Coil component and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

Even when assembling multiple sheet coils and multiple insulating plates, the design enables quick and easy assembly, while avoiding the generation of unnecessary defects and improving productivity. In addition, it suppresses variations in characteristics, contributing to improved quality and overall miniaturization. [Solution] A fitting groove 4 is provided on at least one opposing surface 3as of insulating plates 3x, 3a, 3y facing the coil surface of the sheet coil 2a..., and an inclined surface 5 is formed on the insulating plate 3... continuous with this fitting groove 4..., which is displaced by the vector Fsp caused by pressing in the direction Fs perpendicular to the surface of the sheet coil 2a..., thereby fitting the sheet coil 2a... into the fitting groove 4....

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coil component including a sheet coil having a straight angle wire wound on a plane and an insulating plate interposed between the sheet coils, and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a coil component including a coil part having one or two or more sheet coils having a straight angle wire wound on a plane and an insulating part having one or two or more insulating plates interposed between the sheet coils, a transformer described in Patent Document 1 is known.

[0003] The transformer of Patent Document 1 aims to reduce the manufacturing cost accompanying the reduction of the manufacturing man-hours, enhance the manufacturing easiness including the easiness of automation, and in addition, contribute to the performance improvement and quality improvement of the entire transformer by eliminating the variations during manufacturing with an integrated coil part. Specifically, one of the coil parts in the primary coil part or the secondary coil part is integrally formed by a first coil half part and a second coil half part continuous through an intermediate sheet part, and by curving the intermediate sheet part, the coil half parts are formed in a U shape facing each other with a predetermined interval therebetween, and the other coil part is arranged between the coil half parts. Further, an insulating spacer is interposed between the coil members including the coil half parts. Between the coil half part and the insulating spacer, a position regulating part using a concave part including a hole provided in the coil half part locked at a regular assembling position and a convex part provided in the insulating spacer is provided.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the conventional coil components (transformers) described above also had the following problems that needed to be solved.

[0006] In other words, when positioning one half of a coil, a position regulating part, which uses a protrusion on an insulating spacer, is locked into a recess including a hole in the half of the coil. However, when the number of turns in the half of the coil increases, the spacing between the conductor parts forming the half of the coil (see Figure 5) becomes narrower, and there is a risk of the conductor parts coming into contact with each other. This presents a problem that cannot be addressed by conventional positioning methods.

[0007] In this case, for example, a fitting groove can be formed on the opposing surface of the insulating spacer interposed between the coil surfaces of the coil halves, following the shape of the coil halves, and the coil halves can be fitted into this fitting groove for positioning. However, on the other hand, the distance of the engagement range becomes long, making assembly difficult, and if misalignment occurs, correction takes time. Moreover, if there are any uncorrected or insufficiently corrected areas, there is a risk of producing defective products.

[0008] While it is possible to address this issue by widening the mating groove, this would increase the likelihood of variations in the overall characteristics of the coil component (transformer), leading to a decrease in overall quality and potentially causing the coil component to become unnecessarily large. Therefore, this approach cannot be adopted.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a coil component and a method for manufacturing the same that solve the problems present in the background technology described above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the coil component 1 according to the present invention comprises a coil section 2 having one or more sheet coils 2a... having flat rectangular wires M wound on a plane, and an insulating section 3 having one or more insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y interposed between the sheet coils 2a..., characterized in that a fitting groove 4... for fitting the sheet coils 2a... is provided on at least one opposing surface 3as... of the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y facing the coil surface of the sheet coils 2a..., and an inclined surface 5... is formed on the insulating plate 3... continuous with the fitting groove 4..., which is displaced by the vector Fsv caused by pressing in the direction Fs perpendicular to the surface of the sheet coil 2a..., thereby fitting the sheet coils 2a... into the fitting groove 4....

