Integrated magnetic and composite substrate with incorporated components

• US 10,141,856 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harold Eicher, James Lee
• Original Assignee: Harold Eicher, James Lee
• Inventors: Eicher, Harold, Lee, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US15/495,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20170309391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 363 15, 363 20, 363 2104, 363 2106, 363144, 336199, 336200, 327564, 327565, 327566
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2027/2819 Planar transformers with printed windings, e.g. surrounded by two cores and to be mounted on printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/06 Mounting, supporting or suspending transformers, reactors or choke coils not being of the signal type
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/22 Cooling by heat conduction through solid or powdered fillings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33592 having a synchronous rectifier circuit or a synchronous freewheeling circuit at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A magnetic device assembly is provided for maximizing the size of the magnetic components for a predetermined power converter module by co-locating and sharing input, output, and auxiliary terminals between the substrates for the power converter and the magnetic components. Wherein complete power module is the result of constructing the separate constituent parts which include an integrated magnetic substrate, magnetic elements mounted therein, a power converter substrate, associated incorporated components located top and bottom on the power converter substrate, a composite mechanical footprint as defined by the mechanical extents of the integrated magnetic substrate and power converter substrate, and a composite electrical pinout as defined by the input-output pins which are coincident to and co-located as those of the integrated magnetic and power converter substrates.

Claims

1. A magnetic device assembly, comprising:

a substantially planar power converter substrate providing incorporated power components utilizing power input and output terminals, wherein the power converter substrate has an extent defined by a predetermined power converter device and associated power input and output terminals; and

a substantially planar integrated magnetic substrate providing at least one magnetic device utilizing integrated input and output terminals, wherein each integrated input and output terminal is co-located with a respective power input and output terminal,

wherein the integrated magnetic substrate is mounted adjacent the power converter substrate so as to be spaced apart by a standoff space in a stacked orientation,

wherein a portion of the incorporated power components reside within the standoff space, and

wherein at least one co-located power and integrated terminal is interconnected by a dual directed terminal,

whereby, a physical extent of the integrated magnetic substrate and the power converter substrate extent are generally coextensive with each other.

2. The magnetic device assembly of claim 1, wherein each dual directed terminal comprises:

a central portion extending between a distal end and a terminus end;

a conductive element wrapped along a portion of the central portion; and

an insulating medium between the portion of the central portion and conductive element.

3. The magnetic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the distal end is generally flush with a first surface of the integrated magnetic substrate defining a buried terminus.

4. The magnetic device assembly of claim 3, further comprising a heat sink disposed adjacent to at least one said distal end.

5. The magnetic device assembly of claim 1, wherein each dual directed terminal comprises a flat shoulder for setting the standoff distance.

6. The magnetic device assembly of claim 5, wherein the at least one magnetic device comprises at least one transformer-inductor pair, each comprising a transformer device and an inductor device.

7. The magnetic device assembly of claim 5, wherein an overall converter height is defined by the magnetic permeable elements of the magnetic elements, and wherein each heat sink is confined between said top surface and the overall converter height.

8. The magnetic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the predetermined power converter device is configured to accommodate industry standard mechanical dimensions and pin-outs established.

9. The magnetic device assembly in claim 1, wherein the integrated magnetic substrate comprises at least one planar layer, each layer containing at least one of a plurality of conductive elements, wherein the plurality of conductive elements comprises a magnetic winding of the at least one magnetic device, and wherein each planar layer may include electrical vias, traces or paths.

10. The magnetic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the integrated magnetic substrate and the power converter substrate can be merged into a unified whole composite substrate.

11. The magnetic device assembly of claim 2, wherein the central portion makes connection to the integrated magnetic substrate, the power converter substrate, and a separate PCB to which the magnetic device assembly mounts.

12. The magnetic device assembly of claim 4, wherein the buried terminus a suitably arranged blind vias configured to mount the heat sink thereon.

13. The magnetic device assembly of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one power intermediate terminal associated with the predetermined power converter device;

at least one integrated intermediate terminal disposed between the transformer-inductor pair co-located with a respective power terminal.

14. The magnetic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one co-located power and integrated terminal comprises a vias internalized in the integrated magnetic substrate;

and a plurality of plated surface mount pads coupled the power converter substrate.

15. The magnetic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one co-located power and integrated terminal is configured as a current sense transformer magnetic element for making a direct electrical connection to said input terminal.

16. The magnetic device assembly of claim 1, further comprising a metallization coupled to at least one of the incorporated power components, and wherein at least one of the integrated terminals is configured in a shape to make connection to said metallization making required circuit connections.

17. The magnetic device assembly of claim 11, wherein at least one of each central portion is-proximate and not coincident to a respective terminal.

18. The magnetic device assembly of claim 6, wherein the at least one magnetic device comprises a transformer device nearest the integrated input terminal and an inductor device nearest the integrated output terminal.

19. The magnetic device assembly of claim 6, wherein the at least one magnetic devices comprises an inductor device nearest the integrated input terminal and a transformer device nearest the integrated output terminal.

20. The magnetic device assembly of claim 6, wherein in the at least one magnetic device comprises only a single transformer.

21. The magnetic device assembly in claim 1, wherein the magnetic device assemble is scalable in size alone or in conjunction with the power converter substrate to any physical size defined by the power converter itself.

22. The magnetic device assembly in claim 1, wherein at least one magnetic device is discrete of the integrated magnetic substrate, and wherein the at least one magnetic device is mountable and couplable to the power converter substrate.