The present invention relates to a transformer structure and, in particular, to an adapter having the transformer.
In general, a transformer includes a bobbin, a magnetic core set, a primary winding and a secondary winding. The primary winding and the secondary winding are both constructed from multiloop single-core wires and commonly put one around another to form magnetically coupled coils. The primary winding and the secondary winding are wound around the bobbin and their outlets are usually disposed at respective two sides of the bobbin to create isolation. The magnetic core set is installed on the bobbin to surround the primary winding and the secondary winding. Generally, the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction of the magnetic core set creates a voltage at the secondary winding due to a voltage inputted from the primary winding, and then the voltage at the secondary winding is outputted to post-stage circuits to achieve increasing or decreasing the voltage originally inputted from the primary winding.
Generally, the transformer is assembled to an adapter by the following scheme. The adapter includes a circuit board and a current processing module. The current processing module is electrically connected to the circuit board. The current processing module includes a primary component and a secondary component. The transformer is assembled to the circuit board and is arranged between the primary component and the secondary component. The primary winding is electrically connected to the primary component, and the secondary winding is electrically connected to the secondary component. The primary component performs a preceding process on a current which would be inputted to the primary winding, and the secondary component performs a subsequent process on a current which is outputted from the secondary winding.
However, the adapter and the transformer mentioned above have the following disadvantages. Commonly, an end of the primary winding is directly welded to the circuit board. At present, the adapter is usually downsized due to the miniaturization trends of electronic products. Therefore, the primary component has become much closer to the secondary component, leading to a reduced space for welding the secondary winding. As a result, welding the secondary winding to the circuit board must be done manually, and no automated production process can be adopted for the assembly. This causes higher labor costs, lesser assembly efficiency and lower production yields.
In views of this, in order to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages, the present inventor studied related technology and provided a reasonable and effective solution in the present disclosure.
The present disclosure provides an adapter including a circuit board, a current processing module, a shielding plate and a transformer. The current processing module includes a plurality of primary components and a plurality of secondary components installed and electrically connected to the circuit board. The shielding plate is disposed between the primary components and the secondary components. The transformer is installed on the circuit board, and the transformer includes a bobbin, an iron core set, at least one movable pin, and at least one first winding. The bobbin is disposed on one side of the shielding plate. The bobbin includes two side walls and a winding portion arranged between the two side walls, a protruding plate extending from one of the side walls and disposed across the shielding plate, at least one through hole is defined on the protruding plate and a connection pin arranged on the other side wall, and the connection pin is inserted into the circuit board. The iron core set is assembled with the bobbin. The movable pin includes a first latch portion and a second latch portion, the movable pin is movably disposed in the through hole, the second latch portion is disposed above the first latch portion, the movable pin is disposed on one side of the iron core set, the first latch portion is a first pattern formed on the movable pin, and the second latch portion is a second pattern formed on the movable pin, the largest width of the first pattern is larger than a diameter of the through hole, and the largest width of the second pattern is larger than the diameter of the through hole. The first winding is wound around the winding portion and electrically connected to the connection pin. The second winding is wound around the winding portion and electrically connected to the movable pin. The movable pin is selectively positioned at one of an upper position and a lower position, the movable pin is positioned at the upper position by tightly fitting the first pattern in the through hole for allowing the iron core set to be assembled with the bobbin or for allowing the first winding and the second winding to be wound onto the winding portion, and the movable pin is positioned at the lower position by tightly fitting the second pattern in the through hole when the transformer is installed onto the circuit board.
According to the adapter of the present disclosure, a channel communicating with an inside of the winding portion passes through the two side walls, the channel is arranged below the protruding plate, a portion of the iron core set is inserted and engaged inside the channel, and another portion of the iron core set surrounds the exterior of the winding portion. The circuit board is divided into a primary area and a secondary area, the shielding plate is disposed on the circuit board and is disposed between the primary area and the secondary area, the primary components and the connection pin are installed and electrically connected to the primary area, and the secondary components and the movable pin are installed and electrically connected to the secondary area. The shielding plate includes a recess indented from a top of the shielding plate, and the protruding plate is engaged with the recess. A wiring groove is disposed on a top of the protruding plate and arranged in a direction from the winding portion toward the through hole, two guiding blocks extend from the top of the protruding plate, and the wiring groove is formed between the two guiding blocks. An assembling slot corresponding to the shielding plate is defined on the circuit board, the shielding plate is inserted through the assembling slot from a bottom surface of the circuit board. A base is extended from a bottom of the shielding plate along a lateral direction of the shielding plate, and the bottom surface of the circuit board is at least partially covered by the base. The first pattern and the second pattern are respectively made by punching on parts of a lateral surface of the movable pin to cause protruding deformation at other adjacent parts of the lateral surface of the movable pin. The first pattern and the second pattern are respective rough surfaces made by texture process.