[0011] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, the method for manufacturing a coil component 1 according to the present invention is characterized in that, when manufacturing a coil component comprising a coil section 2 having one or more sheet coils 2a... having flat rectangular wire M wound on a plane, and an insulating section 3 having one or more insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y interposed between the sheet coils 2a..., a fitting groove 4... for fitting the sheet coil 2a... is provided on at least one opposing surface 3as... of the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y facing the coil surface of the sheet coil 2a..., and an inclined surface 5... continuous with the fitting groove 4... is formed on the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y, and when the sheet coil 2a... is pressed in the direction Fs perpendicular to the surface, the vector Fsv caused by this pressing displaces the sheet coil 2a... to a position where it fits into the fitting groove 4....

[0012] On the other hand, the present invention can be configured by providing a sheet coil 2a… with a rectangular winding shape on the coil section 2, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Furthermore, this coil section 2 can be applied to the primary coil section 51 and secondary coil section 52 of the transformer 50. On the other hand, the insulating plates 3x, 3a…, 3y can be provided with a first opposing surface 3as… that forms a fitting groove 4… and a second opposing surface 3at… that is the back surface of the first opposing surface 3as…. Furthermore, the insulating plates 3x, 3a…, 3y can be provided with a pressing portion 11 on the second opposing surface 3at… that contacts the sheet coil 2a…, so that the sheet coil 2a… can be pressed in the direction perpendicular to the surface Fs when assembled with the sheet coil 2a…. Furthermore, the pressing portion 11 can be provided with the function of pressing one or more corners 2as… of the rectangular winding shape of the sheet coil 2a…. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the coil component 1 and its manufacturing method according to the present invention, the following remarkable effects are achieved.

[0014] (1) A fitting groove 4 is provided on at least one opposing surface 3as of the insulating plates 3x, 3a, 3y facing the coil surface of the sheet coil 2a..., and an inclined surface 5 is formed on the insulating plates 3x, 3a, 3y that is continuous with the fitting groove 4.... When pressure is applied to the sheet coil 2a... in the direction Fs perpendicular to the surface, the vector Fsv caused by this pressure displaces the sheet coil 2a... to a position where it fits into the fitting groove 4.... As a result, even when assembling multiple sheet coils 2a... and multiple insulating plates 3..., assembly can be done quickly and easily, and the generation of unnecessary defective products can be avoided, thereby improving productivity. Moreover, since the gap between the fitting groove 4... and the sheet coil 2a... can be reduced, variations in the characteristics of the coil component 1 can be suppressed, and even when handling high voltage, the overall size and thickness can be reduced, and quality can be improved.

[0015] (2) In a preferred embodiment, if the coil portion 2 is constructed using sheet coils 2a... wound in a rectangular shape, the straight portion of the shape of the sheet coils 2a... increases, which can further improve the fit between the sheet coils 2a... and the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y, and can also contribute to facilitating the processing of the sheet coils 2a....

[0016] (3) In a preferred embodiment, if the coil portion 2 is applied to the primary coil portion 51 and the secondary coil portion 52 of the transformer 50, it can be applied to a transformer 50 in which multiple sheet coils 2a... are stacked, and thus an optimal coil component 1 and a method for manufacturing the same can be provided for a transformer 50 such as a planar transformer.

[0017] (4) In a preferred embodiment, if the insulating plates 3x, 3a, 3y are provided with a first opposing surface 3as, which forms a fitting groove 4, and a second opposing surface 3at, which is the back surface of the first opposing surface 3as, then fitting grooves 4 can be formed on at least one opposing surface of the front and back coil surfaces (for example, the first opposing surface 3d), and the second opposing surface 3at, which can be provided with other functions, thereby ensuring multifunctionality.

[0018] (5) In a preferred embodiment, if pressing portions 11... that contact the sheet coil 2a... are provided on the second opposing surfaces 3at... of the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y, then when assembling with the sheet coil 2a..., the sheet coil 2a... can be pressed in the direction perpendicular to the surface Fs, thereby generating the necessary pressing and vectoring action on the sheet coil 2a... in the direction perpendicular to the surface Fs.

