Coil component and method for assembling the same

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to improve workability and identification of each lead wire when a terminal portion of an electric wire used for a winding coil of a coil component is pulled out to the outside.　The present invention comprises a coil component (transformer) body 100 comprising: magnetic cores 1, 2, a bobbin 4 mounted on the magnetic cores 1, 2, and coil windings 6A, 6B formed by winding an electric wire around a winding shaft part (21) of the bobbin 4. The bobbin 4 has suppressing parts 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B having a fulcrum for bending terminal portions 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B in a routing path of the terminal portions 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B of the coil windings 6A, 6B. The terminal portions 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B are held so as to be pressed against pressed portions 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B facing the suppressing parts 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B by a reaction force in a direction opposite to the bent direction caused by the terminal portions 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B being bent with the suppressing parts 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B as fulcrums.

Description

Coil component and assembly method thereof

[0001] The present invention relates to a coil component and an assembly method thereof, and more particularly to a coil component having an electric wire lead-out structure used in high-power coils such as transformers and reactors, and an assembly method thereof.

[0002] Large currents flow through the winding coils of coil components such as transformers and reactors used for high-power applications. Therefore, large-diameter electric wires are required for the winding coils of such coil components. Such electric wires are typically wound around a bobbin, leaving the terminal ends, and then pulled out. This requires securing the terminal ends (the beginning and end of the winding) to the exterior of the coil component with insulating tape when winding the electric wire around the bobbin. Furthermore, when a large current flows through an electric wire, the amount of heat generated by the electric wire and magnetic core increases. A known technique involves filling the case housing the coil component with resin, which transfers the heat generated by the electric wire and magnetic core to a cooling device such as a heat sink through convection in the resin. However, during the resin filling process, the terminal ends of the electric wire must be secured to a separate jig or tool to prevent them from getting in the way.

[0003] To solve this problem, a coil component is known that includes a housing portion that houses an end portion of an electric wire and a cylindrical insertion hole through which the end portion of the electric wire is inserted from the inside to the outside of the housing portion or from the outside to the inside (see Patent Document 1 below). By inserting the end portion of the electric wire into the insertion hole of this coil component, the end portion of the electric wire is fixed to the exterior of the coil component.

[0004] JP 2020-61424 A

[0005] However, the process of inserting the end of the electric wire into the cylindrical insertion hole is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and there was a demand for improvements in operability. In other words, the process of inserting the end of the electric wire into the cylindrical insertion hole is difficult to automate, so it must be done manually, resulting in poor operability. In addition, the end has a winding start part and a winding end part, and it is necessary to be able to identify the lead wire to prevent mistakes in polarity and wiring.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a coil component and an assembly method thereof that can improve the workability and the identifiability of each lead wire when winding an electric wire used in a winding coil of the coil component around a bobbin, leaving the end portion, and then drawing the end portion of the electric wire to the outside.

[0007] The coil component of the present invention comprises a coil component body including a magnetic core, a bobbin attached to the magnetic core, and a coil formed by winding an electric wire around the winding shaft portion of the bobbin, wherein the bobbin has a suppressing portion having a fulcrum for bending the terminal portion of the coil in a routing path of the terminal portion of the coil, and the terminal portion of the coil is bent around the suppressing portion as a fulcrum, and is held so as to be pressed against a pressed portion opposite the suppressing portion.

[0008] Furthermore, it is preferable that the terminal portion of the coil is pressed against the pressed portion by a reaction force in a direction opposite to the bending direction, which is caused by the elasticity of the electric wire when the electric wire is bent around the suppressing portion as a fulcrum. Furthermore, it is preferable that the pressed portion against which the terminal portion of the coil is pressed is provided with a groove into which the terminal portion of the coil fits.

[0009] It is also preferable that a suppression section for suppressing the terminal portion of the coil is provided for each terminal portion of the coil. It is also preferable that the coil component main body is housed in a metal case filled with resin. It is also preferable that the upper portion of the suppression section is formed in a horizontally arranged flat plate shape, and that the upper portions of the suppression sections provided for each terminal portion of the coil are all the same height.

