compressed to a deformed configuration  600 - 2  for filling in any suitable voids (e.g., a gap defined by magnitude GI) through application of pressure on component  600  in any suitable direction (e.g., along the Z-axis by reducing the height of component  600 , which may thereby increase the width and/or length of component  600  (e.g., along one or both of the X-axis and the Y-axis)). Height RHI may be configured to extend above height HF such that the extra height may be compressed (e.g., in a simultaneous process with bonding coupling component  500  to contacts  208  and  308 ). Such assembly of assembly  100  may result in a final stage  100 - 6  that may not be adversely affected by having inserted a material injection mechanism between portions of component  300  after coupling component  300  to component  200  (e.g., in a limited access target area (e.g., as may be defined by height HF)). Therefore, the coupling(s) between component  200  and  300  may not be weakened and/or the manner at which different portions of component  300  may extend away from couplings to component  200  (e.g., in the +X direction) may be parallel to one another and not bent away from one another in any way (e.g., unlike in stage  100 - 4  of  FIG. 5 , which may be prior to deformation of component  600  and/or prior to creating one or more couplings between component  200  to component  300 ). Therefore, different portions of component  300  may extend away from component  200  in a parallel fashion, such that height RHD of configuration  600 - 2  of component  600  may be substantially consistent along the width and/or length of component  600  (e.g., along one or both of the X-axis and the Y-axis). For example, the largest gap between different portions of surface  301  of component  300  along the Z-axis in the final stage  100 - 6  of assembly  100  may have a variation of less than a certain percentage of the height between opposing portions of surface  301  at surface  205  of component  200  in the final stage  100 - 6  of assembly  100  (e.g., less than 10%, or less than 7%, or less than 5%, or less than 3% of the height (e.g., height RHD and/or height HF at surface  205 )). Alternatively or additionally, the largest gap between opposing portions of surface  301  of component  300  along the Z-axis in the final stage  100 - 6  of assembly  100  may be no larger than the gap between opposing portions of surface  301  of component  300  along surface  205  of component  200  in the final stage  100 - 6  of assembly  100  (e.g., no larger than the gap between the first coupling at contacts  202 / 302  and the second coupling at contacts  208 / 308 ). 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart of an illustrative process  800  for forming a system with at least one reinforced coupling (e.g., stage  100 - 6  of assembly  100 ). At operation  802  of process  800 , a reinforcement component may be provided in an initial configuration on a surface of a first component portion (e.g., reinforcement component  600  may be provided in initial configuration  600 - 1  on surface  301  of a first portion of component  300 ). At operation  804  of process  800 , a first coupling may be created between one of (1) a contact of the first component portion at the surface of the first component portion and (2) a contact of a second component portion at a surface of the second component portion and a contact of a third component portion at a surface of the third component portion (e.g., a first coupling may be created between a contact on a first portion of surface  301  of component  300  and a contact of a first surface  201  of component  200  (e.g., between contacts  302  and  202 ) or between a contact on a second portion of surface  301  of component  300  and a contact of a second surface  209  of component  200  (e.g., between contacts  308  and  208 )). At operation  806  of process  800 , a second coupling may be created between the other one of (1) the contact of the first component portion and (2) the contact of the second component portion and a contact of a fourth component portion at a surface of the fourth component portion (e.g., a second coupling may be created between the first portion of surface  301  of component  300  and the contact of first surface  201  of component  200  (e.g., between contacts  302  and  202 ) or between the contact on the second portion of surface  301  of component  300  and the contact of the second surface  209  of component  200  (e.g., between contacts  308  and  208 )). At operation  808  of process  800 , the reinforcement component may be deformed, between the first component portion and the second component portion, from the initial configuration of the reinforcement component into a deformed configuration of the reinforcement component for reinforcing at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling (e.g., reinforcement component  600  may be deformed between different portions of component  300  from initial configuration  600 - 1  to deformed configuration  600 - 2  for reinforcing at least one of the coupling between contacts  302  and  202  and the coupling between contacts  308  and  208 ). 
     It is understood that the operations shown in process  800  of  FIG. 8  are only illustrative and that existing operations may be modified or omitted, additional operations may be added, and the order of certain operations may be altered. For example, operation  802  may occur before or during or after operation  804  but before operation  806 . Operation  804  may occur before or during operation  806 . Operation  808  may occur after operations  804  and  806 , or during operations  804  and  806 , or during operation  806 . 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart of an illustrative process  900  for protecting at least one of a plurality of couplings, wherein the plurality of couplings includes (1) a first coupling between a first flexible circuit contact of a first flexible circuit surface of a first flexible circuit portion and a first component contact of a first component surface of a component and (2) a second coupling between a second flexible circuit contact of a second flexible circuit surface of a second flexible circuit portion and a second component contact of a second component surface of the component (e.g., a first coupling between contact  302  of component  300  and contact  202  of component  200  and a second coupling between contact  308  of component  300  and contact  208  of component  300 ). At operation  902  of process  900 , a reinforcement component may be provided on one of the first flexible circuit surface and the second flexible circuit surface (e.g., reinforcement component  600  may be provided on a portion of surface  301  of component  300 ). After operation  902 , at operation  904  of process  900 , the reinforcement component may be compressed between the first flexible circuit surface and the second flexible circuit surface, wherein the compressed reinforcement component reinforces at least one of the first coupling and the second coupling (e.g., reinforcement component  600  may be compressed between different portions of component  300  (e.g., from configuration  600 - 1  to configuration  600 - 2 ) such that component  600  may reinforce at least one of a first coupling between contact  302  of component  300  and contact  202  of component  200  and a second coupling between contact  308  of component  300  and contact  208  of component  300 ). 
     It is understood that the operations shown in process  900  of  FIG. 9  are only illustrative and that existing operations may be modified or omitted, additional operations may be added, and the order of certain operations may be altered. 
     While there have been described reinforcement components for electrical connections with limited accessibility and systems and methods for making the same, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein in any way. Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. It is also to be understood that various directional and orientational terms, such as “up” and “down,” “front” and “back,” “top” and “bottom” and “side,” “above” and “below,” “length” and “width” and “thickness” and “diameter” and “cross-section” and “longitudinal,” “X-” and “Y-” and “Z-,” and the like, may be used herein only for convenience, and that no fixed or absolute directional or orientational limitations are intended by the use of these terms. For example, the components of the reinforcement component can have any desired orientation. If reoriented, different directional or orientational terms may need to be used in their description, but that will not alter their fundamental nature as within the scope and spirit of the invention. 
     Therefore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration rather than of limitation.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20180115
Publication Date: 20181009
Grant Date: 20181009
Priority Date: 20170929
Inventors: CHUO, YINDAR
GUPTA, NATHAN K.
CHEN, PO-JUI
LIN, WEI
SUN, WEI-HAO
YANG, JUI-MING
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R12/775", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0393", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0281", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/0256", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B38/0012", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/592", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0353", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0281", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0281", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/147", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/148", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/361", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/056", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2203/0278", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/775", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/592", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0353", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B38/0012", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0393", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/0256", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/148", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/147", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2203/0278", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/056", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/361", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 63685431