The present disclosure further provides a transformer suitable for an adapter. The transformer includes a bobbin, an iron core set and at least one movable pin. The bobbin includes two side walls and a winding portion arranged between the two side walls, a protruding plate extending from one of the side walls, at least one through hole is defined on the protruding plate and a connection pin arranged on the other side wall. The iron core set is assembled with the bobbin. The movable pin includes a first latch portion and a second latch portion, the movable pin is movably disposed in the through hole, the second latch portion is disposed above the first latch portion, the movable pin is disposed on one side of the iron core set, the first latch portion is a first pattern formed on the movable pin, and the second latch portion is a second pattern formed on the movable pin, the largest width of the first pattern is larger than a diameter of the through hole, and the largest width of the second pattern is larger than the diameter of the through hole. The first winding is wound around the winding portion and electrically connected to the connection pin. The second winding wound around the winding portion and electrically connected to the movable pin. The movable pin is selectively positioned at one of an upper position and a lower position, the movable pin is positioned at the upper position by tightly fitting the first pattern in the through hole for allowing the iron core set to be assembled with the bobbin or for allowing the first winding and the second winding to be wound onto the winding portion, and the movable pin is positioned at the lower position by tightly fitting the second pattern in the through hole when the transformer is installed onto the adapter.
According to the transformer of the present disclosure, a channel communicating with an inside of the winding portion passes through the two side walls, the channel is arranged below the protruding plate, a portion of the iron core set is inserted and engaged inside the channel, and another portion of the iron core set surrounds the exterior of the winding portion. A wiring groove is disposed on a top of the protruding plate and arranged in a direction from the winding portion toward the through hole, two guiding blocks extend from the top of the protruding plate, and the wiring groove is formed between the two guiding blocks. The first pattern and the second pattern are respectively made by punching on parts of a lateral surface of the movable pin to cause protruding deformation at other adjacent parts of the lateral surface of the movable pin. The first pattern and the second pattern are respective rough surfaces made by texture process. An insulation cover at least partially wraps the iron core set. A stopping block is protrusively disposed on an external lateral surface of the insulation cover for positioning the transformer.
The present disclosure further provides another alternative transformer suitable for an adapter. The alternative transformer includes a bobbin, an iron core set, a first movable pin, a second movable pin, a first winding and a second winding. The bobbin includes a first side wall, a second side wall, and a winding portion arranged between the first side wall and the second side wall, a first protruding plate extending from the first side wall, a second protruding plate extending from the second side wall, a first through hole defined on the first protruding plate, and a second through hole defined on the second protruding plate. The iron core set is assembled with the bobbin. The first movable pin includes a first latch portion and a second latch portion, the first movable pin is movably disposed in the first through hole, the second latch portion is disposed above the first latch portion, the first movable pin is disposed on one side of the iron core set, the first latch portion is a first pattern formed on the first movable pin, and the second latch portion is a second pattern formed on the first movable pin, the largest width of the first pattern is larger than a diameter of the first through hole, and the largest width of the second pattern is larger than the diameter of the first through hole. The second movable pin includes a third latch portion and a fourth latch portion, the second movable pin is movably disposed in the second through hole, the fourth latch portion is disposed above the third latch portion, the second movable pin is disposed on another side of the iron core set, the third latch portion is a third pattern formed on the second movable pin, and the fourth latch portion is a fourth pattern formed on the second movable pin, the largest width of the third pattern is larger than a diameter of the second through hole, and the largest width of the fourth pattern is larger than the diameter of the second through hole. The first winding is wound around the winding portion and electrically connected to the first movable pin. The second winding is wound around the winding portion and electrically connected to the second movable pin. The first movable pin is selectively positioned at one of an upper position and a lower position, the first movable pin is positioned at the upper position by tightly fitting the first pattern in the first through hole for allowing the iron core set to be assembled with the bobbin or for allowing the first winding and the second winding to be wound onto the winding portion, and the first movable pin is positioned at the lower position by tightly fitting the second pattern in the first through hole when the transformer is installed onto the adapter. The second movable pin is selectively positioned at one of an upper position and a lower position, the second movable pin is positioned at the upper position by tightly fitting the third pattern in the second through hole for allowing the iron core set to be assembled with the bobbin or for allowing the first winding and the second winding to be wound onto the winding portion, and the second movable pin is positioned at the lower position by tightly fitting the fourth pattern in the second through hole when the transformer is installed onto the adapter.
