The present invention relates to a coil as an electronic component and a method of forming the coil, in particular to a coil which is preferable for being used as a reactor coil and a method of forming the coil.
In general, a reactor has, for example, a winding and a core made of a magnetic substance and the winding is wound around the core to make up the coil of the reactor, which enables inductance to be obtained. Conventionally, the reactor is used in a voltage boosting circuit, inverter circuit, active filter circuit, or the like, and, in many cases, such the reactor has a structure in which the core and the coil wound around the core are housed, together with other insulating members or the like in a case made of metal or the like (see, for example, Patent Reference 1). Further, for example, in a reactor to be used in a vehicle-mounted voltage boosting circuit, a coil is used which has a structure in which two single-coil elements each having a predetermined winding diameter and the number of windings that can provide a high inductance value in a high current region are formed in parallel to each other and are coupled (connected) to each other so that the directions of currents flowing through both the coils are reversed to one another (see, for example, Patent Reference 2).
Winding wires used for a coil is covered by films in order to obtain insulation of the winding wires from each other and insulation thereof from the coil. However, ends of the coil are sometimes connected to the other circuit or the other coil. In such a case, the films covering the ends of the coil are removed. However, in a case of a coil formed by winding a flat type wire material edgewise that is particularly superior in lamination factor, a gap between the coil and a core is narrow. An insulating material is incorporated between the ends of the coil and the core to obtain insulation from the core. Consequently, the number of parts are increased by the insulating material while assembling processes are also increased by thus incorporating process of the insulating material. This therefore causes a problem that production cost of the reactor is increased.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of firmly obtaining insulation between the core and the ends of the coil formed by winding a flat type wire material edgewise without using another member for obtaining the insulation.
The inventors of the present invention have invented a newly constitutional coil formed by winding a flat type wire material edgewise capable of firmly obtaining insulation between a core and ends of the coil and a method of forming the coil without using another member for obtaining the insulation. Namely, in order to achieve the above object, the coil of the present invention is such a coil that is formed by winding one flat type wire material rectangularly edgewise thereby stacking the rectangularly edgewise wound flat type wire in rectangular tube shape, characterized in that not only one edge of the coil consisting of the flat type wire including an end portion of start-of-winding thereof but also another edge of the coil consisting of the flat type wire including an end portion of finish-of-winding thereof are formed to be projecting from outer circumference of the coil.
With the constitution, not only the end portion of start-of-winding of the coil but also the end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil can be separated by predetermined gaps from a core inserted into the coil. Even if the end portion of start-of-winding of the coil and the end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil are connected, for example, to the other circuit with the films covering the end portions being removed therefrom, insulation of the end portion of start-of-winding of the coil and insulation of the end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil both from the core can be obtained without using another member for obtaining the insulation. As a result, not only cost of parts for preparing the another member but also cost of operations for assembling the another member can be prevented from being increased.
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the method of forming the coil of the present invention is such a method of forming the coil for forming the coil by winding one flat type wire material rectangularly edgewise by the use of a winding head thereby stacking the rectangularly edgewise wound flat type wire in rectangular tube shape, characterized in that the method comprises:
a feeding step of said flat type wire material for preparing said flat type wire material having a length required for said winding of the coil and then feeding the flat type wire material to said winding head, thereby disposing said flat type wire material in a condition that a head of the flat type wire material is projecting by a predetermined length from said winding head;
a start-of-winding step for winding said flat type wire material by the use of said winding head in order that one edge of the coil consisting of the flat type wire including an end portion of start-of-winding thereof may be projecting from outer circumference of the coil;
an wire winding step for winding said flat type wire material by the use of said winding head until the predetermined number of windings immediately before the finish-of-winding of the coil; and
a finish-of-winding step for winding said flat type wire material by the use of said winding head in order that another edge of the coil consisting of the flat type wire including an end portion of finish-of-winding thereof may be projecting from outer circumference of the coil.
