Inductor, core assembly, and inductor manufacturing method

Abstract

The spacer (40) is disposed between the first core (10) and the second core (20) to separate the first core (10) from the second core (20). The adhesive (50) is applied between the first core (10) and the second core (20). Both ends of the conductor (30) extend from the groove portion (11) and are respectively disposed along a first side surface and a second side surface of the first core (10), which face each other. The distance between the first side surface and the adhesive (50) is equal to or smaller than the distance between the second side surface and the adhesive (50) in the extending direction of the groove part (11). The spacer (40) is disposed between the adhesive (50) and the first side surface in the direction in which the groove (11) extends.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inductor, a core component constituting the inductor, and a method for manufacturing the inductor. Background Art

[0002] Among inductors, there are inductors in which a conductor is surrounded by a plurality of magnetic cores and a spacer is arranged between the magnetic cores so that a gap is provided between the magnetic cores. Specifically, there are inductors in which a conductor is fitted into a groove formed on the upper surface of a U-shaped core or an E-shaped core, a spacer is arranged on the upper surface, and an I-shaped core is further arranged so that the spacer is sandwiched between the U-shaped core or the E-shaped core. The U-shaped core or the E-shaped core is bonded to the I-shaped core by an adhesive or the like.

[0003] Regarding this technology, the following inductor is disclosed in the following patent document 1. A conductor (2) is arranged in a manner that is embedded in a groove in the center of a U-shaped magnetic core (1b). The conductor (2) is formed integrally with a spacer (6), and the spacer (6) is provided at the middle of the length in the extension direction of the conductor (2) and is formed to be orthogonal to the conductor (2). An adhesive (4) is applied to the four corners of the upper surface of the U-shaped magnetic core (1b) where the groove is provided. That is, when viewed from the adhesive (4), the spacer (6) is arranged on the inner side in the extension direction of the conductor (2). An I-shaped magnetic core (1a) is placed on the upper side of the U-shaped magnetic core (1b), and the I-shaped magnetic core (1a), the U-shaped magnetic core (1b) and the spacer (6) are fixed respectively by applying pressure and heating to cure. The two ends of the conductor (2) extend from the groove and are bent along the outer surface of the U-shaped magnetic core (1b) to form mounting terminals. Specifically, both ends of the conductor (2) are bent twice to form a mounting terminal having a rising portion along the side surface of the U-shaped magnetic core (1b) and a flat portion along the lower surface of the U-shaped magnetic core (1b).

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-177614 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0008] Usually, the mounting terminal of the inductor and the mounting substrate are joined by a conductive adhesive such as solder. In the case where the mounting terminal has a rising portion and a plane portion as in the inductor of Patent Document 1, in addition to soldering the relative plane portion and the mounting substrate, the solder also rises and extends along the rising portion of the side of the inductor, and forms a triangular prism-shaped (triangular shape when viewed from the side) solder foot between the mounting substrate. Here, the surface of the mounting terminal of the inductor is preferably in a state with good solder wettability. This is because, when the solder wettability is good, when the mounting terminal and the mounting substrate are soldered, the solder will fully rise and extend along the rising portion of the mounting terminal, and the solder foot will be formed into a desired size and shape. If the solder foot is well formed, the bonding between the mounting terminal and the mounting substrate becomes firm, and the conductivity of the mounting terminal and the mounting substrate also becomes good.

[0009] When an inductor is constructed as in Patent Document 1, when an I-type magnetic core (1a) is placed on a U-type magnetic core (1b), the adhesive (4) is sandwiched between the U-type magnetic core (1b) and the I-type magnetic core (1a) and is compressed and stretched, leaking out of the inductor and possibly adhering to the mounting terminal. When the adhesive (4) adheres to the mounting terminal, the solder wettability of the mounting terminal surface deteriorates, causing a problem of poor soldering between the mounting terminal and the mounting substrate.

[0010] Such a problem is not limited to soldering, but occurs in all brazing processes using other metal brazing filler metals.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides an inductor having a terminal surface with good wettability.

[0012] Solutions for solving problems

[0013] The inductor of the present invention is characterized in that the inductor comprises: a first core, which is a magnetic body having a groove portion on the upper surface; a conductor, which is arranged in a manner embedded in the groove portion; a second core, which is a magnetic body combined with the first core in a manner covering the groove portion; a spacer, which is arranged between the first core and the second core to separate the first core and the second core; and an adhesive, which is applied between the first core and the second core, the two ends of the conductor extending from the groove portion and being arranged respectively along a first side surface and a second side surface of the first core opposite to each other, in an extension direction of the groove portion, a distance between the first side surface and the adhesive is equal to or smaller than a distance between the second side surface and the adhesive, and in the extension direction, the spacer is arranged between the adhesive and the first side surface.

[0014] The core assembly of the present invention is characterized in that the core assembly comprises: a first core, which is a magnetic body having a groove portion on the upper surface; a second core, which is a magnetic body used in combination with the first core in a manner covering the groove portion; and a spacer, which is arranged on the upper surface of the first core, and the spacer is arranged on both sides of the upper surface in the extension direction of the groove portion.

[0015] The manufacturing method of the inductor of the present invention comprises: a first core having a groove on the upper surface; a conductor arranged in a manner to be embedded in the groove; a second core combined with the first core in a manner to cover the groove; a spacer sandwiched between the first core and the second core to separate the first core and the second core; and an adhesive to join the first core and the second core. The manufacturing method of the inductor includes: a configuration step of configuring an insulating material on the first core in a manner to cover the upper surface; a cutting step of cutting out regions of the insulating material located on both sides of the extending direction of the groove as spacers; a removing step of removing a portion of the insulating material other than the spacer; and a joining step of applying the adhesive at a position corresponding to the removed portion and joining the first core and the second core.

[0016] The adhesive sandwiched between the first core and the second core and extending along the extension direction of the conductor is blocked by the spacer, thereby preventing the adhesive from leaking to the side of the first core along which the two ends of the conductor are located, and maintaining good wettability of the mounting terminal surface.

[0017] Effects of the Invention

[0018] According to the inductor, the core assembly, and the inductor manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to provide an inductor having excellent wettability of the terminal surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above objects and other objects, features and advantages will be further clarified through the preferred embodiments described below and the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing an example of the inductor according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 1 is a plan view of the inductor according to the first embodiment (illustration of the second core is omitted).

[0022] Figure 3 It is a front view of the inductor according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 It is a bottom view of the inductor according to the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 5 The inductor of the first embodiment is Figure 3 Observe along the direction of the arrow line VV shown in Figure 3 The cross section indicated by the single-dot chain line is a longitudinal sectional view.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a plan view of the first core in the cutting step in the method for manufacturing the inductor according to the first embodiment.

[0026] Figure 7 (a) and Figure 7 (b) is an example of a top view of an inductor in which the first core has two slots (the second core is not shown). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The various components of the inductor of the present invention do not necessarily need to exist independently, and it is acceptable for multiple components to be formed into one member, one component to be formed of multiple members, one component to be a part of another component, and one component to partially overlap with another component.

[0028] In addition, there are cases where the inductor manufacturing method of the present invention is described using a plurality of steps described in sequence, but the order of the description does not limit the order and timing of executing the plurality of steps. Therefore, when implementing the inductor manufacturing method of the present invention, the order of the plurality of steps can be changed within a range that does not interfere with the content, and the execution timings of the plurality of steps may partially or entirely overlap.

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In addition, in each of the drawings, common reference numerals are given to corresponding components, and duplicate descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0030] In addition, in the present embodiment, the directions of front, back, left, right, up and down are specified and described as shown in the respective figures. However, this is a convenient specification made to simply describe the relative relationship of the constituent elements, and does not limit the direction when the product of the present invention is manufactured or used. In addition, the up and down direction is sometimes referred to as the longitudinal direction. In addition, the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is sometimes referred to as the lateral direction. The direction orthogonal to the extension direction of the conductor (left and right direction) is sometimes referred to as the width direction.

[0031] The plane mentioned in the present invention refers to a shape formed physically with the plane as the object, and it does not need to be a geometrically complete plane.

