Magnetic component and electric / electronic equipment

Abstract

A magnetic component 1 according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a magnetic core 10 which has at least one pair of opposing legs (middle legs 12) and in which a first gap L1 is formed by the pair of legs (middle legs 12); and a winding 20 that is wound around the pair of legs (middle legs 12) along a direction in which the pair of legs (middle legs 12) extend, and is also multiwound so as to overlap in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of extending. In a region surrounding at least the first gap L1, the winding 20 is made of a magnetic plated Litz wire in which a plurality of single strands are bundled, and the frequency of drive conditions is 200 kHz or higher, and therefore copper loss at high frequencies can be sufficiently suppressed even when the magnetic plated Litz wire is wound around a core provided with a gap.

Description

Magnetic components and electrical and electronic equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to magnetic components and electric and electronic devices.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a reactor that can achieve both reduced eddy current loss in a winding caused by leakage flux from a gap in an iron core and reduced winding resistance. This reactor includes an iron core having at least one pair of opposing legs that form a gap with the pair of legs, and a winding that is wound around the pair of legs along the extension direction of the pair of legs and that is wound multiple times so as to overlap in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension direction, with the innermost periphery of the winding in a region surrounding the gap being made of a litz wire formed by twisting together multiple strands of wire, and the outermost periphery of the winding being made of a solid wire.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses an electric wire capable of reducing loss in a DC-superimposed high-frequency circuit, a low-frequency-superimposed high-frequency circuit, or a high-frequency circuit with fluctuating frequency. This electric wire is characterized by forming a magnetic plating layer on the surface of a copper wire, and forming an insulating coating on the surface of the magnetic plating layer. The electric wire is formed by twisting or assembling multiple insulating-coated magnetically plated copper wires.

[0004] International Publication No. 2012 / 017616 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-277396

[0005] When magnetic components are used in high-frequency circuits, AC resistance exists in magnetic components wound with electric wire, which can easily lead to increased losses. In particular, there are two factors that cause AC resistance in windings: the "skin effect" and the "proximity effect." To counter the "skin effect," it is common to divide electric wires into multiple strands to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​each strand, and then bundle these together to use Litz wire. However, as the number of wires bundled increases, the influence of the "proximity effect" becomes stronger, which places a limit on how much AC resistance can be reduced.

[0006] One way to counter this "proximity effect" is to use magnetically plated Litz wire. With magnetically plated Litz wire, the magnetic field created by the current flowing through one magnetically plated copper wire is blocked by the magnetic material plating layer, making it difficult for the magnetic field to reach the copper wire parts of other magnetically plated copper wires, which is expected to suppress the increase in copper loss due to the proximity effect.

[0007] To control the magnetic saturation of the core, a gap is provided in the core. Even when a magnetically plated Litz wire is wound around such a gapped core and driven at high frequencies, it is desirable to be able to sufficiently suppress copper loss.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a magnetic component and an electric / electronic component that can sufficiently suppress copper loss at high frequencies even when a magnetically plated Litz wire is wound around a core with a gap.

[0009] A magnetic component according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a magnetic core having at least one pair of opposing legs, with a first gap L1 formed by the pair of legs, and a winding wound around the pair of legs along the extension direction of the pair of legs and wound multiple times so as to overlap in a direction approximately perpendicular to the extension direction, wherein at least in the region surrounding the first gap L1, the winding is made of magnetically plated Litz wire formed by bundling multiple single wires, and the driving frequency is 200 kHz or higher.

[0010] With this configuration, magnetically plated Litz wire, which is made up of multiple bundled single wires, is wound around at least the area surrounding the first gap in the magnetic core, and by setting the driving frequency to 200 kHz or higher, eddy current loss in the winding caused by leakage flux from the first gap in the magnetic core is reduced.

[0011] The magnetic component includes a coil including a winding wound around the pair of legs, the coil is disposed with a second gap L2 between the pair of legs, and the second gap L2 and the first gap L1 are spaced apart by a distance L2 2 It is preferable that / L1≦1.6. The larger the first gap L1, the more leakage magnetic flux increases, which tends to increase copper loss, and therefore the effect of using magnetically plated litz wire tends to become more apparent.