With the constitution, not only the end portion of start-of-winding of the coil but also the end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil can be separated by predetermined gaps from a core inserted into the coil. Even if the end portion of start-of-winding of the coil and the end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil are connected, for example, to the other circuit with the films covering the end portions being removed therefrom, insulation of the end portion of start-of-winding of the coil and insulation of the end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil both from the core can be obtained without using another member for obtaining the insulation. As a result, not only cost of parts for preparing the another member but also cost of operations for assembling the another member can be prevented from being increased.
Besides, said end portion of start-of-winding of the coil or said end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil in the flat type wire is rendered to be projecting from said outer circumference of the coil by a distance capable of obtaining insulation between the core and said end portion of start-of-winding of the coil or said end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil in said start-of-winding step or said finish-of-winding step.
With the constitution, even if the end portion of start-of-winding of the coil and the end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil are connected, for example, to the other circuit with the films covering the end portions being removed therefrom, insulation of the end portion of start-of-winding of the coil and insulation of the end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil both from the core can be obtained only by the distance between the core and said end portion of start-of-winding of the coil or said end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the method of forming the coil of the present invention is such a method of forming the coil including at least first and second coil elements each of which is formed by winding one flat type wire material rectangularly edgewise by the use of a first winding head and a second winding head disposed separately from said first winding head by a predetermined distance, thereby each stacking the rectangularly edgewise wound flat type wire in rectangular tube shape, thus forming the coil in such a state as said first and second coil elements are arranged continuously in parallel and winding directions of said first and second coil elements are reverse to each other, characterized in that the method comprises:
a first feeding step of said flat type wire material for preparing said flat type wire material having a length required for both windings of the first and second coil elements and then feeding the flat type wire material from a side of said second winding head to a side of said first winding head and set the flat type wire material around said first winding head, thereby disposing said flat type wire material in a condition that a head of the flat type wire material is projecting by a predetermined length from said first winding head;
a first start-of-winding step of said first coil element for winding said flat type wire material by the use of said first winding head in order that one edge of the first coil element consisting of the flat type wire including an end portion of first start-of-winding thereof may be projecting from outer circumference of the first coil element;
a first wire winding step of said first coil element for winding said flat type wire material by the use of said first winding head until the predetermined number of windings of said first coil element, thereby forming said first coil element;
a second feeding step of said flat type wire material for feeding said flat type wire material having said first coil element formed at a head thereof again from the side of said second winding head to the side of said first winding head;
a forming step of said first coil element for disposing said first coil element in a predetermined posture by bending the whole of said first coil element;
a third feeding step of said flat type wire material for further feeding said flat type wire material from the side of said second winding head to the side of said first winding head in order to save a length of the flat type wire material for winding the second coil element;
a second start-of-winding step of said second coil element for winding said flat type wire material by the use of said second winding head in order that one edge of the second coil element consisting of the flat type wire including an end portion of second start-of-winding thereof may be projecting from outer circumference of the second coil element; and
a second wire winding step of said second coil element for winding said flat type wire material by the use of said second winding head until the predetermined number of windings of said second coil element, thereby forming said second coil element.
With the constitution, not only the end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element but also the end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element can be separated by predetermined gaps from a core inserted into each of the first and second coil elements. Even if the end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element and the end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element are connected, for example, to the other circuit with the films covering the end portions being removed therefrom, insulation of the end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element and insulation of the end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element both from the core can be obtained without using another member for obtaining the insulation. As a result, not only cost of parts for preparing the another member but also cost of operations for assembling the another member can be prevented from being increased.
Besides, said end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element or said end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element in the flat type wire is rendered to be projecting from said outer circumference of the first coil element or the second coil element by a distance capable of obtaining insulation between the core and said end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element or said end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element in said first start-of-winding step or said second start-of-winding step.
With the constitution, even if the end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element and the end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element are connected, for example, to the other circuit with the films covering the end portions being removed therefrom, insulation of the end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element and insulation of the end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element both from the core can be obtained only by the space (distance) between the core and said end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element or said end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element.