[0032] Hereinafter, the case where the terminal portion 33 and the mounting substrate are joined by solder is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The terminal portion 33 and the mounting substrate may be joined by other metal brazing materials, not limited to solder.

[0033] <First embodiment>

[0034] (Inductor)

[0035] use Figure 1 to Figure 5 The inductor 100 according to the first embodiment is described with reference to the drawings.

[0036] First, the outline of the inductor 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0037] The inductor 100 includes a first core 10, a conductor 30, a second core 20, a spacer 40, and an adhesive 50. The first core 10 is a magnetic body having a groove 11 on an upper surface 10a. The conductor 30 is arranged so as to fit into the groove 11. The second core 20 is a magnetic body combined with the first core 10 so as to cover the groove 11. The spacer 40 is arranged between the first core 10 and the second core 20 to separate the first core 10 and the second core 20. The adhesive 50 is applied between the first core 10 and the second core 20. Both ends of the conductor 30 extend from the groove 11 and are arranged along the first side surface and the second side surface (the front surface 10c and the back surface 10d) of the first core 10 that are opposite to each other. In the extending direction (front-back direction) of the groove 11, the distance between the first side surface (the front surface 10c or the back surface 10d) and the adhesive 50 is less than or equal to the distance between the second side surface (the back surface 10d or the front surface 10c) and the adhesive 50. The spacer 40 is disposed between the adhesive 50 and the first side surface (the front surface 10 c or the back surface 10 d ) in the extending direction of the groove portion 11 .

[0038] Next, the inductor 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

[0039] The first core 10 and the second core 20 are magnetic bodies that together form a closed magnetic circuit around the conductor 30. The first core 10 and the second core 20 are integrally formed of a magnetic material such as ferrite.

[0040] In this embodiment, Figure 1As shown in the figure, the first core 10 and the second core 20 are in the shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and the first core 10 and the second core 20 are combined to form a substantially cubic shape. The first core 10 and the second core 20 each have an upper surface (10a, 20a) facing upward, a lower surface (10b, 20b) facing downward, a front surface (10c, 20c) facing forward, a back surface (10d, 20d) facing backward, a left surface (10e, 20e) facing left, and a right surface (10f, 20f) facing right. In addition, the upper surface (10a, 20a) and the lower surface (10b, 20b), the front surface (10c, 20c) and the back surface (10d, 20d), the left surface (10e, 20e) and the right surface (10f, 20f) are respectively opposite to each other. The first core 10 and the second core 20 have upper and lower surfaces each having a larger area than the front surface, the rear surface, the left surface, and the right surface, and have a flat shape as a whole.

[0041] The shapes of the first core 10 and the second core 20 are not limited to rectangular parallelepiped, and may be, for example, prisms with polygonal bottom surfaces. The surfaces constituting the first core 10 and the second core 20 do not need to be perfect planes, and may be curved or skewed.

[0042] The groove 11 is a portion formed in a recessed manner on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 for the conductor 30 to fit in. The groove 11 is formed as a long groove recessed from the front to the rear on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10. The groove 11 may be formed on a straight line or may be formed in a curved manner.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the first core 1 is shown as a U-core having one groove 11 formed on the upper surface 10a, but a plurality of grooves 11 may be formed on the upper surface 10a. For example, the first core 10 may be an E-core having two grooves 11 arranged in a horizontal manner on the upper surface 10a. In addition, in the present embodiment, the groove 11 is provided at the center of the upper surface 10a in the width direction, but may be provided at a position to the left or right of the center in the width direction.

[0044] The depth of the groove 11 is greater than the thickness of the fitting portion 31 of the conductor 30 described later. Alternatively, the depth of the groove 11 and the thickness of the fitting portion 31 of the conductor 30 may be equal, and the upper surface 31a of the fitting portion 31 of the conductor 30 and the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 may be at the same height.

[0045] The width (length in the width direction) of the groove portion 11 is greater than the width of the fitting portion 31 of the conductor 30. In the present embodiment, the width of the groove portion 11 is greater than the width of the conductor 30. Figure 3As shown in the figure, the conductor 30 is arranged at the center of the groove portion 11 in the width direction, and gaps are formed between the conductor 30 and the groove portion 11 on both sides of the conductor 30 in the left-right direction.

[0046] Here, the second core 20 is combined with the first core 10 in a manner covering the groove portion 11, which means that the second core 20 is placed on the first core 10 in a manner that substantially the entire groove portion 11 overlaps with the second core 20 when viewed from above. More specifically, it means that the lower surface 20b of the second core 20 overlaps with the groove portion 11. Part of the groove portion 11 may not overlap with the second core 20.

[0047] In this embodiment, the second core 20 has a shape and size that can cover substantially the entire upper surface 10a of the first core 10 including the groove portion 11, and is placed so as to overlap with the first core 10 when viewed from above. Specifically, the shape and size of the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 are substantially the same as the shape and size of the lower surface 20b of the second core 20. Furthermore, the second core 20 is placed on the first core 10 so that the front surfaces (10c, 20c), the back surfaces (10d, 20d), the left surfaces (10e, 20e), and the right surfaces (10f, 20f) of the first core 10 and the second core 20 are on the same plane without any height difference and are flush.

[0048] The conductor 30 is a member through which electric current flows, and is made of a conductive material such as metal. In the present embodiment, the conductor 30 is a vertically long plate-shaped member as a whole.

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, the conductor 30 is arranged along the outer surface of the first core 10. Specifically, the middle portion of the conductor 30 serves as a fitting portion 31 that fits into the groove portion 11 of the first core 10. Both sides of the fitting portion 31 extend from the groove portion 11, and the portion extending from the groove portion 11 is in a bent state relative to the fitting portion 31, and is arranged along the front surface 10c and the back surface 10d of the first core 10. Here, the portion of the conductor 30 arranged on the front surface 10c and the back surface 10d of the first core 10 is referred to as the outer surface arrangement portion 32.

[0050] In the present embodiment, the entire outer surface configuration portion 32 exists at a position further outside than the front surface 10c or the back surface 10d of the first core 10. Alternatively, the portion of the front surface 10c and the back surface 10d of the first core 10 where the outer surface configuration portion 32 extends may be formed as a recess, so that part or all of the outer surface configuration portion 32 exists within the envelope volume of the first core 10, to replace the present embodiment.

[0051] Both ends of the conductor 30 are arranged as terminal portions 33 on the terminal arrangement portion 14 provided on the lower surface 10b of the first core 10, and are approximately parallel to the lower surface 10b of the first core 10. That is, the conductor 30 arranged along the front surface 10c or the back surface 10d is bent toward the lower surface 10b near the boundary between the front surface 10c and the lower surface 10b or near the boundary between the back surface 10d and the lower surface 10b.

[0052] The terminal portion 33 is a portion of the conductor 30 that is joined to the mounting substrate by soldering or the like.

[0053] The terminal arrangement portion 14 is a portion of the lower surface 10b of the first core 10 where the terminal portion 33 of the conductor 30 is arranged. In the present embodiment, the terminal arrangement portion 14 is formed as a concave portion on the lower surface 10b of the first core 10 that is concave upward. Figure 4 As shown, the width of the terminal arrangement portion 14 is greater than the width of the terminal portion 33 , and the length of the terminal arrangement portion 14 in the front-rear direction is greater than the length of the terminal portion 33 in the front-rear direction.

[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, the depth of the concave portion of the terminal arrangement portion 14 (the length to the bottom of the concave portion based on the lower surface 10b) is smaller in the area closer to the peripheral edge of the lower surface 10b, and larger in the area closer to the center side of the lower surface. That is, the bottom of the concave portion of the terminal arrangement portion 14 is formed in an inclined shape that becomes deeper toward the center of the lower surface 10b.