[0010] Furthermore, it is preferable that a suppression unit holding member be provided adjacent to the upper portion of each suppression unit provided at each end of the coil so as to prevent the suppression unit from moving upward, and that both ends of the suppression unit holding member be attached to the metal case. It is also preferable that a screw hole be formed near the bottom of the metal case for screwing the metal case to an external housing. It is also preferable that the electric wire be made of a Litz wire whose outer periphery is wound with insulating tape.

[0011] Furthermore, the method for assembling a coil component of the present invention includes winding an electric wire around a winding shaft portion of a bobbin attached to a magnetic core, leaving an end portion, to form a coil, and bending the end portion of the coil using a suppressing portion formed on a part of the bobbin as a fulcrum in a routing path of the end portion of the coil, so that the bending causes the end portion of the coil to be pressed against a pressed portion facing the suppressing portion, and the end portion of the coil is held in a predetermined position in the routing path. In this case, it is preferable that the end portion of the coil is pressed against the pressed portion by a reaction force in a direction opposite to the bending direction, which is caused by the elasticity of the electric wire generated by bending the end portion of the coil around the suppressing portion as a fulcrum.

[0012] According to the coil component and its assembly method of the present invention, both end portions of the winding coil are bent around the suppression section as a fulcrum. By bending the end portions, the end portions of the coil are pressed against the opposing portions of the suppression section, and the end portions of the coil are naturally held in the routing path. This eliminates the need for fixing tape, which has traditionally been used to hold both end portions of the winding coil, i.e., the winding start and end portions of the winding coil, in place on the bobbin, simplifying the winding and wiring work of the winding coil. Furthermore, it is easy to identify each of the lead wires, which are both end portions of the winding coil.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a coil component according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shape of the bobbin of the coil component shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a routing path of an end portion of a coil according to the coil component according to the first embodiment of the present invention ((a) is a schematic view showing the routing direction of the end portion, and (b) is a schematic view showing a state in which the end portion of the winding coil is arranged on this routing path). FIG. 4 is a perspective view (a) showing one aspect of a coil component (in which a coil component main body is housed in a metal case) according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view (b) showing another aspect of the coil component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of a coil component according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part of a coil component according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main part of a coil component according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a main part of a coil component according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Hereinafter, a coil component and an assembly method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The coil component according to the embodiment of the present invention has a structure that functions as a transformer, reactor, etc. The coil component is formed by winding a relatively large diameter electric wire used in high-power coils around a magnetic core via a bobbin to form a winding coil, and has a structure devised to make it easy to pull out both ends of the winding coil to the outside.

[0015] 1 shows the main part of a main body 100 of a coil component according to Example 1 (hereinafter referred to as the transformer main body 100), and shows how the transformer main body 100 is constructed by butting together two EER type cores, a first magnetic core 1 and a second magnetic core 2, and combining them with a bobbin 4 made of thermoplastic resin, and attaching two winding coils 6A and 6B to the outer circumferential surface of a winding shaft portion 21 of the bobbin 4. The first magnetic core 1 and the second magnetic core 2 are roughly E-shaped, and are shown combined so that the tips of the corresponding three legs are butted together, and also shows how a spacer 6C made of an insulating resin member is disposed between the corresponding winding coils 6A and 6B.

[0016] 2 is a perspective view showing the shape of the thermoplastic resin bobbin 4 (with the coil windings 6A, 6B and spacer 6C removed) used in the transformer body 100 shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram (a) showing a method for externally extending the coil terminals 81A, 81B of the primary coil winding 6A and the coil terminals 91A, 91B of the secondary coil winding 6B, including the primary coil terminal 91B, and a schematic diagram (b) showing the state of the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B extended externally using this method. Furthermore, conductive terminals 82A, 82B, 92A, 92B are attached to the tips of the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B. These terminals 82A, 82B, 92A, 92B are attached to terminal blocks (not shown) and connected to external wiring for power supply. In addition, in this embodiment and in each embodiment described below, for the sake of convenience, one side is specified as the primary coil winding 6A and the other side as the secondary coil winding 6B, but this can be reversed depending on the mode of use. Similarly, it is of course also possible to reverse the input side and the output side.