[0019] (6) In a preferred embodiment, if the pressing portion 11... is provided with a function to press one or more corners 2as... of the rectangularly wound sheet coil 2a..., the necessary pressing action and pressing force by the pressing portion 11... can be secured, thereby reliably generating a displacement action on the sheet coil 2a..., i.e., a position correction function. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] Cross-sectional side view of the main part for explaining the manufacturing process of the coil component according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention (circular A part in FIG. 4), [Figure 2] Cross-sectional side view of the main part for explaining another manufacturing process of the coil component (circular A part in FIG. 4), [Figure 3] Cross-sectional side view of the coil and the insulating plate obtained by disassembling the coil component, [Figure 4] Cross-sectional side view showing a part of the coil component, [Figure 5] Planar configuration diagram clearly showing a part of the coil and the insulating plate of the coil component, [Figure 6] Cross-sectional side view of the coil component, [Figure 7] Perspective view of the coil and the insulating plate obtained by disassembling the coil component, [Figure 8] Flowchart showing the manufacturing procedure of the coil component, [Figure 9] Exterior perspective view showing the whole of the coil component,

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Next, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be given and described in detail based on the drawings.

[0022] First, the basic configuration of the coil component 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. {{1}} - {{7}} and FIG. {{9}}.

[0023] The exemplary coil component 1 is a transformer (planar transformer) 50 shown in FIG. {{9}}. Therefore, as a basic configuration, the transformer 50 has a coil part 2 having one or two or more sheet coils 2a... having a flat angle wire M wound on a plane, and an insulating part 3 having one or two or more insulating plates 3x, {{3a}}..., 3y interposed between the sheet coils 2a....

[0024] Further, as shown in FIG. {{6}}, the exemplary transformer 50 includes a lower transformer half unit U1 and an upper transformer half unit U2, and the transformer 50 is configured by laminating both of them. Note: In the above translation, the figure numbers in the original text are replaced with {{figure number}} in the translation to indicate that they need to be filled with the actual figure numbers according to the specific situation. Also, the text "3a" in the original is retained as it is in the translation.

[0025] In this case, the lower transformer semi-unit U1 comprises a three-stage (generally one or more) primary coil section 51 consisting of sheet coils 2a, 2b, and 2c, and a single-stage (generally one or more) secondary coil section 52 using sheet coil 2d. The upper transformer semi-unit U2 can be configured similarly to the lower transformer semi-unit U1, although the arrangement of the sheet coils 2a... may differ.

[0026] In this way, by applying the coil section 2 to the primary coil section 51 and secondary coil section 52 of the transformer 50, it can be applied to a transformer 50 that has multiple sheet coils 2a... stacked on top of each other, thus providing a coil component 1 and a method for manufacturing the same that are optimal for transformers 50 such as planar transformers.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7(c), one sheet coil 2a in the transformer semi-unit U1 comprises a flat rectangular wire M made of a conductor such as copper with a rectangular cross-section, wound in a rectangular shape on a plane. The example sheet coil 2a has four turns, a plate thickness Ld (Figure 6) of 0.4-1.0 [mm], a conductor spacing Ls (Figure 5) of 0.3-0.8 [mm], and a conductor width Lw (Figure 6) of 2.0-8.0 [mm]. These dimensions and quantities are basically arbitrary. Although one sheet coil 2a has been described, other sheet coils 2b, 2c, etc. can be formed in basically the same way.

[0028] Thus, when constructing the coil section 2, using sheet coils 2a... wound in a rectangular shape increases the straight portion of the sheet coil 2a..., which improves the fit between the sheet coil 2a... and the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y, and also has the advantage of making the sheet coil 2a... easier to process.

[0029] On the other hand, the transformer semi-unit U1 includes an insulating section 3 having five insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y interposed between the sheet coils 2a... Specifically, it has three (generally one or more) intermediate insulating plates 3a, 3d, 3c, with a lower insulating plate 3x positioned at the lower end and an upper insulating plate 3y positioned at the upper end. Each insulating plate 3a... has the function of providing electrical insulation by being interposed between the upper and lower coil surfaces of the sheet coils 2a....

