Coil component

Abstract

Provided is a coil component in which variation in distance between a flange part and a top plate in a core is less likely to occur.　The present invention comprises a core (2) made from a magnetic body, the core being integrated while having: a winding core part (3); a first flange part (5) and a second flange part (6) respectively provided to a first end and a second end opposite to each other in a length direction L of the winding core part (3); and a top plate part (7) extending in a direction connecting the first flange part (5) and the second flange part (6). The first flange part and the second flange part are provided in a state respectively protruding from the first end and the second end of the winding core part in all directions including a width direction and a height direction (H). The top plate part is arranged in parallel to the winding core part at a predetermined interval in the height direction (H), and has a dimension in the width direction larger than a dimension in the width direction defined by the outer peripheral edge of a wire (8) wound around the winding core part. The core is provided with a gap (11) for dividing a part of a loop of a magnetic flux passing through the winding core part, the first flange part, the second flange part, and the top plate part.

Description

Coil parts

[0001] The present invention relates to a coil component in which the core comprises a winding core portion around which wire is wound, a first flange portion and a second flange portion provided at each end of the winding core portion, and a top plate portion arranged to connect between the first flange portion and the second flange portion, and in particular to the structure of the core.

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-39987 (Patent Document 1) describes a coil component that includes a core having a winding core portion around which a wire is wound and a first flange portion and a second flange portion provided at each end of the winding core portion, and a top plate that is fixed to the core with an adhesive and that is placed between the first flange portion and the second flange portion.

[0003] The technology described in Patent Document 1 aims to improve the bond between the core and the top plate, and to solve this problem, the top plate is provided with a first convex portion that protrudes toward the first flange portion and a second convex portion that protrudes toward the second flange portion, and the core and the top plate are joined via adhesive with the first flange portion and the first convex portion butted together and the second flange portion and the second convex portion butted together.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-39987

[0005] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the core and the top plate are separate bodies and are joined together with an adhesive, which makes the distance between the core and the top plate prone to variation, and therefore the inductance value provided by the coil component prone to variation.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coil component in which the distance between the core and the top plate is less likely to vary.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the coil component according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a core made of a magnetic material, which is integrated with a winding core portion, a first flange portion and a second flange portion provided at a first end and a second end, respectively, that are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction of the winding core portion, and a top plate portion extending in a direction connecting the first flange portion and the second flange portion.

[0008] The coil component according to the present invention also includes a wire wound around a winding core, and a first terminal electrode and a second terminal electrode provided on the first flange and the second flange, respectively, and connected to each end of the wire.

[0009] The coil component according to the present invention is further characterized by having the following configuration.

[0010] When the directions perpendicular to the length direction are the width direction and the height direction, and the width direction and the height direction are perpendicular to each other, the first flange portion and the second flange portion are respectively provided in a state where they protrude from the first end and the second end of the winding core portion in all directions including the width direction and the height direction, the top plate portion is arranged parallel to the winding core portion at a predetermined interval in the height direction and has a width dimension larger than the width dimension defined by the outer edge of the wire wound around the winding core portion, the first terminal electrode and the second terminal electrode are respectively provided on the opposite side in the height direction to the side on which the top plate portion is located of the first flange portion and the second flange portion, and a gap is provided in the core to cut off part of the loop of magnetic flux passing through the winding core portion, the first flange portion, the second flange portion and the top plate portion.

[0011] According to this invention, the core is integrated with the winding core portion, the first flange portion, the second flange portion, and the top plate portion, and the core and the top plate are not joined with an adhesive, so the distance between the core and the top plate does not vary. Also, according to this invention, the core can be manufactured integrally with a gap, so that the variation in the size of the gap can be reduced.

[0012] As a result, the variation in the inductance value provided by the coil component can be reduced.

