inductor

Abstract

An inductor includes: a current-carrying member made of a metal material and having a main body portion extending in a current-carrying direction and a pair of lead-out portions connected to both ends of the main body portion in the current-carrying direction; an outer member formed using a magnetic material and covering the current-carrying member; and an electrode member connected to the lead-out portions and having at least a part exposed from the outer member. The main body portion has a center portion including a center in the current-carrying direction of the main body portion and a pair of wide portions sandwiching the center portion and connected to each of the pair of lead-out portions, respectively. A cross-sectional area of a cross section of the center portion intersecting the current-carrying direction is smaller than a cross-sectional area of a cross section of the wide portion intersecting the current-carrying direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to inductors. Background Technology

[0002] In the past, inductors have been incorporated into a wide range of electronic devices, such as DC-DC converters, for purposes such as boosting and bucking power supply voltages and smoothing DC current. Furthermore, in recent years, high-frequency drive-type DC-DC converters, where the switching frequency in the drive circuit of a DC-DC converter has increased significantly, have also been developed. In addition, with the increase in switching frequency, inductors exhibiting low inductance values ​​have also been developed. As a specific inductor structure, for example, a magnetic element with a planar energizing component is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Existing technical documents Patent documents

[0003] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2006 / 070544 Summary of the Invention

[0004] Among the existing magnetic components mentioned above, they sometimes do not have sufficient performance as inductors.

[0005] An inductor according to one aspect of this disclosure comprises: a current-carrying component made of a metallic material, having a main body extending along a current-carrying direction and a pair of lead-out portions connected to both ends of the main body in the current-carrying direction; an outer casing component formed of a magnetic material and covering the current-carrying component; and an electrode component connected to the lead-out portions and at least a portion exposed from the outer casing component, wherein the main body has: a central portion including the center of the main body in the current-carrying direction; and a pair of wide portions sandwiching the central portion and respectively connected to each of the pair of lead-out portions, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the central portion intersecting the current-carrying direction is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the wide portions intersecting the current-carrying direction.

[0006] According to this disclosure, higher performance inductors, etc., are provided. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of the inductor in the embodiment. Figure 2 These are top, side, and bottom views of the inductor in the embodiment. Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the dimensions of various parts of an inductor used to explain the implementation method. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing an inductor according to an implementation method. Figure 5The following are top, side, and bottom views of an inductor, which is another example of the implementation method. Detailed Implementation

[0008] (This is a publicly disclosed opinion) The magnetic element disclosed in Patent Document 1 functions as an inductor by covering a flat, energized component with an external component. In this case, magnetic flux is formed around the energized component in a plane intersecting the energizing direction. Furthermore, it is known that the longer the magnetic path length, the lower the magnetic efficiency (inductance value). On the other hand, when improving magnetic efficiency by reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the energized component intersecting the energizing direction to shorten the magnetic path length, the DC resistance (DCR) of the energized component increases, and the inductor tends to overheat. In other words, the inductor disclosed in Patent Document 1 sometimes lacks sufficient performance as an inductor, and improvements such as reducing the DC resistance without reducing magnetic efficiency are desired.

[0009] Therefore, in this disclosure, by varying the cross-sectional area of ​​the section of the energized component that intersects the energizing direction at various points in the energizing direction, an inductor is provided that suppresses the reduction of magnetic efficiency in some parts and reduces the value of DC resistance in other parts, thereby satisfying the above requirements.

[0010] The embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] It should be noted that the embodiments described below are all specific examples of this disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, the arrangement of constituent elements, connection forms, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit this disclosure. In addition, the constituent elements in the following embodiments that are not described in the independent claims are described as optional constituent elements.

[0012] Furthermore, in this specification, terms such as parallelism indicating the relationship between elements, terms such as cuboid indicating the shape of elements, and numerical ranges are not limited to expressions with a strictly literal meaning, but rather refer to expressions that allow for substantially equivalent ranges, such as deviations of a few percent.