[0017] More specifically, the first magnetic core 1 and the second magnetic core 2 each have a center leg, outer legs located on either side of the center leg, and a back portion connecting the center and outer legs, forming a generally E-shape. The tips of the center legs and the corresponding outer legs are butted against each other. A winding shaft 21 is formed in the outer region of the hollow portion 18 of the bobbin 4, through which the center legs of the magnetic cores 1 and 2 are inserted. A primary coil winding 6A and a secondary coil winding 6B are wound axially around the winding shaft 21. An insulating spacer 6C is disposed between the primary coil winding 6A and the secondary coil winding 6B to ensure insulation between the two coil windings. An approximately annular flange 17A, 17B is disposed at both ends of the winding shaft 21 of the bobbin 4. The magnetic cores 1 and 2 are made of Mn-Zn ferrite. By using Mn-Zn as the material, the magnetic permeability and magnetic flux density of the core can be set high. Ni-Zn ferrite, which is mainly suitable for use in high-frequency coils, can also be used as the material. Other iron-based materials (electromagnetic steel sheet, powder magnetic core (pure iron, Fe-Si-Al alloy, Ni-Fe-Mo alloy, Ni-Fe alloy), amorphous, etc.) can also be used.

[0018] In order to extract the coil terminals 81A, 81B of the primary coil winding 6A and the coil terminals 91A, 91B of the secondary coil winding 6B to the outside at predetermined positions, it is required from the viewpoint of workability that they be configured to be easily held in predetermined positions along the route when routing the inside. The transformer body 100 of this embodiment includes flat suppression sections 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B having tip sections for bending the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B pulled out from the winding shaft section 21 by 90 degrees or more within the routing route, and pressed plates 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B that stop the bent coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B from returning due to their own reaction force and maintain the shape bent at approximately 90 degrees. Further, grooves 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B are provided on the horizontal center lines extending in the up-down direction of the pressed plates 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B so that the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B are fitted and held therein. The grooves 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B are shaped so that the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B are just fitted into them.

[0019] Each pair of suppressing units 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B and pressed plates 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B is provided corresponding to each coil terminal 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B. That is, a suppressing unit 11A and a pressed plate 13A are provided corresponding to the primary input coil terminal 81A, a suppressing unit 11B and a pressed plate 13B are provided corresponding to the primary output coil terminal 81B, a suppressing unit 12A and a pressed plate 14A are provided corresponding to the secondary input coil terminal 91A, and a suppressing unit 12B and a pressed plate 14B are provided corresponding to the secondary output coil terminal 91B.

[0020] As one example, a coil component assembly method in which secondary output coil terminal 91B is held in the routing path using suppression unit 12B and pressed plate 14B will be described with reference to Fig. 3. That is, secondary output coil terminal 91B of secondary coil winding 6B wound around winding shaft 21 of bobbin 4 is pulled outward from between two suppression units 12A and 12B as shown in Fig. 3(a), routed around the lower side of the flat plate portion of suppression unit 12B, which is arranged horizontally (gradually pulled upward due to slopes and steps), and further pulled upward from between the tip of this flat plate portion and pressed plate 14B, which faces this tip and is arranged vertically. Furthermore, when the secondary output coil terminal 91B is bent by 90 degrees or more, as shown by the solid line in Figure 3(a), around the tip of the flat portion as a fulcrum, the secondary output coil terminal 91B's elasticity causes a reaction force to return to its original shape, causing the secondary output coil terminal 91B to abut (be pressed against) the pressure plate 14B, and to fit into the groove 16B provided on the horizontal centerline extending up and down on the inner wall of the pressure plate 14B, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 3(a). In this way, the secondary output coil terminal 91B can be easily held in a predetermined position in the wiring path. It also makes it easy to identify each of the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, and 91B. As mentioned above, the electric wire constituting the coil windings 6A, 6B is preferably a Litz wire wrapped with insulating tape having high spring properties in order to apply a large reaction force to each of the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B, but it is of course possible to use other materials.