[0013] Furthermore, the core of the coil component according to the present invention does not require the use of adhesive. Materials such as adhesives and resins have a higher linear expansion coefficient than ferrite or alumina, which can lead to the problem of the core or top plate being prone to cracking. In contrast, the present invention eliminates the need for adhesive, reducing the risk of cracking and improving reliability.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the manufacturing of coil components does not require the processes of manufacturing the core and top plate separately or joining the top plate to the core, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing the cost of the coil components.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a coil component 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the coil component 1 taken along line A-A in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the appearance of a coil component 1a according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the appearance of a coil component 1b according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the appearance of a coil component 1c according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the appearance of a coil component 1d according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the appearance of a coil component 1e according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the appearance of a coil component 1f according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] A coil component 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[0017] 1, the coil device 1 includes a core 2 made of a magnetic material. The core 2 is integrated with a winding core 3, a first flange 5 and a second flange 6 provided at a first end and a second end, respectively, that are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction L of the winding core 3, and a top plate 7 extending in a direction connecting the first flange 5 and the second flange 6.

[0018] The coil component 1 also includes a wire 8 wound around the winding core 3 .

[0019] Furthermore, the coil component 1 includes a first terminal electrode 9 and a second terminal electrode 10 provided on the first flange 5 and the second flange 6, respectively, and connected to the ends of the wire 8, respectively.

[0020] The following describes in more detail the configuration of the coil component 1. In the following description, directions perpendicular to the length direction L are referred to as a width direction W and a height direction H, and the width direction W and the height direction H are referred to as directions perpendicular to each other.

[0021] The core 2 is preferably made of ferrite or a resin containing metal magnetic powder. For example, the length L of the core 2 is 2.0 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less, and the width W of the core 2 is 1.2 mm or more and 3.2 mm or less. The length L is usually longer than the width W. The height H of the core 2 is not particularly limited, but is generally 1.6 mm or more and 4.0 mm or less.

[0022] 1 and 2 , the first flange 5 and the second flange 6 are provided so as to protrude from the first end and the second end of the winding core 3 in all directions, including the width direction W and the height direction H. The top plate 7 is disposed parallel to the winding core 3 at a predetermined distance in the height direction H, and has a dimension in the width direction W that is larger than the dimension in the width direction W defined by the outer periphery of the wire 8 wound around the winding core 3.

[0023] These configurations allow the core 2 to protect the wire 8 from the outside, thereby reducing the risk of any external object coming into contact with the wire 8 and damaging it.

[0024] The first terminal electrode 9 and the second terminal electrode 10 are provided on the opposite side in the height direction of the first flange 5 and the second flange 6 from the side on which the top plate 7 is located. The terminal electrodes 9 and 10 are formed, for example, by baking a conductive paste containing silver and then plating it with nickel and tin. Alternatively, although not shown, the first terminal electrode 9 and the second terminal electrode 10 may be formed by attaching terminal members made of metal plates to the first flange 5 and the second flange 6 with an adhesive or by crimping.

[0025] The wire 8 is connected to the first terminal electrode 9 and the second terminal electrode 10 by, for example, thermocompression bonding or laser welding. The wire 8 is usually connected to the downward-facing surface of each of the first terminal electrode 9 and the second terminal electrode 10 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, but it does not matter to which point on each of the first terminal electrode 9 and the second terminal electrode 10 the wire 8 is connected.

[0026] The wire 8 is wound so as to proceed in the length direction L along the winding core 3. A coil component 1 having the wire 8 wound in this manner is sometimes called a horizontally wound inductor. In the drawing, the wire 8 is composed of a single wire, but it may be composed of two or more wires arranged in parallel to reduce electrical resistance. Furthermore, the turns of the wire 8 wound around the winding core 3 may be close to each other or may be spaced apart. Generally, in coil components with a high inductance value, the turns of the wire 8 are close to each other, and in coil components with a low inductance value, the turns of the wire 8 are spaced apart.

[0027] As shown schematically by arrow L in Fig. 1 , a magnetic flux loop is formed in core 2, passing through winding core 3, first flange 5, second flange 6, and top plate 7, but this magnetic flux loop is partially interrupted. In this embodiment, gap 11 is provided at the connection position of top plate 7 with second flange 6, thereby interrupting the magnetic flux loop. Gap 11 penetrates in the width direction W and height direction H.