[0013] Furthermore, the figures are schematic diagrams that have been appropriately emphasized, omitted, or scaled to illustrate this disclosure, and are not necessarily strictly illustrative, sometimes differing from actual shapes, positional relationships, and scales. In the figures, substantially identical structures are labeled with the same reference numerals, and sometimes repeated descriptions are omitted or simplified.

[0014] Additionally, the X, Y, and Z axes, representing three mutually orthogonal directions, are shown in each figure. These axes are used for illustration as needed. The axes are labeled for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the direction or orientation of the inductor.

[0015] (Implementation Method) [structure] First, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The inductor in the embodiments of this disclosure will be described. Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of the inductor according to the embodiment. Figure 1 The general shape of the outer component 10, which will be described later, is shown in the diagram, with a view of the interior of the outer component 10. For example, the main body 40 and other constituent elements that are hidden by being embedded in the outer component 10 are indicated by dashed lines, indicating that the main body 40 and the like can be seen when the outer component 10 is viewed.

[0016] in addition, Figure 2 These are top, side, and bottom views of the inductor involved in the implementation method. More specifically, Figure 2 (a) indicates from Figure 1 A top view of the inductor 100 viewed from the Z-axis positive side. Figure 2 (b) indicates from Figure 1 A side view of the inductor 100 viewed from the positive Y-axis position. Figure 2 (c) indicates from Figure 1 A bottom view of the inductor 100 viewed from the negative Z-axis side. Figure 2 In China, further cooperation Figure 1 Similarly, the constituent elements embedded in the outer casing 10 are shown in perspective using dashed lines.

[0017] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the inductor 100 includes an external component 10, a main body 40, a first outlet 52, a second outlet 53, a first electrode component 25, and a second electrode component 35. The first outlet 52 and the second outlet 53 are an example of a pair of outlets, and are sometimes collectively referred to as outlets when there is no need to distinguish them.

[0018] The inductor 100 is, for example, a cuboid metal composite core inductor, the general shape of which is determined by the shape of the outer component 10. It should be noted that the outer component 10 can be formed into any shape by molding. That is, depending on the shape of the outer component 10 during molding, an inductor 100 of any shape can be realized. The inductor 100 is a passive element that stores electrical energy flowing between the first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 as magnetic energy through the main body 40.

[0019] The outer casing 10 is the outer shell of the inductor 100 that covers the main body 40 and the pair of lead-out portions 52, 53. For example, it is a pressed powder core made of metallic magnetic powder and resin material and formed by pressure molding. It should be noted that the outer casing 10 can be formed using any magnetic material, such as ferrite, or other materials.

[0020] The metallic magnetic powder uses particulate materials with a specified elemental composition, such as Fe-Si-Al, Fe-Si, Fe-Si-Cr, or Fe-Si-Cr-B systems. Furthermore, the resin material is selected from materials such as polysiloxane, which insulates and bonds the metallic magnetic powder particles, thereby maintaining a certain shape. The outer component 10 has approximately rectangular opposing surfaces (faces on both sides of the X-axis) where the first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 are respectively formed. It is a generally quadrangular prism shape where the four sides of each opposing surface are connected by a top surface (upper surface, face on the positive Z-axis), a bottom surface (lower surface, face on the negative Z-axis), and two side surfaces (faces on both sides of the Y-axis).

[0021] In this embodiment, the inductor 100 may have, for example, an outer component 10 with a dimension of 8.0 mm in the X-axis direction, 5.0 mm in the Y-axis direction, and 3.0 mm in the Z-axis direction, but is not limited thereto. Similar to the description of the shape above, an inductor 100 of any size can be achieved by adjusting the dimensions of the outer component 10. Furthermore, the dimensions of the main body 40, the first electrode component 25, and the second electrode component 35 can be determined as long as they match the shape of the inductor 100.