According to the present invention, the ends of the coil can be separated by predetermined gaps from the core inserted into the coil. Even if the ends of the coil are connected, for example, to the other circuit with the films covering the ends being removed therefrom, insulation of the ends of the coil from the core can be obtained without using another member for obtaining the insulation. As a result, not only cost of parts for preparing the another member but also cost of operations for assembling the another member can be prevented from being increased.
A coil of an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with referring to drawings. According to the embodiment, the coil of the present invention is applied to a coil of a reactor (hereinafter, referred to as a reactor coil).
As shown in
As shown in
In assembling processes of the reactor 10 thus constituted, at first, after the reactor coil 12 is formed, the winding frame portion 4b is inserted into the reactor coil 12. The partitioning portion 4a is then fitted from both ends of the winding frame portion 4b. Then, the blocks 3b and the sheet members 6 which constitute straight-line portions of the reactor core 9 are inserted into the winding frame portion 4b, thereafter the blocks 3a are bonded to the sheet members 6. Thus, the reactor core 9 have two straight-line portions and the reactor coil 12 is formed in each of the straight-line portions with the winding frame portion 4b being interposed therein to obtain a specified electrical characteristic. Moreover, the blocks 3a of the reactor core 9 are bonded to each of the straight-line portions of the reactor core 9 through the sheet members 6 and, therefore, the blocks 3a are so configured as not to be separated.
Next, after the insulation/dissipation sheet 7 is placed on the bottom face of the thermal conductive case 1, the reactor core 9 and reactor coil 12 are housed in the thermal conductive case 1. Further, the filler 8 is poured into the thermal conductive case 1 to secure the reactor cores 9 and reactor coil 12 in the thermal conductive case 1. The insulation/dissipation sheet 7 is placed between the reactor coil 12 and thermal conductive case 1 to provide insulation of both. Moreover, the insulation/dissipation sheet 7 of the embodiment uses the sheet having thermal conductivity being higher than that of the surrounding filler 8 and, therefore, can transfer heat generated from the reactor coil 12 to the thermal conductive case 1 effectively. By this, the heat generated from the reactor coil 12 is dissipated efficiently from the forcedly cooled thermal conductive case 1.
As described above, the reactor 10 has the reactor coil 12 which includes the first coil element 121 and second coil element 122 each formed by edgewise and rectangular winding of the flat type wire 17 in a manner in which the wound flat type wire 17 is stacked rectangularly and cylindrically. Owing to this, the first coil element 121 and second coil element 122 are so formed that the bottom faces are plane and are in contact with the thermal conductive case 1 with the insulation/dissipation sheet 7 interposed therebetween and, therefore, the reactor coil 12 is excellent in a dissipation characteristic compared with the case where coil elements are stacked in layer in a cylindrical manner. Also, similarly, when compared with the case where coil elements are stacked in layer in a cylindrical manner, dead space in the thermal conductive case 1 is reduced, thus enabling the reactor coil 12 to be housed in a case with reduced volume, which serves to make an entire of the reactor be small in size. Further, the reactor coil 12 of the embodiment has the first coil element 121 and second coil element 122 formed by winding the flat type wire 17 edgewisely (vertically) and, therefore, a voltage among wires can be made smaller compared with the case where the flat type wire 17 is wound in a horizontal manner. Accordingly, even in the reactor coil to which a large voltage of 1000 volts is applied, it is possible to ensure high reliability.
Further, the reactor coil 12 is characterized in that, a part of the flat type wire 17 constituting one edge 121A of the first coil element 121 including the lead portion 121L is rendered to be projecting from outer circumference of the first coil element 121 so that the lead portion 121L formed in an end portion of start-of-winding of the first coil element 121 may be separated from the reactor core 9 by the insulation distance. In addition, the reactor coil 12 is also characterized in that, a part of the flat type wire 17 constituting one edge 122A of the second coil element 122 including the lead portion 122L is rendered to be projecting from outer circumference of the second coil element 122 so that the lead portion 122L formed in an end portion of start-of-winding of the second coil element 122 may be separated from the reactor core 9 by the insulation distance.
