FLAT COIL PLANAR TRANSFORMER AND METHODS

• US 20130278371A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pulse Electronics Incorporated (Yageo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pulse Electronics Incorporated (Yageo Corporation)
• Inventors: Hongzhong, Ma, Lu, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,378,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 336/192
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2852 Construction of conductive connections, of leads
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2871 Pancake coils
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/292 Surface mounted devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 5/00 Coils superconducting coils H01F6/06; fixed inductances of the signal type H01F17/00

Abstract

A low cost, reduced form factor, high performance electronic device for use in electronic circuits and methods. In one exemplary embodiment, the device includes a unitary header assembly construction that ensures device coplanarity and also includes vertically oriented terminal pins. The device utilizes preconfigured flat coil windings that are disposed directly within a planar core. The flat coil windings further include features that are configured to mate with the header assembly terminal pins which substantially simplify the manufacturing process. Methods for manufacturing the device are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An inductive device, comprising:

a header assembly comprising a plurality of terminals;

at least one core; and

one or more flat coil windings disposed in proximity to said at least one core and electrically coupled with respective ones of said terminals.

2. The inductive device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said one or more windings comprises a first terminal aperture, said first terminal aperture configured for receiving a portion of a first terminal.

3. The inductive device of claim 2, further comprising a second terminal aperture, said second terminal aperture configured to receiving a portion of a second terminal.

4. The inductive device of claim 3, wherein the first terminal aperture is associated with a primary winding of a transformer and said second terminal aperture is associated with a secondary winding of said transformer.

5. The inductive device of claim 3, wherein said first and second terminal apertures reside at different levels within said inductive device.

6. The inductive device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said one or more flat coil windings comprises a notch, said notch configured to place said at least one of said one or more windings further away from an adjacent terminal.

7. The inductive device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said plurality of terminals comprise a chamfer feature.

8. The inductive device of claim 7, wherein said chamfer feature is configured to facilitate insertion of said respective terminal into a terminal aperture of said one or more flat coil windings.

9. The inductive device of claim 1, wherein said one or more flat coil windings comprises at least three discrete flat coil windings.

10. The inductive device of claim 1, wherein said header assembly further comprises:

a polymer carrier that defines a core receiving feature;

wherein said plurality of terminals each comprise a flat coil receiving end and a printed circuit board mating end.

11. The inductive device of claim 10, wherein said core receiving feature comprises a cavity, said cavity having one or more standoff features disposed therein.

12. The inductive device of claim 11, wherein said at least one core includes a standoff receiving feature, said standoff receiving feature sized to accommodate said one or more standoff features.

13. The inductive device of claim 10, wherein said flat coil receiving end comprises a vertically oriented terminal having a chamfered feature disposed thereon.

14. The inductive device of claim 10, wherein said printed circuit board mating end is disposed within a footprint area defined by said polymer carrier.

15. A flat coil winding, comprising:

a metal winding comprising a width and a thickness, said width being greater in dimension than said thickness;

wherein said metal winding is wound into a spiral characterized by an inner radius and an outer radius where the difference between said outer radius and said inner radius is said width.

16. The flat coil winding of claim 15, wherein said metal winding further comprises one or more terminal receiving apertures disposed therein.

17. The flat coil winding of claim 16, wherein said one or more terminal receiving apertures are substantially rectangular in shape.

18. The flat coil winding of claim 15, further comprising a notch, said notch configured to provide additional distance between said metal winding and an adjacent terminal on an inductive device to which the flat coil winding is ultimately positioned.

19. An electronics assembly comprising:

a power source;

a printed circuit board; and

an inductive device mounted on said printed circuit board that is in electrical communication with said power source, said inductive device comprising;

a header assembly comprising a plurality of terminals;

at least one core; and

one or more flat coil windings disposed in proximity to said at least one core and electrically coupled with respective ones of said terminals.

20. The electronics assembly of claim 19, wherein said inductive device is configured to provide a lower direct current resistance than a comparable inductive device comprised of printed circuit board windings.