[0021] Similarly, the primary input coil terminal 81A is held in the groove 15A of the pressed plate 13A, the primary output coil terminal 81B is held in the groove 15B of the pressed plate 13B, the secondary input coil terminal 91A is held in the groove 16A of the pressed plate 14A, and the secondary output coil terminal 91B is held in the groove 16B of the pressed plate 14B. Figure 3(b) shows the state in which the four coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B are held vertically as described above.

[0022] Unlike conventional technology, the transformer body 100 of this embodiment does not require fixing tape to hold the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, and 91B in place, and it is also not necessary to insert electric wires through holes, making assembly easier.

[0023] Furthermore, when an insulated wire (e.g., a triple-insulated wire with an operating temperature range of 150°C or higher) is used as the electric wire, the exterior tape used in the prior art is no longer necessary, which is even more preferable as it improves the workability of assembling the transformer body 100. Furthermore, since the exterior tape is no longer necessary, heat generated in the coil windings 6A and 6B can be dissipated more efficiently, which is also preferable in this respect.

[0024] In this case, in order to facilitate the transfer of heat generated in the coil windings 6A and 6B of the transformer body 100 configured as described above to the outside of the transformer 100', it is desirable to construct the transformer 100' by accommodating the transformer body 100 shown in FIG. 1 in a metal case 31 having an open top and made of a metal (aluminum, etc.) with good thermal conductivity, and injecting a cooling filler resin 32 such as an insulating silicone resin between the metal case 31 and the accommodated transformer body 100, as shown in FIG. 4(a).

[0025] When insulated wires are used, the insulating coating may slightly reduce the thermal conductivity of the wires alone. However, since insulating tape between coil layers and exterior tape are no longer necessary, heat trapped around the outer periphery of the coil windings 6A and 6B can be efficiently released to the outside. Furthermore, this heat is transferred to the outer wall of the metal case 31 by thermal conduction within the filler resin 32, and can be dissipated to the outside of the metal case 31 via this outer wall. In particular, by using a silicone resin with good thermal conductivity as the filler resin 32 and allowing the silicone resin to penetrate into the coil, heat generated in the coil windings 6A and 6B can be easily released to the outside of the transformer 100', efficiently lowering the temperature around the outer periphery of the coil windings 6A and 6B.

[0026] 4A, a flat holding plate 33 is provided, which is disposed between opposing portions of the upper edge of the metal case 31. Both ends of the holding plate 33 are fixed to opposing side surfaces (near the upper edge) of the metal case 31, and the holding plate 33 is disposed so as to press down on the suppression portions 11A, 11B, 12A, and 12B on the upper surface of the metal case 31, thereby evenly pressing down the suppression portions 11A, 11B, 12A, and 12B within the filling resin 32 in the metal case 31. The upper surfaces of the suppression portions 11A, 11B, 12A, and 12B are flat, and the flat upper surfaces of the suppression portions 11A, 11B, 12A, and 12B are disposed substantially horizontally at the same height as a whole, so that the holding plate 33 can evenly press down the transformer body. The upper surface of each suppression section 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B is formed in a flat plate shape, which also serves to protect the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B routed below. Four screw holes 34 are provided at the bottom of the metal case 31, allowing the transformer 100' to be securely fixed to a device housing (not shown). This allows the transformer 100' to be made highly earthquake-resistant, shock-resistant, and have good heat dissipation properties.

