This application claims benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-θ18569, filed Feb. 5, 2018, and to Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-197276, filed Oct. 19, 2018, the entire content of each is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to coil components.
One known coil component is a common-mode choke coil in which a pair of wires are wound around a winding core portion of a drum core, and ends of the wires are electrically connected to metal terminals on flange portions on the drum core, as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-35473. Each of the metal terminals described in that Patent Document is joined to a projecting surface (mounting surface in that Patent Document) of a projection in the flange portion, the projection projecting toward a mounting substrate, the projecting surface being opposed to the mounting substrate, and is joined to an end surface of the flange portion.
The coil component of the above-described type has become smaller, and it also be used under environments where expansion and contraction are caused by temperature changes or under high-temperature environments in some cases. Thus there is a need to improve its endurance. In particular, it is desired to develop coil components in which detachment of metal terminals from flange portions can be suppressed.
Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a coil component in which detachment of a metal terminal can be suppressed.
According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, a coil component includes a core including a winding core portion and a pair of flange portions on opposite ends of the winding core portion, a metal terminal on each of the pair of flange portions, and a wire wound around the winding core portion and including end portions electrically connected to the metal terminals. Each of the flange portions includes a projecting surface that is positioned in a leading end of a projection projecting toward a mounting substrate and that faces the mounting substrate and an end surface that extends in a direction crossing the projecting surface and that faces an opposite side to the winding core portion in a direction in which the pair of flange portions are aligned. Each of the metal terminals includes a mounting portion opposed to the projecting surface and an end surface portion opposed to the end surface, and an angle θ between the mounting portion and the end surface portion is smaller than an angle θ1 between the projecting surface and the end surface.
In this configuration, the angle θ between the mounting portion and the end surface portion of the metal terminal is smaller than the angle θ1 between the projecting surface and the end surface of the flange portion. For example, if the angle θ between the mounting portion and the end surface portion in the metal terminal is larger than the angle θ1 between the projecting surface and the end surface of the flange portion (is an obtuse angle), the end surface portion in the metal terminal and the end surface of the flange portion are partly separated from each other. This may result in a situation where the end surface portion in the metal terminal and the end surface of the flange portion are not sufficiently joined between their surfaces. To address this issue, the angle θ between the mounting portion and end surface portion in the metal terminal is smaller than the angle θ1 between the projecting surface and end surface of the flange portion. With this configuration, the situation where the end surface portion in the metal terminal and the end surface of the flange portion are not sufficiently joined between their surfaces can be suppressed, and detachment of the metal terminal from the core (flange portion) can be suppressed.
According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, in the above-described coil component, when the angle θ1 between the projecting surface and the end surface is about 90 degrees, the angle θ between the mounting portion and the end surface portion may satisfy a relationship 85 degrees≤θ<90 degrees. In this configuration, when the angle θ1 between the projecting surface and the end surface is about 90 degrees, the angle θ between the mounting portion and the end surface portion may satisfy the relationship 85 degrees≤θ<90 degrees. For example, if the angle θ in the metal terminal is an obtuse angle, which is larger than 90 degrees, the angle θ is larger than the angle θ1 between the projecting surface and end surface, the end surface portion in the metal terminal and the end surface of the flange portion are partly separated from each other, and this may result in a situation where the end surface portion in the metal terminal and the end surface of the flange portion are not sufficiently joined between their surfaces. To address this issue, the relationship 85 degrees≤θ<90 degrees is satisfied, as described above. Thus, the situation where the end surface portion in the metal terminal and the end surface of the flange portion are not sufficiently joined between their surfaces can be suppressed, and detachment of the metal terminal from the core (flange portion) can be suppressed.
According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, in the above-described coil component, the metal terminal may be joined to only the end surface of the flange portion. In this configuration, the metal terminal is joined to the end surface of the flange portion, that is, it is not joined to the projecting surface of the flange portion with an adhesive or the like. Here, if the projecting surface and the metal terminal are joined together with an adhesive or the like, the effects of expansion and contraction of the mounting substrate caused by, for example, temperature changes are large. When the metal terminal is joined to only the end surface of the flange portion, as described above, the effects of expansion and contraction of the mounting substrate caused by temperature changes can be suppressed, and detachment of the metal terminal from the core can be suppressed.
According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, in the above-described coil component, the metal terminal may be joined to both the end surface and the projecting surface of the flange portion, and a joined area at the projecting surface may be smaller than a joined area at the end surface. In this configuration, because the joined area at the projecting surface is smaller than the joined area at the end surface, if expansion and contraction are caused by temperature changes in the mounting substrate, the metal terminal adjacent to the projecting surface is easily separated from the projecting surface, and the joined state at the end surface can be maintained.