[0012] In the magnetic component, the winding may be made of magnetically plated litz wire and solid wire or litz wire. The portion far from the first gap is less susceptible to increased loss due to leakage flux. By using solid wire or litz wire in the portion less susceptible to this effect, costs can be reduced.

[0013] In the magnetic component, when the distance from the first gap L1 is Ds, the distance Ds 2 The proximal winding located in the range of / L1≦1.6 preferably includes a portion made of magnetically plated Litz wire. Since a short separation distance Ds makes it susceptible to increased loss due to leakage flux from the first gap, using magnetically plated Litz wire for at least that range of the winding reduces loss and costs.

[0014] In the magnetic components described above, the outer diameter of the magnetically plated litz wire or the litz wire may be different from the outer diameter of the solid wire. Changing the outer diameter of the conductor to match the current conditions of the circuit can reduce size and cost. In particular, in the case of solid wire, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductor itself is increased compared to litz wire, even though the finished cross-sectional area is the same, resulting in the benefit of lower DC resistance.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention is an electric / electronic device having the above-described magnetic component mounted therein. With this configuration, low loss and high efficiency can be achieved while using a gapped ferrite core.

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide magnetic components and electrical / electronic components that can sufficiently suppress copper loss at high frequencies, even when a magnetically plated Litz wire is wound around a core with a gap.

[0017] 1 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a magnetic component according to the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the magnetic component according to the present embodiment; FIG. 3 is a plan view of a magnetic core; FIG. 4 is a front view of a magnetic core; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating loss versus magnetic flux density of test parts 1A and 1B at a drive frequency of 100 kHz; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating loss versus magnetic flux density of test parts 1A and 1B at a drive frequency of 250 kHz; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating loss versus magnetic flux density of test parts 1A and 1B at a drive frequency of 500 kHz; FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating loss versus magnetic flux density of test parts 1A and 1B at a drive frequency of 1 MHz; FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating loss versus magnetic flux density of test parts 2A and 2B at a drive frequency of 100 kHz; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating loss versus magnetic flux density of test parts 2A and 2B at a drive frequency of 250 kHz; FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating loss versus magnetic flux density of test parts 2A and 2B at a drive frequency of 500 kHz; FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating loss versus magnetic flux density of test parts 2A and 2B at a drive frequency of 1 MHz; 1 is a diagram showing the loss ratio with respect to the drive frequency. 2 1 is a diagram showing copper loss versus L1 / L2 when the drive frequency is 500 kHz. 2 10 is a graph showing copper loss versus L1.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same components will be designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of components that have already been described will be omitted as appropriate.

[0019] (Magnetic Component) FIG. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating a magnetic component according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a magnetic component according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in FIG. 1. FIG. 3A is a plan view of a magnetic core. FIG. 3B is a front view of the magnetic core. A magnetic component 1 according to this embodiment includes a magnetic core 10 having at least one pair of opposing legs, and a winding 20 wound around the pair of legs along the extension direction of the pair of legs. In this embodiment, the extension direction of the pair of legs is defined as the X direction (length direction), one of the directions perpendicular to the X direction is defined as the Y direction (width direction), and the direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions is defined as the Z direction (thickness direction). The magnetic core 10 includes, for example, a pair of cores 11. The core 11 includes center legs 12, side legs 13 disposed on both sides of the center legs 12, and connecting portions 14 connecting the center legs 12 and the side legs 13. The core 11 has a generally E-shaped configuration with the center leg 12, the side leg 13, and the connecting portion 14, and the tips of the side leg 13 of the pair of cores 11 are butted together in the X direction. A first gap L1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "L1") is provided in the X direction between the center leg 12 of the butted pair of cores 11.

[0020] The magnetic material of the magnetic core 10 is made of ferrite. Since ferrite is a material that can be made into complex shapes, using ferrite as the material for the core 11, which has a complex shape such as a substantially E-shape, can increase the productivity of the core.