[0027] In the transformer body 100 of the first embodiment, the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, and 91B are formed to extend vertically upward, but the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, and 91B may be formed to extend in other directions. For example, in a modified embodiment of the first embodiment shown in Figure 4(b), the coil terminals 181A, 181B, 191A, and 191B are formed to extend horizontally toward the sides. By forming them in this manner, it is possible to construct a transformer body 200 that is drawn out laterally and has a reduced height.

[0028] 4(b), in this modified embodiment, pairs of suppressing units 111A, 111B, 112A, 112B and pressed plates 113A, 113B, 114A, 114B are provided corresponding to the coil terminals 181A, 181B, 191A, 191B. That is, the suppressing unit 111A and pressed plate 113A are provided corresponding to the primary input coil terminal 181A, the suppressing unit 111B and pressed plate 113B are provided corresponding to the primary output coil terminal 181B, the suppressing unit 112A and pressed plate 114A are provided corresponding to the secondary input coil terminal 191A, and the suppressing unit 112B and pressed plate 114B are provided corresponding to the secondary output coil terminal 191B.

[0029] In the transformer body 200 of this modified embodiment, the suppression sections 111A, 111B, 112A, and 112B are formed in an upright cylindrical shape, and the pressed plates 113A, 113B, 114A, and 114B are configured to be arranged substantially horizontally, as compared with the transformer body 100 of the above-described first embodiment. Here, the routing operation of the coil terminals 181A, 181B, 191A, and 191B in this modified embodiment will be described using the routing operation of the secondary output side coil terminal 191B as an example (the same applies to the routing operations of the other coil terminals 181A, 181B, and 191A). That is, the secondary output coil terminal 191B is pulled outward, routed along the path, and folded so as to be wrapped around the cylindrical suppression portion 112B. The reaction force acting to return the secondary output coil terminal 191B to its original shape as it unwinds from the suppression portion 112B is utilized to abut the secondary output coil terminal 191B against the pressure plate 114B. This reaction force is also utilized to fit the secondary output coil terminal 191B into a groove 116B formed on the horizontally extending vertical centerline of the inner wall of the pressure plate 114B. In this way, the four coil terminals 181A, 181B, 191A, and 191B are easily held in their predetermined positions along the routing path. The transformer body 200 of this modified embodiment is otherwise similar to the transformer body 100 of the first embodiment.

[0030] Next, a main body 300 of a coil component according to Example 2 (hereinafter referred to as the transformer main body 300) will be described with reference to Figure 5. The transformer main body 100 according to Example 1 includes four coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, and 91B, whereas the transformer main body 300 according to Example 2 includes six coil terminals 281A, 281B, 281C, 281D, 291A, and 291B. Furthermore, among the reference numerals assigned to the components of the transformer main body 300 according to Example 2, those corresponding to the components of the transformer main body 100 according to Example 1 are assigned reference numerals obtained by adding 200 to the reference numerals assigned to the components of the transformer main body 100 according to Example 1, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0031] Here, the transformer body 300 according to the second embodiment has four primary coil terminals 281A, 281B, 281C, and 281D and two secondary coil terminals 291A and 291B, and the two primary coil terminals 281A and 281D are short-circuited to each other outside the transformer body 300. In addition, while the magnetic core in the first embodiment is formed by combining two EER type magnetic cores 1 and 2, the magnetic core in the second embodiment is formed by combining three EER type magnetic cores 201, 202, and 203 according to the number of coil terminals. Furthermore, the action of the corresponding suppression sections 211A, 211B, 211C, 211D, 212A, 212B and the corresponding pressed plates 213A, 213B, 213C, 213D, 214A, 214B on each of the six coil terminals 281A, 281B, 281C, 281D, 291A, 291B is similar to the action of the corresponding suppression sections 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B and the corresponding pressed plates 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B on each of the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B of the transformer body 100 in Example 1.