[0028] By controlling the width of the gap 11, the inductance and DC superposition characteristics of the coil component 1 can be balanced, and an inductor with an optimal balance can be obtained.

[0029] The gap 11 has a width of, for example, 100 μm or more and 600 μm or less. The gap 11 is filled with air, but if there is too little air, the characteristics of the magnetic material will be more pronounced, resulting in a large variation in the inductance value. This is because the relative permeability of the magnetic material varies more than the relative permeability of air. On the other hand, if there is too much air, the characteristics of the air will be more pronounced, reducing the variation, but the relative permeability μ of air will be larger. ｒ It is difficult to obtain the inductance because ρ = 1. Considering the balance, it is preferable that the width of the gap 11 is set to 100 μm or more and 600 μm or less, as described above.

[0030] The gap 11 may be provided at the connection position of the top plate portion 7 with the first flange portion 5, on the opposite side to the position shown in FIG.

[0031] Another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 3 to 8. Figures 3 to 8 correspond to Figure 1. In Figures 3 to 8, elements corresponding to those shown in Figure 1 are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0032] 3 , in a coil component 1 a according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a gap 11 a is provided at the connection position of the top plate portion 7 with the second flange portion 6, as in the first embodiment, and penetrates the top plate portion 7 in the width direction W and the height direction H. What differs from the first embodiment is that the end of the gap 11 a in the height direction H located on the outer surface side of the top plate portion 7 is defined by a sloped surface 12 that widens toward the outer surface of the top plate portion 7. In other words, the sloped surface 12 causes the gap 11 a to widen as it approaches the outer surface of the top plate portion 7 (the upper surface in the figure). This sloped surface 12 in the height direction H makes it possible to more smoothly guide the wire 8 to be wound around the winding core portion 3 from the outside of the core 2 to around the winding core portion 3.

[0033] In place of the inclined surface 12, an inclined surface 12a shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3 may be provided, or both the inclined surface 12 and the inclined surface 12a may be provided.

[0034] 4, in coil component 1b according to the third embodiment of the present invention, gap 11b is provided at the connection position of second flange 6 with top plate 7, and penetrates in width direction W and length direction L. According to the third embodiment, no gap exists on the top surface of top plate 7, and the top surface of top plate 7 can be made completely flat. Therefore, when mounting coil component 1b using a mounting machine, coil component 1b can be reliably picked up by vacuum suction.

[0035] The gap 11b may be provided at the connection position of the first flange portion 5 with the top plate portion 7, on the opposite side to the position shown in FIG.

[0036] 5 , in a coil device 1c according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a gap 11c is provided at the second flange 6 at a position where the second flange 6 connects to the top plate 7, as in the third embodiment, and penetrates the second flange 6 in the width direction W and the length direction L. What differs from the third embodiment is that the gap 11c penetrates the second flange 6 in the length direction at an inclination that approaches the winding core 3 from the outer surface of the second flange 6 toward the inner surface. This inclination of the gap 11c enables the wire 8 to be guided more smoothly from the outside of the core 2 to around the winding core 3.

[0037] 6 , in a coil component 1d according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, a gap 11d is provided at a connection position of the winding core 3 with the second flange 6, and penetrates the coil component 1d in the width direction W and the height direction H. According to the fifth embodiment, stress is less likely to concentrate in the vicinity of the gap 11d, and therefore a decrease in the mechanical strength of the coil component 1d due to the formation of the gap 11d can be suppressed.

[0038] The gap 11d may be provided at a connection position between the winding core 3 and the first flange 5, on the opposite side to the position shown in FIG.

[0039] In the first to fifth embodiments described above, the gaps 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d also have the function of making it easier to wind the wire 8 around the winding core 3.

[0040] Furthermore, the gaps 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d in the first to fifth embodiments are provided at positions shifted toward the second flange 6 from the center position in the length direction L on the top plate 7. By being positioned at a position shifted from the center in this manner, it becomes easy to wind the wire 8 over almost the entire area (from the first end to the second end) in the length direction L of the winding core 3 while guiding the wire 8 using the gaps 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d. In contrast, if the gaps 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d were provided at the center position in the length direction L, it might be difficult to wind the wire 8 between near the center in the length direction L of the winding core 3 and the second end.