[0021] The size of the magnetic core 10 is selected appropriately depending on the specifications of the magnetic component 1, but as an example, the thickness T shown in FIG. 3B is approximately 5.0 mm, the width W shown in FIG. 3A is approximately 19.3 mm, the length L is approximately 15.8 mm, the length Ls of the side legs 13 is approximately 5.8 mm, the width Wc of the middle leg 12 is approximately 4.0 mm, and the inner width Wi of the left and right side legs 13 is approximately 15.1 mm.

[0022] The winding 20 is wound around the set of center legs 12 along the extension direction of the center legs 12, which are a set of legs, and is wound multiple times so as to overlap in a direction approximately perpendicular to the extension direction. The winding 20 may be wound around a bobbin 30 provided around the center legs 12.

[0023] As an example, in this embodiment, a primary winding 21 and a secondary winding 22 are wound around a bobbin 30. The primary winding 21 is wound on the inside and outside of the secondary winding 22. That is, the winding 20 has a sandwich winding structure with the inner and outer primary windings 21 and the secondary winding 22. A control signal detection wire 25 may be wound around the bobbin 30.

[0024] In the magnetic component 1 having such a configuration, the winding 20 is made of magnetically plated litz wire, which is a bundle of multiple single wires, at least in the region surrounding the first gap L1, and the driving frequency of the electric circuit using the magnetic component 1 is 200 kHz or higher. The magnetically plated litz wire is a conductor, such as a copper wire, with a magnetic material plating layer formed on the surface thereof and an insulating coating formed on the surface of the magnetic material plating layer, and is a collection of multiple twisted or untwisted insulating-coated magnetically plated copper wires. By winding the magnetically plated litz wire at least in the region surrounding the first gap L1 in the magnetic core 10 and setting the driving frequency to 200 kHz or higher, eddy current loss in the winding 20 caused by leakage magnetic flux from the first gap L1 in the magnetic core 10 is reduced.

[0025] The magnetic component 1 also includes a coil (e.g., a primary winding 21 and a secondary winding 22) including a winding 20 wound around the middle leg 12 (a set of legs). The coil is disposed with a second gap L2 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "L2") between it and the middle leg 12 (a set of legs). Here, in the magnetic component 1, the second gap L2 and the first gap L1 are spaced apart by L2. 2 The larger the first gap L1, the more leakage magnetic flux there is, which tends to increase copper loss, and therefore the effect of using magnetically plated Litz wire becomes more apparent. 2 By using a configuration that satisfies / L1≦1.6, it is possible to reduce eddy current loss in the winding 20 that occurs due to leakage flux from the first gap L1.

[0026] Furthermore, when a magnetically plated Litz wire is wound as the winding 20 in at least the region surrounding the first gap L1 in the magnetic core 10, as shown in FIG. 2, when the distance from the first gap L1 (the radius of a circle whose center is the intersection of a line in the Z direction passing through the center position of the first gap L1 and an extension of the outer periphery of the center leg 12) is Ds, then, of the winding, Ds 2 The proximal winding 20 located in the range of / L1≦1.6 preferably includes a portion made of magnetically plated Litz wire. Because a short separation distance Ds makes it susceptible to increased loss due to leakage flux from the first gap L1, using magnetically plated Litz wire for at least that range of the winding 20 reduces loss and costs.

[0027] Here, the winding 20 may be entirely made of magnetically plated litz wire, or a portion of the winding 20 may be made of magnetically plated litz wire and the other portion may be made of solid wire or litz wire. Since the portion farther away from the first gap L1 is less susceptible to increased loss due to leakage flux, costs can be reduced by making the portion less susceptible to this effect out of solid wire or litz wire.

[0028] Furthermore, when the winding 20 is constructed by combining magnetically plated litz wire with solid wire or litz wire, the outer diameter of the magnetically plated litz wire or litz wire may be different from the outer diameter of the solid wire. Changing the outer diameter of the conductor to match the current conditions of the circuit can contribute to miniaturization and cost reduction. In particular, in the case of solid wire, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductor itself is increased compared to litz wire, even though the finished cross-sectional area is the same, which has the advantage of lowering DC resistance.