[0022] The main body 40 is a flat plate with a constant thickness in its thickness direction (Z-axis direction in the figure) that intersects (e.g., orthogonally) the direction of current transmission (X-axis direction in the figure). It is made of a metallic material selected from metals such as aluminum, copper, silver, and gold, alloys containing one or more of these metals, and materials composed of metals or alloys and other substances. The main body 40 extends along the direction of current transmission, and a pair of outlet portions 52 and 53 are connected to each end. It should be noted that the main body 40 and the pair of outlet portions 52 and 53 are also collectively referred to as the energizing component 60. The width is defined as the length along the width direction (Y-axis direction in the figure) of the plate surface in which the direction of current transmission and the thickness direction intersect (e.g., orthogonally) the main body 40, and is extended from it.

[0023] The main body 40 includes: a central portion 41 with a constant width, including the center of the main body 40; and a pair of wide portions connected to both ends of the central portion 41. Specifically, the pair of wide portions includes a first wide portion 42 connecting the central portion 41 and the first outlet portion 52, and a second wide portion 43 connecting the central portion 41 and the second outlet portion 53. The width (length) of the central portion 41 in the width direction is shorter than either the width (length) of the first wide portion 42 in the width direction or the width (length) of the second wide portion 43 in the width direction. The thickness of the main body 40 is constant, therefore the cross-sectional area of ​​the section 41S of the central portion 41 that intersects (orthogonally in the embodiment) the direction of current transmission is smaller than either the cross-sectional area of ​​the section 42S of the first wide portion 42 that intersects (orthogonally in the embodiment) the direction of current transmission or the cross-sectional area of ​​the section 43S of the second wide portion 43 that intersects (orthogonally in the embodiment) the direction of current transmission or the cross-sectional area of ​​the section 43S of the second wide portion 43 that intersects (orthogonally in the embodiment) the direction of current transmission. Conversely, the cross-sectional area of ​​the first wide portion 42 and the cross-sectional area of ​​the second wide portion 43 are both larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the central portion 41.

[0024] For example, the average cross-sectional area of ​​the central portion 41 is smaller than that of the main body portion 40 at the cross-sections intersecting (or orthogonal in the embodiment) with the direction of power transmission, while the cross-sectional areas of the pair of wide portions 42 and 43 are larger than the average cross-sectional area of ​​the main body portion 40. In other words, the width (length) of the central portion 41 in the width direction is smaller than the average width of the main body portion 40 in the width direction, while the width of the pair of wide portions 42 and 43 is larger than the average width of the main body portion 40. Furthermore, for example, the cross-section of the central portion 41 at the cross-sections intersecting (or orthogonal in the embodiment) with the direction of power transmission is smaller than the average cross-sectional area of ​​the cross-sections 52S and 53S of the energized component 60 (main body portion 40 and the pair of outlet portions 52 and 53) at the cross-sections intersecting (or orthogonal in the embodiment) with the direction of power transmission, while the average cross-sectional area of ​​the pair of wide portions 42 and 43 is larger than the average cross-sectional area of ​​the energized component 60. In other words, the width (length) of the central portion 41 in the width direction is smaller than the average width of the energized component 60 in the width direction, while the width (length) of the pair of wide portions 42 and 43 in the width direction is larger than the aforementioned average width of the energized component 60. As a result, relative to the main body 40 or the energized component 60 as a whole, the outer perimeter length of the cross section intersecting the energizing direction of the central portion 41 is shorter, and the length of the surrounding magnetic circuit is also shorter. On the other hand, the cross-sectional areas of the cross sections 42S and 43S of the pair of wide portions 42 and 43 intersecting the energizing direction are larger than the cross-sectional areas of the cross sections intersecting the energizing direction of the main body 40 or the energized component 60 as a whole.