According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, in the above-described coil component, the metal terminal may be formed by bending a single plate containing copper, the metal terminal may include an opposed surface opposed to the mounting substrate, the opposed surface may being covered with a nickel metal film and a tin metal film. In this configuration, the nickel metal film can suppress corrosion of the metal terminal and can also suppress diffusion of the metal terminal (copper) by the tin metal film. In addition, the tin metal film can enhance solder wettability at the time of soldering the metal terminal and the mounting substrate.
According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, in the above-described coil component, the metal terminal may be made of a plate having a thickness not less than about 50 μm and not more than about 150 μm (i.e., from about 50 μm to about 150 μm). In this configuration, the thickness of the plate forming the metal terminal set at not less than about 50 μm can enable the metal terminal to have a satisfactory strength, and the thickness set at not more than about 150 μm can contribute to improved workability.
According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, in the above-described coil component, the metal terminal may be made of a plate having a Young's modulus not less than about 100 GPa and not more than about 200 GPa (i.e., from about 100 GPa to about 200 GPa). In this configuration, the Young's modulus of the plate forming the metal terminal set at not less than about 100 GPa can enable the metal terminal to have a satisfactory strength, and the Young's modulus set at not more than about 200 GPa can enable the metal terminal to have appropriate flexibility.
In the coil component according to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, detachment of the metal terminal can be suppressed.
Other features, elements, characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the attached drawings.
An embodiment will be described below. In accompanying drawings, for facilitating understanding, constituent elements may be magnified. The dimensional ratios of the constituent elements in a drawing may be different from the real ones or ones illustrated in other drawings.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Here, in the present specification, as illustrated in
The drum core 11 in the present embodiment may be made of a magnetic material, such as Ni—Cu—Zn ferrite. The drum core 11 may be made of magnetic materials other than Ni—Cu—Zn ferrite.
As illustrated in
In the present specification, “substantially rectangular parallelepiped shapes” include substantially rectangular parallelepiped shapes having corner or edge portions beveled (chamfered), substantially rectangular parallelepiped shapes having corner or edge portions rounded as needed, and substantially rectangular parallelepiped shapes having corner or edge portions depressed. The principal surfaces and side surfaces may have projections and depressions in part or in entirety.
As illustrated in
The flange portion 31 includes a pair of principal surfaces 31a and 31b opposed to each other in the longitudinal direction Ld, a pair of side surfaces 31c and 31d opposed to each other in the width direction Wd, and a pair of side surfaces 31e and 31f opposed to each other in the height direction Td. The principal surface 31a in the flange portion 31 faces a side opposite to the winding core portion 21 in the longitudinal direction Ld (outer side portion of the drum core 11 in the longitudinal direction Ld). That is, the principal surface 31a in each flange portion corresponds to an end surface of the flange portion 31 (drum core 11). The principal surface 31b in the flange portion 31 faces a side where the winding core portion 21 is positioned (inner side portion of the drum core 11 in the longitudinal direction Ld). That is, the principal surfaces 31b in the flange portions 31 correspond to opposed surfaces, which are opposed to each other.
Each of the flange portions 31 includes two separated projections 32a projecting toward a mounting substrate (not illustrated), a central recessed portion 33 forming a gap between the two projections 32a, and external recessed portions 34a and 34b contiguous to the projections 32a on a side opposite to the central recessed portion 33, on the side where the side surface 31f to be mounted on the mounting substrate is positioned. Each of the projections 32a extends beyond the central recessed portion 33 and the external recessed portions 34a and 34b in the height direction Td. The projection 32a has a projecting surface 32b in its leading end. In a state where the coil component 10 is mounted on the mounting substrate, the projecting surface 32b faces the mounting substrate. In the present embodiment, the distance from the projecting surface 32b of the projection 32a to the principal surface 21a of the winding core portion 21 is set at approximately 0.1 mm to approximately 0.5 mm.
The dimension L1 of the length of the drum core 11 having the above-described configuration along the longitudinal direction Ld is set in the range of approximately 1.2 mm to approximately 4.5 mm. The dimension T1 of the height of the drum core 11 along the height direction Td (dimension of the height of the flange portion 31 along the height direction Td) is set in the range of approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 2.1 mm. The dimension W1 of the width of the drum core 11 along the width direction Wd (dimension of the width of the flange portion 31 along the width direction Wd) is set in the range of about 1.0 mm to about 3.2 mm.
