High current, multi-phase, surface mount inductor and methods of fabrication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022254563-A1
Application number	US-202217578724-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 19, 2022
Priority date	Jan 19, 2021
Publication date	Aug 11, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

An integrated multi-phase inductor component assembly includes a single piece core or a multi-piece magnetic core that may be easily assembled with multiple coils arranged in a mirror-image relationship in the magnetic core. The coils include vertically extending, planar main winding sections extending in spaced apart but parallel vertical planes and horizontal sections extending in coplanar relationship on top and bottom sides of the magnetic core for surface mounting to a circuit board or through hole mounting to another circuit board or another component in power supply circuitry for an electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An inductor component assembly for a circuit board, the inductor component assembly comprising:
a magnetic core structure having a top side and a bottom side opposing the top side; and at least one conductive coil received in a portion of the magnetic core structure; wherein the at least one conductive coil includes a first terminal structure extending on the bottom side for connection to the circuit board, and a second terminal structure on the top side.

2 . The inductor component assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second terminal structure is configured for through-hole mounting to another circuit board or electrical component.

3 . The inductor component assembly of claim 2 , wherein the second terminal structure includes a first planar terminal section and a terminal tab extending perpendicular to the first planar terminal section.

4 . The inductor component assembly of claim 3 , wherein the magnetic core structure further includes opposing front and rear sides extending between the top and bottom side, wherein the terminal tab extends alongside the front wall or the rear wall without extending over the front wall or rear wall.

5 . The inductor component assembly of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic core structure further includes opposing front and rear sides, and at least one of the front wall or rear wall including at least one coil slot.

6 . The inductor component assembly of claim 5 , wherein the at least one coil slot extends fully between the top and bottom sides.

7 . The inductor component assembly of claim 5 , wherein the at least one coil slot extends only partly between the front and rear sides.

8 . The inductor component assembly of claim 5 , wherein the magnetic core structure includes opposing left and right sides interconnecting the front and rear sides, and wherein the opposing left and right sides includes at least one physical gap producing multiple step inductance rolloff characteristics in operation of the component.

9 . The inductor component assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second terminal structure is configured for surface mounting to another circuit board or electrical component.

10 . The inductor component assembly of claim 9 , wherein the magnetic core structure further includes opposing front and rear sides extending between the top and bottom side, wherein the first terminal structure and the second terminal structure each wrap around one of the front and rear sides to provide surface mount terminal structure on the front side.

11 . The inductor component assembly of claim 9 , wherein one of the front wall or the rear wall includes at least one coil slot.

12 . The inductor component assembly of claim 11 , wherein the at least one coil slot extends fully between the top and bottom sides.

13 . The inductor component assembly of claim 11 , wherein the at least one coil slot extends only partly between the front and rear sides.

14 . The inductor component assembly of claim 9 , wherein the magnetic core structure includes opposing left and right sides interconnecting the front and rear sides, and wherein the opposing left and right sides includes at least one physical gap producing multiple step inductance rolloff characteristics in operation of the component.

15 . The inductor component assembly of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic core structure is entirely defined by a single magnetic core piece.

16 . The inductor component assembly of claim 15 , wherein the single magnetic core piece has a length dimension and width dimension measured parallel to a plane of the circuit board, and wherein the length dimension and the width dimension are substantially equal to one another.

17 . The inductor component assembly of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic core structure is defined by multiple magnetic core pieces.

18 . The inductor component assembly of claim 17 , wherein the multiple magnetic core pieces includes at least first and second identically shaped magnetic core pieces arranged in a mirror image relationship to one another, and a third magnetic core piece extending between the first and second magnetic core pieces.

19 . The inductor component assembly of claim 18 , wherein at least one the first and second magnetic core pieces includes a physical gap producing multiple step inductance rolloff characteristics in operation of the component.

20 . The inductor component assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal structure and the second terminal respectively define a surface mount terminal structure, a through-hole terminal structure or a combination of a surface mount terminal structure and a through-hole terminal structure.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Yan Yipeng

Classifications

• H01F27/292 Primary

  Surface mounted devices · CPC title

• H01F27/2852

  Construction of conductive connections, of leads · CPC title

• H01F38/023

  of inductances · CPC title

• H01F2027/065

  Mounting on printed circuit boards · CPC title

• H01F27/24

  Magnetic cores · CPC title