[0030] Each insulating plate 3x, 3a…, 3y is integrally molded using an insulating synthetic resin such as LCP (liquid crystal polymer) resin. The upper surface of the lower insulating plate 3x becomes the first opposing surface 3xs facing the coil surface of the sheet coil 2a, and as shown in Figure 3, it forms a rectangular cross-sectional fitting groove 4 into which the sheet coil 2a is fitted. Furthermore, the first opposing surface 3xs of the lower insulating plate 3x, which is continuous with this fitting groove 4, has an inclined surface 5 that, when pressed in the direction Fs perpendicular to the surface as shown in Figure 1, causes the sheet coil 2a to be displaced toward the fitting groove 4, i.e., generates a vector Fsv.

[0031] On the other hand, an intermediate insulating plate 3a is placed above the sheet coil 2a, and a second opposing surface 3at facing the coil surface of the sheet coil 2a is formed on the lower surface of the intermediate insulating plate 3a, while a first opposing surface 3as facing the coil surface of the next sheet coil 2b is provided on the upper surface of the intermediate insulating plate 3a.

[0032] In this case, as shown in Figure 3, a pressing portion 11 that can contact the sheet coil 2a is provided on the lower surface (second opposing surface 3at) of the intermediate insulating plate 3a. This makes it possible to press the sheet coil 2a in the direction perpendicular to the surface Fs if there is a misalignment of the sheet coil 2a during assembly, and as described above, a predetermined vector action (displacement action) can be generated on the sheet coil 2a.

[0033] In particular, it is desirable that the pressing portion 11 be formed to press one or more corners 2as… of the rectangularly wound sheet coil 2a shown in Figure 5. By forming it in this way, the necessary pressing action and pressing force by the pressing portion 11… can be secured, thereby reliably generating a displacement action on the sheet coil 2a…, i.e., a position correction function.

[0034] The intermediate insulating plate 3a has been described, but the other intermediate insulating plates 3b and 3c are formed in the same manner. Note that the lower end surface of the lower insulating plate 3x does not have a second opposing surface 3xt, and the upper end surface of the upper insulating plate 3y does not have a first opposing surface 3xs.

[0035] In this way, by providing each insulating plate 3x, 3a, ..., 3y with a first opposing surface 3as... that forms a fitting groove 4... and a second opposing surface 3at... that is the back surface of the first opposing surface 3as..., it is possible to form a fitting groove 4... on at least one of the opposing surfaces of the front and back coil surfaces (for example, the first opposing surface 3d), and to provide the second opposing surface 3at... with other functions, thereby ensuring multifunctionality.

[0036] In this embodiment, pressing portions 11 that contact the sheet coil 2a are provided on the second opposing surfaces 3at of the insulating plates 3x, 3a, 3y. Therefore, when assembling with the sheet coil 2a, the sheet coil 2a can be pressed in the direction Fs perpendicular to the surface, thereby generating the necessary pressing and vectoring effects on the sheet coil 2a.

[0037] Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the sheet coil 2a, intermediate insulating plate 3a, and sheet coil 2b, while Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional side view of the intermediate insulating plate 3a, sheet coil 2a, and lower insulating plate 3x, respectively.

[0038] Next, the manufacturing method of the transformer 50 (coil component 1) according to this embodiment, in particular the manufacturing procedure of the lower transformer half-unit U1 in the transformer 50 shown in Figure 6, will be explained in accordance with the manufacturing process diagram (flowchart) shown in Figure 8, with reference to each figure.

[0039] First, as shown in Figure 3, the lower insulating plate 3x, which will be the first layer, is set in the predetermined position (step S1). Next, the sheet coil 2a, which will be the second layer, is placed on the upper surface (first opposing surface 3xs) of the lower insulating plate 3x, as shown in Figure 3 (step S2). Furthermore, the lower surface (second opposing surface 3xt) of the intermediate insulating plate 3a, which will be the third layer, is placed on the upper surface of the sheet coil 2a (step S3).