To sum up, the movable pin is inserted into the through hole and is positioned therein by the engagement of the first latch portion or the second latch portion. The iron core set is assembled to the bobbin; the second winding is electrically connected to the movable pin by means of welding or adhesives. The transformer is installed on the circuit board, the bobbin is mainly disposed on the primary area, the protruding plate extends across the shielding plate to reach over the secondary area, the first latch portion deforms or is damaged to temporarily release the movable pin, and the movable pin is then inserted into the secondary area of the circuit board. Thus, the adapter and the transformer can be assembled in an automated process using robot arms to complete the above procedures. Through the automated process, labor costs of the adapter and the transformer are reduced, and assembly efficiency of the adapter and the transformer is enhanced, together with improved production yields.
The disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description, and the drawings given herein below is for illustration only, and thus does not limit the disclosure, wherein:
Detailed descriptions and technical contents of the present invention are illustrated below in conjunction with the accompany drawings. However, it is to be understood that the descriptions and the accompany drawings disclosed herein are merely illustrative and exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
Referring to
Please refer to
In step b of
In detail, in the present embodiment, the first latch portion 421 is a first pattern 4211 formed on the movable pin 42, and the second latch portion 422 is a second pattern 4221 formed on the movable pin 42. At least a part of the first pattern 4211 protrudes on a lateral surface of the movable pin 42, and at least a part of the second pattern 4221 protrudes on the lateral surface of the movable pin 42. Specifically, the first pattern 4211 and the second pattern 4221 could be respective rough surfaces made by a texture process in the first embodiment. In general, a width (or a diameter) of the movable pin 42 is substantially the same as the diameter of the through hole 4141. However, the width of the movable pin 42 varies at the first latch portion 421 and the second latch portion 422, so that the width (or the diameter) of the first latch portion 421 and the width of the second latch portion 422 are different from the diameter of the through hole 4141. Accordingly, the movable pin 42 is movably assembled into the through hole 4141 of the protruding plate 414. As an example, in the present embodiment, the largest width of the first pattern 4211 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 4141, and the largest width of the second pattern 4221 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 4141; however, the present embodiment is not limited in this regard. In other varied embodiments, the first latch portion 421 and the second latch portion 422 can be formed on the movable pin 42 by adhesive or protruding dots.
In step c of
In step d of
In step e of
Furthermore, as shown in
Please refer to
Furthermore, since the present adapter 10 is downsized due to the miniaturization trend of electronic product, the primary components 21 are close to the secondary components 22. Therefore, the shielding plate 3 is arranged on the circuit board 1 and between the primary area 11 and the secondary area 12. That is, the shielding plate 3 is arranged between the primary components 21 and the secondary components 22, and the shielding plate 3 separates the primary components 21 from the secondary components 22 to maintain a sufficient creepage distance and prevent the primary components 21 and the secondary components 22 from affecting each other during the operations of the adapter 10. The shielding plate 3 is made of plastic or other suitably insulating materials, and includes a recess 31 indented from a top of the shielding plate 3.
Moreover, the transformer 4 is installed on the circuit board 1, so that most part of the bobbin 41 is disposed on one side of the shielding plate 3 (on the primary area 11), and the protruding plate 414 is engaged with the recess 31 to make the protruding plate 414 extending across the shielding plate 3 and reaching over the secondary area 12.
Finally, the connection pin 4111 is inserted and electrically connected to the primary area 11, and the primary components 21 are electrically connected to the first winding 43 through the circuit board 1 and the connection pin 4111, so that the primary components 21 can process an input current from supply mains, and then can deliver a processed current to the first winding 43. The movable pin 42 is inserted through the through hole 4141, the movable pin 42 is inserted and electrically connected to the secondary area 12, and the secondary components 22 are electrically connected to the second winding 44 through the circuit board 1 and the movable pin 42, so that the secondary components 22 can perform a subsequent process on a current outputted from the second winding 44.