[0032] 5, a heat dissipation fin 251 is joined to the bottom of the transformer body 300, and a heat conduction sheet (e.g., a heat conduction silicon pad) 252 is arranged between the transformer body 300 and the heat dissipation fin 251 to improve heat conduction. As shown in Fig. 4(a), it is preferable to house this transformer body 300 in a metal case 31 and fill the inside of the metal case 31 with a filling resin agent 32 (the same applies to each of the following embodiments).

[0033] Next, a main body 400 of a coil component according to a third embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the transformer main body 400) will be described with reference to FIG. 6. This embodiment shows a transformer 400' in which the same transformer main body 200 as shown in FIG. 4B, which represents a modified version of the first embodiment, is housed in a metal case 331, but the metal case 331 is shown with the resin filler removed. Furthermore, among the reference numerals given to the components of the transformer 400' according to the third embodiment, those corresponding to the components of the transformer main body 200 according to the modified version of the first embodiment are given reference numerals that are 200 larger than the reference numerals given to the components of the transformer main body 200 according to FIG. 4B, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0034] In this Example 3, the action of the corresponding suppression sections 311A, 311B, 312A, 312B and the corresponding pressed plates 313A, 313B, 314A, 314B on each of the four coil terminals 381A, 381B, 391A, 391B is the same as the action of the corresponding suppression sections 111A, 111B, 112A, 112B and the corresponding pressed plates 113A, 113B, 114A, 114B on each of the coil terminals 181A, 181B, 191A, 191B in the transformer body 200 according to the modified embodiment of Example 1 shown in Figure 4 (b).

[0035] 6, conductive terminals 382A, 382B, 392A, and 392B are attached to the tips of coil terminals 381A, 381B, 391A, and 391B, respectively. Two holding plates 333A and 333B are fixed across the opposing side surfaces (near the upper edge) of metal case 331, which houses transformer body 400, and are configured to press down on transformer body 400 and hold it within metal case 331.

[0036] Next, a coil component body 500 (hereinafter referred to as the transformer body 500) according to Example 4 will be described with reference to Figure 7. Note that this example has the same basic functions as the transformer body 200 according to Figure 4(b), which represents a modified version of Example 1, but the main differences will be described later. Furthermore, among the reference numerals assigned to the components of the transformer body 500 according to Example 4, those corresponding to the components of the transformer body 200 according to the modified version of Example 1 are assigned reference numerals obtained by adding 300 to the reference numerals assigned to the components of the transformer body 200 according to Figure 4(b), and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0037] In the transformer body 200 of the modified embodiment of Example 1, the magnetic core is formed by combining two EER-type magnetic cores 101, 102, whereas in the transformer body 500 of Example 4, the magnetic core is formed by combining a U-shaped core 401 and an I-shaped core 402. The two legs of the U-shaped core 401 are inserted into two hollow portions of a bobbin 404, respectively, and a primary coil 406A and a secondary coil 406B are wound around each of these legs via a winding shaft portion (not shown) of the bobbin 404. A metal annular portion (not shown) and a metal piece terminal 441 extending from this metal annular portion are arranged in parallel with the primary coil 406A.

[0038] Furthermore, the action of the corresponding suppression sections 411A (not shown), 411B (not shown), 412A, 412B and the corresponding pressed plates 413A (not shown), 413B (not shown), 414A, 414B on each of the four coil terminals 481A, 481B, 491A, 491B is similar to the action of the corresponding suppression sections 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B and the corresponding pressed plates 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B on each of the coil terminals 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B of the transformer body 100 of Example 1.

[0039] Here, the routing operation of the coil terminals 481A, 481B, 491A, and 491B in this fourth embodiment will be described using the routing operation of the secondary output coil terminal 491B as an example (the same applies to the routing operations of the other coil terminals 481B, 491A, and 491B). Specifically, the secondary output coil terminal 491B is pulled outward, routed along a path, and bent approximately 90 degrees at the tip of the upright, flat-plate-shaped suppression section 412B. At this time, the reaction force of the secondary output coil terminal 491B attempting to return to its original shape is utilized to abut the secondary output coil terminal 491B against the pressed plate 414B. This reaction force is also utilized to fit the secondary output coil terminal 491B into a groove 416B provided on the horizontally extending vertical centerline of the inner wall portion of the pressed plate 414B. In this way, the four coil terminals 481A, 481B, 491A, and 491B can be easily held at predetermined positions in the routing path.