[0040] Now, assume that these lower insulating plates 3x, sheet coil 2a, and intermediate insulating plate 3a are slightly misaligned, as shown in Figure 1.

[0041] In this state, the intermediate insulating plate 3a should be pressed from above in the direction perpendicular to the surface Fs, that is, in the direction of arrow F1 shown in Figure 1 (step S4). As a result, the sheet coil 2a is pressed by the pressing portion 11 formed on the second opposing surface 3xt of the intermediate insulating plate 3a. Then, the edge of the conductive portion of the sheet coil 2a is displaced in the direction along the inclined surface 5, that is, in the direction of arrow F2, due to the vector Fsv caused by the pressing (step S5).

[0042] As a result, the conductor portion of the sheet coil 2a is ultimately displaced to the position of the fitting groove 4, and the intermediate insulating plate 3a is further displaced downward, causing the entire sheet coil 2a to be displaced in the direction of arrow F3 shown in Figure 2. As a result, it is finally fitted into the fitting groove 4, and in this state the downward displacement of the intermediate insulating plate 3a stops (step S6). This state is shown in Figure 4.

[0043] Although we have described one sheet coil 2a, the same procedure can be applied to the remaining layers, namely the third intermediate insulating plate 3a, the fourth sheet coil 2b, and the fifth intermediate insulating plate 3b, as well as the fifth intermediate insulating plate 3b, the sixth sheet coil 2c, and the seventh intermediate insulating plate 3c (steps S7, S2…).

[0044] The example shows the pressing process being performed on each individual sheet coil 2a..., but it may also be done every two or three sheets, or even all at once on the entire unit from the upper insulating plate 3y to the lower insulating plate 3x.

[0045] Furthermore, the ninth and final layer, the upper insulating plate 3y, is placed on the upper surface of the eighth layer, the sheet coil 2 (step S8). Then, the upper insulating plate 3y is pressed down from above in a direction Fs perpendicular to the surface (step S9).

[0046] As a result, the sheet coil 2d is pressed in the direction Fs perpendicular to the surface by the pressing portion 11 formed on the second opposing surface 3yt of the upper insulating plate 3y, and the edge of the conductor portion of the sheet coil 2d is displaced in the direction along the inclined surface 5 by the pressing vector Fsv (step S10). As a result, the conductor portion of the sheet coil 2d is ultimately displaced and positioned in the direction of the fitting groove 4, and further downward displacement of the upper insulating plate 3y causes the entire sheet coil 2d to fit into the fitting groove 4, and in this state the downward displacement of the intermediate insulating plate 3a stops (step S11).

[0047] With the above steps complete, the manufacturing of the lower transformer half-unit U1 is finished. The upper transformer half-unit U2 is then manufactured in the same manner, and the lower transformer half-unit U1 and the upper transformer half-unit U2 are stacked together as shown in Figure 6 (step S12). After positioning the upper transformer half-unit U2 and the lower transformer half-unit U1, they are integrated by welding (steps S13, S14).

[0048] Next, as shown in Figure 9, the entire assembly is molded with insulating resin (step S15), and the magnetic cores 21 and 22 are attached (step S16). The transformer 50 is then completed by performing a taping process 23 (step S17).

[0049] As described above, according to the coil component 1 of this embodiment, as a basic method, a fitting groove 4... for fitting the sheet coil 2a... is provided on at least one opposing surface 3as... of the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y facing the coil surface of the sheet coil 2a..., and an inclined surface 5... continuous with the fitting groove 4... is formed on the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y. When pressure is applied to the sheet coil 2a... in the direction Fs perpendicular to the surface, the vector Fsv caused by this pressure displaces the sheet coil 2a... to a position where it fits into the fitting groove 4.... Therefore, even when assembling multiple sheet coils 2a... and multiple insulating plates 3..., assembly can be done quickly and easily, and the generation of unnecessary defective products can be avoided, thereby improving productivity. Moreover, since the gap between the fitting groove 4... and the sheet coil 2a... can be reduced, variations in the characteristics of the coil component 1 can be suppressed, and even when handling high voltage, the overall size and thickness can be reduced, and quality can be improved.