[0055] As described in the manufacturing method of the inductor 100 described later, the conductor 30 is arranged around the first core 10 in a bent state. By making the central side of the lower surface 10b deeper at the bottom of the terminal arrangement portion 14, the terminal portion 33 of the conductor 30 can be arranged in a fully bent state in a manner such that the terminal portion 33 of the conductor 30 is embedded in the terminal arrangement portion 14. That is, it can be bent to a state where the angle formed by the terminal portion 33 and the outer surface arrangement portion 32 is smaller than 90 degrees. As a result, it is possible to prevent the terminal portion 33 from floating relative to the mounting substrate due to insufficient bending between the terminal portion 33 and the outer surface arrangement portion 32.

[0056] In addition, in the present embodiment, the depth of the shallowest part in the bottom of the recess of the terminal configuration portion 14 is smaller than the thickness of the terminal portion 33. Thus, although a part of the terminal portion 33 exists in the recess of the terminal configuration portion 14, another part of the terminal portion 33 protrudes downward (mounting substrate side) from the lower surface 10b of the first core 10. Thus, the contact with the mounting substrate becomes good.

[0057] like Figure 5As shown, it is preferred that the corners (assuming that the corners of the first core 10 are not chamfered) that are the boundaries between the groove portion 11 and the front surface 10c and the boundaries between the groove portion 11 and the back surface 10d are chamfered to form an upper chamfered shape portion 12. In addition, it is preferred that the corners that are the boundaries between the terminal configuration portion 14 and the front surface 10c and the boundaries between the terminal configuration portion 14 and the back surface 10d are also chamfered to form a lower chamfered shape portion 13.

[0058] In the present embodiment, the upper chamfered shape portion 12 and the lower chamfered shape portion 13 are formed into a step-shaped chamfered shape. That is, it is composed of a surface inclined downward from the upper surface 10a and a surface parallel to the upper surface 10a, or a surface inclined upward from the lower surface 10b and a surface parallel to the lower surface 10b. The shape of the upper chamfered shape portion 12 and the lower chamfered shape portion 13 is not limited to the above-mentioned step shape. For example, the upper chamfered shape portion 12 and the lower chamfered shape portion 13 can also be set to a C chamfered shape or an R chamfered shape.

[0059] By chamfering the corners of the first core 10 where the conductor 30 is bent, the first core 10 and the conductor 30 do not interfere with each other, and wear of the first core 10 and the conductor 30 can be prevented.

[0060] In addition, the bent portion of the conductor 30 may be angular or arc-shaped (R-angle shape). As in the present embodiment, when the bent portion of the conductor 30 is arc-shaped, the conductor 30 can be brought into substantially integral contact with the side surface of the first core 10 and the groove 11 by chamfering the corners of the position where the conductor 30 of the first core 10 is bent.

[0061] like Figure 3 As shown, the spacer 40 is a member that separates the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 from the lower surface 20b of the second core 20. That is, the spacer 40 separates the first core 10 from the second core 20 so that the distance between the first core 10 and the second core 20 is equal to the thickness of the spacer 40.

[0062] The spacer 40 is formed by cutting the insulating material 60 into a desired shape. The insulating material 60 includes a material having insulating properties such as resin and is formed into a thin sheet with a substantially uniform thickness. By using the insulating material 60 of a predetermined thickness, the gap between the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 and the lower surface 20b of the second core 20 is adjusted, and a desired inductance value can be obtained.

[0063] The insulating material 60 may also be formed by laminating a base material layer and an adhesive layer. For example, in the manufacturing method of the inductor described later, if the spacer 40 is arranged on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 in such a manner that the adhesive layer is located on the side of the first core 10, it is possible to prevent the spacer 40 from shifting on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10. For example, as the insulating material 60, a tape having an adhesive layer coated on an insulating resin layer such as polyimide may also be used. In addition, as the insulating material 60, a tape having an adhesive layer laminated on both sides of the base material layer may also be used. That is, the spacer 40 and the first core 10 or the spacer 40 and the second core 20 may be bonded by means of an adhesive layer. Alternatively, the first core 10 and the second core 20 may be bonded by means of the spacer 40, and the adhesive 50 may be used to assist the bonding between the first core 10 and the second core 20.

[0064] In this embodiment, the spacer 40 is arranged on the upper surface 10b of the first core 10 and the second core 20 is placed so that the spacer 40 is sandwiched between the second core 20 and the first core 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, after the spacer 40 is arranged on the lower surface 20b of the second core 20, the first core 10 may be arranged on the side (lower side) of the spacer 40 arranged on the second core 20.

[0065] The adhesive 50 is a material for bonding the first core 10 and the second core 20. That is, the first core 10 and the second core 20 are bonded together without separation by the adhesive 50. As the adhesive 50, an adhesive resin such as epoxy resin, phenol resin, or acrylic resin can be used.

[0066] The adhesive 50 only needs to be applied in a manner of contacting the first core 10 and the second core 20. During the manufacturing process, the adhesive 50 can be applied to either the first core 10 or the second core 20. That is, the adhesive 50 can be applied to the first core 10 and the second core 20 can be combined on the side where the adhesive 50 is applied, or the adhesive 50 can be applied to the second core 20 and the first core 10 can be combined on the side where the adhesive 50 is applied.

[0067] The adhesive 50 is preferably applied to a position on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 or the lower surface 20b of the second core 20 where the spacer 40 is not arranged. The adhesive 50 is sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 and is intended to be thinly spread, but although it is thinly spread, it still has a certain thickness. By applying the adhesive 50 to the first core 10 or the second core 20 avoiding the spacer 40, the distance between the first core 10 and the second core 20 can be controlled without being affected by the thickness of the adhesive 50. Specifically, the distance between the first core 10 and the second core 20 can be made the thickness of the spacer 40.

[0068] Here, the first side surface and the second side surface refer to either one of a pair of surfaces (the front surface 10c and the back surface 10d in this embodiment) of the first core 10 along which the conductor 30 is arranged. The distance between the adhesive 50 and the first side surface is equal to or shorter than the distance between the adhesive 50 and the second side surface. That is, the one of the front surface 10c and the back surface 10d that is closer to or has an equal distance to the adhesive 50 is the first side surface, and the other is the second side surface. For example, in the case where the adhesive 50 is applied to an area on the front surface 10c side than the center in the front-to-back direction on the upper surface 10a, the first side surface is the front surface 10c, and the second side surface is the back surface 10d. In the case where the adhesive 50 is applied to an area on the back surface 10d side than the center in the front-to-back direction on the upper surface 10a, the first side surface is the back surface 10d, and the second side surface is the front surface 10c. Furthermore, when the adhesive 50 is applied to the center of the upper surface 10 a in the front-rear direction, one of the front surface 10 c and the back surface 10 d is the first side surface, and the other is the second side surface.

[0069] In this embodiment, since the adhesive 50 is applied to the center of the upper surface 10a in the front-to-back direction, the first side surface is referred to as the front surface 10c and the second side surface is referred to as the back surface 10d for explanation below, but the first side surface may also be set as the back surface 10d and the second side surface may be set as the front surface 10c.

[0070] In addition, the first side surface and the second side surface are defined according to the respective coating positions of the adhesive 50. In the present embodiment, the adhesive 50 (50a, 50b) is coated at each location in the left and right regions of the upper surface 10a across the groove portion 11, and in the front-to-back direction, the distance between the coating position of the adhesive 50 and the front surface 10c is the same as the distance between the coating position of the adhesive 50 and the back surface 10d. Therefore, for the adhesive 50a coated on the left region and the adhesive 50b coated on the right region, the first side surface can be set as the front surface 10c and the second side surface can be set as the back surface. For example, in the case where the adhesive 50a of the left region is coated on the side close to the front surface 10c and the adhesive 50b of the right region is coated on the side close to the back surface 10d, the first side surface for the adhesive 50a of the left region is the front surface 10c, and the first side surface for the adhesive 50b of the right region is the back surface 10d.

[0071] like Figure 2 As shown, in the front-to-back direction, the spacer 40 is arranged in the region (first region 10g) between the adhesive 50 and the first side surface with respect to the adhesive 50. In a plan view of the inductor 100, the spacer 40 is arranged in the region (first region 10g) sandwiched between the adhesive 50 and the first side surface in the front-to-back direction.