In the present embodiment, the first winding 43 and the connection pin 4111 are electrically connected to the primary components 21, so the first winding 43 is a primary winding, and the connection pin 4111 is a primary pin. The second winding 44 and the movable pin 42 are electrically connected to the secondary components 22, so the second winding 44 is a secondary winding, and the movable pin 42 is a secondary pin. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed. Configurations may be modified according to requirement. In other varied embodiments, the first winding 43 can be a secondary winding, and the connection pin 4111 can be a secondary pin; the second winding 44 can be a primary winding, and the movable pin 42 can be a primary pin.
Furthermore, as shown in
In conventional techniques, a second winding is directly welded to a circuit board by manual manner. By contrast, the adapter 10 and the transformer 4 can be assembled in an automated process using robot arms to complete the following procedures. The movable pin 42 is inserted into the through hole 4141 and is positioned right still at the through hole 4141 through the engagement of the first latch portion 421. The iron core set 45 is assembled to the bobbin 41, and the second winding 44 is electrically connected to the movable pin 42 by means of welding or adhesives. The transformer 4 is installed on the circuit board 1, and the bobbin 41 is mainly disposed on the primary area 11. The protruding plate 414 extends across the shielding plate 3 to reach over the secondary area 12. Due to the fixture, the first latch portion 421 deforms or is damaged to temporarily release the movable pin 42, and the movable pin 42 is then inserted into the secondary area 12 of the circuit board 1. Thus, by the adopted automated process, the labor costs of the adapter 10 are reduced, and the assembly efficiency of the adapter 10 is enhanced, together with the improved production yields.
Furthermore, as shown in
Moreover, as shown in
Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the movable pin 42 is disposed on only one side of the transformer 4 (e.g., the secondary side of the transformer 4). It should be noted that, in other varied embodiments, one movable pin 42 can be disposed on one side (e.g., a secondary side of a transformer) and another movable pin 42 can be disposed on the other side (e.g., a primary side of the transformer). Therefore, this modification is still within the protection scope of the present invention. In detail, as shown in
Please refer to
In detail, the transformer 5 is a vertical type transformer as shown in
Similarly, in the present embodiment, the first latch portion 521 is a first pattern 5211 formed on the movable pin 52 by a texture process, and the second latch portion 522 is a second pattern 5221 formed on the movable pin 52 by the texture process; however, the present invention is not limited in this regard. In other varied embodiments, the first latch portion 521 and the second latch portion 522 can be formed on the movable pin 52 by, for example, adhesives or protruding dots.
According to the present embodiment, as shown in
Referring to
Please refer to
In step b of
In detail, in the present embodiment, the first latch portion 421 is a first pattern 4211 formed on the movable pin 42, and the second latch portion 422 is a second pattern 4221 formed on the movable pin 42. At least a part of the first pattern 4211 protrudes on a lateral surface of the movable pin 42, and at least a part of the second pattern 4221 protrudes on the lateral surface of the movable pin 42. Specifically, according to the present embodiment, the first pattern 4211 and the second pattern 4221 could be made by punching on parts of the lateral surface of the movable pin 42 to cause protruding deformation at other adjacent parts of the lateral surface of the movable pin 42. In general, a width (or a diameter) of the movable pin 42 is substantially the same as the diameter of the through hole 4141. However, the width of the movable pin 42 varies at the first latch portion 421 and the second latch portion 422, so that the width (or the diameter) of the first latch portion 421 and the width of the second latch portion 422 are different from the diameter of the through hole 4141. Accordingly, the movable pin 42 is movably assembled into the through hole 4141 of the protruding plate 414. As an example, in the present embodiment, the largest width of the first pattern 4211 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 4141, and the largest width of the second pattern 4221 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 4141; however, the present embodiment is not limited in this regard. In other varied embodiments, the first latch portion 421 and the second latch portion 422 can be formed on the movable pin 42 by adhesive or protruding dots. Namely, the movable pin 42 is movably disposed in the through hole 4141 and initially positioned at the upper position by tightly fitting the first latch portion 421 in the through hole 4141.
In step c of
In step d of
In step e of
Furthermore, as shown in
In step h of
In step f of
Furthermore, since the present adapter 10 is downsized due to the miniaturization trend of electronic product, the primary components 21 are close to the secondary components 22. Therefore, the shielding plate 3 is arranged on the circuit board 1 and between the primary area 11 and the secondary area 12. That is, the shielding plate 3 is arranged between the primary components 21 and the secondary components 22, and the shielding plate 3 separates the primary components 21 from the secondary components 22 to maintain a sufficient creepage distance and prevent the primary components 21 and the secondary components 22 from affecting each other during the operations of the adapter 10. The shielding plate 3 is made of plastic or other suitably insulating materials, and includes a recess 31 indented from a top of the shielding plate 3.
