Coil and method of manufacturing the coil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12573541-B2
Application number	US-202117637323-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2021
Priority date	Apr 21, 2020
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

In an embodiment a coil includes a tube having a tube wall of an electrically conductive material, wherein the tube has an inductive portion in which a gap is arranged in the tube wall which shapes the tube wall in the inductive portion to form a helix, wherein the tube has at least one contact section including a connection region and at least one terminal region, wherein the connection region has the same contour as an adjacent portion of the helix, wherein the terminal region is an electrical terminal of the coil, and wherein the connection region electrically connects the terminal region to the inductive portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A coil comprising:
an inductive portion, wherein a helix is formed from a tube having a tube wall of an electrically conductive material by arranging a gap in the tube wall which shapes the tube wall in the inductive portion forming the helix; and two contact sections on opposite ends of the helix, each contact section comprising a connection region and a terminal region, wherein the connection region has the same contour as an adjacent portion of the helix, wherein the terminal region is an electrical terminal of the coil, wherein the connection region electrically connects the terminal region to the inductive portion, wherein the terminal region has two L-shaped regions on opposite sides of the connection region, each L-shaped region having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, wherein the horizontal portion is a flat surface that is a solderable terminal, wherein the inductive portion is spaced apart from a support surface on which the coil is mountable by the vertical portion, and wherein the L-shaped regions are integrally formed from a material of the tube wall.

2 . The coil according to claim 1 , wherein a transition from the connection region to the inductive portion is straight in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the tube.

3 . The coil according to claim 1 , wherein the inductive portion has no deformation.

4 . The coil according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal region is formed by a deformation of the tube wall.

5 . The coil according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal region and the connection region are in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tube.

6 . The coil according to claim 1 , further comprising a core.

7 . The coil according to claim 1 , wherein the tube is embedded in a plastic.

8 . The coil according to claim 7 , wherein the plastic is mixed with magnetic powder, magnetic particles or other magnetic material.

9 . A module comprising:
at least two coils according to claim 1 arranged in a common housing.

10 . A method for manufacturing the coil of claim 1 , the method comprising:
providing the tube; creating the gap in the inductive portion of the tube, and forming at least two sections of the tube into the contact sections; and deforming a first part of the contact sections into the terminal region in each case, wherein a second part of the contact sections retains a shape of the tube wall and forms the connection region, the connection region electrically connecting the terminal region to the inductive portion.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising using a laser process to create the gap and to form the contact sections.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising forming a recess in the contact sections of the tube by removing a region of the tube wall.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the recess in the contact sections of the tube and the gap in the inductive portion are created together in a single process.

14 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein deforming the first part of the contact sections comprises forming the terminal region in each case by deforming the first part of the contact section in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tube.

15 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein deforming the first part of the contact sections comprises forming the first part of the contact sections into the terminal region by a stamping process with a counter punch.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the second part of the contact sections, which becomes the connection region by the stamping process, is supported by the counter punch during the stamping process so that no bending forces act on the second part during the stamping process.

17 . The method according to claim 10 ,
wherein creating the gap in the inductive portion of the tube comprises:
producing a coil string by generating along the tube a plurality of inductive portions in each of which the gap is generated which in the respective inductive portion forms the tube wall into the helix, and
forming the contact section between each two inductive portions, and
wherein deforming the first part of the contact sections comprises:
forming the first part of the contact sections into the terminal region in each case, wherein the second part of the contact sections retains the shape of the tube wall and forms the connection region, the connection region electrically connecting the terminal region to the inductive portion.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the terminal region is formed by deforming the tube wall in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tube.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , further comprising separating the coil string perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube between the two inductive portions.

20 . The method according to claim 17 , further comprising creating a plurality of coil strings and embedding the plurality of coil strings into a plastic material, wherein the coil strings are arranged parallel to each other.

21 . The method according to claim 20 , further comprising separating the coil strings transversely and/or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the coil strings.

22 . A method for producing modules, each module being the module according to claim 9 , the method comprising:
producing at least two coil strings so that a plurality of inductive portions is produced along each of the tubes, in each of which the gap is produced, wherein a contact section is formed between each two inductive portions, wherein a first part of the contact section is formed into the terminal region in each case, and wherein a second part of the contact section retains a shape of the tube wall and forms the connection region; arranging the coil strings in parallel; embedding the coil strings in a plastic which forms the housing; and separating the coil strings connected by the plastic along separation lines perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the coil strings and between the inductive portions to form the module.

23 . A coil comprising:
an inductive portion, wherein a helix is formed from a tube having a tube wall of an electrically conductive material by arranging a gap in the tube wall which shapes the tube wall in the inductive portion forming the helix; and two contact sections on opposite ends of the helix, each contact section comprising a connection region and a terminal region, wherein the connection region has the same contour as an adjacent portion of the helix, wherein the terminal region is an electrical terminal of the coil, wherein the connection region electrically connects the terminal region to the inductive portion, wherein the terminal region has two L-shaped regions on opposite sides of the connection region, each L-shaped region having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion wherein the horizontal portion is a flat surface that is a solderable terminal, wherein the inductive portion is spaced apart from a support surface on which the coil is mountable by the vertical portion, and wherein the horizontal portions of the two L-shaped regions extend away from each other in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tube.

Assignees

• Tdk Electronics Ag

Inventors

• Bühlmaier Stephan
• Drespling Anneliese
• Galdeano Felipe Jerez
• Sorg Joachim
• Lux Herbert
• Proks Gerhard

Classifications

• H01F41/10

  Connecting leads to windings (making electric connections in general H01R43/00) · CPC title

• H01F27/02

  Casings · CPC title

• H01F2017/048

  with encapsulating core, e.g. made of resin and magnetic powder · CPC title

• H01F41/04 Primary

  for manufacturing coils {(coils for transformer or inductances H01F27/28)} · CPC title

• H01F5/00

  Coils (superconducting coils H01F6/06; fixed inductances of the signal type H01F17/00) · CPC title