[0040] Next, a coil component body 600 (hereinafter referred to as the transformer body 600) according to Example 5 will be described with reference to Figure 8. Note that this Example has the same function as the transformer body 100 according to Example 1, but there are some differences in structure and function, the main points of which will be described later. Furthermore, among the reference numerals given to the components of the transformer body 600 according to Example 5, those corresponding to the components of the transformer body 100 according to Example 1 are given reference numerals obtained by adding 500 to the reference numerals given to the components of the transformer body 100 according to Example 1, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0041] In the transformer body 100 of Example 1, the magnetic core is formed by combining two EER-type magnetic cores 1 and 2. Similarly, in the transformer body 600 of Example 5, the magnetic core is formed by combining two EER-type magnetic cores 501 and 502. The center legs (not shown) of the magnetic cores 501 and 502 are butted against each other, and a primary coil 506A and a secondary coil 506B are wound around these center legs via a winding shaft (not shown) of a bobbin 504. A metal annular portion (not shown) and a metal piece terminal 541 extending from this metal annular portion are arranged in parallel with the primary coil 506A.

[0042] Furthermore, each of the at least two secondary coil terminals 591A, 591B is easily held at a predetermined position in the routing path by the corresponding suppression portion 512A, 512B and the corresponding pressure plate 514A, 514B.

[0043] Here, the routing operation of coil terminals 591A, 591B in this embodiment 5 will be described using the routing operation of secondary input coil terminal 591A as an example (the same applies to the routing operations of the other coil terminals 591B). That is, secondary input coil terminal 591A pulled out to the outside is routed along a path, and in suppression section 512A having an upwardly sloping slope and a horizontal surface connected to the tip of this slope, it is pulled up along the slope and pressed downward by the horizontal surface, pressed against pressed plate 514A extending in the direction of the routing path of coil terminal 591A, and fitted into groove 516A provided on the inner wall portion of pressed plate 514A on approximately the vertical center line that extends horizontally.

[0044] In each of the above-described embodiments, when the end portion of the coil is bent around the suppression portion as a fulcrum, the elasticity of the wire generated by the bending is utilized, and the reaction force in the opposite direction to the bending direction due to the elasticity of the wire is pressed against the pressed portion, thereby holding the coil in a predetermined position in the routing path. In contrast, in embodiment 5, the elasticity of the wire is not utilized, and the end portion of the coil is bent around the suppression portion as a fulcrum, thereby pressing the end portion of the coil against the pressed portion arranged in the bending direction, thereby holding the end portion in a predetermined position in the routing path. The coil component of this embodiment differs from the coil components of the other embodiments in the above-described points, but is included in the coil component of the present invention, just like the coil components of the other embodiments.

[0045] The coil component of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other modifications are possible. For example, the coil component of the above-described embodiment is shown to have a magnetic core portion that combines two or three EER-type cores, or a U-type core and an I-type core, but the coil component of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to coil components that have magnetic core portions of various other shapes.

[0046] Furthermore, although the coil components according to the above embodiments have been described as functioning as transformers, they can also be applied to other coil components, such as reactors. Furthermore, when describing the transformers of each embodiment, the primary and secondary sides are specified for the sake of convenience, but the primary and secondary sides can also be specified in reverse. Furthermore, the suppression section is not limited to the flat or cylindrical shapes described in the embodiments, and various shapes can be used. However, it is desirable for the suppression section to have a portion that allows the terminal portion of the coil to be easily bent when routing the terminal portion.