[0072] Here, the adhesive 50 sandwiching the spacer 40 in the front-to-back direction together with the first side surface refers to the main volume portion of the applied adhesive. That is, it refers to the area where the adhesive 50 drips relative to the first core 10 or the second core 20. Here, for example, in the manufacturing process of the inductor 100, there is a case where the adhesive 50 accidentally splashes when the adhesive 50 is dripped on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10. In addition, there is a case where a part of the adhesive 50 that is sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 and intends to expand in the lateral direction passes over the spacer 40 and accidentally enters between the spacer 40 and the second core 20. In these cases, the adhesive 50 in the meaning of "a spacer 40 is arranged between the adhesive 50 and the first side surface in the front-to-back direction" refers to the main volume portion obtained by intentionally applying the adhesive 50, and does not include the adhesive 50 that accidentally splashes out and the adhesive 50 that accidentally splashes on the spacer 40. Figure 2 In the present embodiment shown, a raised end face of a spacer 40 is arranged between a roughly circular main volume portion of an adhesive 50 (e.g., adhesive 50b) applied on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 and the first side surface (front surface 10c) in the front-to-back direction (front).

[0073] In the present embodiment, the adhesive 50 is applied to two locations on the upper surface 10a (one location on each side across the groove 11), and the spacer 40 is disposed between each of the two locations where the adhesive 50 is applied and the first side surface corresponding to each adhesive 50, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is sufficient that the spacer 40 is disposed between the adhesive 50 and the first side surface for at least one location of the adhesive 50 applied to the upper surface 10a. Preferably, the spacer 40 is disposed between each adhesive 50 and the first side surface corresponding to each adhesive 50 for all the adhesives 50 applied to the upper surface 10a.

[0074] The spacer 40 only needs to be arranged at least in the first area 10g, and may or may not be arranged at other positions on the upper surface 10a. For example, in the present embodiment, in the front-back direction, the spacer 40 is also arranged in the area between the adhesive 50 and the second side surface (the second area 10i) and the third area 10h described later, but the spacer 40 is not arranged at a position closer to the groove portion 11 than the adhesive 50. The spacer 40 may not be arranged in the second area 10i or the third area 10h, or may be arranged at a position closer to the groove portion 11 than the adhesive 50.

[0075] In addition, in this embodiment, the spacer 40 is arranged on substantially the entire surface of the first region 10g, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the spacer 40 may be arranged only at a position close to the adhesive 50 in the first region 10g, or may be arranged only at a position close to the first side surface (front surface 10c) in the first region 10g.

[0076] exist Figure 2 , only the first region 10g, the second region 10i, and the third region 10h are shown for the adhesive 50b in the region on the right side of the upper surface 10a across the groove 11. The first region 10g, the second region 10i, and the third region 10h for the adhesive 50a applied in the region on the left side are present at positions mirror-symmetrical to the first region 10g, the second region 10i, and the third region 10h for the adhesive 50b across the groove 11.

[0077] During the manufacturing process of the inductor 100, the adhesive 50 is sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 and is intended to spread radially between the first core 10 and the second core 20. The adhesive 50 that is intended to spread along the extension direction of the conductor 30 is blocked by the spacer 40 arranged in the first region 10g. As a result, the adhesive 50 is prevented from leaking to the front or rear of the inductor 100, and it is difficult for the adhesive 50 to adhere to the outer surface configuration portion 32 and the terminal portion 33 of the conductor 30 arranged in front of and behind the inductor 100. As a result, the solder wettability of the outer surface configuration portion 32 and the terminal portion 33 can be well maintained, and a solder fillet can be easily formed when joining to a mounting substrate by soldering or the like.

[0078] The first core 10 has a third side surface and a fourth side surface (a left surface 10e and a right surface 10f in the present embodiment) which are arranged opposite to each other in an orthogonal direction (a left-right direction) orthogonal to the extension direction (a front-rear direction) of the groove portion 11. In the left-right direction, the spacer 40 is also arranged between the third side surface close to the adhesive 50 and the adhesive 50 among the third side surface and the fourth side surface.

[0079] The third side surface close to the adhesive 50 refers to a side surface of a pair of side surfaces arranged in the left-right direction and opposite to each other in the first core 10, which is located at a distance less than half of the length of the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 in the left-right direction based on the adhesive 50. In the case of the present embodiment, the third side surface refers to the side surface arranged on the outer side in the width direction of the side opposite to the side where the groove portion 11 exists when the adhesive 50 is observed, and the fourth side surface refers to the side surface arranged on the side beyond the groove portion 11 when the adhesive 50 is observed.

[0080] In the present embodiment, the third side surface and the fourth side surface are either the left surface 10e or the right surface 10f. For example, for the adhesive 50a applied to the area on the left side of the groove 11 on the upper surface 10a, the third side surface is the left surface 10e, and the fourth side surface is the right surface 10f. For the adhesive 50b applied to the area on the right side of the groove 11, the third side surface is the right surface 10f, and the fourth side surface is the left surface 10e.

[0081] In the left-right direction, the spacer 40 is arranged in the area (third area 10h) between the adhesive 50 and the third side surface in the upper surface 10a. In this embodiment, the spacer 40 is arranged on substantially the entire surface of the third area 10h, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the spacer 40 may be arranged only on the side close to the adhesive 50 in the third area 10h, or may be arranged only on the side close to the third side surface in the third area 10h.

[0082] The adhesive 50 sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 and extending to the side opposite to the groove portion 11 is blocked by the spacer 40 disposed in the third region 10h. Thus, the adhesive 50 does not leak to the left or right of the inductor 100 to deteriorate the appearance of the inductor 100, and the appearance of the inductor 100 can be kept good.

[0083] In the present embodiment, the spacer 40 disposed between the adhesive 50 and the first side surface and the spacer 40 disposed between the adhesive 50 and the third side surface are continuously formed.

[0084] Here, the so-called spacer 40 is formed continuously, which not only refers to the case where it is formed as one spacer 40, but also includes the case where two spacers 40 abut against each other with an infinitely small gap or no gap. That is, the spacer 40 can be formed by one component, or it can be divided into two or more components. For example, an L-shaped spacer 40 is formed across the first area 10g and the third area 10h. Alternatively, the spacer 40 (for example, the spacer 40g described later) arranged in the first area 10g abuts against the spacer 40 (for example, the spacer 40h described later) arranged in the third area, and the whole is L-shaped.

[0085] By making the gap between the spacer 40 disposed in the first region 10 g and the spacer 40 disposed in the third region 10 h infinitely small or eliminating the gap, it is possible to prevent the adhesive 50 from leaking to the outer surface of the inductor 100 through the gap.

[0086] In the present embodiment, the spacer 40 is also arranged between the adhesive 50 and the second side surface, and continuously surrounds the adhesive 50 in at least three directions. Here, the three directions refer to the front-rear direction of the adhesive 50 and the side opposite to the groove portion 11. The spacer 40 may be arranged in a region closer to the groove portion 11 than the adhesive 50, and the adhesive 50 may be continuously surrounded by the spacer 40 over the entire circumference, or the spacer 40 may not be arranged in a region closer to the groove portion 11 than the adhesive 50. In the present embodiment, the spacer 40 is not arranged at least partially in the position closer to the groove portion 11 than the adhesive 50, and the surrounding region 10j described later communicates with the groove portion 11.

[0087] By further arranging the spacer 40 in the second region 10i, the adhesive 50 that is about to spread toward the second side surface (back surface 10d) can be blocked by the spacer 40i. Thus, the adhesive 50 can be prevented from adhering to the conductor 30 arranged along the second side surface (back surface 10d), and the wettability of the terminal portion on the second side surface (back surface 10d) can be well maintained.

