Patent Application
20180301276
The present invention generally relates to inductors and, more particularly, to a multiple winding inductor assembly that may avoid mutual inductance and facilitate circuit design and layout.
Inductors are commonly applied in electronic circuits for current choke, rectification, energy storage, oscillation, phase delay, or transformer. As electronic appliance are getting smaller with more functions, there are teachings about an inductor assembly having multiple windings functioning as multiple inductors. For example, R.O.C. Taiwan Patent No. M535865 teaches a mutual-inductance-free inductor assembly with multiple windings. As shown in FIG. 5 of M535865's drawings, the inductor includes a first piece, a second core piece, a middle piece, a first conductor, and a second conductor.
In addition, first and second gaps 100 and 200 are formed between the middle piece 15 and the first core piece 11, and the second core piece 13. The contact terminals 300 and 400 of the first and second conductors 12 and 14 are located to the lateral sides of the middle piece 15, respectively. As such, during the process of configuring the inductor assembly on the circuit board, the configuration accuracy becomes an issue (when the adaptability of fixtures and robotic arms is not taken into consideration).
To obviate the shortcomings of the prior art, an objective of the present invention is to provide a multiple winding inductor assembly that may avoid mutual inductance among multiple inductors and facilitate the design and layout of the circuit board.
The multiple winding inductor assembly includes a first core piece having a first major face and a second major face, and a second core piece having a third major face and a fourth major face. The second core piece has a first indentation on the third major face and a first column housed in the first indentation. The first indentation's two walls have a first gap and a second gap, respectively, at their bottom ends. The inductor assembly further includes a first conductor including a first lateral section, and a first vertical section and a second vertical section extended downward from the first lateral section's two ends. A bottom end of the first vertical section is bended perpendicularly outward into a first foot, and a bottom end of the second vertical section is bended perpendicularly outward into a second foot. The first conductor is embedded in the first indentation and surrounds the first column with the first and second feet received by the first and second gaps, respectively. The inductor assembly further includes a first core assembly including a third core piece and a second conductor. The third core piece has a fifth major face and a sixth major face. The third core piece has a second indentation on the fifth major face and a second column housed in the second indentation. The second indentation's two walls have a third gap and a fourth gap, respectively, at their bottom ends. The second conductor includes a second lateral section, and a third vertical section and a fourth vertical section extended downward from the second lateral section's two ends. A bottom end of the third vertical section is bended perpendicularly outward into a third foot, and a bottom end of the fourth vertical section is bended perpendicularly outward into a fourth foot. The second conductor is embedded in the second indentation and surrounds the second column with the third and fourth feet received by the third and fourth gaps, respectively. The second major face is joined to the third major face, and the fourth major face is joined to the fifth major face.
The first, second, third, and fourth feet are further bended perpendicularly downward to form seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth feet.
The multiple winding inductor assembly further includes a second core assembly, including a fourth core piece and a third conductor. The fourth core piece has a ninth major face and a tenth major face. The fourth core piece has a third indentation on the ninth major face and a third column housed in the third indentation. The third indentation's two walls have a fifth gap and a sixth gap, respectively, at their bottom ends. The third conductor includes a third lateral section, and a fifth vertical section and a sixth vertical section extended downward from the third lateral section's two ends. A bottom end of the fifth vertical section is bended perpendicularly outward into a fifth foot, and a bottom end of the sixth vertical section is bended perpendicularly outward into a sixth foot. The third conductor is embedded in the third indentation and surrounds the third column with the fifth and sixth feet received by the fifth and sixth gaps, respectively. The fourth major face is attached to the ninth major face, and the sixth major face is joined to the ninth major face.
The fifth and sixth feet are further bended perpendicularly downward to form eleventh and twelfth feet.
As described above, the first and second conductors, together with the first, second, and third core pieces, form multiple inductors that, when working individually, do not cause mutual inductance on those not at work, thereby avoiding energy consumption. In addition, the inductor assembly may be extended in only one direction when cascading more inductors, facilitating circuit design and layout, and the configuration of the inductor assembly on the circuit board.
The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings, identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.
The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
As shown in
The first core piece has a first major face 21 and a second major face 22. The second core piece 3 has a third major face 31 and a fourth major face 32. The second core piece 3 has a first indentation 33 on the third major face 31, and a first column 34 housed in the first indentation 33. The first indentation 33's two walls have their bottom ends not aligned with the first column 34, but reserve a first gap 35 and a second gap 36, respectively. The second core piece 3, therefore, has an E-like shape but is not limited as such. The first conductor 4 includes a first lateral section 41, and a first vertical section 42 and a second vertical section 43 extended downward from the first lateral section 41's two ends. The first lateral section 41, the first and second vertical sections 42 and 43 jointly form a U-like shape but is not limited as such. A bottom end of the first vertical section 42 is bended perpendicularly outward into a first foot 44. A bottom end of the second vertical section 43 is bended perpendicularly outward into a second foot 45. The first conductor 4 is embedded in the first indentation 33 and surrounds the first column 34 with the first and second feet 44 and 45 received by the first and second gaps 35 and 36, respectively.
The first core assembly 5 includes a third core piece 6 and a second conductor 7. The third core piece 6 has a fifth major face 61 and a sixth major face 62. The third core piece 6 has a second indentation 63 on the fifth major face 61, and a second column 64 housed in the second indentation 63. The second indentation 63's two walls have their bottom ends not aligned with the second column 64, but reserve a third gap 65 and a fourth gap 66, respectively. The third core piece 6, therefore, has an E-like shape but is not limited as such. The second conductor 7 includes a second lateral section 71, and a third vertical section 72 and a fourth vertical section 73 extended downward from the second lateral section 71's two ends. The second lateral section 71, the third and fourth vertical sections 72 and 73 jointly form a U-like shape but is not limited as such. A bottom end of the third vertical section 72 is bended perpendicularly outward into a third foot 74. A bottom end of the fourth vertical section 73 is bended perpendicularly outward into a fourth foot 75. The second conductor 7 is embedded in the second indentation 63 and surrounds the second column 64 with the third and fourth feet 74 and 75 received by the third and fourth gaps 65 and 66, respectively. The first core piece 2, second core piece 3, first conductor 4, and first core assembly 5 are joined together where the second major face 22 is attached to the third major face 31, the fourth major face 32 is attached to the fifth major face 61, and adhesive is used to bind them together. The adhesive may be one of a thermosetting adhesive, a thermoplastic adhesive, and a silicone adhesive, but is not limited as such.
As shown in
As shown in
In contrast to the prior art, the present embodiment has the second core piece 3, the first conductor 4, the first core assembly 5, and the second core assembly 50 cascaded in one direction, not two opposite directions, thereby maintaining identical gaps between the inductors. In addition, the present invention is able to have one gap less than the prior art, achieving greater space efficiency. As shown in
Furthermore, as the terminals of the multiple inductors provided by the multiple winding inductor assembly are more regularly arranged, when the inductor assembly is to be configured on the circuit board 500 by SMD, a more accurate configuration may be achieved, and fixtures or robotic arms are not required to perform complex operation, achieving enhanced installation convenience.
In summary, as shown in
As shown in
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the claims of the present invention.
