A multi-phase integrated inductor

Abstract

The utility model belongs to integrated inductance technical field, concretely relates to a kind of multi-phase integrated inductance, comprising: magnetic core subassembly, including first magnetic core part and second magnetic core part, first magnetic core part and second magnetic core part splicing combination form at least two winding window, the inside of winding window is on middle column mechanism, the outside of winding window is provided with side column mechanism;Winding subassembly, including at least two windings, winding is all set in the winding window;Winding is set on the middle column mechanism, winding adopts flat conductor structure, the end of flat conductor structure is set as first terminal and second terminal;Middle column mechanism at least includes the first middle column and second middle column being set on first magnetic core part, and the third middle column and fourth middle column being set on second magnetic core part;Side column mechanism at least includes the first side column and second side column being set on first magnetic core part, and the third side column and fourth side column being set on second magnetic core part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of integrated inductor technology, specifically relating to a multiphase integrated inductor. Background Technology

[0002] The statements in this section are merely background information related to this utility model and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] With the rapid development of microelectronics, semiconductor technology, artificial intelligence, and big data processing, the demands on the computing power and energy efficiency of electronic devices, especially central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and system-on-a-chip (SoCs) in servers and high-performance computing devices, are increasing. To meet the low-voltage, high-current power supply requirements of these processors, improve response speed, and reduce power consumption, modern power systems generally use multi-phase parallel voltage regulator modules (VRMs / VRDs) for power supply.

[0004] In multiphase VRMs, each power stage typically includes a switching unit and a power inductor. As the number of processor cores increases, the number of power supply phases also increases, leading to a dramatic increase in the number of inductors required. This puts immense pressure on limited circuit board space, urgently demanding miniaturization and integration of power devices, especially bulky magnetic components. The electrical characteristics of the power inductor, such as inductance, saturation current, DC resistance (DCR), and coupling, directly affect the output ripple current, conversion efficiency, and dynamic response speed of the VRM circuit.

[0005] To address this challenge, magnetic integration technology has emerged. Based on this technology, multiple independent magnetic components (such as multiple discrete inductors) are integrated into a single magnetic assembly by sharing a magnetic circuit. This effectively reduces the overall size and component height, and improves circuit ripple performance through magnetic coupling. Existing multiphase integrated inductors mostly employ a symmetrical core structure, meaning the magnetic circuits corresponding to each phase winding are geometrically and magnetically symmetrical to achieve consistent electrical performance. However, this design leads to insufficient space utilization, difficulty in flexibly optimizing the magnetic circuit for specific phase numbers or application scenarios, and the air gap, usually located near or directly below the windings, allows its edge-divergent magnetic field to penetrate adjacent winding conductors, resulting in decreased efficiency, increased temperature rise, and the problem of uniform saturation. Utility Model Content

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention proposes a multiphase integrated inductor suitable for voltage regulator modules. Through the cooperation of the core assembly and windings, and by employing an asymmetric core structure design, unnecessary magnetic circuit components are eliminated, enabling the inductor to have a more compact size with the same number of phases, or to integrate more phases within the same volume, thus greatly improving space utilization.

[0007] According to some embodiments, the present invention provides a multiphase integrated inductor, employing the following technical solution: A multiphase integrated inductor, comprising: A magnetic core assembly includes a first magnetic core portion and a second magnetic core portion. The first magnetic core portion and the second magnetic core portion are spliced ​​together to form at least two winding windows. The interior of the winding windows is on a central column mechanism, and the exterior of the winding windows is provided with a side column mechanism. A winding assembly includes at least two windings, each of which is disposed in the winding window; the windings are sleeved on the center post mechanism, and the windings adopt a flat conductor structure, the ends of which are configured as a first terminal and a second terminal; the center post mechanism includes at least a first center post and a second center post disposed on the first magnetic core portion, and a third center post and a fourth center post disposed on the second magnetic core portion; the side post mechanism includes at least a first side post and a second side post disposed on the first magnetic core portion, and a third side post and a fourth side post disposed on the second magnetic core portion.

[0008] As a further technical limitation, the central column mechanism is provided with a main air gap, and the side column mechanism is provided with an auxiliary air gap.

[0009] Furthermore, the equivalent magnetic circuit length of the main air gap is smaller than the equivalent magnetic circuit length of the auxiliary air gap.

[0010] As a further technical limitation, the ends of the first side post, the second side post, the third side post, and the fourth side post are all provided with protruding structures.

[0011] Furthermore, the ends of the first, second, third, and fourth central pillars are all provided with groove structures.

[0012] Furthermore, a main air gap is formed between the groove structure between the first central column and the third central column, and between the groove structure between the second central column and the fourth central column; an auxiliary air gap is formed between the protrusion structure between the first side column and the third side column, and between the protrusion structure between the second side column and the fourth side column.

[0013] Furthermore, both the protruding structure and the groove structure have inverted trapezoidal cross-sections.