[0029] (Verification Results) Next, the verification results of the magnetic component 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Here, the verification results are shown for a magnetic component (referred to as verification component 1A) that is an example of the magnetic component 1 according to this embodiment, and magnetic components (referred to as verification components 1B, 2A, and 2B) that have a different configuration from verification component 1A.

[0030] [Configuration of Verification Component 1A] The material of the magnetic core 10 of verification component 1A is Mn-Zn ferrite. The shape of the pair of cores 11 is a substantially E-shape as shown in Figures 3A and 3B. The dimensions of magnetic core 10 are: thickness T is approximately 5.0 mm, width W is approximately 19.3 mm, length L is approximately 15.8 mm, length Ls of side legs 13 is approximately 5.8 mm, width Wc of center leg 12 is approximately 4.0 mm, and width Wi of the inner and outer side legs 13 is approximately 15.1 mm. The effective cross-sectional area of ​​magnetic core 10 is 20.65 mm 2 The effective magnetic path length of the magnetic core 10 is 39.15 mm. The length of the first gap L1 is 0.8 mm, and the length of the second gap L2 is 0.85 mm±0.1 mm. The primary winding 21 in the winding (corresponding to the winding 20; the same applies below) is a magnetically plated Litz wire (cross-sectional area 0.102 mm) twisted together with 13 conductors each having a diameter of 0.1 mm. 2 ), and the secondary winding 22 is a magnetically plated Litz wire (cross-sectional area 0.550 mm) made by twisting 70 conductors each having a diameter of 0.1 mm. 2 The primary winding 21 has 32 turns, and the secondary winding 22 has 4 turns. The DC resistance of the primary winding 21 at 20°C is 175 mΩ, and the DC resistance of the secondary winding 22 at 20°C is 13.2 mΩ. The primary inductance is 50.2 μH at 100 MHz, and the leakage inductance is 7.53 μH at 100 kHz (secondary winding short-circuited).

[0031] [Configuration of Test Component 1B] The configuration of Test Component 1B is the same as Test Component 1A except for the windings. The windings of Test Component 1B are Litz wire (non-magnetically plated Litz wire). The wire size, number of wires bundled, and number of turns of the Litz wire used in Test Component 1B are the same as the wire size, number of wires bundled, and number of turns of the magnetically plated Litz wire used in Test Component 1A. In Test Component 1B, which uses Litz wire for the windings, the DC resistance of the primary winding at 20°C is 179 mΩ, and the DC resistance of the secondary winding at 20°C is 12.8 mΩ. The primary inductance is 49.5 μH at 100 MHz, and the leakage inductance is 6.44 μH at 100 kHz (secondary winding short-circuited).

[0032] [Configuration of Verification Component 2A] The magnetic core of verification component 2A is formed by powder compaction of soft magnetic metal material. The shape of the pair of cores is a roughly E-shape as shown in Figures 3A and 3B. The magnetic core size is as follows: thickness T is approximately 7.0 mm, width W is approximately 19.3 mm, length L is approximately 15.8 mm, length Ls of side legs 13 is approximately 5.8 mm, width Wc of center leg 12 is approximately 4.0 mm, and width Wi of the inner and outer side legs 13 is approximately 15.1 mm. The effective cross-sectional area of ​​the magnetic core is 28.91 mm. 2 The effective magnetic path length of the magnetic core is 39.15 mm. The length of the first gap L1 is zero (0, no gap), and the length of the second gap L2 is 0.85 mm ± 0.1 mm. The winding configuration (wire size, number of wires bundled, and number of turns) of the verification component 2A is the same as that of the verification component 1A. The DC resistance of the primary winding at 20°C is 198 mΩ, and the DC resistance of the secondary winding at 20°C is 13.8 mΩ. The primary inductance is 55.1 μH at 100 MHz, and the leakage inductance is 7.80 μH at 100 kHz (secondary winding short-circuited).

