Inductive Component Insulation Structure for Compact Creepage Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to create compact inductive components that comply with safety standards for clearance, creepage, and insulation distances without increasing size, especially in automotive electronics where space is limited and robustness, temperature, and vibration resistance are essential.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a magnetic core, windings, a coil body, and a cover cap made from electrically insulating material with an elongated recess in the contact strip, allowing for reliable connection and extension of air and creepage distances, ensuring compliance with safety standards without the need for potting, and enabling modular adjustment of insulation distances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the component size is reduced to meet installation space requirements, then the compactness is improved, but the insulation distances (air gap, creepage distance, insulation distance) deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertically extending insulating structure (cover cap with wall section) that protrudes from the coil body in the vertical dimension. This allows the insulation distance to be extended in the vertical direction while keeping the horizontal footprint compact, effectively resolving the contradiction between small component size and sufficient insulation distance.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating cover cap is integrated into the coil body structure, with the wall section nested within or extending from the coil body housing. This nested design allows the insulating structure to be incorporated without significantly increasing the overall component volume, maintaining compactness while providing required insulation distances.
2Reliability
If extended sections are used to provide safety distances, then the insulation requirements are met, but the space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of extending safety distances uniformly across the entire component, the patent applies insulation enhancement locally at critical areas where high voltage or current contacts are present. The cover cap with its wall section is positioned specifically to provide insulation where needed, rather than requiring uniform extension of all dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating cover cap acts as an intermediary structure between the coil body and the external environment, providing the necessary insulation barrier without requiring the main component dimensions to be increased. This intermediary element fulfills the insulation requirement while keeping the core component compact.
3Reliability
If potted systems are used to ensure insulation, then the insulation strength is improved, but problems occur in reflow applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the permanent, difficult-to-modify potted system with a simpler, removable cover cap structure. This cover cap can be easily installed or removed without requiring complex potting processes, making the component suitable for reflow applications where manufacturing flexibility is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation function is segmented from the main coil body by using a separate, attachable cover cap. This segmentation allows the insulating element to be independently optimized and installed without affecting the entire component, providing flexibility for different manufacturing applications including reflow processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for compact inductive components that maintain required safety distances, are vibration-resistant, and can be easily retrofitted, ensuring reliable operation in automotive applications while minimizing size and maintaining safety standards.
Implementation Method 1
a cover cap (20) made of an electrically insulating material, which covers a side surface (14) of the magnetic core (10), which is received in the coil body (30), with respect to the at least one contact element (50)
Implementation Method 2
Inductive components, such as transformers and chokes, are used in a wide variety of applications
Data Source
Figure 1a~2a
Figure 2b~3
AI summary
In one aspect of the invention an inductive component is provided which comprises a magnetic core (10), at least one winding (W), and a coil body (30) wound with the at least one winding (W). The coil body (30) has at least one contact element (50) attached to a contact strip (33) of the coil body (30) for electrical connection to the at least one winding (W), a magnetic core receptacle in which the magnetic core (10) is partially received, and an elongated depression (32) which is formed in the contact strip (33) and extends below the magnetic core (10) received in the magnetic core receptacle (31) and above the at least one contact element (50) and only partially extends in a longitudinal direction of the contact strip (33) along the contact strip (33). The inductive component further comprises a covering cap which is formed from an electrically insulating material and is attached to the contact strip (33) and by which a lateral surface (14) of the magnetic core (10) oriented towards the at least one contact element (50) is at least partially covered with respect to the at least one contact element (50). The covering cap (20) has a first wall portion (22) by which the lateral surface (14) of the magnetic core (10) oriented towards the at least one contact element (50) is at least partially covered by the covering cap (20) with respect to the at least one contact element (50). A second wall portion (23) of the covering cap (20) extending normally to the first lateral surface (14) of the magnetic core (10) is inserted into the depression (32) formed in the coil body (30), the second wall portion (23) extending between the magnetic core (10) and the at least one contact element (50) in the coil body (30).