Magnetic element

Abstract

The present invention relates to a magnetic element capable of reducing heat generation while being slim, the magnetic element comprising: a core unit including an upper core and a lower core; and a coil unit of which a portion is disposed in the core unit. The coil unit includes a first coil, a first second coil disposed above the first coil, and a second second coil disposed below the first coil. Preferably, the first second coil may be disposed so as not to vertically overlap the second second coil in the core unit, and thereby reduce an increase in heating temperature.

Description

magnetic elements

[0001] The present invention relates to a magnetic element.

[0002] Power supplies for electronic devices are equipped with various magnetic elements, such as transformers and line filters, known as magnetic coupling devices. Transformers, one type of magnetic coupling device, can be incorporated into electronic devices for a variety of purposes. For example, transformers can be used to perform the energy transfer function, transferring energy from one circuit to another. Transformers can also be used to step up or step down voltages, changing the magnitude of the voltage.

[0003] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a typical slim transformer, and Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the transformer shown in Fig. 1.

[0004] A typical slim transformer comprises a core portion (10) and a coil portion (20) at least partly disposed on the core portion (10).

[0005] The core section (10) comprises an upper core (11) and a lower core (12) having the same shape as the upper core (11) and arranged to overlap in the vertical direction. Depending on the configuration, a bobbin (not shown) may be arranged between the upper core (11) and the lower core (12).

[0006] The coil section (20) has a horizontal arrangement structure and a vertical arrangement structure depending on the arrangement structure of the primary coil and the secondary coil. The horizontal arrangement structure is one in which the primary coil and the secondary coil are arranged in a mutually horizontal direction. The primary coil is arranged to surround the middle of the magnetic core, and the secondary coil is arranged to surround the periphery of the primary coil. In order to drive the transformer at 200 kHz, the leakage inductance must be reduced. In order to reduce the leakage inductance, the primary coil and the secondary coil are arranged vertically to make the distance between the primary coil and the secondary coil close.

[0007] The vertically arranged coil section includes a primary coil (21) arranged to form a turn centered on the middle of the core section (10), and secondary coils (22a, 22b) arranged side by side on the same plane above the primary coil (21). At this time, in order to make it slim, the secondary coils (22a, 22b) are arranged horizontally across each other above the primary coil (21) and have a portion that overlaps vertically like "A". As energy is gathered in the "A" portion where the secondary coils (22a, 22b) overlap, the heat generation temperature rises. Heat generation of the transformer adversely affects the product performance.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a magnetic element that is slim and can reduce heat generation.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic element capable of reducing height.

[0010] To achieve this purpose, a magnetic element according to the present invention comprises a core portion including an upper core and a lower core; and a coil portion at least partially disposed within the core portion, wherein the coil portion comprises a first coil; a second-first coil disposed above the first coil; and a second-second coil disposed below the first coil.

[0011] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, the second-1 coil does not overlap the second-2 coil in the vertical direction within the core portion.

[0012] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, the coil portion includes a plurality of conductive lines that are each electrically insulated from each other, and among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-1 coil adjacent to the outer leg of the core portion, a conductive line adjacent to the middle leg of the core portion is spaced apart in the horizontal direction by a predetermined distance from a conductive line adjacent to the outer leg of the core portion among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-2 coil adjacent to the middle leg of the core portion.

[0013] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, the second-1 coil and the second-2 coil may be formed of conductive wires of the same thickness.

[0014] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, the thickness of the second-1 coil and the thickness of the second-2 coil may be thicker than the thickness of the first coil.

[0015] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, the first coil may be made of a flexible material and may be arranged to surround the middle part of the core portion in a step shape.

[0016] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, at least a portion of the second-1 coil and the second-2 coil may be arranged in the step-shaped steps.

[0017] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, at least a portion of each of the second-1 coil and the second-2 coil may overlap with the first coil in the horizontal direction.

[0018] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, the second-1 coil and the second-2 coil may each have turns that wind the intermediate portion of the core at least twice.

[0019] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, the first coil is formed of a plurality of conductive lines that are electrically insulated from each other, the second-first coil is formed of a second-first conductive plate, the second-second coil is formed of a second-second conductive plate, and a side of the second-first conductive plate adjacent to the outer leg of the core portion toward the middle leg of the core portion may be spaced apart in the horizontal direction by a predetermined distance from a side of the second-second conductive plate adjacent to the middle leg of the core portion toward the outer leg of the core portion.

[0020] In the magnetic element according to the present invention, the secondary coil is arranged above and below the primary coil so as not to overlap in the vertical direction, thereby dispersing energy and lowering the heating temperature.