[0025] Here, the outer component 10 is formed by pressure molding, and the filling density of the metallic magnetic powder is greater closer to the center of the outer component 10. Therefore, it can be said that the area near the center of the outer component 10 has the highest effect in suppressing the decrease in magnetic efficiency when the magnetic circuit length becomes shorter. Strictly speaking, the center of the main body 40 is sometimes not completely aligned with the center of the outer component 10, but it is considered that these centers roughly overlap. As described above, the magnetic circuit length of the main body 40 is relatively short near the center portion 41, thus making it easier to obtain an effect that suppresses the decrease in magnetic efficiency.

[0026] Furthermore, because the cross-sectional area of ​​the pair of wide portions 42 and 43 is relatively large, it is easy to reduce the overall DC resistance of the energized component 60. Here, Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the dimensions of various parts of the inductor used in the implementation of the method. Figure 3 In the middle, with Figure 2 (b) The same viewpoint shows the inductor 100 in the middle of its formation. In the inductor 100, for example, the length of the central portion 41 in the current-carrying direction relative to the overall length of the current-carrying member 60 (thick double arrow) is 20% or more and 40% or less. More preferably, the length of the central portion 41 in the current-carrying direction relative to the overall length of the current-carrying member 60 can be set to 30%. By setting the length of the central portion 41 to such a length, the magnetic circuit length around the main body portion 40 near the center of the outer casing 10, where the filling density of the metallic magnetic powder is relatively high, can be kept short. On the other hand, the length of the pair of wide portions 42, 43 in the current-carrying direction relative to the overall length of the current-carrying member 60 is 15% or more and 35% or less. More preferably, the length of the pair of wide portions 42, 43 in the current-carrying direction relative to the overall length of the current-carrying member 60 can be set to 25%.

[0027] Furthermore, the first outlet portion 52 is connected to the first electrode component 25. Additionally, the second outlet portion 53 is connected to the second electrode component 35. Details will be described later, but in this embodiment, the main body portion 40, the pair of outlet portions 52 and 53, and the first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 are integrally formed without connecting portions. That is, the main body portion 40, the pair of outlet portions 52 and 53, and the first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 are additional names for various parts formed by processing a single component made of the same material.

[0028] The first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 are plate-shaped portions formed using the same material as the main body 40, with at least a portion exposed from the outer casing 10. External electrical components, etc., are connected to these exposed portions to form an electrical product including the inductor 100. Alternatively, the first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 may be formed separately from the main body 40 and the pair of outlet portions 52, 53. In this case, the first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 are connected to the main body 40 via the pair of outlet portions 52, 53, and a connection portion for electrical connection is formed at the connection point.

[0029] Furthermore, the first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 are bent downwards at the connection point where they are connected to the pair of outlet portions 52 and 53, along the opposing surfaces of the surface of the aforementioned outer component 10. Before bending, the first electrode component 25 is a first extension plate portion 26. The first extension plate portion 26 is integrally formed with the energized component 60 with the same thickness. Similarly, before bending, the second electrode component 35 is a second extension plate portion 36. The second extension plate portion 36 is integrally formed with the energized component 60 from a flat metal material with the same thickness.

[0030] The first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 are bent at the ridge line connecting the opposing surface and the lower surface, thereby further forming a first contact point 27 and a second contact point 37 extending along the lower surface. By arranging the contact points of the electrode components on the lower surface side in this way, they can be directly connected to the pads (not shown) of the mounting substrate such as the mounting plate of the inductor 100.

[0031] Furthermore, when using an integrated energizing component 60 and electrode component as described above, in the case where the inductor 100 is formed by bending the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 at the surface of the outer component 10, cracks (crazing, notches, etc.) sometimes occur in the outer component 10. Cracks may reduce the performance and durability of the inductor 100, so it is preferable to prevent cracks from occurring. In this embodiment, at the portion of the outer component 10 corresponding to the bending portion, that is, the part where the pair of guide portions 52, 53 connect to the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 and the contact portion of the outer component 10, the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 are bent downward relative to the pair of guide portions 52, 53, using the ridge line connecting the inner side surface and the opposing surface of the outer component 10 as a fulcrum. At this time, a large load is applied to the ridge line that becomes the fulcrum and the two ends of the ridge line, which easily causes cracks to occur. In particular, when bending the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 in the shape of a flat plate, the longer the width of the crease portion, the greater the force required to maintain the original flat plate, and the easier it is to cause cracks.