[0047] 1, 2, 101, 102, 201, 202, 203, 301, 302, 401, 402, 501, 502 Magnetic core 4, 104, 204, 304, 404, 504 Bobbin 6A, 6B, 106A, 106B, 206A, 206B, 306A, 306B, 406A, 406B, 506A, 506B Coil winding 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B, 111A, 111B, 112A, 112B, 211A, 211B, 211C, 211D, 212A, 212B, 311A, 311B, 312A, 312B, 412A, 412B, 512A, 512B Suppression section 13A,13B,14A,14B,113A,113B,114A,114B,213A,213B,213C,213D,214A,214B,313A,313B,314A,314B,414A,414B,514A,514B Pressed plate 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, 115A, 115B, 116A, 116B, 215A, 215B, 215C, 215D, 216A, 216B, 315A, 315B, 316A, 316B, 416A, 416B, 516A, 516B Groove 81A, 81B, 91A, 91B, 181A, 181B, 191A, 191B, 281A, 281B, 281C, 281D, 291A, 291B, 381A, 381B, 391A, 391B, 481A, 481B, 491A, 491B, 581A, 581B, 591A, 591B Coil ends 82A, 82B, 92A, 92B, 382A, 382B, 392A, 392B Terminals 17A, 17B Flange portion 18 Hollow portion 31, 331 Metal case 32 Filler resin material 33, 333A, 333B Holding plate 34, 334 Screw holes 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 Coil component body (transformer body) 100', 400' Coil component (transformer) 441, 541 Metal piece terminal

Claims

1. A coil component comprising: a magnetic core; a bobbin attached to the magnetic core; and a coil formed by winding an electric wire around the winding shaft of the bobbin; wherein the bobbin has a suppressing section having a fulcrum for bending the end portion of the coil in a routing path of the end portion of the coil; and wherein the end portion of the coil is bent using the suppressing section as a fulcrum, and is thereby held so as to be pressed against a pressed section facing the suppressing section.

2. A coil component as described in claim 1, characterized in that the terminal portion of the coil is pressed against the pressed portion by a reaction force in the opposite direction to the bending direction, which is caused by the elasticity of the electric wire when the electric wire is bent around the suppressing portion as a fulcrum.

3. The coil component according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressed portion against which the end portion of the coil is pressed is provided with a groove into which the end portion of the coil fits.

4. The coil component according to claim 1, characterized in that a suppression section for suppressing the terminal portion of the coil is provided for each terminal portion of the coil.

5. The coil component according to claim 1, wherein the coil component body is housed in a metal case filled with resin.

6. A coil component as described in claim 4, characterized in that the upper part of the suppression section is formed in a horizontally arranged flat plate shape, and the height of the upper part of the suppression section provided at each end portion of the coil is the same.

7. A coil component as described in claim 5, characterized in that it is provided with a suppression section holding member, both ends of which are attached to the metal case, arranged close to the top of the suppression section provided at each terminal portion of the coil so as to prevent the suppression section from moving upward.

8. The coil component according to claim 5, wherein a screw hole is formed near the bottom of the metal case for screwing the metal case to an external housing.

9. A coil component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the electric wire is made of a Litz wire whose outer periphery is wound with insulating tape.

10. A method for assembling a coil component, comprising: winding an electric wire around a winding shaft portion of a bobbin attached to a magnetic core, leaving the end portion unwound, to form a coil; bending the end portion of the coil in the routing path of the end portion of the coil using a suppressing portion formed on a part of the bobbin as a fulcrum; and by being bent, the end portion of the coil is pressed against a pressed portion opposing the suppressing portion, thereby holding the end portion of the coil in a predetermined position in the routing path.

11. A method for assembling a coil component as described in claim 10, characterized in that the terminal portion of the coil is pressed against the pressed portion by a reaction force in a direction opposite to the bending direction, which is caused by the elasticity of the electric wire generated when the coil is bent around the suppressing portion as a fulcrum.

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