[0014] As a further technical limitation, the material of the magnetic core assembly is MnZn ferrite or a soft magnetic metallic material.

[0015] As a further technical limitation, the winding is made of flat copper wire, Litz wire, or copper foil on a printed circuit board.

[0016] As a further technical limitation, one side of the first magnetic core portion and the second magnetic core portion are respectively provided with a first terminal groove and a second terminal groove that match the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: This invention employs an asymmetric magnetic circuit design, breaking the volume limitations of traditional symmetrical structures. It can eliminate unnecessary magnetic circuit components, enabling the inductor to have a more compact size with the same number of phases, or to integrate more phases within the same volume, thus greatly improving space utilization.

[0018] This invention effectively avoids the penetration of the conductor by the divergent magnetic field at the edge of the air gap into the conductor by setting the air gap at a position far away from the winding conductor, thus fundamentally suppressing the resulting eddy current loss. Especially in high-frequency applications, it can significantly improve power conversion efficiency and reduce temperature rise.

[0019] This invention employs a multi-segment air gap structure, such as an inverted trapezoid, which can precisely shape the L1 saturation curve of the inductor and achieve stepped saturation. This is beneficial for optimizing the performance of the voltage regulation module under different load conditions, such as maintaining low ripple under light load and providing fast response under heavy load or transient load. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, are used to provide a further understanding of this utility model. The illustrative embodiments of this utility model and their descriptions are used to explain this utility model and do not constitute an improper limitation of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an overall structure of a multiphase integrated inductor in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 2 This is an exploded structural diagram of a multiphase integrated inductor in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 3 This is another exploded structural diagram of the multiphase integrated inductor in this embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a winding structure in an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a multiphase integrated inductor in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the magnetic circuit of a multiphase integrated inductor in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a multiphase integrated inductor in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a multiphase integrated inductor in one embodiment of the present invention; Among them, 1. First magnetic core; 101. First side post; 102. First middle post; 103. Second side post; 104. Second middle post; 105. First terminal groove; 2. Second magnetic core; 201. Third side post; 202. Third middle post; 203. Fourth side post; 204. Fourth middle post; 205. Second terminal groove; 3. Winding window; 4. Main air gap; 5. Auxiliary air gap; 6. Groove structure; 7. Winding; 701. First terminal; 702. Second terminal; 8. Protrusion structure. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] It should be noted that the following detailed description is illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0024] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0025] In this utility model, terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "side", and "bottom" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only used to facilitate the description of the structural relationship between the various components or elements of this utility model and do not specifically refer to any component or element in this utility model. They should not be construed as limiting this utility model.

[0026] In this utility model, terms such as "fixed connection," "connected," and "joined" should be interpreted broadly, indicating a fixed connection, an integral connection, or a detachable connection; a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model can be determined according to the specific circumstances, and should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model.

[0027] Example This utility model embodiment introduces a multiphase integrated inductor.

[0028] This embodiment uses, as follows Figure 1 Taking the multiphase integrated inductor shown as an example, we will now provide a detailed introduction to multiphase integrated inductors.

[0029] like Figure 1 The multiphase integrated inductor shown includes a core winding composed of a first core portion 1 and a second core portion 2, and a winding window 3; wherein, the first core portion 1 and the second core portion 2 are spliced ​​together to form the winding window 3, a main magnetic circuit is nested inside the winding window 3, and an auxiliary magnetic circuit is provided outside the main magnetic circuit; a winding 7 is provided outside the main magnetic circuit.

[0030] It should be noted that the magnetic core assembly in this embodiment uses MnZn ferrite or soft magnetic metal material; the winding is made of flat copper wire, Litz wire or copper foil on a printed circuit board.

[0031] In this embodiment, as Figure 4 As shown, the winding 7 adopts a flat conductor structure, and the ends of the flat conductor structure are set as the first terminal 701 and the second terminal 702.

[0032] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the first terminal 701 and the second terminal 702 can be obliquely symmetrical terminals. In other embodiments, the first terminal 701 and the second terminal 702 can be terminals with other structures.

[0033] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the first magnetic core part 1 at least comprises a first side column 101, a first center column 102, a second side column 103 and a second center column 104, and the second magnetic core part 2 at least comprises a third side column 201, a third center column 202, a fourth side column 203 and a fourth center column 204; the ends of the first side column 101, the second side column 103, the third side column 201 and the fourth side column 203 are all provided with a raised structure 8; the ends of the first center column 102, the second center column 104, the third center column 202 and the fourth center column 204 are all provided with a recessed structure 6; on one side of the first magnetic core part 1 and the second magnetic core part 2, a plurality of first terminal grooves 105 and second terminal grooves 205 for accommodating the matching first terminal 701 and second terminal 702 are respectively arranged.