[0033] [Configuration of Test Component 2B] The configuration of Test Component 2B is the same as Test Component 2A except for the windings. The windings of Test Component 2B are Litz wire (non-magnetically plated Litz wire). The wire size, number of wires bundled, and number of turns of the Litz wire used in Test Component 2B are the same as the wire size, number of wires bundled, and number of turns of the magnetically plated Litz wire used in Test Component 2A. In Test Component 2B, which uses Litz wire for the windings, the DC resistance of the primary winding at 20°C is 206 mΩ, and the DC resistance of the secondary winding at 20°C is 14.7 mΩ. The primary inductance is 54.5 μH at 100 MHz, and the leakage inductance is 7.79 μH at 100 kHz (secondary winding short-circuited).

[0034] [Loss versus Magnetic Flux Density] Figures 4 to 7 are diagrams showing the loss versus magnetic flux density for verification parts 1A and 1B. Figure 4 shows the loss for a drive frequency of 100 kHz, Figure 5 shows the loss for a drive frequency of 250 kHz, Figure 6 shows the loss for a drive frequency of 500 kHz, and Figure 7 shows the loss for a drive frequency of 1 MHz. Tables 1 to 4 show the loss values ​​versus magnetic flux density (Bm) shown in Figures 4 to 7.

[0035]

[0036]

[0037]

[0038]

[0039] Both test components 1A and 1B have a first gap L1 in their magnetic cores, but the winding of test component 1A is magnetically plated litz wire, while the winding of test component 1B is non-magnetically plated litz wire. As shown in Figures 4 to 7, when the driving frequency is low, there is little difference in loss between test component 1A and test component 1B. However, as the driving frequency increases, the loss of test component 1A becomes smaller than that of test component 1B. Therefore, when the magnetic core has a first gap L1, the effect of using magnetically plated litz wire for the winding (loss reduction) becomes more pronounced as the driving frequency increases.

[0040] Figures 8 to 11 are diagrams showing the loss versus magnetic flux density for test components 2A and 2B. Figure 8 shows the case of a drive frequency of 100 kHz, Figure 9 shows the case of a drive frequency of 250 kHz, Figure 10 shows the case of a drive frequency of 500 kHz, and Figure 11 shows the case of a drive frequency of 1 MHz. Tables 5 to 8 also show the loss values ​​versus magnetic flux density (Bm) shown in Figures 8 to 11.

[0041]

[0042]

[0043]

[0044]

[0045] Although neither test component 2A nor test component 2B has the first gap L1 in its magnetic core, the winding of test component 2A is a magnetically plated litz wire, while the winding of test component 2B is a non-magnetically plated litz wire. As shown in Figures 8 to 11, there is little difference in loss due to differences in drive frequency between test component 2A and test component 2B. This suggests that when the first gap L1 is not provided in the magnetic core, the effect (loss reduction) of using a magnetically plated litz wire for the winding is not very apparent.

[0046] [Loss vs. Drive Frequency] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the loss vs. drive frequency of the test components 1A and 1B. Fig. 12 shows the loss vs. drive frequency for the magnetic flux density of 10 mT shown in Figs. 4 to 7. Table 9 also shows the loss values ​​for the drive frequencies shown in Fig. 12.

[0047]

[0048] 12, when the first gap L1 is provided in the magnetic core, the loss of verification component 1B is slightly lower than the loss of verification component 1A at a drive frequency of 100 kHz. On the other hand, when the drive frequency exceeds 170 kHz, the loss of verification component 1A becomes lower than the loss of verification component 1B, and this difference becomes significant at frequencies of 200 kHz or higher.