[0088] As in the present embodiment, by surrounding the adhesive 50 in three directions except for the groove 11 by the spacer 40, the adhesive 50 sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 and trying to spread is blocked in three directions by the spacer 40. In addition, the adhesive 50 leaking out of the space surrounded by the spacer 40 spreads toward the groove 11, and a part of the adhesive 50 flows in the groove 11 or on the conductor 30. Thus, it is possible to suppress the adhesive 50 from leaking out of the inductor 100, and to prevent the adhesive 50 from leaking out of the spacer 40 to the outer surface of the inductor 100. In addition, by preventing the adhesive 50 from entering between the spacer 40 and the first core 10 or between the spacer 40 and the second core 20, the gap between the first core 10 and the second core 20 can be controlled to a desired distance without being affected by the thickness of the adhesive 50, and the influence on the inductance value can be suppressed.

[0089] The adhesive 50 may be extended in the front-rear and left-right directions until the thickness of the adhesive 50 is equal to or less than the thickness of the spacer 40. That is, the thickness of the adhesive 50 is preferably less than the thickness of the spacer 40.

[0090] When the spacer 40 surrounds the entire circumference of the adhesive 50 instead of the present embodiment, the spacer 40 may have a shape and size such that the volume of the space surrounded by the spacer 40 is larger than the amount of the applied adhesive 50 .

[0091] like Figure 2As shown, in the present embodiment, the spacer 40 has a shape and size smaller than the upper surface 10a of the first core 10. That is, there is a gap between the spacer 40 and the first side surface, between the spacer 40 and the second side surface, between the spacer 40 and the third side surface, or between the spacer 40 and the groove portion 11, and there is a distance between them.

[0092] Since there is a gap between the spacer 40 and the first side surface, between the spacer 40 and the second side surface, or between the spacer 40 and the third side surface, there is a space between the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 and the lower surface 20b of the second core 20, outside the spacer 40 in the front-back direction and outside the width direction corresponding to the opposite side of the groove portion 11. Assume that the adhesive 50 sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 accidentally enters between the spacer 40 and the first core 10 or between the spacer 40 and the second core 20 and spreads, and a small amount of it leaks out to a position further outside the spacer 40 in the front-back direction or outside the width direction corresponding to the opposite side of the groove portion 11. In this case, the adhesive 50 can also be accommodated in this space. As a result, it is possible to better prevent the adhesive 50 from leaking in the front-back direction and the left-right direction of the inductor 100.

[0093] In addition, since there is a gap between the spacer 40 and the groove portion 11, Figure 3 As shown, the bonding between the first core 10 and the second core 20 can be confirmed by front view. That is, when the inductor 100 is viewed from the front, it can be confirmed from the gap between the groove 11 and the spacer 40 that the first core 10 and the second core 20 are bonded by the adhesive 50 .

[0094] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the distance L1 between the spacer 40 and the groove 11 is shorter than the length of the enclosing region 10j described later in the width direction. In addition, the distance L1 between the spacer 40 and the groove 11 is preferably shorter than or equal to the distance L2 between the spacer 40 and the first side surface, the distance L3 between the spacer 40 and the second side surface, and the distance L4 between the spacer 40 and the third side surface. In addition, in the front-to-back direction, the distance L1 between the spacer 40 and the groove 11 is shorter than the length L5 in the front-to-back direction of the spacer 40 disposed in front of or behind the adhesive 50. Thus, it is possible to suppress the adhesive 50 from leaking to the front or rear of the inductor 100 through the gap between the spacer 40 and the groove 11.

[0095] In addition, in the present embodiment, a portion of the adhesive 50 is in partial contact with the end surface of the spacer 40. The end surface of the spacer 40 refers to the surface of the spacer 40 that connects the surface in contact with the first core 10 and the surface in contact with the second core 20, that is, the side surface of the spacer 40. It is sufficient that at least a portion of the adhesive 50 is in at least partial contact with the end surface of the spacer 40. In other words, a portion of the adhesive 50 is in partial contact with the surface of the end surface of the spacer 40 that is opposite to the adhesive 50.

[0096] Here, the adhesive 50 is in contact with the end surface of the spacer 40, which includes the case where a part of the adhesive 50 is in contact with only the end surface of the spacer 40 and the case where a part of the adhesive 50 is in contact with the end surface of the spacer 40 and also in contact with the main surface of the spacer 40. That is, the adhesive 50 may be in contact with the end surface of the spacer 40 and extend between the spacer 40 and the first core 10 or between the spacer 40 and the second core 20.

[0097] Since the adhesive 50 is in contact with the end surface of the spacer 40 , the adhesive 50 that is sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 and is about to spread can be blocked by the spacer 40 .

[0098] In addition, since the adhesive 50 is in contact with the end surface of the spacer 40, the space surrounded by the spacer 40 is filled with the adhesive 50, and the volume of the space containing air in the space can be reduced. Therefore, even when the inductor 100 is used in an environment with a drastic temperature change, the stress load repeatedly acting on the adhesive 50 due to the expansion and contraction of the air in the space can be suppressed to a small value. As a result, the deterioration of the inductor 100 caused by long-term use in an environment with a drastic temperature change can be suppressed.

[0099] In addition, the adhesive 50 may also be present on the conductor 30 or inside the groove 11. The adhesive 50 blocked by the spacer 40 spreads to the side (groove 11 side) where the spacer 40 is not arranged, and spreads into the groove 11 and onto the conductor 30. Thus, the adhesive 50 blocked by the spacer 40 can be prevented from leaking over the spacer 40. In addition, by adhering the adhesive 50 to the groove 11 and the conductor 30, the groove 11 and the conductor 30 can be fixed together.

[0100] like Figure 2 As shown, the adhesive 50 is applied to both sides of the groove 11 on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10, and a pair of spacers 40 are arranged on both sides of the groove 11 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the groove 11 (left-right direction).

[0101] Specifically, the spacer 40 is disposed in each first region 10g of the adhesive 50 applied to both sides in the left-right direction sandwiching the groove portion 11, preferably also in the third region 10h, and more preferably also in the second region 10i.

[0102] In the present embodiment, the spacer 40 is formed and arranged with the same symmetry as the symmetry of the arrangement of the adhesive 50. That is, when the adhesive 50 is arranged on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 at a position that is mirror-symmetrical with respect to the groove portion 11 (a line passing through the center in the left-right direction), the spacer 40 is also formed in a shape that is mirror-symmetrical with respect to the groove portion 11 and is arranged at a mirror-symmetrical position. In addition, when the adhesive 50 is arranged at a position that is point-symmetrical with respect to the center point of the upper surface 10a of the first core, the spacer 40 is formed in a shape that is point-symmetrical with respect to the center point of the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 and is arranged at a point-symmetrical position.

[0103] In addition, the adhesive 50 and the spacer 40 only need to be applied and arranged on both sides of the groove portion 11 on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 when providing the inductor 100. For example, in the process of manufacturing the inductor 100, the adhesive 50 may be applied to the lower surface of the second core 20 and the spacer 40 may be arranged, and when the first core 10 is assembled, the adhesive 50 may be applied to both sides of the groove portion 11 and the spacer 40 may be arranged on both sides of the groove portion 11.

[0104] When the first core 10 has a plurality of grooves 11, it is sufficient to apply adhesive 50 to both sides (left and right) of at least any one of the grooves 11 and to arrange spacers 40. For example, when two grooves 11 extending in the front-rear direction are arranged in parallel and transversely on the upper surface 10a and the upper surface 10a is divided into three regions by the grooves 11, it is sufficient to apply adhesive 50 to any two or all of the three regions and to arrange spacers 40. When the first core 10 has a plurality of grooves 11, it is preferred to apply adhesive 50 to both sides of all the grooves 11 and to arrange spacers 40.

[0105] For example, when the spacer 40 or the adhesive 50 is arranged in the entire area divided by the groove portion 11, Figure 7 As shown in (a), the adhesive 50 may be applied to all three regions divided by the groove 11. The spacers 40 are arranged on both sides of the adhesive 50 in the front-rear direction. In addition, in the adhesive 50 applied to the outer side in the left-right direction, the spacers 40 are also arranged in the region on the side opposite to the groove 11. Figure 7 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , only the spacer 40 may be arranged in the region of the upper surface 10 a sandwiched between the two grooves 11 .