Accordingly, even if the lead portions 121L and 122L respectively forming the end portions of the first and second coil elements 121 and 122 are electrically connected to the other electrical component, or the like with film coatings being peeled off and the flat type wire 17 and conductors within the flat type wire 17 being stripped off and provided with pressure connection terminals (not shown) and the like, the lead portions 121L, 122L can be kept insulated from the reactor core 9 without-insulation members interposed between the lead portions 121L, 122L and the reactor core 9.b As a result, not only cost of parts for preparing the insulation members as another members but also cost of operations for interposing the insulation members as another members can be prevented from being increased. Moreover, the lead portion 121L of the first coil element 121 and the lead portion 122L of the second coil element 122 is placed on the same side of each of the first and second coil elements 121 and 122 and, therefore, even when unillustrated terminals are mounted to an edge portion of each of the lead portion 121L and 122L, it is possible to align the terminals.
First, as shown in
Then, as shown in
Namely, the flat type wire material 170 is fed (sent) to perform the winding so that a length w (distance between centers of the flat type wire material 170) of another side edge 121B continuously elongated from one side edge 121A of the first coil element 121 shown in
After the formation of the first coil element 121, as shown in
As shown in
Then, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Namely, the flat type wire material 170 is fed (sent) to perform the winding so that a length w (distance between centers of the flat type wire material 170) of another side edge 122B continuously elongated from one side edge 122A of the second coil element 122 shown in
Thus, as shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
By using the above forming method, as shown in
In the coil of the conventional example mentioned above, an insulation member is interposed between ends of the coil and the core to obtain insulation in order that the ends of the coil may be electrically connected to the other electrical component, or the like by providing the ends of the coil with pressure connection terminals, and the like. In the reactor coil 12 of this embodiment, even if the film coatings of parts of the flat type wire 17 constituting the lead portions 121L and 122L are peeled off and the conductors within the flat type wire 17 are stripped off, the lead portions 121L, 122L can be kept insulated from the reactor core 9 without insulation members interposed between the lead portions 121L, 122L and the reactor core 9. As a result, not only cost of parts for preparing the insulation members as another members but also cost of operations for interposing the insulation members as another members can be prevented from being increased.
Besides, in the embodiment mentioned above, description was made about the reactor coil 12 having two continuous coil elements 121, 122. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to a reactor coil in which two single coils are combined or a reactor coil consisting mainly of a single coil. In such a case, the reactor coil is so formed that a flat type wire constituting one side edge of the coil including an end portion of start-of-winding of the coil as well as a flat type wire constituting another side edge of the coil including an end portion of finish-of-winding of the coil are projecting from outer circumference of the coil.
It is apparent that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments but may be changed and modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
The present invention can be widely applied not only to a coil of a reactor but also to coils of other electronic components such as a transformer and the like so long as the coil is formed by winding one flat type wire edgewisely and rectangularly in a manner in which the wound flat type wire is stacked in rectangular tube shape and the ends of the coil are projecting from outer circumference of the coil.
1: Thermal conductive case; 4: Bobbin; 7: Insulation/dissipation sheet; 8: Filler; 10: Reactor; 12: Reactor coil; 13: Reactor securing hole; 17: flat type wire; 121L, 122L: Lead portion; 121: First coil element; 122: Second coil element; 100: Winding head; 200: Winding head; 170: flat type wire material
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2007-025251 | Feb 2007 | JP | national |
The present application is a Divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/449,350, having a §371(c) date of Aug. 4, 2009, which was based on PCT/JP2008/000129 filed on Feb. 1, 2008. The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-025251, filed on Feb. 5, 2007 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 12449350 | Aug 2009 | US |
Child | 13200926 | US |