[0032] Therefore, in this embodiment, the width of the connection portion between the pair of outlet portions 52, 53 and the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 is also shorter than the width of the pair of wide portions 42, 43, so that the aforementioned effect is reduced. More specifically, the width of the portion of the pair of outlet portions 52, 53 of the inductor 100 and the portion of the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 connected to the connection portion of the pair of outlet portions 52, 53 is shorter than the width of the pair of wide portions 42, 43. As a result, even if the first electrode component 25 and the second electrode component 35 are formed by bending as described above, cracks are less likely to occur, and the performance and durability of the inductor 100 are easily maintained. Furthermore, the length of the pair of outlet portions 52, 53 in the current-carrying direction is 0% or more and 20% or less of the overall length of the current-carrying component 60. More preferably, the length of the pair of outlet portions 52, 53 in the current-carrying direction is set to 10% of the overall length of the current-carrying component 60.

[0033] [Manufacturing Method] Next, refer to Figure 4 The manufacturing method of the inductor 100 described above will be explained. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing an inductor according to an embodiment. In manufacturing the inductor 100 of this embodiment, firstly, a metal material integrally comprising a main body 40, a pair of lead-out portions 52 and 53, and a first extension plate portion 26 and a second extension plate portion 36 is prepared (preparation step S101). In preparation step S101, a flat metal sheet is punched using a die frame, thereby obtaining a metal material comprising the main body 40, the pair of lead-out portions 52 and 53, and the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36.

[0034] After the preparation step S101, the main body 40 and the pair of lead-out portions 52, 53 are covered by the outer component 10 (outer component step S102). In the outer component step S102, the main body 40 and the pair of lead-out portions 52, 53 in the prepared flat metal material are covered by the pressed powder core, thereby determining the shape of the inductor 100.

[0035] After the outer assembly process S102, the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 are bent (finishing process S103). In the finishing process S103, the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 are bent along the outer assembly member 10. Specifically, the first extension plate portion 26 and the second extension plate portion 36 are bent sequentially at the ridge line connecting the inner side surface of the outer assembly member 10 to the opposing surface and at the ridge line connecting the opposing surface to the lower surface, thereby sequentially forming the first electrode member 25 and the second electrode member 35, as well as the first contact point 27 and the second contact point 37. In this way, the inductor 100 of the embodiment is manufactured.

[0036] The following shows the results of simulation calculations verifying the performance of the inductor 100 formed as described above. In this simulation, an inductor 100 (embodiment) with an outer component 10 having a dimension of 8.0 mm in the X-axis direction, 5.0 mm in the Y-axis direction, and 3.0 mm in the Z-axis direction is envisioned. Furthermore, in the simulation, the energizing component 60, with a thickness of 0.4 mm, has a width of 1.5 mm for the main body 40 and a length in the energizing direction equal to 30% of the length of the energizing component 60. Additionally, the pair of wide portions 42 and 43 have a width of 2.6 mm and lengths in the energizing direction equal to 25% of the length of the energizing component 60, respectively. Furthermore, the pair of output portions 52 and 53 have a width of 1.5 mm and lengths in the energizing direction equal to 10% of the length of the energizing component 60, respectively. In addition, for comparison, the same simulation was performed on an inductor consisting of a constant energized component 60 with a thickness of 0.4 mm and a width of 2.0 mm (comparative example).