[0106] By bonding the first core 10 and the second core 20 on both sides of the groove 11 on the upper surface 10a, the bonding between the first core 10 and the second core 20 can be made strong. In addition, by arranging the spacer 40 in the first region 10g, the second region 10i, or the third region 10h of the adhesive 50 applied on both sides of the groove 11, the adhesive 50 can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the inductor 100.

[0107] Furthermore, by arranging the spacers 40 on both sides of the upper surface 10 a across the groove portion 11 , the gap between the first core 10 and the second core 20 can be maintained at a desired distance over the entire upper surface 10 a .

[0108] The first core 10 , the second core 20 , and the separator 40 of the present embodiment may be provided as a core assembly that does not contain the conductor 30 and the adhesive 50 .

[0109] The core assembly includes a first core 10, a second core 20, and a spacer 40. As described above, the first core 10 is a magnetic body having a groove 11 on the upper surface 10a, and the second core 20 is a magnetic body used in combination with the first core 10 in a manner covering the groove 11. The spacers 40 (40g, 40h, 40i) are arranged on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10.

[0110] The spacers 40 (40g, 40i) are arranged on both sides of the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 in the extension direction (front-to-back direction) of the groove 11. Here, the areas on both sides in the extension direction of the groove 11 refer to one side (front side) and the other side (rear side) based on the center of the length of the upper surface 10a in the front-to-back direction. That is, at least one spacer 40g is arranged at a position forward of the center of the upper surface 10a in the front-to-back direction, and at least one spacer 40i is arranged at a position rearward of the center in the front-to-back direction.

[0111] like Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the spacers 40g and 40i have a width that can cover substantially the entire width from the third side surface (the left surface 10e or the right surface 10f) to the groove portion 11, but are not limited thereto. The spacers 40g and 40i only need to cover a portion of the width from the third side surface to the groove portion 11, or may not cover a portion.

[0112] The spacer 40g disposed on the front side and the spacer 40i disposed on the rear side preferably overlap at least partially when viewed from any direction in the extending direction of the groove portion 11. More preferably, the entire spacer 40g disposed on the front side overlaps the entire spacer 40i disposed on the rear side when viewed from any direction in the extending direction of the groove portion 11.

[0113] Part of the region sandwiched between the spacers 40 disposed on both sides in the front-rear direction is a region to be coated with the adhesive 50 (adhesive coating planned region 10 k ).

[0114] The spacer 40 is preferably fixed to the upper surface 10a of the first core 10. For example, as described above, the spacer 40 having an adhesive layer may be used to attach the spacer 40 to the upper surface 10a of the first core 10.

[0115] In the core assembly, the conductor 30 is arranged so as to fit into the groove 11 of the first core 10, and the adhesive 50 is applied to the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 or the lower surface 20b of the second core 20, and the first core 10 and the second core 20 are joined together for use. The adhesive 50 is applied to the adhesive application area 10k between the spacers 40g and 40i arranged on both sides in the extension direction of the groove 11, so that the adhesive 50 sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 and extending in the front-to-back direction is blocked by the spacers 40g and 40i. Since the adhesive 50 can be prevented from leaking to the front and rear of the inductor 100, the adhesive 50 is difficult to adhere to the conductor 30 arranged on the front surface 10c and the back surface 10d, and the solder wettability of the conductor 30 can be well maintained.

[0116] In addition, the spacers 40g and 40i disposed on both sides in the front-back direction may be connected on the side opposite to the groove 11 in the direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the front-back direction, and the spacers 40 may surround a partial area (enclosed area 10j) of the upper surface 10a in at least three directions. That is, the spacer 40h may be disposed between the spacers 40g and 40i on the side opposite to the groove 11. The enclosed area 10j is an area on the upper surface 10a divided by the spacers 40.

[0117] The spacer 40g, the spacer 40h, and the spacer 40i may be different members or may be a single member.

[0118] The enclosed area 10j only needs to be surrounded by the spacer 40 in at least three directions: both sides in the extending direction of the groove 11 and the side opposite to the groove 11. The groove 11 side of the enclosed area 10j may be surrounded by the spacer 40 or not.

[0119] The adhesive 50 is applied in the surrounding area 10j. That is, the surrounding area 10j and the adhesive application area 10k overlap. In the present embodiment, substantially the entire adhesive application area 10k is located in the surrounding area 10j, and a part of the adhesive application area 10k includes the outside of the groove portion 11 side of the surrounding area 10j. Alternatively, the entire adhesive application area 10k may be completely included in the surrounding area 10j to replace the present embodiment.

[0120] In addition, in the present embodiment, the center of the adhesive scheduled application area 10k (adhesive application center 10l) exists in the surrounding area 10j. Specifically, the adhesive application center 10l is located at the length center of the surrounding area 10j in the front-to-back direction. In addition, the adhesive application center 10l is located at a position closer to the groove portion 11 than the length center of the surrounding area 10j in the left-right direction. Specifically, the adhesive application center 10l is located at the center between the groove portion 11 and the boundary of the surrounding area 10j on the opposite side of the groove portion 11. Instead of the present embodiment, the adhesive application center 10l may be located at the length center of the surrounding area 10j in the left-right direction.

[0121] By applying the adhesive 50 to the surrounding area 10j, the adhesive 50 sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 and spreading to the side opposite to the groove 11 is blocked by the spacer 40. This prevents the adhesive 50 from leaking to the outer surface of the inductor 100.

[0122] (Inductor Manufacturing Method)

[0123] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing an inductor according to the present embodiment (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the present method) will be described.

[0124] First, the outline of this method will be described.

[0125] As described above, the inductor 100 manufactured by the present method includes the first core 10, the second core 20, the conductor 30, the spacer 40, and the adhesive 50. The first core 10 is a magnetic body having a groove 11 on the upper surface 10a, and the conductor 30 is arranged in a manner to be embedded in the groove 11. The second core 20 is a magnetic body combined with the first core 10 in a manner to cover the groove 11. The spacer 40 is sandwiched between the first core 10 and the second core 20 to separate the first core 10 and the second core 20. The adhesive 50 joins the first core 10 and the second core 20. The present method includes a placement step, a cutting step, a removal step, and a joining step.

[0126] Next, this method will be described in detail.

[0127] In the configuration process, Figure 6 As shown, the insulating material 60 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface 10 a of the first core 10 .

[0128] The insulating material 60 is a sheet material having insulating properties. The insulating material 60 may also be formed by laminating a base layer and an adhesive layer as described above, for example, a tape formed by coating an adhesive layer on an insulating resin layer such as polyimide. When the insulating material 60 is formed by laminating a base layer and an adhesive layer, it is arranged in a manner that the adhesive layer contacts the upper surface 10a of the first core 10, so that the insulating material 60 and the first core 10 are fixed together. In this way, the insulating material 60 can be prevented from being offset relative to the first core 10 during the cutting process.

[0129] The insulating material 60 only needs to cover at least a portion of the upper surface 10a of the first core 10. Specifically, the insulating material 60 is arranged to cover at least the area on the upper surface 10a where the adhesive 50 is to be applied and its periphery. It is more preferable to cover the entire area on the left side or the right side of the groove 11 in the upper surface 10a, and it is further preferable to cover the entire upper surface 10a.

[0130] The insulating material 60 preferably has a shape and size that includes the upper surface 10a of the first core 10. Thus, in the cutting step, the spacers 40 disposed on both sides of the groove portion 11 can be cut out simultaneously.

[0131] In the cutting process, the regions on both sides of the insulating material 60 in the extending direction of the groove 11 are cut out as the spacers 40. Here, the regions on both sides in the extending direction of the groove 11 refer to any region on the front side and any region on the rear side based on the center of the length in the front-rear direction of the upper surface 10a as described above.

[0132] The portions of the insulating material 60 disposed in the front region and the rear region are cut out as spacers 40 (40g, 40i), respectively. The spacer 40g cut out from the front region and the spacer 40i cut out from the rear region preferably overlap at least partially when viewed from any direction in the extending direction of the groove 11. It is further preferred that the spacer 40g cut out from the front region and the spacer 40i cut out from the rear region overlap as a whole when viewed from any direction in the extending direction of the groove 11.