[0041] 7 , in a coil device 1e according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, a gap 11e is provided at a middle position in the length direction L of the winding core 3, and penetrates the winding core 3 in the width and height directions. The wire 8 is wound across the gap 11e over almost the entire area in the length direction L of the winding core 3. In the sixth embodiment, the gap 11e is provided at a position shifted from the center position in the length direction L of the winding core 3, for example, at a position that divides the dimension of the winding core 3 in the length direction L at a ratio of 2:1.

[0042] In the sixth embodiment, a structure is realized in which two inductors having different inductance values ​​are connected in series on the left and right sides of the circuit shown in FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, the number of turns of the wire 8 constituting each of the two inductors is different. In this structure, the two inductors are considered to be separate inductors, and therefore can be considered to be a series connection of two inductors with different self-resonant frequencies. This increases the resonant frequency of each inductor, allowing them to function as inductors with high impedance over a wide bandwidth.

[0043] Although the above-mentioned effects can be achieved almost without the gap 11e, the presence of the gap 11e reduces the coupling between the two inductors, and therefore the effects are more pronounced. In particular, in the coil component 1e shown in Figure 7, the inductance values ​​of the left and right inductors are made different from each other, and for example, the left inductor is responsible for low frequencies and the right inductor is responsible for high frequencies, thereby achieving wider band characteristics.

[0044] Referring to Fig. 8, in a coil component 1f according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, the gap 11f penetrates the winding core 3 in an inclined state. That is, the gap 11f penetrates the winding core 3 in the height direction while changing its position in the length direction L. Note that in Fig. 8, a portion of the wire 8 wound around the winding core 3 is broken in order to illustrate the gap 11f that is hidden by the wire 8. According to the seventh embodiment, the wire 8 can be wound around the winding core 3 without falling into the gap 11f.

[0045] As a modification of the seventh embodiment described above, the gap 11f may be provided at a position shifted from the center position in the longitudinal direction L of the winding core 3 toward the first flange 5 or the second flange 6. Also in the seventh embodiment, a structure is realized in which two inductors that provide different inductance values ​​on the left and right sides as shown in Figure 8 are connected in series, but the number of turns of the wire 8 that constitutes each of these two inductors may be different.

[0046] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the illustrated embodiment, various other modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0047] Furthermore, when configuring the coil component according to the present invention, partial substitution or combination of configurations is possible between the different embodiments described in this specification.

[0048] The present invention has the following embodiments.

[0049] <1> A core made of a magnetic material, which is integrated with a winding core portion, a first flange portion and a second flange portion provided at a first end and a second end of the winding core portion that are opposite to each other in the length direction, and a top plate portion extending in a direction connecting the first flange portion and the second flange portion; a wire wound around the winding core portion; and a first terminal electrode and a second terminal electrode provided at the first flange portion and the second flange portion, respectively, and connected to each end of the wire, wherein when directions orthogonal to the length direction are defined as width direction and height direction, and the width direction and the height direction are defined as directions orthogonal to each other, the first flange portion and the second flange portion are provided in a state of projecting in all directions including the width direction and the height direction from the first end and the second end of the winding core portion, a coil component in which the top plate portion is arranged parallel to the winding core portion at a predetermined interval in the height direction and has a width dimension greater than a width dimension defined by an outer circumferential edge of the wire wound around the winding core portion, the first terminal electrode and the second terminal electrode are provided on the opposite side in the height direction to the side of the first flange portion and the second flange portion on which the top plate portion is located, and a gap is provided in the core to cut off a part of a loop of magnetic flux passing through the winding core portion, the first flange portion, the second flange portion and the top plate portion.

[0050] <2> The coil component according to <1>, wherein the gap is provided at a connection position of the top plate portion with the first flange portion or the second flange portion, and penetrates the top plate portion in a width direction and a height direction.