[0021] The effects that can be obtained from the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0022] Figure 1 is a plan view of a typical slim transformer.

[0023] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the transformer according to Figure 1.

[0024] Figure 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of a transformer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of a transformer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of a transformer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Fig. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing the arrangement of a coil section with the core section removed in a transformer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of a transformer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Fig. 8 is an exemplary diagram showing the arrangement of a coil section with the core section removed in a transformer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Fig. 9 is an exemplary diagram showing the configuration of a coil section with the core section removed from a transformer according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 10 is an example diagram showing the measurement of the heat generation amount of a transformer according to a comparative example and the heat generation amount of a transformer according to the present invention.

[0032] With respect to the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the text, specific structural and functional descriptions are merely exemplified for the purpose of explaining the embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in the text.

[0033] The present invention is susceptible to various modifications and takes various forms. Specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific disclosed forms, but rather to encompass all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0034] While terms like "first" and "second" may be used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first component could be referred to as a "second component," and similarly, a second component could also be referred to as a "first component."

[0035] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but there may also be other components in between. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Other expressions that describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "directly between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to", should be interpreted similarly. Similarly, "disposed on" can mean disposed directly on the surface of another component or disposed above the surface by a distance.

[0036] The terminology used in this application is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" indicate the presence of a disclosed feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be construed in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

[0038] Meanwhile, if a particular embodiment can be implemented differently, the functions or operations specified within a particular block may occur in a different order than specified in the flowchart. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be performed substantially simultaneously, or, depending on the related functions or operations, the blocks may be performed in reverse order.

[0039] A transformer, which constitutes a power supply unit together with an inductor, can form a circuit board. Hereinafter, a magnetic element according to the present invention will be described using a transformer, one type of magnetic coupling device, as an example, with reference to the attached drawings.

[0040] For convenience, the magnetic element is described using the Cartesian coordinate system (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis), but it is obvious that it can be described using other coordinate systems as well. In addition, according to the Cartesian coordinate system, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are orthogonal to each other, but the embodiment is not limited to this. That is, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis may also intersect each other.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of a transformer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the transformer shown in FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] As shown, at least a portion of the coil portion (200) is disposed within the core portion (100).

[0043] The core part (100) has an upper core (110) and a lower core (120) that is formed in the same shape as the upper core (110) and is positioned below the upper core (110) while being symmetrical in the vertical direction with the upper core (110).

[0044] In this embodiment, each of the first coil (210), the second-first coil (221) and the second-second coil (222) forming the coil portion (200) may be formed of a plurality of conductive lines that are electrically insulated from each other.

[0045] Meanwhile, the 2-1 coil (221) and the 2-2 coil (222) may be made of conductive wires of the same thickness, and may be relatively thicker than the thickness of the 1st coil (210).

[0046] The coil part (200) includes a 2-1 coil (221) arranged on top of a 1st coil (210) made of a plurality of mutually insulated conductive lines, and a 2-2 coil (222) arranged on the bottom of the 1st coil (210). In this example, the 2-1 coil (221) is shown to be made of three mutually insulated conductive lines (221-1, 221-2, 221-3), and the 2-2 coil (222) is shown to be made of three mutually insulated conductive lines (222-1, 222-2, 222-3). However, this is only an example of an embodiment made of a plurality of conductive lines, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0047] The upper core (110) includes a first outer leg (112) and a second outer leg (114) protruding vertically from a flat body (111), and a first middle leg (113) positioned between the first outer leg (112) and the second outer leg (114).

[0048] The lower core (120) includes a third outer leg (122) and a fourth outer leg (124) protruding from the flat body (121) toward the upper core (110), and a second middle leg (123) positioned between the third outer leg (122) and the fourth outer leg (124).

[0049] The first outer leg (112) is coupled to face the third outer leg (122), the second outer leg (114) is coupled to face the fourth outer leg (124), and the first intermediate leg (113) is coupled to face the second intermediate leg (123). At this time, a gap may exist between the first intermediate leg (113) and the second intermediate leg (123) as needed.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the transformer illustrated in FIG. 3 taken along line A-A', and FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing the arrangement of a coil portion with the core portion removed from the transformer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the region surrounded by the first outer leg (112), the third outer leg (122), the first intermediate leg (113), and the second intermediate leg (123) within the core portion (100) is referred to as the first region. In addition, the region surrounded by the second outer leg (114), the fourth outer leg (124), the first intermediate leg (113), and the second intermediate leg (123) within the core portion (100) is referred to as the second region.