[0133] In the cutting process, Figure 2As shown in FIG. 1 , a region connecting regions on both sides of the extending direction of the groove portion on the side opposite to the groove portion 11 in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove portion 11 of the insulating material 60 may be cut out as the spacer 40. That is, the spacer 40h may be cut out in a shape that continuously connects the region on the front side and the region on the rear side of the upper surface 10a on the side opposite to the groove portion 11. In this case, the spacer 40 surrounds the partial region of the upper surface 10a in at least three directions.

[0134] Regions other than the above regions of the upper surface 10a may be cut out as the spacer 40. For example, a region connecting the front region and the rear region of the upper surface 10a on the groove 11 side may be cut out as the spacer 40.

[0135] As a method for cutting out the insulating material 60, thermal cutting such as laser cutting and physical cutting by a cutter can be exemplified. For example, the peripheral edge ( 10 ) of the spacer 40 to be cut out from the insulating material 60 is cut from the upper side. Figure 6 By irradiating the spacer 40 with a laser (the dot-dash line in FIG. 1 ), the spacer 40 can be cut into a desired shape.

[0136] In the removal step, portions of the insulating material 60 other than the spacers 40 are removed. By the removal step, only portions of the insulating material 60 cut out as the spacers 40 remain on the upper surface 10a, and portions of the insulating material 60 other than the spacers 40 are removed.

[0137] In the present embodiment, the portion of the insulating material 60 other than the spacer 40 is continuous. Therefore, the portion of the insulating material 60 other than the spacer 40 can be removed from the upper surface 10a at one time. For example, as described later, in the case where the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30 and the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 are formed to be flush and the spacer 40 is provided around the upper surface 10a of the first core in a hollow rectangular shape, it is necessary to remove the portion of the insulating material 60 located outside the spacer 40 and the portion of the insulating material 60 located inside the spacer 40 separately. By making the portion of the insulating material 60 other than the spacer 40 continuous, the portion can be removed at one time, and the efficiency of the removal process can be improved.

[0138] In addition, in the removal process, the insulating material 60 may be peeled off in any direction in the extending direction of the groove portion 11. In the present embodiment, the portion of the insulating material 60 other than the spacer 40 has a protruding portion corresponding to the surrounding area 10j. By peeling off the insulating material 60 in the protruding direction of the protruding portion and in a direction that does not include a component in the opposite direction thereof, it is possible to prevent the protruding portion from being left unremoved.

[0139] In the present embodiment, the enclosed area 10j is a rectangle. Alternatively, the enclosed area 10j may be a shape that narrows toward the outside in the left-right direction. For example, a semicircular, trapezoidal, or triangular shape may be exemplified. Thus, it is possible to better prevent the peeling residue of the protruding portion. In addition, it is possible to promote the flow of the remaining adhesive 50 to the groove portion 11.

[0140] The conductor 30 is arranged so as to be fitted into the groove portion 11. The conductor 30 is bent along the first core 10 and installed on the first core 10. Specifically, the portion of the conductor 30 extending from the groove portion 11 is bent and arranged along the front surface 10c and the back surface 10d of the first core 10. Both ends of the conductor 30 are bent so as to contact the lower surface of the first core 10 and are arranged in the terminal arrangement portion 14 of the first core 10. As another method, the conductor 30 that has been bent in advance along the first core 10 may be temporarily installed on the first core 10 in a manner extending outward in the extension direction of the fitting portion 31.

[0141] The step of fitting the conductor 30 into the groove portion and arranging the conductor 30 along the first core 10 may be performed after the removal step or may be performed before the arrangement step.

[0142] In the bonding process, adhesive 50 is applied to the position corresponding to the removed portion, and the first core 10 and the second core 20 are bonded. Specifically, adhesive 50 is applied to the adhesive predetermined coating area 10k between the spacers 40 cut out on both sides in the extension direction of the groove 11. More specifically, an adhesive supply unit such as a nozzle that delivers adhesive 50 is arranged on the adhesive coating center 101, and adhesive 50 is delivered and coated on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10.

[0143] When the area on the side opposite to the groove 11, which connects the spacers 40 on both sides in the extending direction of the groove 11, is also cut out as the spacer 40, the adhesive 50 is applied to the area of ​​the upper surface 10a surrounded by the spacer 40. The second core 20 is placed on the first core 10 so as to cover the groove 11, and the first core 10 and the second core 20 are bonded together by the adhesive 50 by heating and pressurizing.

[0144] By cutting out the spacers 40 on both sides in the front-back direction on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 and applying the adhesive 50 between the spacers 40, the adhesive 50 sandwiched and spread by the first core 10 and the second core 20 in the bonding process is blocked by the spacers 40. Thus, the spacers 40 can be prevented from leaking to the front and rear of the inductor 100, and the adhesive 50 can be prevented from adhering to the terminal portion 33. Thus, the solder wettability of the terminal portion 33 can be prevented from being deteriorated.

[0145] Furthermore, by cutting out the spacer 40 after placing the insulating material 60 on the first core 10, the spacer 40 can be cut out in accordance with the shape and position of the groove 11 of the first core 10. This makes it easy to position the region cut out as the spacer 40.

[0146] By cutting out a region on the side opposite to the groove 11, where the spacers 40 on both sides in the extending direction of the groove 11 are connected to each other, as the spacer 40, and applying the adhesive 50 to the region surrounded by the spacer 40, it is possible to prevent the adhesive 50 from leaking to the surface on the side opposite to the groove 11. Thus, it is possible to better prevent the adhesive 50 from leaking to the outer surface of the inductor 100, and to maintain the appearance of the inductor 100 in a good manner.

[0147] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications, improvements, and other aspects within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention.

[0148] In the present embodiment, the spacer 40 is arranged on each of the two sides of the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 across the groove portion 11, that is, on the portion of the upper surface 10a other than the groove portion 11, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the case where the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30 and the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 are coplanar and flush, the spacer 40 may be arranged on the conductor 30. In addition, even in the case where the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30 is arranged at a lower side than the upper surface 10a of the first core 10, the spacer 40 may be arranged on the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30.

[0149] For example, the spacers 40 disposed on both sides of the groove 11 may be connected to each other on the conductor 30. Specifically, the spacers 40 formed so as to connect the first region 10g, the second region 10i, and the third region 10h on both sides of the groove 11 may be connected to each other on both sides of the conductor 30 in the extending direction of the groove 11. That is, the spacers 40 may be disposed on the conductor 30 so as to cross the groove 11. Thus, the spacers 40 may be formed as a hollow rectangle that spans the groove 11 as a whole.

[0150] In addition, the application position of the adhesive 50 is not limited to the upper surface 10a of the first core 10. For example, in the case where the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30 and the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 are coplanar and flush, the adhesive 50 may be applied to the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30. Even in the case where the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30 is arranged at a lower position than the upper surface 10a of the first core 10, the adhesive 50 may be applied to the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30. The adhesive 50 may be applied discretely to each region on the upper surface 31a of the first core 10 located on both sides of the conductor 30 in the left-right direction and to a region on the conductor 30, or may be applied linearly in a manner that crosses the conductor 30 in the left-right direction. When the adhesive 50 is applied to the upper surface 10 a of the conductor 30 , it is preferable to arrange the spacers 40 also at positions on both sides of the adhesive 50 on the upper surface 31 a of the conductor 30 in the extending direction of the groove 11 .

[0151] Furthermore, when the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30 and the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 are coplanar and flush, or when the upper surface 31a of the conductor 30 and the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 are at the same height, the adhesive 50 may be applied only on the conductor 30 and the spacer 40 may be arranged.

[0152] In the present embodiment, adhesive 50 is applied at one location in each of two regions across the groove 11 on the upper surface 10a of the first core 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Adhesive 50 may also be applied at two or more locations in one of the two regions across the groove 11 on the upper surface 10a. In other words, adhesive 50 may be applied at multiple locations on each side region across the groove 11 on the upper surface 10a and spacers 40 may be arranged. In this case, it is sufficient that spacers 40 are arranged in at least one first region 10g of the applied adhesive 50, and it is preferred that spacers 40 are arranged in all first regions 10g of the adhesive 50.