[0037] The inductance value of the comparative example was 40nH, and the same 40nH was maintained in the embodiment. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the DC resistance value was reduced by 8% in the embodiment compared to the comparative example. Thus, the verification results confirmed that the performance of the inductor can be improved by varying the cross-sectional area in the central portion 41 and the wide portion.

[0038] [Other examples] The following is for reference Figure 5 Another example of an inductor for implementing the embodiment will be described. Furthermore, in the following description, the differences from those in the above embodiments will be the focus, and points that are substantially the same as those in the embodiments will sometimes be omitted or simplified.

[0039] Figure 5 These are top, side, and bottom views of an inductor involved in another example of the implementation method. Figure 5 In the middle, it is shown that... Figure 2 Another example from the same viewpoint is inductor 100a.

[0040] The structure of the wide portion of inductor 100a differs from that of inductor 100. Specifically, the main body 40a of inductor 100a includes a central portion 41, a first wide portion 42a, and a second wide portion 43a. The main body 40a and the lead-out portions 52 and 53 constitute a current-carrying member 60a. While inductor 100 uses a plate-shaped main body 40, inductor 100a uses a main body 40a whose length, i.e., its thickness, changes in the thickness direction along the current-carrying direction. Furthermore, the thickness locally increases at the first wide portion 42a and the second wide portion 43a, meaning that the thickness of the wide portions 42a and 43a is greater than the thickness of the central portion 41 and the lead-out portions 52 and 53.

[0041] As described in the embodiments above, the inductor in this disclosure is configured such that the magnetic circuit length is shortened at the center to suppress the decrease in magnetic properties, and the cross-sectional area is increased at the wide portion to reduce DC resistance. When the width of the plate-shaped energizing member penetrating the outer casing 10 is too wide, the outer casing 10 is prone to cracking at positions closer to the upper and lower surfaces than the energizing member itself. Therefore, in another example, for instance, to locally increase the cross-sectional area at the first wide portion 42a and the second wide portion 43a, the thickness of the first wide portion 42a and the second wide portion 43a is locally increased. Such an energizing member can be formed, for example, by layering metal materials or the like at the wide portions 42a and 43a to control the thickness.

[0042] As described above, when the cross-sectional area of ​​the wide section is increased in order to reduce the DC resistance in the wide section, not only the width of the wide section can be increased, but also the thickness of the wide section can be increased.

[0043] [Effects, etc.] As described above, the inductor 100 of the first embodiment includes: a current-carrying member 60 made of a metallic material, having a main body 40 extending along the current-carrying direction and a pair of outlet portions (first outlet portion 52 and second outlet portion 53) connected to both ends of the main body 40 in the current-carrying direction; an outer casing 10 formed of a magnetic material and covering the current-carrying member 60; and electrode portions (first electrode portion 25 and second electrode portion 35) connected to the outlet portions 52 and 53, with at least a portion exposed from the outer casing. The main body 40 has: a central portion 41 including the center of the main body 40 in the current-carrying direction; and a pair of wide portions 42 and 43 (first wide portion 42 and second wide portion 43) sandwiching the central portion 41 and respectively connected to each of the pair of outlet portions 52 and 53. The cross-sectional area of ​​the central portion 41 that intersects the direction of energization is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the wide portion that intersects the direction of energization (which is smaller than either the cross-sectional area of ​​the first wide portion 42 or the second wide portion 43 that intersects the direction of energization).

[0044] The cross-sectional area of ​​the central portion 41 of such an inductor 100 is smaller than that of the wide portions 42 and 43. For example, in the case of a current-carrying member 60 with a constant thickness, the outer perimeter of the cross-section of the central portion 41 is shorter than that of the wide portions 42 and 43. Therefore, the magnetic circuit length around the current-carrying member 60 is relatively short at the central portion 41. When the outer component 10 is formed by pressure molding, the filling density of the magnetic material at the center of the outer component 10 is higher than that of other parts, so the center of such an outer component 10 can overlap with the vicinity of the central portion 41, which has a relatively short magnetic circuit length. As a result, the decrease in magnetic efficiency (inductance value) can be suppressed near the central portion 41. Moreover, by utilizing the relatively large cross-sectional area of ​​the wide portions 42 and 43 to compensate for the relatively small cross-sectional area of ​​the central portion 41, the advantage of easily reducing DC resistance can be obtained. In this way, the decrease in magnetic efficiency is suppressed and the DC resistance is easily reduced, thus enabling a higher performance inductor 100.