[0049] FIG. 13 shows the loss ratio versus drive frequency for the magnetically plated litz wires (test parts 1A and 2A) and the litz wires (test parts 1B and 2B). FIG. 13 plots the loss ratio (vertical axis) versus drive frequency (horizontal axis) for test parts 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B shown in FIGS. 4 to 11 at a magnetic flux density of 10 mT. The loss ratio here refers to the ratio of the loss in the magnetically plated litz wire to the loss in the litz wire. That is, FIG. 13 shows the ratio of the loss in test part 1A to the loss in test part 1B and the ratio of the loss in test part 2A to the loss in test part 2B. The loss values ​​for test parts 1A and 1B are shown in Table 9. The losses and loss ratios for test parts 2A and 2B are shown in Table 10.

[0050]

[0051] 13, the loss ratio of test parts 2A and 2B, which do not have the first gap L1 in their magnetic cores, does not change significantly with drive frequency. On the other hand, the loss ratio of test parts 1A and 1B, which have the first gap L1 in their magnetic cores, is higher than that of test parts 2A and 2B at a drive frequency of 100 kHz, but is lower than that of test parts 2A and 2B at a drive frequency of 200 kHz or higher.

[0052] From these facts, it can be seen that when a first gap L1 is provided in the magnetic core and magnetically plated Litz wire is used as the winding, a drive frequency of 200 kHz or higher can effectively reduce eddy current loss in the winding caused by leakage flux from the first gap L1 in the magnetic core.

[0053] [L1 and L2 2 14 and 15 show the relationship between L2 2 The specifications of the magnetic components used in the verification are as follows: Core size: PQ20 / 16Z-12 (TDK Corporation, ferrite core PQ series for switching power supplies) Core material: ferrite Winding size: Litz wire consisting of 20 twisted conductors with a diameter of 0.1 mm Number of winding turns: 30 turns Inductance: 154 μH Applied current: Sine wave (peak current 2 A) Figure 14 shows the copper loss for a drive frequency of 250 kHz, and Figure 15 shows the copper loss for a drive frequency of 500 kHz. 2 Copper loss versus L1 is shown. 2 The copper loss values ​​for L1 are shown in Table 11, and the L2 values ​​shown in Figure 15 2 The copper loss values ​​for / L1 are shown in Table 12. As shown in Tables 11 and 12, in this verification, a plurality of magnetic components were prepared in which the first gap L1 was fixed and the second gap L2 was varied, and the copper loss of the magnetic components was measured.

[0054]

[0055]

[0056] The larger the first gap L1, the more leakage magnetic flux there is, and the smaller the second gap L2 (the closer the coil is to the first gap L1), the more susceptible it is to the leakage magnetic flux from the first gap L1, which increases the copper loss. 2 When L1 is in the range below 1.6, a significant increase in copper loss is observed. 2 It can be seen that by using magnetically plated Litz wire in a range that satisfies / L1≦1.6, it is possible to obtain the effect of reducing eddy current loss in the winding caused by leakage flux in the first gap L1.

[0057] On the other hand, L2 2 Since copper loss is low in the range where / L1>1.6 is satisfied, for example, in the area beyond a predetermined distance from the first gap L1, it is possible to use ordinary Litz wire or solid wire instead of magnetically plated Litz wire.

[0058] More preferably, the distance Ds shown in FIG. 2 / L1≦1.6, that is, Ds≦(1.6×L1) 1 / 2 It is preferable that the proximal winding includes a portion made of magnetically plated Litz wire that satisfies the following condition: Ds≦(1.6×L1) 1 / 2 Since the range satisfying the above requirement is particularly susceptible to the influence of leakage magnetic flux from the first gap L1, by configuring the coil to include magnetically plated Litz wire in at least this range, it is possible to efficiently obtain the effect of reducing eddy current loss in the winding caused by leakage magnetic flux from the first gap L1.

[0059] Furthermore, Ds>(1.6×L1) 1 / 2 In the range that satisfies the above, the benefits of using magnetically plated litz wire are relatively small, so by using normal litz wire or solid wire in this range, it is possible to suppress losses and reduce costs.