[0034] As Figure 2 and Figure 5 shown, a main air gap 4 is formed between the recessed structure 6 between the first center column 102 and the third center column 202 and the recessed structure 6 between the second center column 104 and the fourth center column 204; an auxiliary air gap 5 is formed by the raised structure 8 between the first side column 101 and the third side column 201 and the raised structure 8 between the second side column 103 and the fourth side column 203; it should be noted that the cross sections of both the raised structure 8 and the recessed structure 6 are arranged in an inverted trapezoidal shape.

[0035] In this embodiment, the main air gap 4 is disposed on the main magnetic path, and the auxiliary air gap 5 is disposed on the auxiliary magnetic path; the equivalent magnetic path length of the main air gap 4 is less than the equivalent magnetic path length of the auxiliary air gap 5.

[0036] As Figure 6 shown, in the multi-phase integrated inductor magnetic circuit, the main magnetic flux air gap lgc in this embodiment is smaller than the air gap lgl of the auxiliary magnetic core (i.e., lgc<lgl), so the auxiliary magnetic path has a large magnetic reluctance; when all windings work simultaneously and coupling occurs, the magnetic fluxes generated by the main magnetic path are the same.

[0037] It should be noted that the short-circuit inductance SCL (leakage inductance) of each path is made as identical as possible, and the auxiliary magnetic path can be shared within the allowable tolerance range, and the magnetic path parameters shared by each phase do not need to be completely identical or symmetrical, so the magnetic core assembly does not need to be structurally symmetrical, as can be seen from Figure 1 that part of the auxiliary magnetic paths can be removed from the shown multi-phase integrated inductor to construct Figure 7 the shown asymmetric solution.

[0038] Between the first center column 102 and the second center column 104 in the first magnetic core part 1 in the multi-phase integrated inductor as shown in Figure 7 , and between the third center column 202 and the fourth center column 204 in the second magnetic core part 2, no other structures are provided; that is, compared with the multi-phase integrated inductor as shown in Figure 1 , the first center column 102 and the third center column 202 are not provided.

[0039] The first magnetic core 1 in a multiphase integrated inductor can also be as follows: Figure 8 The type I magnetic core structure shown has a groove cut into the first magnetic core part 1. The groove is formed to create an air gap, so as to adjust the position of the air gap to reduce losses and reduce or avoid the eddy current loss caused by the air gap edge effect penetrating the winding conductor.

[0040] This embodiment is applicable to the integrated multiphase inductor of the voltage regulator module. It is composed of a magnetic core and copper sheets, which can realize both magnetic coupling and decoupling functions. As the number of inductors increases, the volume is further reduced through a special asymmetrical structure, and the leakage inductance and maximum short-circuit current settings can be met to reduce the output voltage ripple. The air gap position is adjusted to keep the coil away from the air gap, reducing or avoiding the eddy current loss caused by the air gap edge effect penetrating the winding conductor.

[0041] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0042] Although the specific embodiments of the present utility model have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, this is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art without creative effort based on the technical solution of the present utility model are still within the scope of protection of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A multiphase integrated inductor, characterized in that, include: A magnetic core assembly includes a first magnetic core portion and a second magnetic core portion. The first magnetic core portion and the second magnetic core portion are spliced ​​together to form at least two winding windows. The interior of the winding windows is on a central column mechanism, and the exterior of the winding windows is provided with a side column mechanism. A winding assembly includes at least two windings, each of which is disposed in the winding window; the windings are sleeved on the center post mechanism, and the windings adopt a flat conductor structure, the ends of which are configured as a first terminal and a second terminal; the center post mechanism includes at least a first center post and a second center post disposed on the first magnetic core portion, and a third center post and a fourth center post disposed on the second magnetic core portion; the side post mechanism includes at least a first side post and a second side post disposed on the first magnetic core portion, and a third side post and a fourth side post disposed on the second magnetic core portion.

2. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The central column mechanism is provided with a main air gap, and the side column mechanism is provided with an auxiliary air gap.

3. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The equivalent magnetic circuit length of the main air gap is smaller than that of the auxiliary air gap.

4. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ends of the first side post, the second side post, the third side post, and the fourth side post are all provided with protruding structures.

5. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The ends of the first, second, third, and fourth central pillars are all provided with groove structures.

6. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The groove structure between the first central column and the third central column, and the groove structure between the second central column and the fourth central column form a main air gap; the protrusion structure between the first side column and the third side column, and the protrusion structure between the second side column and the fourth side column form an auxiliary air gap.

7. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Both the protruding structure and the groove structure have inverted trapezoidal cross-sections.

8. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The core assembly is made of MnZn ferrite or soft magnetic metallic material.

9. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The winding is made of flat copper wire, Litz wire, or copper foil on a printed circuit board.

10. A multiphase integrated inductor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first magnetic core portion and the second magnetic core portion are respectively provided with a first terminal groove and a second terminal groove that match the first terminal and the second terminal.

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