[0045] Furthermore, the inductor 100 involved in the second method is the inductor 100 described in the first method, wherein the energizing member 60 is a flat plate shape with a constant thickness, and the difference in cross-sectional area between the central portion 41 and the wide portions 42, 43 is obtained by the difference in length in the width direction between the central portion 41 and the wide portions 42, 43 that intersect the thickness direction of the energizing member 60. That is, particularly in this embodiment, it is obtained only by the difference in length in the width direction between the difference in thickness (length) in the thickness direction of the energizing member 60 and the difference in length in the width direction.

[0046] Therefore, in the flat plate-shaped energized component 60, the outer perimeter length of the cross section in the central portion 41 can be shorter than that in the wide portions 42 and 43.

[0047] Alternatively, the third-party inductor 100 is an inductor 100 according to the first or second method, wherein the electrode components 25, 35 are bent at the surface of the outer component 10 and extend along the outer component 10.

[0048] Thus, an inductor 100 having electrode components 25, 35 extending along the outer component 10 can be realized. Since the electrode components 25, 35 extend along the outer component 10, the movement of the electrode components 25, 35 relative to the outer component 10 is restricted, thus making it easy to maintain the physical connection between the electrode components 25, 35 and the outer component 10.

[0049] Furthermore, the inductor 100 involved in the fourth method is the inductor 100 described in the third method, wherein the energizing member 60 and the electrode members 25 and 35 are integrated, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the section (52S, 53S) of the outlet portion (at least one of the first outlet portion 52 and the second outlet portion 53) intersecting the energizing direction is smaller than the cross-sectional areas 42S and 43S of the section of the wide portion 42 and 43 intersecting the energizing direction (which is smaller than either the cross-sectional area 42S or 43S of the section of the first wide portion 42 or the second wide portion 43 intersecting the energizing direction).

[0050] Therefore, the energizing component 60 and the electrode components 25 and 35 can be formed in one process using a single component. Here, to extend the electrode components 25 and 35 along the outer casing 10, a bend is formed by bending the portion where the energizing component 60 and the electrode components 25 and 35 are integrated. In this case, if the cross-sectional area of ​​the lead-out portions 52 and 53 is relatively large, it is difficult to bend, thus increasing the possibility that the external force applied during bending will cause cracks in the outer casing 10. In the inductor 100 here, the cross-sectional area of ​​the lead-out portions 52 and 53 is smaller than the cross-sectional area 42S and 43S of the wide portions 42 and 43. Therefore, because the cross-sectional area of ​​the lead-out portions 52 and 53 is relatively small, the possibility that the external force applied during bending will cause cracks in the outer casing 10 can be reduced. As a result, cracks are less likely to occur in the inductor 100, making it less likely that the performance and durability of the inductor 100 will be compromised.

[0051] Furthermore, the inductor 100 involved in the fifth method is based on the inductor 100 described in the fourth method, wherein the energizing member 60 and the electrode members 25 and 35 are in the shape of a flat plate, and the difference in cross-sectional area between the wide portions 42 and 43 and the output portions 52 and 53 is obtained by the difference in length in the width direction of the wide portions 42 and 43 and the output portions 52 and 53 intersecting the thickness direction of the energizing member 60.

[0052] Therefore, at the plate-shaped energizing component 60 and the electrode components 25 and 35, the cross-sectional area of ​​the output portion 52 and 53 can be made smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the wide portion 42 and 43.