[0060] The above verification results revealed the following: (1) In magnetic components using magnetic cores with no gaps in the magnetic path, the difference in loss between magnetically plated litz wire and non-magnetically plated litz wire was minimal. (2) In magnetic components with gaps in the magnetic path, such as ferrite cores, the difference in loss between magnetically plated litz wire and non-magnetically plated litz wire occurred at drive frequencies of 200 kHz or higher, with the magnetically plated litz wire tending to have smaller losses. (3) When the drive frequency was 200 kHz or lower, the difference in loss was reversed, with the non-magnetically plated litz wire tending to have lower losses than the magnetically plated litz wire.

[0061] From these findings, it was found that the effect of using magnetically plated Litz wire in suppressing the proximity effect is small in magnetic components such as transformers, which have electric wire wound around an iron core, and the effect is minimal, but that magnetically plated Litz wire is more effective in suppressing the effect of eddy currents that occur when leakage magnetic flux generated from gaps in the iron core penetrates the electric wire.It was also found that this effect is manifested when the driving frequency of the circuit used is set to 200 kHz or higher, and conversely, losses increase when the driving frequency is lowered.

[0062] From these verification results, it can be concluded that a magnetic component 1 that satisfies the following requirements: the winding 20 is made of magnetically plated Litz wire in at least the region surrounding the first gap L1 of the magnetic core 10; and the driving frequency is 200 kHz or higher, can reduce eddy current loss in the winding 20 caused by leakage magnetic flux in the first gap L1.

[0063] (Electrical / Electronic Devices) Electrical / electronic devices according to one embodiment of the present invention are devices that incorporate the magnetic component 1 according to the above-described embodiment. Examples of such electrical / electronic devices include power supply devices equipped with a power switching circuit, a voltage step-up / step-down circuit, a smoothing circuit, and the like, and small portable communication devices. The magnetic component 1 according to this embodiment can achieve low loss in the high-frequency range of drive frequencies of 200 kHz or higher, making it easy to miniaturize electrical / electronic devices incorporating the magnetic component 1.

[0064] Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a magnetic component 1 and an electric / electronic component that can sufficiently suppress copper loss at high frequencies, even when a magnetically plated Litz wire is wound around a core with a gap.

[0065] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, the shape of the magnetic core 10 is not limited to the above and may be other shapes. Furthermore, the materials listed above are merely examples and are not limited to these. Furthermore, those in which a person skilled in the art appropriately adds, deletes, or modifies components of the above-described embodiments, or appropriately combines features of the configuration examples of the embodiments, are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the gist of the present invention.

[0066] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Magnetic component 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B...Verification component 10...Magnetic core 11...Core 12...Middle leg 13...Side leg 14...Connecting portion 20...Winding 21...Primary winding 22...Secondary winding 25...Signal detection line 30...Bobbin Ds...Separation distance L, Ls...Length L1...First gap L2...Second gap T...Thickness W, Wc, Wi...Width

Claims

1. A magnetic component comprising: a magnetic core having at least one pair of opposing legs, said pair of legs forming a first gap L1; a winding wound around said pair of legs in the direction in which said pair of legs extend, and wound in multiple layers so as to overlap in a direction approximately perpendicular to said extension direction; wherein at least in the area surrounding said first gap L1, said winding is made of magnetically plated Litz wire, which is made of multiple bundles of single wires; and wherein the driving frequency is 200 kHz or higher.

2. A coil including the winding wound around the pair of legs is provided, and the coil is disposed with a second gap L2 between the pair of legs, and the second gap L2 and the first gap L1 are spaced apart by a distance L2. 2 2. The magnetic component according to claim 1, wherein / L1≦1.

6.

3. A magnetic component according to claim 2, wherein the winding is made up of the magnetically plated Litz wire and a solid wire or Litz wire.

4. When the distance from the first gap L1 is Ds, 2 2. The magnetic component according to claim 1, wherein the proximal winding located in the range of / L1≦1.6 includes a portion made of the magnetically plated Litz wire.

5. A magnetic component according to claim 3, wherein the outer diameter of the magnetically plated litz wire or the outer diameter of the litz wire is different from the outer diameter of the solid wire.

6. An electric or electronic device in which the magnetic component according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is mounted.

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