MAGNETIC COMPONENTS AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20100007457A1
• Filed: 07/23/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Bogert, Robert James, Yan, Yipeng
• Granted Patent: US 8,279,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 336/234
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/04 with magnetic core
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2017/0066 with a magnetic layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2017/048 with encapsulating core, e.g. made of resin and magnetic powder
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/255 made from particles H01F27/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2847 Sheets; Strips H01F27/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/292 Surface mounted devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 3/14 Constrictions; Gaps, e.g. air-gaps in magnetic shunt paths H01F3/12

Abstract

Magnetic component assemblies and core structures including coil coupling arrangements, that are advantageously utilized in providing surface mount magnetic components such as inductors and transformers.

Claims

1. A magnetic component assembly comprising:

a single piece magnetic body fabricated from a material having distributed gap properties;

a plurality of coils situated in the magnetic body, wherein the coils are arranged in the magnetic body in a flux sharing relationship with one another.

2. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, wherein the magnetic body is fabricated from a moldable material having distributed gap properties.

3. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, wherein the monolithic magnetic body is fabricated from a first magnetic material having first magnetic properties and a second magnetic material having second magnetic properties, and wherein the second magnetic material separates portions of the first magnetic material and separates a portion of adjacent ones of the plurality of coils.

4. The magnetic component assembly of claim 3, wherein the second magnetic material separates at least a portion of the first magnetic material and a portion of the coils.

5. The magnetic component assembly of claim 3, wherein the second magnetic material extends to a top surface, a bottom surface, opposing end surfaces, and lateral side surfaces of the magnetic body.

6. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, wherein the single piece magnetic body is fabricated from a first magnetic material having first magnetic properties and a second magnetic material having second magnetic properties, and wherein the second magnetic material extends in a first plane and in a second plane extending substantially perpendicular to the first plane.

7. The magnetic component assembly of claim 6, wherein one of the first and second magnetic materials comprises pressed magnetic sheets.

8. The magnetic component assembly of claim 6 wherein one of the first and second magnetic materials comprises a magnetic powder.

9. The magnetic component assembly of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second magnetic materials is pressed around the plurality of coils.

10. The magnetic component assembly of claim 6, wherein the first magnetic material forms a substantially rectangular body.

11. The magnetic component assembly of claim 6, wherein the first and second magnetic materials collectively define a solid body around the coils.

12. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of coils are flat coils.

13. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of coils defines a first partial turn of a winding.

14. The magnetic component assembly of claim 13, further comprising a circuit board, wherein the circuit board defines a second partial turn of a winding for each of the plurality of coils, the first and second partial turns being connected to one another.

15. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, further comprising surface mount terminations for each of the plurality of coils.

16. The magnetic component assembly of claim 15, wherein the surface mount terminations define an asymmetrical pattern on a face of the magnetic body.

17. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, wherein a plurality of physical gaps are formed in the magnetic body.

18. The magnetic component assembly of claim 17, wherein the plurality of physical gaps extend outwardly from a portion of each of the respective plurality of coils to respective end edges of the magnetic body.

19. The magnetic component assembly of claim 18, wherein the assembly further includes a circuit board, and the plurality of physical gaps extend substantially parallel to a plane of the circuit board.

20. The magnetic component assembly of claim 19, wherein the plurality of physical gaps are spaced apart and generally coplanar to one another.

21. The magnetic component assembly of claim 20, wherein the plurality of physical gaps extend only on respective opposing ends of the magnetic body.

22. The magnetic component assembly of claim 17, wherein the plurality of coils are spaced apart from one another, and the plurality of physical gaps do not extend between adjacent coils.

23. The magnetic component assembly of claim 17, wherein the physicals gap extend outwardly from each of the respective plurality of coils to a top surface of the magnetic body.

24. The magnetic component assembly of claim 23, further comprising a circuit board, wherein the physical gaps extend substantially perpendicular to a plane of the circuit board.

25. The magnetic component assembly of claim 24, the magnetic body including a bottom surface, the bottom surface in abutting contact with the circuit board and the top surface opposing the bottom surface.

26. The magnetic component assembly of claim 17, wherein the physical gaps extend outwardly from each of the respective plurality of coils to a bottom surface of the magnetic body.

27. The magnetic component assembly of claim 26, further comprising a circuit board, the bottom surface in abutting contact with the circuit board.

28. The magnetic component assembly of claim 27, wherein the physical gaps extend substantially perpendicular to a plane of the circuit board.

29. The magnetic component assembly of claim 17, wherein the physical gaps comprises a plurality of spaced apart and substantially parallel gaps.

30. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, wherein the magnetic body comprises a first magnetic material, a second magnetic material different from the first magnetic material and a third material different from the first and second magnetic materials.

31. The magnetic component assembly of claim 30, wherein the third material is magnetic.

32. The magnetic component assembly of claim 30, wherein the third material is interposed between the first and second magnetic materials.

33. The magnetic component assembly of claim 30, wherein the third material has a different thickness between adjacent pairs of the plurality of coils.

34. The magnetic component assembly of claim 30, wherein the first, second, and third materials are pressed to one another.

35. The magnetic component assembly of claim 30, wherein at least one of the first and second materials comprises stacked magnetic sheets.

36. The magnetic component assembly of claim 32, wherein at least one of the first and second materials comprises moldable magnetic powder.

37. The magnetic component assembly of claim 30, wherein the first and second magnetic materials have distributed gap properties.

38. The magnetic component assembly of claim 1, wherein the magnetic body and coils form a coupled power inductor.

39. The magnetic component assembly of claim 38, wherein each of the coils is configured to carry a different phase of electrical power.