Specifically, according to
Alternatively, according to
In step g of
Meanwhile, the connection pin 4111 is inserted and electrically connected to the primary area 11, and the primary components 21 are electrically connected to the first winding 43 through the circuit board 1 and the connection pin 4111, so that the primary components 21 can process an input current from supply mains, and then can deliver a processed current to the first winding 43. The movable pin 42 is inserted through the through hole 4141 and electrically connected to the secondary area 12, and the secondary components 22 are electrically connected to the second winding 44 through the circuit board 1 and the movable pin 42, so that the secondary components 22 can perform a subsequent process on a current outputted from the second winding 44.
In the present embodiment, the first winding 43 and the connection pin 4111 are electrically connected to the primary components 21, so the first winding 43 is a primary winding, and the connection pin 4111 is a primary pin. The second winding 44 and the movable pin 42 are electrically connected to the secondary components 22, so the second winding 44 is a secondary winding, and the movable pin 42 is a secondary pin. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed. Configurations may be modified according to requirement. In other varied embodiments, the first winding 43 can be a secondary winding, and the connection pin 4111 can be a secondary pin; the second winding 44 can be a primary winding, and the movable pin 42 can be a primary pin.
Furthermore, as shown in
In conventional techniques, a second winding is directly welded to a circuit board by manual manner. By contrast, the adapter 10 and the transformer 4 can be assembled in an automated process using robot arms to complete the following procedures. The movable pin 42 is inserted into the through hole 4141 and initially positioned at the upper position by tightly fitting the first latch portion 421 in the through hole 4141. The iron core set 45 is assembled to the bobbin 41. Due to the fixture, the first latch portion 421 is deformed or damaged to temporarily release the movable pin 42, and the movable pin 42 is then moved to the lower position and positioned by tightly fitting the second latch portion 422 in the through hole 4141. Then, the second winding 44 is electrically connected to the movable pin 42 and fixed with it by means of welding or adhesives. The transformer 4 is installed on the circuit board 1, and the bobbin 41 is mainly disposed on the primary area 11. The protruding plate 414 extends across the shielding plate 3 to reach over the secondary area 12, and the movable pin 42 is meanwhile inserted into the secondary area 12 of the circuit board 1. Thus, by the automated process, the labor costs of the adapter 10 are reduced, and the assembly efficiency of the adapter 10 is enhanced, together with the improved production yields.
Furthermore, as shown in
Moreover, as shown in
Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the movable pin 42 is disposed on only one side of the transformer 4 (e.g., the secondary side of the transformer 4). It should be noted that, in other varied embodiments, one movable pin 42 can be disposed on one side (e.g., a secondary side of a transformer) and another movable pin 42 can be disposed on the other side (e.g., a primary side of the transformer). Therefore, this modification is still within the protection scope of the present invention. In detail, as shown in
Please refer to
In detail, the transformer 5 shown in
The vertical-type transformer 5 shown in
According to the transformer 5 shown in
On the other hand, also in detail, the transformer 6 shown in
The vertical-type transformer 6 shown in
According to the transformer 6 shown in
According to the present embodiment, as shown in
In summary, the adapter, the transformer, and the assembly methods of the adapter and the transformer of the present invention can achieve anticipated objectives and solve the conventional defects. The present invention also has industrial applicability, novelty and non-obviousness, so the present invention completely complies with the requirements of patentability. Therefore, a request to patent the present invention is filed pursuant to patent law. Examination is kindly requested, and allowance of the present application is solicited to protect the rights of the inventor.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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106125614 | Jul 2017 | TW | national |
106128489 | Aug 2017 | TW | national |
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of co-pending application Ser. No. 15/725,256, filed on Oct. 4, 2017. The entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20110260820 | Liao | Oct 2011 | A1 |
20140240073 | Yen | Aug 2014 | A1 |
20140375409 | Peng | Dec 2014 | A1 |
20150279547 | Park | Oct 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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101923935 | Dec 2010 | CN |
102194569 | Sep 2011 | CN |
104240918 | Dec 2014 | CN |
104979071 | Oct 2015 | CN |
205248110 | May 2016 | CN |
106683854 | May 2017 | CN |
207319880 | May 2018 | CN |
Entry |
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Office Action dated Aug. 4, 2020 of the corresponding China patent application No. 201710784554.9. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200161043 A1 | May 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15725256 | Oct 2017 | US |
Child | 16748819 | US |