[0052] The 2-1 coil (221a) does not overlap with the 2-2 coil (222a) in the vertical direction (z-axis direction) within the core part (100). That is, in the first region, the conductive line (221a-3) arranged closest to the first middle leg (113) of the upper core part (110) among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-1 coil (221a) adjacent to the first outer leg (112) of the upper core part (110) is arranged to be spaced apart from the conductive line (222a-1) arranged closest to the third outer leg (122) of the lower core part (120) among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-2 coil (222a) adjacent to the second middle leg (123) of the lower core part (120) by a predetermined distance, for example, “d1”, in the x-axis direction. Likewise, in the second region, the conductive line (221a-1) arranged closest to the second outer leg (114) of the upper core part (110) among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-1 coil (221a) adjacent to the first middle leg (113) of the upper core part (110) is arranged to be spaced apart from the conductive line (222a-3) arranged closest to the second middle leg (123) of the lower core part (120) among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-2 coil (222a) adjacent to the fourth outer leg (124) of the lower core part (120) by “d1” in the x-axis direction.

[0053] The 2-1 coil (221) and the 2-2 coil (222), respectively arranged above and below the 1st coil (210), are arranged so as not to overlap each other and to be spaced apart by a distance d1 in the x-axis direction within the core portion (100). At this time, the distance d1 must be a value in the x-axis direction of 0 mm or more so that they do not overlap each other. When the magnetic field energy induced in the 1st coil is transferred to the 2nd coil, the energy can be dispersed to reduce an increase in the heating temperature.

[0054] Meanwhile, in FIG. 5, the distance in the x-axis direction between the conductive lines (221a-3) and (222a-1) is illustrated and described as "d1", and the distance in the x-axis direction between the conductive lines (221a-1) and (222a-3) is also illustrated and described as "d1", but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the distance in the x-axis direction between the conductive lines (221a-3) and (222a-1) and the distance in the x-axis direction between the conductive lines (221a-1) and (222a-3) may have different values, and 0 mm or more is sufficient.

[0055] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the transformer illustrated in Fig. 3 taken along line A-A'.

[0056] In another embodiment, a transformer is shown in which the primary coil (210b) is made of a flexible flat cable. Since the primary coil (210b) is flexible, it can be arranged in a step shape as shown. In this way, at least a portion of the 2-1 coil (221b) and the 2-2 coil (222b) can be arranged on the steps formed in the primary coil (210b), thereby reducing the overall height. At least a portion of each of the 2-1 coil (221b) and the 2-2 coil (222b) can overlap the primary coil (210b) in the horizontal direction.

[0057] As shown, the 2-1 coil (221b) is vertically arranged above the 1st coil (210b), and the 2-2 coil (222b) is vertically arranged below the 1st coil (210b). At this time, in the first region, the conductive line (221b-3) arranged close to the first middle leg (113) among the plurality of conductive lines forming the 2-1 coil (221b) arranged close to the first outer leg (112) of the upper core (110) among the 2-1 coils (221b) is arranged to be spaced apart from the conductive line (222b-1) arranged close to the third outer leg (122) among the plurality of conductive lines forming the 2-2 coil (222b) arranged close to the second middle leg (123) of the lower core (120) among the 2-2 coils (222b) by “d1” in the x-axis direction. Likewise, in the second region, the conductive line (221b-1) arranged closest to the second outer leg (114) of the upper core part (110) among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-1 coil (221b) adjacent to the first middle leg (113) of the upper core part (110) is arranged to be spaced apart from the conductive line (222b-3) arranged closest to the second middle leg (123) of the lower core part (120) among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-2 coil (222b) adjacent to the fourth outer leg (124) of the lower core part (120) by “d1” in the x-axis direction.

[0058] Meanwhile, in FIG. 7, the separation distance in the x-axis direction between the conductive lines (221b-3) and (222b-1) is illustrated and described as "d1", and the separation distance in the x-axis direction between the conductive lines (221b-1) and (222b-3) is also illustrated and described as "d1", but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the separation distance in the x-axis direction between the conductive lines (221b-3) and (222b-1) and the separation distance in the x-axis direction between the conductive lines (221b-1) and (222b-3) may have different values, and 0 mm or more is sufficient.

[0059] Fig. 8 is an exemplary diagram showing the arrangement of the coil portion with the core portion removed in a transformer according to another embodiment of the present invention. Unlike the configuration of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 6, the 2-1 coil (221c) and the 2-2 coil (222c) are configured to surround the mid-foot while each making two turns. In this embodiment, the 2-1 coil (221c) and the 2-2 coil (222c) are shown as making two turns as an example, but they may be configured to surround the mid-foot if they make more turns.