[0051] <3> The coil component according to <2>, wherein an end of the gap in the height direction located on the outer surface side of the top plate portion is defined by a sloped surface that widens toward the outer surface of the top plate portion.

[0052] <4> The coil component according to <1>, wherein the gap is provided at a connection position between the first flange portion or the second flange portion and the top plate portion, and penetrates the first flange portion in the width direction and the length direction.

[0053] <5> The coil component according to <4>, wherein the gap penetrates the first flange portion or the second flange portion in the length direction at an inclination in a direction from an outer surface of the first flange portion or the second flange portion toward an inner surface thereof so as to approach the winding core portion.

[0054] <6> The coil component according to <1>, wherein the gap is provided at a connection position of the winding core with the first flange or the second flange, and penetrates the winding core in the width direction and the height direction.

[0055] <7> The coil component according to <1>, wherein the gap is provided at a middle position in the length direction of the winding core portion and penetrates the winding core portion in the width direction and the height direction.

[0056] <8> The coil component according to <7>, wherein the gap is provided at a position shifted from a center position in the length direction of the winding core portion.

[0057] <9> The coil component according to <7> or <8>, wherein the gap penetrates the winding core in a height direction while changing its position in a length direction.

[0058] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f coil component 2 core 3 winding core portion 5, 6 flange portion 7 top plate portion 8 wire 9, 10 terminal electrode 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f gap 12, 12a inclined surface L length direction W width direction H height direction L arrow indicating magnetic flux loop

Claims

1. A core made of a magnetic material, which is integrated with a winding core portion, a first flange portion and a second flange portion provided at a first end and a second end that are opposite to each other in the length direction of the winding core portion, and a top plate portion extending in a direction connecting the first flange portion and the second flange portion; a wire wound around the winding core portion; and a first terminal electrode and a second terminal electrode provided at the first flange portion and the second flange portion, respectively, to which each end of the wire is connected, wherein when the directions perpendicular to the length direction are the width direction and the height direction, and the width direction and the height direction are mutually perpendicular directions, the first flange portion and the second flange portion are provided in a state of protruding in all directions including the width direction and the height direction from the first end and the second end of the winding core portion, a top plate portion is arranged parallel to the winding core portion at a predetermined interval in the height direction and has a width dimension larger than a width dimension defined by an outer circumferential edge of the wire wound around the winding core portion; the first terminal electrode and the second terminal electrode are provided on the opposite side in the height direction to the side of the first flange portion and the second flange portion on which the top plate portion is located; and a gap is provided in the core to cut off a part of a loop of magnetic flux passing through the winding core portion, the first flange portion, the second flange portion and the top plate portion.

2. A coil component as described in claim 1, wherein the gap is provided at a connection position of the top plate portion with the first flange portion or the second flange portion, and penetrates the top plate portion in the width and height directions.

3. A coil component as described in claim 2, wherein an end of the gap in the height direction located on the outer surface side of the top plate portion is defined by a sloping surface that widens toward the outer surface of the top plate portion.

4. A coil component as described in claim 1, wherein the gap is provided at a connection position between the first flange portion or the second flange portion and the top plate portion, and penetrates the coil component in both the width direction and the length direction.

5. A coil component as described in claim 4, wherein the gap penetrates the first flange portion or the second flange portion in the lengthwise direction with an inclination in a direction approaching the winding core portion from the outer surface of the first flange portion or the second flange portion toward the inner surface of the first flange portion or the second flange portion.

6. A coil component as described in claim 1, wherein the gap is provided at a connection position of the winding core with the first flange portion or the second flange portion, and penetrates the winding core in the width direction and the height direction.

7. The coil component according to claim 1, wherein the gap is provided at a midpoint in the length direction of the winding core portion and penetrates the winding core portion in the width and height directions.

8. The coil component according to claim 7, wherein the gap is provided at a position shifted from a center position in the length direction of the winding core portion.

9. A coil component according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the gap penetrates the winding core in the height direction while changing its position in the longitudinal direction.

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