The first and second wires 41 and 42 are coated electric wires, are wound around the winding core portion 21 in the same winding direction, and constitute a coil conductor. As one example of each of the first and second wires 41 and 42, a coated electric wire with a dimeter in the range of approximately 15 μm to approximately 80 μm can be used. In the present embodiment, a coated electric wire with a dimeter of approximately 15 μm is used. The first and second wires 41 and 42 are wound around the winding core portion 21 with the same number of turns. As one example of each of the first and second wires 41 and 42, a wire containing copper, such as a wire made of an alloy of copper and nickel can be used. The coating of the first and second wires 41 and 42 can be made of a resin material, such as imide-modified polyurethane. The opposite end portions of the first and second wires 41 and 42 are arranged in the vicinity of the four external recessed portions 34a and 34b in total in a one-to-one relationship and form connection portions 41a and 42a electrically connected to the metal terminals 51, which are described later. By welding the opposite end portions of the wires 41 and 42 to the metal terminals 51, the connection portions 41a and 42a and part of the metal terminals 51 form welding balls. The method of connecting the first and second wires 41 and 42 and the metal terminals 51 is not limited to welding, and another example of that method may be thermocompression bonding using a heater chip.
One pair of the metal terminals 51 are disposed on the projections 32a of one of the flange portions 31, respectively. Similarly, another pair of the metal terminals 51 are disposed on the projections 32a of the other flange portion 31, respectively. That is, the four metal terminals 51 in total are disposed on the drum core 11. The metal terminals 51 in each pair are symmetrical with each other with respect to a line passing through the center of the winding core portion 21 in the width direction Wd. The metal terminals 51 are electrically connected to the end portions of the first and second wires 41 and 42.
Each of the metal terminals 51 includes a mounting portion 52 and an end surface portion 53, whose shapes are planar. The metal terminal 51 is formed by die-cutting a single planar metal plate (copper plate) and bending it. The metal terminal 51 and the metal plate forming the metal terminal 51 have a Young's modulus set in the range of about 100 GPa to about 200 GPa. The metal terminal 51 and the metal plate forming the metal terminal 51 may preferably have a thickness not less than about 50 μm and not more than about 150 μm (i.e., from about 50 μm to about 150 μm).
The mounting portion 52 in the metal terminal 51 is disposed such that its upper surface 52a faces the projecting surface 32b of the flange portion 31 and is in contact with part of the projecting surface 32b. As illustrated in
The end surface portion 53 is continuous and integral with the end portion of the mounting portion 52. More specifically, when the metal terminal 51 is seen from the width direction Wd, it is substantially L shaped. The end surface portion 53 has an opposed surface 53a (see
As illustrated in
The percentage of detachment of the metal terminals 51 in the coil component 10 from the drum core 11 (flange portion 31) on impact was determined as described below. The coil component 10 was mounted on a mounting substrate by soldering, they were fixed inside a casing in which all surfaces are covered with plates, a drop test was conducted by causing the mounting substrate in the state where its surface to which the coil component 10 was attached faced downward to drop from a height of substantially 2 meters. The test was conducted 10 times for each pattern (each angle) of seven patterns of about 95 degrees, about 93 degrees, about 90 degrees, about 87 degrees, about 85 degrees, about 83 degrees, and about 80 degrees for the angle θ in the metal terminal 51, and the percentages of detachment were measured.
As indicated in Table 1, the percentages of detachment for about 90 degrees, about 87 degrees, and about 85 degrees were about 0%, and the percentages of detachment for about 95 degrees, about 93 degrees, about 83 degrees, and about 80 degrees were not less than about 20%.
This experimental example reveals that when the angle θ in the metal terminal 51 is in the range of about 90 degrees to about 85 degrees, the percentage of detachment can be low. As the miniaturization of the coil component 10 advances, the miniaturization of the metal terminal 51 inevitably advances, and thus even when manufacturing variations described above are small, the joint portion tends to have a problem. Therefore, the coil component 10 may preferably be manufactured such that the angle θ in the metal terminal 51 is around about 87 degrees.
Actions of the above-described coil component 10 are described next.
In the coil component 10 according to the present embodiment, when signals of opposite phase, such as differential mode signals, are input into the first and second wires 41 and 42, magnetic fluxes produced by the first and second wires 41 and 42 cancel each other out, no impedance occurs, and the differential signals pass. In contrast, when signals of the same phase, such as common mode signals, are input into the first and second wires 41 and 42, magnetic fluxes produced by the first and second wires 41 and 42 strengthen each other, high impedance occurs, and passage of the common mode signals is hindered.