[0060] In this configuration as well, among the plurality of conductive lines forming the 2-1 coil (221c) arranged on the upper side of the 1st coil (210c), the conductive line (221c-i) closest to the first intermediate leg (113) is spaced apart from the conductive line (222c-o) arranged farthest from the second intermediate leg (123) among the plurality of conductive lines forming the 2-2 coil (222c) arranged on the lower side of the 1st coil (210c) by "d1" in the x-axis direction.

[0061] FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram showing the configuration of a coil section with the core section removed in a transformer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] Unlike the above-described embodiment, according to another embodiment, the coil unit (200) may include a first coil including a plurality of conductive lines and a second coil including a conductive plate. The 2-1 coil is formed of a 2-1 conductive plate (221d) arranged on top of the first coil (210d), and the 2-2 coil is formed of a 2-2 conductive plate (222d) arranged on the bottom of the first coil (210d). Even when the second coil is arranged as a conductive plate, the technical features of the present invention can be applied.

[0063] The 2-1 conductive plate (221d) includes an inner side (221d-i) facing the first intermediate leg (113) of the core portion and an outer side (221d-o) disposed on the opposite side and facing the first outer leg (112) of the core portion. The 2-2 conductive plate (222d) includes an inner side (222d-i) facing the second intermediate leg (123) of the core portion and an outer side (222d-o) disposed on the opposite side and facing the third outer leg (122) of the core portion.

[0064] The inner surface (221d-i) of the 2-1 conductive plate (221d) is spaced apart from the outer surface (222d-o) of the 2-2 conductive plate (222d) by a distance “d1” in the x-axis direction.

[0065] Fig. 10 is an exemplary diagram showing the heat generation of a transformer according to a comparative example and a transformer according to the present invention. The transformer according to the comparative example, in which the second coils have an overlapping area on the same plane, exhibits a high temperature of up to 66.7°C, as shown in Fig. 10(A). On the other hand, the transformer according to the present invention, in which the second coils are arranged so as not to vertically overlap the upper and lower portions of the first coil, exhibits a maximum heat generation temperature of 61.4°C, as shown in Fig. 10(B).

[0066] As described above, the second coil is arranged to be distributed above and below the first coil, but is arranged so as not to overlap in the vertical direction, thereby dispersing energy and reducing the increase in the heating temperature of the transformer.

[0067] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below.

[0068] The mode for carrying out the invention has been sufficiently described in the above-mentioned “Best mode for carrying out the invention.”

[0069] The magnetic element according to the embodiment can be used in a power supply device of an electronic device, etc.

Claims

1. A core section including an upper core and a lower core; and A coil portion at least partially disposed within the core portion, The above coil part 1st coil; A second-first coil arranged above the first coil; and A magnetic element including a second-second coil arranged below the first coil.

2. In paragraph 1, The above 2-1 coil is a magnetic element that does not vertically overlap with the 2-2 coil within the core portion.

3. In paragraph 2, The above coil portion includes a plurality of conductive lines that are each electrically insulated from each other, A magnetic element in which among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-1 coil adjacent to the outer leg of the core portion, a conductive line adjacent to the middle leg of the core portion is spaced apart from, in a horizontal direction, a conductive line adjacent to the outer leg of the core portion among the plurality of conductive lines of the 2-2 coil adjacent to the middle leg of the core portion by a predetermined distance.

4. In paragraph 3, The above 2-1 coil and the above 2-2 coil are magnetic elements made of conductive wires of the same thickness.

5. In paragraph 4, The thickness of the above 2-1 coil and the thickness of the above 2-2 coil are thicker than the thickness of the above 1st coil.

6. In paragraph 3, The above first coil is a magnetic element made of a flexible material and arranged to surround the middle part of the core in a step shape.

7. In paragraph 6, A magnetic element in which at least a portion of the above 2-1 coil and the above 2-2 coil are arranged in the step-shaped steps.

8. In paragraph 7, A magnetic element in which at least a portion of each of the second-first coil and the second-second coil overlaps the first coil in the horizontal direction.

9. In paragraph 3, The above 2-1 coil and the above 2-2 coil are magnetic elements each having turns that wind the intermediate portion of the core at least twice.

10. In paragraph 2, The above first coil is composed of a plurality of conductive wires that are electrically insulated from each other, The above 2-1 coil is made of a 2-1 conductive plate, The above 2-2 coil is made of a 2-2 conductive plate, A magnetic element in which the side facing the middle of the core portion on the 2-1 conductive plate adjacent to the outer leg of the core portion is spaced apart in the horizontal direction by a predetermined distance from the side facing the outer leg of the core portion on the 2-2 conductive plate adjacent to the middle leg of the core portion.

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