[0053] Furthermore, the inductor 100 involved in the sixth method is the inductor 100 described according to any one of the first to fifth methods, wherein the length of the energizing direction of the central portion 41 is less than 40% of the total length of the energizing component 60.

[0054] Therefore, the main body 40 can be configured to include a central portion 41 whose length in the energizing direction is less than 40% of the overall length of the energizing component 60. If the central portion 41, i.e. the portion with a small cross-sectional area, is lengthened to a necessary extent, the DC resistance is likely to increase. Therefore, by configuring the structure described above, such an increase in DC resistance can be easily suppressed.

[0055] Furthermore, the inductor 100 involved in the seventh method is the inductor 100 described in any one of the first to sixth methods, wherein the length of the energizing direction of the central portion 41 is more than 20% of the total length of the energizing component 60.

[0056] Therefore, the main body 40 can be configured to include a central portion 41 whose length in the energizing direction is more than 20% of the overall length of the energizing component 60. If the central portion 41, i.e. the portion with a smaller cross-sectional area, is shortened to a necessary extent, the magnetic efficiency is likely to decrease. Therefore, by configuring the structure described above, such a decrease in magnetic efficiency can be easily suppressed.

[0057] (Other implementation methods, etc.) The inductors and the like described above are examples of embodiments of this disclosure, but this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments.

[0058] For example, electrical products or circuits using the aforementioned inductor are also included in this invention. Examples of electrical products include power supply devices incorporating the aforementioned inductor.

[0059] Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to this embodiment. Various modifications to this embodiment that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, and combinations of constituent elements from different embodiments, may also be included within the scope of one or more embodiments, as long as they do not depart from the spirit of this disclosure. Industrial applicability

[0060] The inductor disclosed herein is useful as a high-frequency inductor. Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0061] 10 External components 25 First electrode component 26 First extension plate section 27 First contact point 35 Second electrode component 36 Second extension plate 37 Second contact point 40 Main body 41. Central Section 42,42a First Wide Section 43,43a Second wide section 52 First Export Section 53 Second Export Section 100,100A inductor.

Claims

1. An inductor comprising: An energized component, made of a metallic material, having a main body extending along the energizing direction and a pair of outlet portions connected to both ends of the main body in the energizing direction; An external component, which is formed of a magnetic material and covers the electrically conductive component; as well as An electrode component, which is connected to the outlet portion, and at least a portion of which is exposed from the outer casing component. The main body portion includes: a central portion that includes the center of the main body portion in the energizing direction; and a pair of wide portions that sandwich the central portion and are respectively connected to each of the pair of outlet portions. The cross-sectional area of ​​the central portion intersecting the direction of current flow is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the wide portion intersecting the direction of current flow.

2. The inductor according to claim 1, wherein, The energized component is a flat plate with a thickness direction intersecting the energizing direction. The difference between the cross-sectional area of ​​the central portion and the cross-sectional area of ​​the wide portion is obtained by the difference between the lengths of the central portion and the wide portion in the width direction intersecting the thickness direction of the energized component.

3. The inductor according to claim 1, wherein, The electrode component bends at the surface of the outer component and extends along the outer component.

4. The inductor according to claim 3, wherein, The energizing component and the electrode component are integrated. The cross-sectional area of ​​the section of the outlet that intersects the direction of current flow is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the section of the wide section.

5. The inductor according to claim 4, wherein, The energizing component and the electrode component are flat plates with a thickness direction intersecting the energizing direction. The difference between the cross-sectional area of ​​the wide portion and the cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet portion is obtained by the difference between the lengths of the wide portion and the outlet portion in the width direction intersecting the thickness direction of the energized component.

6. The inductor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The length of the energizing direction of the central portion is less than 40% of the total length of the energizing component.

7. The inductor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The length of the energizing direction of the central part is more than 20% relative to the overall energizing component.

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