[0153] In addition, the first side surface of the adhesive 50 applied to multiple locations as described above does not necessarily mean the same side surface. For example, when the adhesive 50 is applied to one location on the front side and one location on the rear side, the first side surface of the adhesive 50 applied to the front side is the front surface 10c, and the first side surface of the adhesive 50 applied to the rear side is the rear surface 10d.

[0154] In the present embodiment, the insulating material 60 is mainly described as the insulating material in which the adhesive layer and the base layer are stacked. However, the spacer 40 may be formed of the insulating material 60 having no adhesive layer.

[0155] In this case, in the cutting process of the manufacturing process of the inductor 100, instead of fixing the spacer 40 to the upper surface 10a of the first core 10 using an adhesive layer, the first core 10 and the insulating material 60 may be respectively fixed to a holding fixture not shown in the figure to prevent the first core 10 and the insulating material 60 from shifting.

[0156] When the first core 10 and the spacer 40 or the second core 20 and the spacer 40 are not fixed by an adhesive layer, the first core 10 , the second core 20 , and the spacer 40 can be fixed to each other by bringing the adhesive 50 into contact with the end surface of the spacer 40 .

[0157] In addition, in the present embodiment, the conductor 30 is set as a plate-shaped component as a whole, but it is not limited to this. For example, the terminal portions 33 at both ends of the conductor 30 may have a planar shape, and the middle portion of the conductor 30 may be a wire. Specifically, the two ends of the conductor 30 are composed of a terminal portion 33 arranged on the lower surface 20b of the first core 10 and a rising portion arranged on the side of the inductor 100 in the longitudinal direction. The wire is wound on the magnetic leg portion of the core, etc. It is also possible that the two ends of the wire are wound on a winding terminal electrically connected to the rising portion, and the wire and the terminal portion 33 are electrically connected.

[0158] The above-mentioned embodiments include the following technical concepts.

[0159] (1) An inductor, characterized in that the inductor comprises: a first core, which is a magnetic body having a groove portion on an upper surface; a conductor, which is arranged in a manner to be embedded in the groove portion; a second core, which is a magnetic body combined with the first core in a manner to cover the groove portion; a spacer, which is arranged between the first core and the second core to separate the first core and the second core; and an adhesive, which is applied between the first core and the second core, wherein both ends of the conductor extend from the groove portion and are arranged along a first side surface and a second side surface of the first core that are opposite to each other, respectively, and in an extending direction of the groove portion, a distance between the first side surface and the adhesive is equal to or smaller than a distance between the second side surface and the adhesive, and in the extending direction, the spacer is arranged between the adhesive and the first side surface.

[0160] (2) An inductor according to (1), wherein the first core has a third side surface and a fourth side surface, and the third side surface and the fourth side surface are arranged in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the extension direction and are opposite to each other, and in the orthogonal direction, the spacer is also arranged on the side corresponding to the side between the adhesive and the third side surface, and of the third side surface and the fourth side surface, the third side surface is close to the adhesive.

[0161] (3) The inductor according to (2), wherein the spacer disposed between the adhesive and the first side surface and the spacer disposed between the adhesive and the third side surface are continuously formed.

[0162] (4) The inductor according to (3), wherein the spacer is further disposed between the adhesive and the second side surface so as to continuously surround the adhesive in at least three directions.

[0163] (5) The inductor according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein a part of the adhesive is in contact with a part of the end surface of the spacer.

[0164] (6) An inductor according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the adhesive is applied to both sides of the upper surface of the first core across the groove, and a pair of spacers are arranged on both sides of the groove in a direction orthogonal to an extension direction of the groove.

[0165] (7) A core assembly, characterized in that the core assembly comprises: a first core, which is a magnetic body having a groove portion on the upper surface; a second core, which is a magnetic body used in combination with the first core in a manner covering the groove portion; and a spacer, which is arranged on the upper surface of the first core, and the spacer is arranged on both sides of the upper surface in the extension direction of the groove portion.

[0166] (8) The core assembly according to (7), wherein the spacers arranged on both sides in the extending direction are connected on the side opposite to the groove portion in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction, and the spacers surround the partial area of ​​the upper surface in at least three directions.

[0167] (9) A method for manufacturing an inductor, wherein the inductor comprises: a first core having a groove on an upper surface; a conductor arranged to be fitted into the groove; a second core combined with the first core to cover the groove; a spacer sandwiched between the first core and the second core to separate the first core and the second core; and an adhesive to join the first core and the second core, the method for manufacturing the inductor comprising: a placement step of placing an insulating material on the first core to cover the upper surface; a cutting step of cutting out regions of the insulating material on both sides of the extending direction of the groove as spacers; a removal step of removing a portion of the insulating material other than the spacer; and a joining step of applying the adhesive to a position corresponding to the removed portion and joining the first core and the second core.

[0168] (10) The method for manufacturing an inductor according to (9), wherein, in the cutting step, a region of the insulating material connecting the regions on both sides on the side opposite to the groove in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction is also cut out as the spacer.

Claims

1. An inductor, characterized in that: This inductor has: A first core, which is a magnetic body having a groove portion on an upper surface; a conductor configured to be fitted into the groove; a second core, which is a magnetic body combined with the first core in a manner covering the groove portion; a spacer disposed between the first core and the second core to separate the first core from the second core; as well as an adhesive applied between the first core and the second core, Both ends of the conductor extend from the groove and are arranged along a first side surface and a second side surface of the first core that are opposite to each other, respectively. In the extending direction of the groove, the distance between the first side surface and the adhesive is equal to or smaller than the distance between the second side surface and the adhesive. In the extending direction, the spacer is arranged between the adhesive and the first side surface.

2. The inductor according to claim 1, wherein The first core has a third side surface and a fourth side surface, the third side surface and the fourth side surface are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction and are opposite to each other, The spacer is further arranged on a side corresponding to between the adhesive and the third side surface in the orthogonal direction, and of the third side surface and the fourth side surface, the third side surface is close to the adhesive.

3. The inductor according to claim 2, wherein: The spacer disposed between the adhesive and the first side surface and the spacer disposed between the adhesive and the third side surface are continuously formed.

4. The inductor according to claim 3, wherein: The spacer is further disposed between the adhesive and the second side surface to continuously surround the adhesive in at least three directions.

5. The inductor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A portion of the adhesive is in contact with a portion of the end surface of the spacer.

6. The inductor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The adhesive is applied to both sides of the upper surface of the first core across the groove, respectively. The pair of spacers are disposed on both sides of the groove portion in a direction orthogonal to an extending direction of the groove portion.

7. A core assembly, characterized in that: The core assembly has: A first core, which is a magnetic body having a groove portion on an upper surface; a second core which is a magnetic body used in combination with the first core in a manner covering the groove; as well as a spacer disposed on the upper surface of the first core, The spacers are arranged on both sides of the upper surface in the extending direction of the groove portion.

8. The core assembly of claim 7, wherein: The spacers arranged on both sides in the extending direction are connected to each other on the opposite side of the groove in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction. The spacer surrounds a partial area of ​​the upper surface in at least three directions.

9. A method for manufacturing an inductor, wherein: The inductor comprises: a first core having a groove portion on an upper surface; a conductor arranged so as to fit into the groove portion; and a second core combined with the first core so as to cover the groove portion. a spacer sandwiched between the first core and the second core to separate the first core from the second core; and an adhesive bonding the first core and the second core, The manufacturing method of the inductor comprises: a disposing step of disposing an insulating material on the first core in a manner of covering the upper surface; a cutting step in which regions of the insulating material located on both sides of the groove portion in the extending direction are cut out as spacers; a removing step of removing a portion of the insulating material other than the spacer; as well as The bonding step includes applying the adhesive to a position corresponding to the removed portion to bond the first core and the second core.

10. The method for manufacturing an inductor according to claim 9, wherein: In the cutting step, a region of the insulating material that connects the regions on both sides on the side opposite to the groove portion in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction is also cut out as the spacer.

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