As described above, the present embodiment can provide advantages below.
(1) The angle θ between the mounting portion 52 and end surface portion 53 in the metal terminal 51 is smaller than the angle θ1 between the projecting surface 32b and principal surface 31a of the flange portion 31. For example, if the angle θ between the mounting portion 52 and end surface portion 53 in the metal terminal 51 is larger than the angle θ1 between the projecting surface 32b and principal surface 31a of the flange portion 31 (is an obtuse angle), the end surface portion 53 in the metal terminal 51 and the principal surface 31a of the flange portion 31 are partly separated from each other, and this may result in a situation where the end surface portion 53 in the metal terminal 51 and the principal surface 31a of the flange portion 31 are not sufficiently joined between their surfaces. To address this issue, the angle θ between the mounting portion 52 and end surface portion 53 in the metal terminal 51 is smaller than the angle θ1 between the projecting surface 32b and principal surface 31a of the flange portion 31. With this configuration, the situation where the end surface portion 53 in the metal terminal 51 and the principal surface 31a of the flange portion 31 are not sufficiently joined between their surfaces can be suppressed, and detachment of the metal terminal 51 from the drum core 11 (flange portion 31) can be suppressed.
(2) When the angle θ1 between the projecting surface 32b and principal surface 31a is about 90 degrees, the angle θ between the mounting portion 52 and end surface portion 53 satisfies the relationship 85 degrees≤θ<90 degrees. With this configuration, the situation where the end surface portion 53 in the metal terminal 51 and the principal surface 31a of the flange portion 31 are not sufficiently joined between their surfaces can be suppressed, and detachment of the metal terminal 51 from the drum core 11 (flange portion 31) can be suppressed.
(3) The metal terminal 51 is joined at the principal surface 31a (end surface) of the flange portion 31, that is, it is not joined to the projecting surface 32b of the flange portion 31 with an adhesive or the like. Here, under environments where vibrations are applied to the coil component 10, the vibrations are transmitted from a mounting substrate. That is, because the projecting surface 32b of the flange portion 31 is not joined to the metal terminal 51 with an adhesive or the like, transmission of vibrations directly from the projecting surface 32b can be suppressed. Because the metal terminal 51 and flange portion 31 are joined at the principal surface 31a, which is remote from the projecting surface 32b, the vibrations attenuate, and detachment of the metal terminal 51 from the drum core 11 can be suppressed.
(4) The nickel plating can suppress corrosion of the metal terminal 51 and can also suppress diffusion of the metal terminal 51 (copper) by tin. The tin plating can enhance the solder wettability at the time of soldering the metal terminal 51 and the mounting substrate.
(5) The thickness of the plate forming the metal terminal 51 set at not less than about 50 μm can enable the metal terminal 51 to have a satisfactory strength, and the thickness set at not more than about 150 μm can contribute to improved workability.
(6) The Young's modulus of the plate forming the metal terminal 51 set at not less than about 100 GPa can enable the metal terminal 51 to have a satisfactory strength, and the Young's modulus set at not more than about 200 GPa can enable the metal terminal 51 to have appropriate flexibility.
The above-described embodiment is also applicable to embodiments below.
In the above-described embodiment, the principal surface 31a as an end surface and the end surface portion 53 are joined together with an adhesive, and the projecting surface 32b and the mounting portion 52 are not joined together with an adhesive or the like. Another configuration in which the projecting surface 32b and the mounting portion 52 are joined together with an adhesive or the like may also be adopted. In this case, the joined area at the projecting surface 32b may preferably be smaller than the joined area at the principal surface 31a (end surface). With this configuration, if expansion and contraction are caused by temperature changes in the mounting substrate, the metal terminal 51 adjacent to the projecting surface 32b (upper surface 52a) is easily separated from the projecting surface 32b, and thus the joined state at the principal surface 31a can be maintained. As described in the above embodiment, because the principal surface 31a side is remote from the projecting surface 32b, the effects of expansion and contraction caused by temperature changes in the mounting substrate can be suppressed, and detachment of the metal terminal 51 from the drum core 11 can be suppressed.
As illustrated in
The above-described embodiment uses a common-mode choke coil as the coil component 10. The above-described configuration may also be applied to other types of coils, including a winding-type coil.
The above-described embodiment and variations may be combined.
While preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2018-018569 | Feb 2018 | JP | national |
2018-197276 | Oct 2018 | JP | national |