[0050] Although preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the details of the configuration, shape, materials, quantity, numerical values, etc. can be arbitrarily changed, added, or deleted without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0051] For example, although a transformer 50 is exemplified as coil component 1 in the embodiment, other coil components 1 such as a choke coil may also be used. Also, although the example illustrates the use of a rectangularly wound sheet coil 2a... for the coil section 2, the shape is not limited to a specific shape, such as a circularly wound sheet coil 2a... Furthermore, while it is desirable that the second opposing surface 3at... and the first opposing surface 3as... of the insulating plates 3x, 3a..., 3y be formed in a shape that allows for close contact, close contact is not necessarily an essential requirement, and a space may exist or they may be combined with other insulating materials. In addition, it is desirable that the pressing section 11 be provided with a function to press one or more corners 2as... of the rectangularly wound sheet coil 2a..., but a function to press parts other than the corners 2as... may also be added. Furthermore, although the embodiment exemplified the case where an inclined surface 5 is provided on one side in the width direction of the fitting groove 4, it may be provided on both sides in the width direction. [Industrial applicability]

[0052] This invention can be used in various coil components and their manufacturing methods, including planar transformers in which the primary and secondary coil sections are arranged in a stacked configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1: Coil component, 2: Coil section, 2a…: Sheet coil, 2as…: Corner section, 3: Insulation section, 3x: Insulation plate (lower insulation plate), 3y: Insulation plate (upper insulation plate), 3a…: Insulation plate (intermediate insulation plate), 3as…: One opposing surface (first opposing surface), 3at…: Second opposing surface, 4…: Fitting groove, 5…: Inclined surface, 11: Pressing section, 50: Transformer, 51: Primary coil section, 52: Secondary coil section, M: Flat wire, Fs: Direction perpendicular to the surface, Fsv: Vector

Claims

1. A coil component comprising a coil section having one or more sheet coils having flat rectangular wires wound on a plane, and an insulating section having one or more insulating plates interposed between the sheet coils, characterized in that a fitting groove for fitting the sheet coil is provided on at least one opposing surface of the insulating plate facing the coil surface of the sheet coil, and an inclined surface is formed on the insulating plate continuous with the fitting groove, which is displaced by the vector of pressure when pressed perpendicular to the surface of the sheet coil, thereby fitting the sheet coil into the fitting groove.

2. The coil component according to claim 1, characterized in that the coil portion comprises a sheet coil with a rectangular winding shape.

3. The coil component according to claim 1, characterized in that the coil portion is the primary coil portion and the secondary coil portion of a transformer.

4. The coil component according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulating plate portion comprises a first opposing surface that forms the fitting groove and a second opposing surface that is the back surface of the first opposing surface.

5. The coil component according to claim 4, characterized in that the second opposing surface is provided with a pressing portion that presses against the sheet coil in a direction perpendicular to the surface by contacting it.

6. The coil component according to claim 5, characterized in that the pressing portion has the function of pressing one or more corners of the sheet coil which is wound in a rectangular shape.

7. A method for manufacturing a coil component comprising a coil section having one or more sheet coils having flat rectangular wires wound on a plane, and an insulating section having one or more insulating plates interposed between the sheet coils, characterized in that a fitting groove for fitting the sheet coil is provided on at least one opposing surface of the insulating plate facing the coil surface of the sheet coil, and an inclined surface continuous with the fitting groove is formed on the insulating plate, and when the sheet coil is pressed in a direction perpendicular to the surface, the vector caused by this pressing displaces the sheet coil to a position where it fits into the fitting groove.

8. The method for manufacturing a coil component according to claim 7, characterized in that the insulating plate is provided with a pressing portion on the second opposing surface that contacts the sheet coil, and when assembled to the sheet coil, the sheet coil is pressed in a direction perpendicular to the surface.

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